tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77776083430951840152024-03-13T14:08:17.056-07:00B2M Has movedPlease connect to mysterybow.wordpress.comCurtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-23910344174961968122009-11-29T06:28:00.000-08:002010-12-16T08:38:11.712-08:00Bowing to Mystery has moved<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This site will cease to exist on January 1st, 2011. Please refer to mysteryboy.wordpress.com</span>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-33347612492202822842009-11-26T18:14:00.000-08:002009-11-26T18:15:15.649-08:00Prayer for Thanksgiving Day<b style="font-weight: normal;">Give us this day our daily bread,</b> O Father in heaven, and grant that we who are filled with good things from Your open hand, may never close our hearts to the hungry, the homeless, and the poor; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.<br />
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(From the abbey of New Clairvaux, Viña, California)Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-45806878834976608082009-11-23T18:13:00.000-08:002009-11-23T18:13:06.252-08:00Advent Take-Over<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This was included in a recent issue of my church's newsletter.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLchXhsFI/AAAAAAAAHqM/TVjMFvj6s1M/s1600/rockwell-thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLchXhsFI/AAAAAAAAHqM/TVjMFvj6s1M/s320/rockwell-thanksgiving.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Thanksgiving is the starting pistol for the Holiday Season. Black Friday, the first day of the year that many department stores turn a profit, gives us the gift of great deals; we can also feel a little less guilty about listening to our Christmas music.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before you take out Nat King Cole, consider how Thanksgiving gives you the opportunity to be prepared in heart, mind, and soul for the season of Advent. On that day</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">we stuff ourselves with tryptophan, watching parades and football games (fútbol if you're in Ecuador). We spend time with family as we relax and cherish the day. Most of all, we give thanks for these things and more.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">This special holiday is an excellent way to start Advent, though it's a few days early. What better way to await the coming of the Christ-child than with a thankful heart? </span> <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanksgiving isn't the only holiday you can tack on to this exciting season. Advent is a special time full of many opportunities for celebration that we often ignore, only setting our sights on the Big Day.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLd7M-u8I/AAAAAAAAHqU/XAEC_S4MT0s/s1600/st-nicholas-of-myra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLd7M-u8I/AAAAAAAAHqU/XAEC_S4MT0s/s320/st-nicholas-of-myra.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Saint Nicholas' Day is on December 6, the second Sunday of Advent this year. Saint Nicholas of Myra (in modern-day Turkey) was orphaned after his wealthy parents were killed by an epidemic. He inherited their fortune and decided to give it to the poor, the sick, and children. This generous man went through hard times as Emperor Diocletian imprisoned him for his Christian faith. He emerged years later, a skinnier man, and this bishop continued his expedition of giving. On December 6, as you light the second Advent wreath candle, think of Saint Nicholas, and let the spirit of giving warm your heart and encourage you to implement similar practices in your own life. Matthew 6:20 says "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Our gifts are meant to be spent, not hoarded. We should be good stewards with our possessions. In </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Celebration of Discipline</i></span><span style="font-size: small;">, Richard Foster writes that when we view each of our possessions as gifts cared for by God, and if we offer everything we have to everyone we know, we will possess a greater gift: freedom from anxiety.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLaM9QAdI/AAAAAAAAHqE/K9kclWUZ1cw/s1600/doubting_thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLaM9QAdI/AAAAAAAAHqE/K9kclWUZ1cw/s320/doubting_thomas.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">On December 21, the first day of Christmas vacation for many students, remember Thomas the disciple. For the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, this is his actual feast day. As you might remember, he is the disciple who at first doubted Jesus returned after the resurrection. Use this day to turn outward, thinking, praying, and ultimately discerning what is happening </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>outside </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">of your life. Then try to see what God has been teaching you that you may not have seen before. Doubting Thomas is also sometimes known as Thomas the Believer because of when he turns around to exclaim "My Lord and My God!" (John 20:28) Widen your perspective on this day, and try to see the Lord at work in more places.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLe5GOCVI/AAAAAAAAHqc/k_Gtv_j7N0Y/s1600/StStephen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SwiLe5GOCVI/AAAAAAAAHqc/k_Gtv_j7N0Y/s200/StStephen.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, the day after Christmas, Boxing Day for some, is also Stephen's Day. In Acts, he becomes the first Christian martyr as he is stoned to death for proclaiming his beliefs (Acts 7:60). As you clean up your home, and as you wear your new clothing or watch those new DVDs, remember amidst all of the plenty that there are those who suffer greatly. Many of them do it so that you may have that joy and freedom.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Celebrating these in your heart, along with available Advent devotionals, will make this season even greater for you and yours; you'll have a humble, thankful heart ready to "Live out the kingdom now, and celebrate every day for the miracle it is" (Matthew 24:36-44 )</span><br />
