This and That from Here and There: The beginning of the end (AKA

May 22

◦ I think we were moving before 5:00, and I was packed up and downstairs somewhere around 5:45.

◦ I was supposed to help with breakfast also, so that gave me something definite to do so I wouldn't be in the way of all the clean up things going on everywhere.

◦ When everyone else sat down to eat breakfast around 7:00, Diana, Laércio and I headed down the hill to our breakfast place - Napo and Dominga's. We had choclo and cold crumbled cheese sandwiches with really sweet coffee or coffee-like beverage. It was pretty good, actually, as I had been fearing a chicken and rice breakfast.

◦ Diana's a good visitor, so Laércio and I didn't really have to say much for most of the time. After we finished eating, however, she asked if either one of us had something we could share. Neither of us chomped at the bit to be first, but finally, I shared a couple of school stories, after which, Diana immediately suggested that we sung a couple of hymns before Trevor arrived with the truck. What?!?! My "only" visit on the whole rounds with another visitor (kind of) and I'm the one sharing something?! Laércio just smiled.

◦ Neither Sra. Dominga nor her mother-in-law can read, but they both had hymns ready with the new numbers and all. Diane would read the chorus of each hymn before we sang it, and the mother-in-law commented after one such reading, "They changed some words in that one." We had also talked about different religious folks who go around knocking on doors, trying to convince people of their doctrine. It was quite evident that the old grandmother wasn't going to be persuaded by something other than what she's found in the gospel. A true revelation is a beautiful and powerful thing!

On our way to breakfast

They have a bunch of melons or something stored back in this little cranny.

Right next to the guinea pigs

The view out back

Taken from the breakfast table

A little closer

◦ When we went outside between 8:30 and 9:00 (I didn't look at my watch.) Trevor was there loading the last bag on the back of the truck. Flor, Beverley and John Narvaez were already there as well, so we all climbed in (or on) and headed for Coyunde. Partway along the trail, we meet up with Sue, Miriam, Mili (Milagro from Oxapampa) and Juan David T from Pasto. The ladies joined us in front and Juan David jumped in the back, and away we rolled.

The crew who joined us partway down the road

Climbing the hill to the grounds

Across the road

The roof of the dining area

And the main house on the right

Time to unload

◦ We had an hour or so to get settled into our rooms at Coyunde before leaving for our lunch visits. I share a room in the new house with Beverley. Quite a nice arrangement!

My bed is the one on the left.

Looking down from the front door of "our house"

Trevor had come early to butcher and cut up a beef. Here's some of the "fruit" of his labor.

Ever present fowls

Welcome to Coyunde

The women's restroom facilities

◦ Several of us had lunch quite a ways away but all in the same direction, so we set off in the pickup. Trevor drove and Beverley sat in front. Laércio, John, Flor and I were in the back for another very bumpy ride. We met up with the combi full of workers coming from Lajas partway along the route according to plan. Quick stop to transfer luggage and then we were off again, dropping off passengers at the entrance to various homes. Pedro and I were near the end of the route. Rogelio and Laércio walked to our lunch home with us and then continued on to a house further down "the path."

◦ Lunch with Don Oswaldo, his daughter and son? and his little daughter was a heaping (read: HEAPING) plate of rice with a chicken leg sitting on top. I ate and ate and ate and was full long before I stopped eating. I had eaten about as much as I could stand and was going to quit but decided I had better try to stuff a little more into my stomach since it looked like I hadn't touched my plate. When I finally allowed myself to quit, I still had half a plate full, but I decided it would just have to be that way. And that was that.

◦ Pedro shared some things that the had heard yesterday in the meetings in Lajas, and I shared a few things that we had heard in Olmos, and then we sang a couple of hymns.

don Oswaldo's home

The door to the kitchen

View of the house from above

◦ Trevor was back to pick us up somewhere around 1:40. We waited for Rogelio and Laércio and then headed back to Coyunde, picking up passengers along the way. I got relegated to the bed of the truck this time, which I actually found to be a welcome change. There were six of us (Rogelio, Laércio, Pedro, John, Lindaura and me) in the bed along with all the luggage, so it was tight quarters, but it would have been possible to fit a lot more people back there South American style! It was a bumpy ride, as usual, but we all made it without too many bruises. My bun was quite looser than it had been when we started, but that was all.

Heading back down the trail to meet up with our ride after lunch

Here come Rogelio and Laércio.

We're really hoping we can beat the rain! (Especially those of us in the back of the truck!)

My view all the way home

◦ I worked in the kitchen for a while after getting back to the grounds - washing and drying fruit, washing dishes and helping prepare the salad for supper - and then enjoyed some quiet time in my room before the supper bell rang.