Hello from Shell! We are finally here. In some ways it is very strange to be here, but in another way, it's just another very normal part of the process we have been in for the past year. This is a little long, so you may want to grab a cup of coffee or tea before you read any farther.

We left Oakhurst early on the morning of July 17. David left an hour before the rest of the family with all eight pieces of our luggage. The idea was to get as much as possible on the first commuter flight of the morning to LA. We weren't sure if they would be able to fit all of our luggage on the flight we went on. David wasn't able to send it all, only his two pieces. However, he was able to find out that some pieces were over the seventy-pound weight limit. While he waited for the rest of the family to arrive, he repacked some of contents of two suitcases and one box into the boys' suitcases, so each was under the weight limit. By the time that was done, the rest of the family was there and we all checked in.

A few of our friends were there to see us off. Before we knew it, it was time to say our good-byes and get on the plane. Our journey had begun. Both the flight from Fresno and the flight from Los Angeles were delayed. In the end that wasn't a problem, as the flight from Miami to Quito was delayed over an hour. The flight to Quito was 3 1/2 hours. The boys traveled well all day. Taylor napped on two of the flights, but Dustin was awake the whole way. That was amazing, as he had slept less than 5 hours the night before.

We landed in Quito about 11 PM local time on July 17. (We still haven't quite figured out the time difference from Oakhurst, as they don't use Daylight Savings time here. In fact, the sun rises and sets almost at the same time all year round: 6:30 AM and 6:30 PM.) As the plane was rolling down the runway, we each had the same thought: "What have we done!?"

We exited from the rear of the plane and walked across the tarmac to the building to go through Immigration and Customs. We must have gotten into the slowest line. We were one of the last people through, with two other flights coming through before we could even get out. Despite the slow process, it went smoothly, and we didn't have to open any of our luggage.

Ron and Margie met us outside of Customs along with Alan Lindvall. We quickly guided our two carts of luggage to the waiting van and then hopped into a taxi. Dustin had lost a Lego piece in the parking lot, but we couldn't even wait for a moment to find it. As Dustin sobbed because we couldn't take the time to look for his Lego piece, several small boys begged us for a quarter (Ecuador is in the middle of switching from Sucres to the US dollar). In a few minutes we were walking up the stairs to our room in the Gospel Missionary Union guesthouse.

Taylor didn't want to sleep by himself, so he crawled into bed with Ellyn. After he discovered he could still build his Lego robot even without the missing piece, Dustin crawled into bed and started to cry. He wanted to go home. David crawled in bed with him and Dustin was soon asleep. By this time it was 1:15 in the morning, and we were all exhausted.

Ellyn and David were up the next morning for breakfast at 7:30, but we let the boys sleep until after 8:00. We sent all of our luggage over to the MAF hanger so they could begin flying it to Shell. When the boys were awake, Ron and Margie took us to a supermarket to do some grocery shopping. The supermarket was large, and almost like a supermarket in the US. While Ellyn and Margie shopped, Ron and David walked the mall with the boys. David was excited to find an Internet cafe and spent $.40 to send an email to our parents and friends. We ate lunch at Burger King, and if it weren’t for the fact that the menu was in spanish, we would have thought we were in the US! In the afternoon we took a bus ride with Ron and Margie and went to Mitad del Mundo, the monument at the equator. That evening we went to Pizza Hut. It was two for one on Tuesday evening, which was a bargain. Unlike in the States, Pizza Hut is an expensive place to eat and only the upper class can afford it.

We woke up Wednesday morning and packed our carry-on bags so we would be ready to fly to Shell when the call came. A flight to Shell is possible only when the weather in both Shell and Quito is good. Around noon the call came in and Ron drove us to the airport. We were soon on the plane and climbing high above the city of Quito (pop. approx. 2 million). This was the boys' first flight in a small single-engine plane so they were very excited. Before the flight was over, they were both asleep. We flew from Quito (9300') to Shell (3000') and were fascinated by our bird's eye view of the Ecuadorian country. Perhaps the highlight was flying past a smoking volcano that was even higher than our plane. It was about 1:30 PM when we touched down in Shell. Our Big Brother and Sister met us, an MAF couple who will help guide us through our time here.

As soon as we arrived at our duplex the boys began rearranging their beds. They also quickly found the trampoline across the lawn. It didn't take long before it began to rain, and the boys had a blast jumping on the trampoline in the rain until they were completely soaked. They were laughing and squealing, and we think they were quite surprised we let them do that. Watching them bounce in the warm tropical rain brought to mind some of our own childhood memories from PNG. Before we went out for dinner that first night, all of our bags and boxes were unpacked and put away. We ate that evening with Alan and Renee, our Big Brother and Sister.

Thursday David and the boys explored Shell a little, picking up some odds and ends at a couple stores. That was a challenge with a very limited spanish vocabulary, but the people here are very friendly and helpful. We discovered a small plaza with a playground, and the boys enjoyed the zipline and swings there. One of the girls had a very young monkey, which she let Dustin hold. We all thought that was great. Later in the day Ellyn and the boys went with Renee, our Big Sister, to Puyo. This is the bigger town about five miles down the hill from Shell. They stopped at the Casa de la Balsa, where the boys picked up some balsa. Dustin wants to carve a boat, and Taylor bought a carved parrot that he will paint. While they were there they were excited to see a toucan.

Meanwhile, David went down to the MAF hanger where he immediately found a job helping Ron and Brian string a cable across the road. They worked quickly so as not to get run over by one of the trucks or busses that drove crazily down the street. The cable was then strung to a house and finally up a tower. The antenna is part of an HF email system, and will allow missionaries in the jungle to have access to email by radio.

Thursday evening we ate with Steve and Jennie. He is a doctor at the HCJB hospital here in Shell. We walked across a 240' long swinging bridge across the river to get to their house. Dustin and Taylor enjoyed playing with two of the boys who live next door.

Friday was Ellyn's day to go shopping with Renee and Margie. She spent the whole day in Puyo looking for things for the house as well as doing a little grocery shopping. You can be sure this was a far cry from a trip to Fresno! In the end, she was very happy with what she was able to find.

While Ellyn was in Puyo, David and the boys spent the morning at the hanger. They participated in a goodbye event for two people who are leaving MAF. It was an opportunity to meet some more MAF people and visit a little. Dustin was very excited because he had a chance to hold a couple of boa constrictors, one at a time of course. He wanted his Papa to hold one, but David told him that would have to wait until a day when he was there with a camera. You won't find David holding a snake very often, so when he does, he wants a picture of the event! In the afternoon David and the boys took the bus to Puyo so the boys could buy some blowguns.

It is now Saturday and soon we will have been in the country for a week. The time has just flown by. We are settling in quickly and enjoying our new home. Ellyn spent a couple late nights sewing curtains, so of course the place already has her touch. We're discovering that things take much longer here, and you can't just run to the store to buy whatever you want. For example, David just went to the store with a list of 6 things, and came back with only two of the items. The rest might be found in Puyo, or possibly even Quito, but that won't happen today.

School will begin August 9 for the boys. David will begin work on August 3. Actually, he has already made a couple trips over to his classroom. It's no more than a five-minute walk to the school. Unless of course you walk with Taylor, and then the trip will take about ten minutes!

That's the news for now. Thanks for your prayer and your support as we begin our time of service here in Shell. We'll write more later.

David and Ellyn
Dustin and Taylor