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</div>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-9878154023813513942009-11-21T10:22:00.000-08:002009-11-21T10:24:29.385-08:00Adventures in Teaching<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Good morning Teacher”</span>, fifth-grader Luis says to me every morning when he greets me in my new classroom and asks me how to say different random words in English. The truth, I'm discovering, is that these students, the ones above grade two at least, are interested in learning English. With all the difficulties I've had trying to manage a classroom, they are interested, and they have learned something.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Sure, many are intrigued by <i>malas palabras</i> (bad words) in English; I even indulge them sometimes to diffuse the novelty, explaining in a very academic way, the significance of these bad words that they already know. Although they are most excited by all things taboo, every once and awhile I'm able to provide a lesson that excites them.<br />
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</div>One day, I explained that my friend Jude from the United States would be here in December. That day, I asked them if they wanted to be able to converse with him. After an enthusiastic “yes, Teacher!” I led them into a lesson on basic introductions and greetings.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Another day, some of the students in fourth grade were planning a baseball game for the next day's recess. They discussed uniforms, and then, because I was tired of disciplining at the end of the day, I let them play in the classroom—don't worry, it was Nerf. Even I could recognize that they had terrible form, so I taught them how to throw, catch, and swing a bat with what knowledge I have. I did all of this in English, and they demonstrated comprehension of basic verbs and nouns of baseball.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">On that same day, a student in seventh grade tried to tickle me, but after years of being tickled by Uncle Travis, my nerves are apparently dead. I told my students that I was mostly robotic. They pulled on the skin of my arms and believed me for a solid five minutes. I taught them the words “gullible” and “liar.”<br />
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</div>Even though this job is riddled with frustration, it has its rewards, like these spontaneous lessons. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I got my own classroom this week. Part of my dilemma with classroom management was that I had to haul my stuff around, class to class, every forty minutes. Whenever I would enter a class, their other teacher would leave, and I believe they perceived this as a break from discipline. To add to that, I have dozens of English posters and ideas for bulletin boards, but I had no classroom in which to put them.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">So two weeks ago I asked Eduardo if I could have the biblioteca (or library). He said “yes” and with swiftness he acquired for me a whiteboard (that is double-sided and flips around) a very large desk, and 22 student desks. Sure the floorboards are warped, the paint is dirty and chipped, the false wall is crooked, and it shares another wall with the bathroom, but it's my classroom, and it is so beneficial for their learning.<br />
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</div>It's also beneficial for students when their teacher possesses copies of their <b>books</b>. After eleven weeks, I stumbled upon the books I've been waiting for in a storage room—the books I've been told were either on their way or not yet ordered . . . in that order. A couple students were also in need of these books, so I quickly distributed. This situation has been one source of frustration partly because of the dishonesty and lack of consideration for me as a teacher, but mostly because we have had the ability for the last 3 months to give these students a better quality of English instruction, yet for some reason it was just easier to not walk down to the storage room. I won't go any further with this one here.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">One area of frustration I am willing to go into more is the great difficulties I've had with my students and their collective work ethic. I mentioned that they are interested, yet it only seems to be when they don't have to do any work. It is nearly impossible to get about half of my students to do anything in class (not an exaggeration), yet when I send them home with work, it comes back in perfect handwriting, completed to perfection. I look at the paper and wonder what his/her mom's/dad's handwriting looks like. Many of the children spend 20 minutes of class sharpening their pencils and asking to go to the bathroom. When I get them seated and have work for them, they wear a bored expression and tap their VERY sharp pencils on their desks. I was talking to one of my adult clergy members about this observation. I believe he has observed some children and students from the United States, and his theory is that usually there is a complete lack of independence in children here compared to those in the States. Their parents cook and clean (chores don't exists much), everything is perfectly prepared for them (including their homework) and they aren't taught to have much of a work ethic until much later in life. Most children live with their parents through college and even a bit beyond, all the while being treated much the same way. It isn't until marriage that it changes, and even then, who knows? I believe this theory typifies what is called Arrested Development, of course this is from one conversation based on one man's opinion; so keep that in mind. This topic reminds me of a book I read not too long ago called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Do-Hard-Things-Rebellion-Expectations/dp/1601421125/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258827244&sr=8-1">Do Hard Things</a> by two brothers who speak out against the idea that teenagers have to wait until they're older to make a difference. The forward is by <a href="http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/">Chuck Norris</a>...how could it not be good?<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">This theory though, is starting to make me realize what my job might actually be here. I came to teach English, yet I think if I can improve my students' willingness to learn and put effort into school, then I will have done something. Because let's be honest about the English thing, I took two years of Spanish in high school and really didn't absorb much to any great extent, so what are they going to learn from me in one year? They'll retain some vocabulary and some basic sentence structures, but if I can prepare them for their other classes and the next English teacher, what a difference that will make!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Close to four months in and I'm finally starting to see where I might make a difference. It's a good feeling, and I hope to experience some of the benefits before I prepare to leave and have that cathartic experience I keep hearing about . . . i.e. I hope my students start putting more effort into my more structured lessons. Until then, their ability go to recess is greatly affected.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcfarr316%2Falbumid%2F5406564439282700241%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="192" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="288"></embed><br />
