We had our first birthday here in Ecuador when Nastassja turned 14 years old on December 18th. The entire weekend was amazing. Saturday she had a party with friends. While we've only been here in Cuenca for about two months, Nastassja had a house full of sweet, laughing girls come over to celebrate her birthday. Sunday, we prayed for Nastassja to know that God was speaking to her on her birthday, and at church they called up people with recent birthdays to sing to them. Afterwards, there was a scripture given: Deuteronomy 28:1-14. God is so faithful!

Our home in Cuenca

I've received many requests for pictures of our new home here in Cuenca. Unfortunately, there is still a bit of work to do to have every room ready for viewing as we're still unpacking suitcases and setting up the things we have purchased here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/calltothenations/sets/72157624683064261/show/

Edit: I'm sorry, but for some reason this post didn't get published back in October like it should have been.

We found our new home! God has been so good and provided all the things we wanted in a home. We've also made some new friends. It's still been tough missing our friends & family, but at least that helps some.

Edit: I'm sorry, but for some reason this post didn't get published in October as it should have been.

How excited we are that we are finally able to move to Ecuador! Things went smoothly on the trip and we didn't even have to pay extra baggage fees between Quito and Cuenca. The weather has been beautiful and we are looking for a new home. It's been a little tough after leaving so many friends and family, but this is an exciting new experience. Once we find our new home, we'll be going out for a special dinner of cuy! Here are some photos from our trip and first few days in Cuenca.

Edit: I'm sorry but for some reason this post didn't get published in October like it should have been.

Camping Trip

We love to camp in the San Bernardino mountains! It's a refreshing break from the stress and chaos of daily life. We spend time hiking and reading together and lots of time taking care of basic needs (cooking, washing dishes, gathering wood, etc.). It's fun, but we're all thankful for modern appliances like dishwashers! What a blessing to have a wonderful family to spend time with. For more pictures, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/calltothenations/sets/72157624683064261/show/

Swim Day

When Michael and Nastassja used to do archery, Michael made a friend named Alex. Alex's mom is Ecuadoran and their family is moving to Quito when Alex's dad retires next year. How neat to have a friend who lives close here in the US and then who will be moving to Ecuador! Alex came over recently and they went swimming. Check out a few pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/calltothenations/sets/72157624143515528/show/

Legoland

We took a field trip to Legoland yesterday for Michael's birthday.  He has been wanting to go for some time and we discovered that there are discounted tickets for homeschoolers every Monday. The weather was beautiful and there were very few people at the park so we didn't have to wait in line! The kids even got a chance to take a class and experiment with Lego robots. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures right now. We forgot the camera and had to buy a disposable. Stay tuned for the pictures.