(Or at least
that was my intention when I started writing. Maybe we should re-title it,
"Almost Every Detail From Our Trip Thus Far")
Thursday, August 22nd
We arrived in Quito late last night, and after a very windy
ride to our new home for the next few months, we settled in for a good night’s
rest. Today we have just been
taking it easy and trying to get things somewhat organized. I have a feeling that we will just
start to feel settled when we will head to the next place!
We wanted to share just a few of the happenings from the
past couple days:
We met our family at Garcias for lunch before we headed to the airport on
Tuesday. This worked out
wonderfully! We got a whole side-room to ourselves and we really loved the time with our family!
Precious moments with our amazing family
At the airport we were informed that we would need to pick
up our checked luggage in Houston for our layover. (I had called the airline earlier and was told they would
keep it for us overnight since we were on a long layover). It was a little stressful trying to
figure out how we were going to handle 6 large checked bags, 3 carryon
suitcases (all too large for Malachi to help), 3 extra-stuffed personal items,
a car seat and a 3 year old! But
with no choice, we had to make it work, and God provided.
Both of our dads prayed over us before we left and our youth pastor from our teen years, Kevin McGinnis (also part of our extended family) prayed over and anointed us.
Very special moments for us all!
Goodbyes were said and we tearfully trekked through the
crazy world of airport security.
It was an extra blessing to have Kristina and Donny, Kurtis' sister and brother-in-law (both
flight attendants), come along with us to help us manage it all. We also enjoyed getting to be with
family a little bit longer.
Malachi did a GREAT job on our flight to Houston. Thankfully it was a short flight!
Staying entertained
After tracking down all our luggage (we were relieved it at least made it that far), we waited about an hour for our shuttle to the
hotel. Although we were tired and
hungry, we both had an understanding that this was just a little preparation for what we could experience in a new culture.
So we embraced it as much as possible and entertained the little guy as best we
could.
We rested well at the hotel and then had to check out by
1pm, so we slept in, swam a little, packed up and headed back to the airport
on the final part of our trek.
We got to the airport about 5 hours before our flight. I have to admit, I was a little
frustrated we had to go so early, but it ended up being a good thing. We had time to put important Ecuador
contact info in all of our luggage, Malachi and Kurtis got to go on a fun tram
ride for free, and we were able to sit down and eat some of the best airport food I
think we've ever had!
Getting all of our bags labeled with S.A. contact info
Kurt & Kai Kai enjoying the tram
Although
our large amount of luggage was hard to manage, God always provided a cart (or
2), or a person to help us any time we needed it!
A sweet moment
We boarded our flight knowing that we had a 5 ½ hour journey ahead and we were a little nervous about how that would go with the little
one. He once again did great,
which was impressive because he was exhausted and in rare form by the time we
got off the plane. We needed all the patience we could muster as we stood in
line after line to get through immigration and customs. The poor kid was just done by then!
Two of the missionaries that we are staying with from
Extreme met us at the airport.
Definitely a welcomed sight!
They handled finding two taxis for us and joined us on the hour long
twisty-turvey ride home. Malachi
and I were quite a pair in the back seat...
Malachi doesn’t get carsick like I do, but we have found that when we
mix exhaustion with a vehicle, things can get messy. So I sat there,
holding out a wet wipe incase he couldn’t keep it down, while at the same time
trying to keep my cookies. Sorry
if that is too much info, but I’m glad to say we both made it with all cookies
intact! Malachi fell asleep and
the last 15 minutes of the ride was a breeze. (I am learning I need to always
keep an extra bag with me, just in case).
We are living in a room with a bathroom attached in a
home being rented by one of the missionaries of Extreme. This home is where they hold a 40 day
retreat for young adults with a desire to seek our God’s will. We are so thankful for a nice place to stay with people who can help us get accustomed to life in Ecuador! We didn’t do much unpacking last night,
just crawled in to bed and we all slept like babies!
This morning we woke to cheerful laughing from two kids of
another Extreme family. They are hanging out here while their
parents go on a much needed vacation. We are thankful God provided some friends for Malachi to play with as he gets
settled in.
Here are two favorite quotes from our travels so far:
*As we were taking off from Houston:
Emily
heard Malachi say enthusiastically (with a pacifier in his mouth): “Mommy, we are going to die!”
Emily:
“What?”
Removing the pacifier from his mouth, Malachi said: “We are high in the sky!”
Emily: "Oh!", with a huge sigh of relief.
Boy the difference a pacifier can make!
*Kurtis’ favorite quote from the trip:
Emily: (Sternly during final
landing) Put that pacifier in your mouth! Your ears are going to hurt if you don’t suck on it, so suck
your paci now!
*Just now Malachi walked over to the OPEN window in our room
and said: “Ahhh, what a beautiful
day!” (Guess he appreciates being
out of the heat as much as we do)
We are taking about a week and ½ to get settled and then Kurtis
and I will start language school.
Looking forward to getting familiar with the beautiful city of Quito!
Much love to you all!
A view of the city from our new home