</div>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-28967052252002043452009-11-06T12:19:00.000-08:002009-11-06T12:21:21.187-08:00Like Apples of Gold in a Setting of Silver<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SvSEb4sRnFI/AAAAAAAAHh0/21Yvf1CBVIs/s1600-h/DSCN3021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SvSEb4sRnFI/AAAAAAAAHh0/21Yvf1CBVIs/s320/DSCN3021.JPG" width="320" /></a>As the power went out last night due to electricity rationing, I appropriately decided to read the "Solitude" chapter from Richard Foster's <i>Celebration of Discipline</i>. . .alone in the dark by candlelight, no less. Here are some interesting passages and/or quotes I pulled from it.<br />
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Settle yourself in solitude and you will come upon Him in yourself. (Teresa of Avila)<br />
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Where shall the world be found, where will the word resound? Not here, there is not enough silence. (T.S. Eliot)<br />
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Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. . . .Let him who is not in community beware of being alone. . . .One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)<br />
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Simply to refrain from talking, without a heart listening to God, is not silence. (Richard Foster)<br />
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A day filled with noise and voices can be a day of silence, if the noises become for us the echo of the presence of God, if the voices are, for us, messages and solicitations of God. (Catherine de Haeck Doherty)<br />
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All those who open their mouths, close their eyes! (Old Proverb)<br />
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It is easier to be silent altogether than to speak with moderation. (Thomas á Kempis)<br />
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There is "a time to keep silent and a time to speak." (Ecclesiastes 3:7)<br />
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A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)<br />
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Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2)<br />
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If we are silent, who will take control? God will take control, but we will never let him take control until we trust him. Silence is intimately related to trust. (Richard Foster)<br />
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Real silence, real stillness, really holding one's tongue comes only as the sober consequence of spiritual stillness. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)<br />
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Much that is unnecessary remains unsaid. But the essential and the helpful thing can be said in a few words. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)<br />
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Goals are discovered, not made. (Richard Foster)<br />
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Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say. (Thomas Merton)<br />
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Listen to God's speech in his wondrous, terrible, gentle, loving, all-embracing silence. (Catherine de Haeck Doherty)Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-78823587256214476292009-11-04T07:06:00.000-08:002009-11-04T07:07:27.496-08:00Exactly 6 weeks without getting sick...againTo the day, six weeks after my run-in with some uncooked pork, I came down with more bacteria-related illness.<br />
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The culprit? <b>Snails from the river.</b> They call them churos (not the sweet Mexican thing with cinnamon). They were kind of like an Ecuadorian escargot, and I ate 20 of them.<br />
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The next day I got very VERY sick around 10am. It the pain, vomiting, diarrhea went on and around 2 I decided to do something. With my sister Erika's help, two paramedics came to the apartment, checked me out, gave me an IV of saline and told me to rest and drink Gatorade <br />
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I was doing better until about 6:30, when all of the symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and numbness in my hands, arms, and face came back. At 8 I decided I needed to go to a hospital. I called <a href="http://www.stjames-cambridge.org/morcks">Chris and Trish</a>, and Trish came quickly to take me to the <a href="http://www.hospitalmetropolitano.org/">Hospital Metropolitano</a>.<br />
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The hospital was nice and as good as any American hospital. We were there from about 8:30 to 1am as the nurses and doctors did blood tests...etc. They perscribed three medications: Cipro, Buscapina, and Digespar.<br />
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The cost of everything? The visit, the nurse's and doctor's time? The medicine? <span style="font-size: large;"><b>$80.32</b></span>. If you add in the cost of the paramedics who came to my house, it comes to <span style="font-size: large;"><b>$80.32</b></span>...because it was free...because they are paid for with taxes...<br />
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So my four-day weekend has quickly turned into a six-day weekend. I'm sitting at home, eating toast and more Gatorade.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-39874812377858283402009-11-03T05:48:00.000-08:002009-11-21T17:00:37.306-08:00"Holidays" Weekend<span style="font-size: large;">The Ecuadorians sure know how to celebrate holidays. This weekend, October 31 - November 2, we celebrated <b>four </b>holidays.</span><br />
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</div><b>1) Dia de las Brujas (Day of the Witches, or Halloween).</b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween">Halloween</a> is not very big here since its origins are not in the Spanish or indigenous traditions. Still, some of my friends had Halloween parties with costumes. Many restaurants and bars have similar parties. I think most of this is from the strong American influence in Quito.<br />
