We arrived in Quito, Ecuador on January 4, 2015, and our first order of business as missionaries was to go to the beach for a retreat. Each January, all of the OMS Ecuador missionaries get together for a few days for fun and fellowship. Of course going to the beach is great but we had barely even unpacked our suitcases and we were off again to another place. The retreat was in a town called "Playas", which in Spanish actually means "beaches". Hannah and I and another missionary flew from Quito to Guayaquil (Ecuador's largest city) and then we rode with another family to the beach.
Here are a few pictures of where we stayed, "Hosteria Mercymar".
Each morning, until about noon, we had a time of teaching from Dr. David Sills - a missionary, teacher, and trainer - his teaching focused on the basics of missionary work and a rapid-fire history of how Ecuador's religious framework got to where it is today. It was quite interesting listening to all he had to share.
Many, if not all, of the people reading this know that I was born in Guayaquil, where my parents were missionaries for over 20 years. Our family would go to Playas a few times a year for vacation. Our family and another missionary family split the rent on a beach cabin at Playas. It had been over 20 years since I was at Playas, but as we were driving to the hotel/resort/hostile (not sure what to call it) I saw a lot of familiar things along the way and quickly realized we were traveling on the same road that my family would travel on to get to our beach cabin. I thought our retreat hotel would be somewhat close to the cabin we used to go to, but I didn't know for sure. The day after we got there, Hannah and I took a walk along the beach to find it, and sure enough, we did!
When I was a kid, my family rented the top level of the house and the owner lived on the bottom, although the owner was rarely there. The house didn't quite look like this back then. It used to be all wood on the top, but now it is cement block. The wrap-around porch was (and still is) the best feature of the house. The bottom level was hardly finished back then, but now it looks really nice. I saw a man working at the house and I asked him if he was the owner, but he said he was the guard. He said the house was demolished a while back and re-built with cement block. I was really happy to be able to see that house again...so many memories!
Not far from the house is a marine base and a pier. When a big ship comes in, an Ecuadorian captain walks out on the pier and gets in a little boat and drives out to the big boat. He gets on the big boat and takes over for the captain and pilots the ship the rest of the way in. When I was younger we used to walk all the way out on the pier whenever we wanted, but things have changed and I was told they don't allow that anymore...bummer. At least I got a picture in front of it.
On our way back to the hotel, we saw a herd of goats - not something you normally see at the beach! It was funny, and loud.
There are a lot of crabs along the beach. I have a lot of memories of these crabs. My older brother and I used to go out after dark with our bb guns and flashlights and shoot them. I'm not sure when we started doing that but I am sure it was his idea.
On Saturday evening - the last night of the retreat - we all went to the beach to have a time of communion and marshmallows. It was a nice way to finish the retreat...the sunset wasn't too bad either.
It was a fun few days spending time with the other OMS Ecuador missionaries. But the best part for me was being back at a place from my childhood, and being able to share that with Hannah.
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