Saying Goodbye

The last night in Shell was memorable!  Abby and I were welcomed into Daniela's parents home.  First, we got amazingly beautiful manicures by Dani's sister.  Then, I gave Dani's mom lots of laughs and good memories by ignorantly pouring the 6 cup packet of instant coffee into my own cup. Finally, some of Abby's new friends came by to say goodbye.

Our last morning, we rose before the sun and set out for Quito on the long, weaving, mountainous roads.  We saw some new scenery as we traveled since we took a different way.  We were able to get a good look at Cotopaxi Volcano in the distance and as we climbed into heights, we saw the change in plant life to brown grasses.

Cotopaxi, covered in snow and still spraying out smoke

Since the Equator runs right through the northern part of Ecuador, Cris took us to see the monument that had been set up there.  It was neat to stand where the world is cut exactly in half, and in the process learn a bit about Ecuador's history.  

Translate: "'The middle of the world'- It's beautiful to be Ecuadorian."

Abby and I in front of the monument facing East.

Our fantastic hosts!

The early morning of the last day and the long, hard drive up to Quito, coupled with many hours of waiting in the airport and a 5 hour overnight flight to our first stop in the states meant that we were totally exhausted when our friend picked us up 2 hours from home.  The past few days have been a bit hard for me, particularly, as I catch up on lots of lost sleep, get over a cold I brought home with me, and get into a "groove" for the fall.  David and the kids did great while I was gone and I think he is about rested up and ready to dive deeper into school.  Abby seems to have stepped back into home life smoothly, and now we will begin asking ourselves what we learned during our adventures and how we saw God moving.  

Life is exciting!  God is amazing!