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<b>2) Dia de los Santos Todos (All Saints Day)</b>. I didn't witness a huge amount of ceremony/ritual, but we did walk into a church in Cotacatchi where they were having a special All Saints service.<br />
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<b>3) Dia de los Funtos, or Muertos (Day of the Dead).</b> THIS is the big holiday. Most families gather for fellowship and to honor their deceased relatives. They go to the grave(s) and place flowers.<br />
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</div>In Cotacatchi, people leave business cards or little notes to show the families that they were there. The indigenous people gather in the morning to eat food around the grave, say prayers, and tell stories.<br />
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Instead of regular flowers, they place paper flowers around the graves. The family and I spent 2 days in Cotacatchi to visit the grave of Marjory's parents.<br />
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<b>4) Dia de la Independencia de Cuenca (Independence Day, city of Cuenca).</b> Ecuador celebrates the independence of the country and every major city. Cuenca, a city I haven't yet visited, is supposed to be beautiful with large churches and beautiful scenery.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Check out my Picasa Photo Albums to the upper right for many more pictures and stories from this weekend. </span>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-51247848046952192542009-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:002009-10-24T10:10:33.583-07:00The Widow-MakerI have been contemplating how to write about some of the more uncomfortable or frustrating parts of my life in Quito. While I've been blessed with a great host family and some delicious, nutritious <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/cfarr316/Comida">food</a>, there are parts of living in Ecuador that I usually only spill on Skype to some of my friends.<br />
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It is important for the integrity of this blog that I don't coat every experience with sugar, which can be my problem sometimes. I want to be honest about my experience, so come and join me as I contradict the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk">video</a> I posted awhile ago about how unhappy everyone is, despite our amazing technical advances, and so on.<br />
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</div><b>The Widow-Maker</b><br />
This is the shower head I use every morning. My impression is that they are very typical in South America. Many people cannot afford real water heaters, so they buy these shower heads that heat the water right as it is coming over your head. As you can see, there are many exposed wires and a switch merely a foot from the water source. My father said his electrician friend, Charlie, commented on the shower heads during their trip to Peru. They certainly don't pass US standards, and I'm not sure if they have any standards here. Suffice to say, I am very cautious about splashing water around during my shower.<br />
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Of course, aside from the danger-element, is the fact that the temperature of your water depends entirely on the water pressure. Water pressure seem to be terribly inconsistent wherever you go. When the pressure is adequate, the heater doesn't work because the water passes through the head to fast to be heated. Then, when the pressure decreases suddenly, the water scolds your entire body. The South American Shower should be an Olympic event.<br />
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<b> South American Time</b><br />
Many told me about this alternative view of time. I was excited to be in a place where the people you were with were more important than your obligations. I'm discovering that this version of <b>SAT</b>, while possibly true in other parts of South America, or even Ecuador, is not true in my experience. It seems that people are mostly relaxed about <i>my </i>time. If I have an obligation--Spanish lessons, work at the diocesan office, lunch, they are mostly ignored and I end up without time and lunch. I find this frustrating because while they are relaxed about where I need to be, *they are ever impatient with their own commitments.<br />
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*<i>in order to keep some anonymity, I'm using "they," but know that my observations don't apply to all Ecuadorians by any means.</i><br />
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It is also apparently not important that a teacher have his/her books. Every week I've asked for my books. Every week I've been told "next week." For a first year teacher who looks about as old as most of his students' older brothers, not having my material has been difficult. I think God might even be irritated at this eight-week delay. I'm not even sure he would buy the "in Your time" comment. Would God say "don't patronize me?"<br />
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<b>Noise of the City</b><br />
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<i>The female street vendors - </i>These poor women try to make their living by selling fruit, candy, and newspapers in the streets. To make themselves known, they must scream. The voice is loud enough to wake you up, block out your music and television, and it sounds a bit like an air raid siren in the way every word starts soft and crescendos to a squeal. <br />
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<b> </b><i>The gas tank guys</i> - Similarly, men in trucks drive by constantly honking their peculiar-sounding horns so everyone can by the gas tanks needed to power an oven.<br />
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<b> </b><i>Horns - </i>You honk when you back up. You honk when you go through an intersection. You honk when the light turns green (just in case someone is asleep).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SuMeygt5_sI/AAAAAAAAHZk/avn5m8K4s3g/s1600-h/0650161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SuMeygt5_sI/AAAAAAAAHZk/avn5m8K4s3g/s320/0650161.jpg" /></a><i>The Mariscal-Sucre International Airport - </i>This is Quito's airport (for about one more year while they finish the new one outside of the city). It is in the dead-center of Quito. Whenever a jet takes off, you MUST halt all conversations and teaching to wait for tranquility.<br />
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I've had to adjust to city-life in this way. Perhaps I am just too used to the peace of the forest I was raised in or the quaint suburbs where my parents currently reside. Needless to say, I may go insane when I move back home and achieve peace and quiet. <br />
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So what am I learning?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">PATIENCE</span>, I'm finding, is absolutely necessary for many parts of this life--especially in the classroom.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">OPTIMISM </span></span>is something I thought I perfected, but I'm learning how to be positive all over again. <br />
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And <span style="font-size: x-small;">DEDICATION </span>in the midst of these minor frustrations, a difficult language barrier with my students especially, and the lack of a piano--my former method of relieving all stresses.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SuMfrW10bRI/AAAAAAAAHZ8/29THp8a-TVk/s1600-h/BaldEagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SuMfrW10bRI/AAAAAAAAHZ8/29THp8a-TVk/s200/BaldEagle.jpg" /></a>So there we have it, <span style="font-size: large;">patience</span>, <span style="font-size: large;">optimism</span>, and <span style="font-size: large;">dedication</span>. Sounds like what you might find on an inspirational poster.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-85444642508584935832009-10-20T16:49:00.000-07:002009-11-06T12:23:25.759-08:00Thoughts on Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/St5Kohy-X4I/AAAAAAAAHYg/elTNBMN-8AI/s1600-h/prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/St5Kohy-X4I/AAAAAAAAHYg/elTNBMN-8AI/s320/prayer.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>I'm lacking creativity as I cherish my week with free afternoons.<br />
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These are some words by others on prayer that stick out to me. Many are collected from <i>Celebration of Discipline</i> by Richard Foster. I highly recommend this book. Buy it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Celebration-Discipline-Path-Spiritual-Growth/dp/0060628391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256082676&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>.<br />
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The picture is one that I remember from my grandparents house.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Prayer</b></span><br />
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Early will I seek thee. (Psalm 63:1 KJV)<br />
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Prayer—secret, fervent, believing prayer—lies at the root of all personal godliness. (William Carey)<br />
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The false notion that we are to thank God for everything has caused immeasurable pain and damage to many Christians. (Marva Dawn)<br />
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And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went to a lonely place, and there he prayed. (Mark 1:35)<br />
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God does nothing but in answer to prayer. (John Wesley)<br />
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We are "colaborers with God." We are working with God to determine the outcome of events. (Paraphrased 1 Corinthians 3:9)<br />
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Perhaps the most astonishing characteristic of Jesus' praying is that when he prayed for others he <i>never </i>concluded by saying "if it be thy will." (Richard Foster)<br />
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Prayer is to religion what original research is to science. (P.T. Forsythe)<br />
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Our prayer is to be like a reflex action to God's prior initiative upon the heart. (Richard Foster)<br />
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Coincidences occur much more frequently when I pray. (Paraphrased from Archbishop William Temple)<br />
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Come like children to a father. (Jesus)Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-51871095972992996892009-10-16T09:54:00.000-07:002009-10-16T09:54:58.229-07:00Everything is Amazing, and Nobody's HappyMy mom sent this clip to me before she used it in one of her classes. I love it when comedians actually point out something worth pointing out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk">Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy</a> - Louis C.K. on Conan O'BrienCurtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-26200650359798834012009-10-09T18:48:00.000-07:002009-11-21T17:00:22.146-08:0010/08/09 Feliz Cumpleaños, indeed!Like every day before, I jumped out of bed at 5:59, one minute before my alarm was set to sound a now-familiar island tune. I was greeted with hugs from Marjory and Rafael, and a rousing rendition of "Cumpleaños Feliz" from Eduardo. Of course, today I got to dress rather casual, because the whole school was bound for Puembo, a city East of Quito. They had planned a special picnic for the students on a farm owned by the Episcopal Church. Three volunteers from a university in Quito came along to lead some games.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Ss_nTvKAhNI/AAAAAAAAHSE/URaDenEBA_Q/s1600-h/DSCN2809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Ss_nTvKAhNI/AAAAAAAAHSE/URaDenEBA_Q/s200/DSCN2809.JPG" /></a>Before we loaded on the bus, word spread that it was my birthday. My students were very excited, and very sweet, and greeted me with many wishes for a happy birthday. Marcia, a seventh-grader, gave me a nice key chain, and Ali, my cousin and another seventh-grader at the school, had made a candle for me, which was accompanied by lots of delicious chocolates. Camila, yet another seventh-grader, gave me some more candy, while a fifth-grader, Steve, who speaks English fairly well promised to buy me an Xbox game since I told him I have a 360 in the States. Don't worry though, they're only a dollar here.<br />
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After a tour of the farm and some games, the whole school sang Happy Birthday in Spanish and then in English. I had a chance to talk with the volunteers during lunch. They spoke English and wanted me to speak it, but I kept using Spanish, or at least Spanglish. One of them was studying French and continued to speak Spench. <b>It was quite a conversation.</b><br />
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After some time, we returned to the cathedral where the other professors surprised me with a cake. They also sang "Cumpleaños Feliz," and had me take a bite out of the entire cake, which I guess is a tradition here.<br />
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Eduardo and I went home to another lunch of hamburger (no bun), papas fritas (homemade french fries), avocado and tomato. I can only assume this dish was picked to make me feel more at home. EVERYONE thinks that all Americans eat is hamburgers. We need to do something about this people!<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4_Cnv-nWKkdGvUK0KQL0zQ?feat=directlink">Rosa</a>, my Spanish tutor arrived at 3, but I told her we'd have a brief lesson because another present was coming over Skype at 4:30. After 8 days of practically no communication, Jude was able to call. Enough said.<br />
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I also talked to my aunt Karen, who shares the October 8th birthday (along with Chevy Chase and Matt Damon).<br />
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While I was going through some pictures of the day, Patty and her daughter (neighbors from downstairs) called out "Andrecito" and presented me with a chocolate cake. We ate it the next morning for breakfast. Delicious. <br />
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</div>Pablo and Erika came over with loads of food, and Camila and Amelia, of course. They barbecued chicken, pork, and two kinds of sausage up on the roof. I ate all of the above along with corn-on-the-cob, potatoes, and a salad of tomatoes and avocados.<br />
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Tomorrow is Rafa's birthday, so I'll return from my first night of house-sitting for Chris and Trish, who are in the United States for a couple weeks, tomorrow for another, probably smaller birthday celebration.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-85528306298264308772009-10-07T18:55:00.000-07:002009-10-07T18:55:25.467-07:00Imagine No Religion<strong>By Donald Schell</strong><br />
<strong>Borrowed from a note on the Facebook's "The Episcopal Cafe."</strong><br />
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Until yesterday morning, those billboard and bus signs had only annoyed me. I hated their cartoonish stained glass background and the smug large letters of the message. Of course, I also heard John Lennon’s line, ‘…and no religion too.’ Why’d Lennon have to add that? Then truthfully, somewhere in the back of my mind, I also thought, “Sorry, John, religion’s my work. You did your job; I’ll do mine,” but I hated that. I do not welcome my inner priest voice defending the religion business.<br />
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After seeing it so many times, this time I dropped my protest and simply read the “Freedom From Religion” ad as an invitation and got to work imagining.<br />
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Okay. ‘Imagine no religion.’ So, no Shakespeare. Ouch.<br />
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Biking through the traffic, I though of Karl Barth and Rene Girard. Both argue that what we practice is no religion at all because Jesus refuses to tell us how to get our way with God and won’t bind us into stultifying groupthink. Good thoughts, but I was co-opting the billboard message. The red light stopped me, and I told myself no fancy dodges, no letting myself off the hook with religionless Christianity. What would be good riddance if we had no religion? I pedaled on.<br />
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No Spanish Inquisition.<br />
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No witch trials in Europe or Salem.<br />
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No Catholic-Protestant struggle in Northern Ireland.<br />
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No Serbia-Croatian War.<br />
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No Buddhists and Hindus fighting in Sri Lanka.<br />
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No 9/11? (but what warped Islam to get those guys flying the planes into the Twin Towers?)<br />
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The bus caught up with me at the next light. As I waited by the sign, I considered faces looking out the window above it. “Imagine No Religion.” Their minds were elsewhere. The light changed to green and pressed on.<br />
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No Religious Right.<br />
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No religious scorn for my gay friends.<br />
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No Aztec human sacrifice on the Pyramid of the Sun…but the sacrifices were done. So, just no Pyramid of the Sun. I remembered climbing it when I was fifteen.<br />
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I was pedaling uphill now.<br />
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No Genesis story of Ham to justify slavery. <br />
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Pushing my speed up on the hill, I thought again of Shakespeare. The imagining cuts both ways. What would we miss without religion? Immediately I noticed how personal this list was. What would make my world smaller without religion? The list is more idiosyncratic. What’s your list? Comments welcome! Here’s mine from the bike ride -<br />
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No Hagia Sophia in Istanbul,<br />
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No Bach Cantatas or Mozart’s Requiem,<br />
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No Gandhi,<br />
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No Peace Prize for Desmond Tutu, and no Truth and Reconciliation Commission,<br />
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No St. Francis,<br />
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No Teresa of Avila outwitting the Inquisition while she taught us how to be friends with God in holy community,<br />
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No Franciscan Third Order giving serfs religious basis to refuse their overlord’s call to war against neighboring dukedoms.<br />
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No Hospitals? At least we know Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims founded the first ones to care for the sick and indigent poor.<br />
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And Shakespeare? So am I certain Will Shakespeare was a Christian and that his glorious work speaks faith? I sense our faith in his plays, but some people don’t. But there’s no question that the Bishops’ Bible and Coverdale Psalter sparked his language.<br />
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No end to slavery? Ah, tricky one. Yes, religious justifications helped sustain slavery, but it was virtually universal in human history until priest and then bishop Bartolome de Las Casas made his heroic effort to outlaw it in Spain’s New World colonies. Like many good stories of religion, this one began in a muddle. Las Casas came to Cuba as young nobleman where, as a slaveholding landowner he surprised himself and his friends by becoming a priest, and when his prayers made him see the plight of his Indio sisters and brothers, he freed his own slaves and crossed the Atlantic almost a dozen times to convince King Philip II to do what no other monarch had ever done, outlaw slavery.<br />
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And our abolitionists? Two hundred years after Las Casas, Anglican Deacon Thomas Clarkson wouldn’t stop pushing, teasing, cajoling, demanding the church’s and Parliament’s repentance for the English slave trade. Clarkson plagued William Wilberforce when he gave up the fight. He berated John Newton and the Archbishop of Canterbury for the profits they made on the trade. He more or less invented community organizing, and in forty years got England to outlaw first the trade and then slavery itself. But bitter with the church’s long resistance he more or less became a Quaker.<br />
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I reached home out of breath from riding up the hill and parked my bike in the garage.<br />
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<b>“Imagine no religion.” </b><br />
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No mystical poets. No Juan de la Cruz, no Emily Dickinson, no T.S. Eliot, no Mary Oliver, no Ephrem the Syrian, no Hildegard von Bingen.<br />
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Through the day I kept coming back to the billboard’s request.<br />
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Late morning I recalled 20th Century violence done in the name of Non-Religion. I decided a low death score in a Religion vs. No Religion doesn’t win any contest. Evenhanded remembering only gets to this – we’ve all got blood on our hands.<br />
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Just how do we imagine the dark side of this?<br />
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Dostoyevsky did it clipping news stories of the worst and cruelest things people did to other people. Believing Christ was drawing the whole world into God’s embrace, he felt the song of praise ready to spring even from humanity’s worst, but could he trust that without acknowledging Readers – what would break your heart if we had no religion?<br />
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After lunch I remembered my widowed parishioner in Idaho who always brought a roast to our midweek Eucharist and potluck, saving up from her social security check to share something delicious with her friends. <span style="font-size: large;">Communion</span>.<br />
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<div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Communion again holding the hand of the comatose, dying unbeliever, the father of two young children. “Even in coma, people hear,” I’d thought, so, speaking slowly with a confidence that came from something beyond me, I said he could continue loving his wife and daughters, but it was time to let go, and the next moment he took one long, last breath and died. </span><br />
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By the end of the day this priest was thanking the Freedom From Religion Foundation. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>FFRF’s invitation to imagine “no religion” puts us right back to the <i>mystery </i>of why we choose faith.</b></span> Mixed bag? Amen! Religion has inspired the very best and much of the worst of who we.<br />
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In the end remembered sweet moments of falling in love with Jesus again.<br />
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<div style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Keep our eyes open Lord Jesus. Make us truthful and humble. Show us how to repent of what we’ve done in your Name and make us grateful for what you do in, for and with us and for all humanity. </b><br />
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<em>The Rev. Donald Schell, founder of St. Gregory of Nyssa Church in San Francisco, is President of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/note_redirect.php?note_id=274271495289&h=b1f2eadce1905f9c5816e9f983347cf4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allsaintscompany.org%2F" target="_blank" title="http://www.allsaintscompany.org/">All Saints Company</a>.</em>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-17853621238615097982009-10-02T08:52:00.000-07:002009-10-02T14:54:35.049-07:00The Mystery Behind Door Number One<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SsY4cKd49aI/AAAAAAAAHIs/GzR6PzVY0x4/s1600-h/DSCN2685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SsY4cKd49aI/AAAAAAAAHIs/GzR6PzVY0x4/s320/DSCN2685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388056060692592034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >T</span>omorrow night marks exactly <span style="font-weight: bold;">two months</span> in Ecuador. It's hard to believe I've been here that long, and that I've completed <span style="font-weight: bold;">four weeks</span> of teaching English to 70-some children.<br /><br />It has not been easy. Like most, or all teachers, I've faced a number of students who have absolutely no desire to learn, no craving for the English language, and no respect for me as their teacher. To make things worse, let's not forget that I am attempting to instruct them only in English. In the beginning of the school year, a few of the younger students even cried because they couldn't understand me. I quickly learned how to simplify my language and use more actions than words. I learned to slow things down, and let the children work as a group to figure out what I was saying.<br /><br />Two kindergartners like to say "molestoso" when I walk into the room. This means that I am there to bother them. In truth, I think they are their to bother me. As are the numerous other students who quarrel, chase each other around the room, and refuse to do any work whatsoever. They are there to bother me and test me.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I sifted through my friend Rosie's mind for tips and tricks for managing classrooms. One major success has been the threat to take away recess, or "recreo." Once each class loses a recess, I think they'll start to behave. It has already worked with the fifth grade, though not with the seventh because some of the girls wish to stay with me anyway. Aren't student-teacher crushes adorable?<br /><br />I've made the students accountable to each other by saying that even if one student misbehaves, the whole class suffers. They have quite a few chances (as many times as their are letters in the word "recess") before they lose it. This makes the 7th grade boys quite angry when the girls intentionally misbehave.<br /><br />I've also found that rewarding them with games at the end of the week or a Michael Jackson song at the end of class can make them VERY attentive.<br /><br />Aside from these struggles, it has been exciting to be the cool, young teacher who wears sunglasses, teaches Thriller, and does magic tricks. I receive constant "Hello Teacher"'s on the playground before, during, and after school. The parents are also very excited for their kids to have a true English speaker with them for the entire year. It is difficult for children to have consistent learning when they go through four teachers in one year, as they did last year. This, of course, is not to begrudge the work of teachers past. I have heard many wonderful things about them all, the only negative one being that they couldn't have stayed longer.<br /><br />This school and diocese has really welcomed me with open-arms, and many are committed to my happiness this year.<br /><br />Also committed to this is my family: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C8khkLH9OT7BbSepa6SF_w?feat=directlink">Eduardo and Marjory</a>, and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pRTaesq6neJJQF3u5q20WA?feat=directlink">Rafael</a> (amongst the numerous other cousins, aunts, uncles . . . etc. They have become a family to me. Initially, it felt as if I was staying in a kind of bed and breakfast; but in two months, people grow on you. You become a part of the life of the family. This, of course, doesn't come with out some struggles and minor frustrations. As we all can attest to, minor annoyances often occur when we spend a lot of time with our parents, or with anybody for that matter. More than these annoyances is the love that abounds in their willingness to house me, feed me, and immerse me in the culture of Ecuador.<br /><br />To be perfectly honest, my situation is incredibly lush--especially compared to some of my counterparts in the <a href="http://www.episcopalchurch.org/30703_1700_ENG_HTM.htm">Young Adult Service Corps</a>. (Please check out THEIR blogs with the links to the right. If you are reading this on Facebook, go to my <a href="http://www.mysterybow.blogspot.com/">blog</a> to see these links.)<br /><br />It has actually been a bit troubling to associate myself with these brave friends of mine who shower with buckets of cold water, live in abysmal conditions, and encounter dangerous, sometimes violent situations constantly. It has made me constantly question my worth as a mission partner. I live in a nice apartment with wonderful people. Marjory, <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/cfarr316/Comida?feat=directlink">cooks</a> lunch from scratch every day with all-natural ingredients. She has only repeated one or two dishes in two months. We have a housekeeper, Maria, who cleans my room, makes my bed, washes and irons ALL of my clothing. Have you ever put on a pair of freshly ironed underwear? I shower with hot water every day. The climate of Quito, while a bit polluted, is very comfortable. And to top that off, we have wireless internet that allows me to blog whenever I want.<br /><br />I have been very blessed with all of these people and accommodations.<br /><br />So while I've grappled with this issue of associating myself with such courageous people; <a href="http://eighthdaydawning.blogspot.com/">Jude</a> and <a href="http://holdinghaiti.blogspot.com/">Mallory</a> in Haiti, to name a few, I've had a substantial increase in my own prayer life--mostly for them. I've been wondering what the great purpose of this year is for me. Why has God called me to Ecuador? What lessons will I learn in the months to come? Quito seems to be so Americanized; I feel as though I've simply graduated from college and started a career in teaching. Mission is supposed to be a truly life-altering experience. Mission is supposed to be really difficult. Mission is supposed to be what drives us always, at home and abroad.<br /><br />When I spoke at my church in July, I said that I thought I heard God knocking on a door, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Ecua-door</span>, if you will. What lied in Ecuador was a <span style="font-weight: bold;">mystery</span>, and it still is. David Copley, of YASC, forwarded the words of Arch Bishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams to all of us in the field. <a href="http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2450">(Link to full message)</a><br /><br />He sites Acts 16: 6-7: <span style="font-style: italic;">They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.</span><em style="font-style: italic;"></em><br /><br />Williams comments at how puzzling this passage seems to be. As we understand it today, there is no place out of God's reach. No place where the Spirit can't lead. Here it does not allow them to spread the good news in Bithynia. Williams says this, <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >"don't waste your energy where God at this moment is not opening a door."</span> Don't go where you aren't called.<br /><br />While I've rejoiced in all of the comforts I enjoy here, I've been somewhat disappointed that I haven't had that "true missionary experience." The thing is, I wasn't called to a place where I'd have to live with the completely impoverished, with no running water or electricity. God knocked on THIS door, and I need to honor that--to open that door and welcome God into this situation, <span style="font-size:130%;">and bow to the mystery, of course.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SsY9x6nDoII/AAAAAAAAHJw/6x3AeFRDa1I/s1600-h/2742947814_9189938a89.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 155px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SsY9x6nDoII/AAAAAAAAHJw/6x3AeFRDa1I/s400/2742947814_9189938a89.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388061931951333506" border="0" /></a>In July, when I return to the States, I may not have seen my effect. I may not know what what difference I have made. I will most likely feel like I've gained much MUCH more than I've given. Hopefully one, some, or many of my students will be that much more affected by my presence that they will go on to be much greater than myself. Perhaps I will never know. <br /><span style="font-size:130%;">But then again, that is the mystery.</span>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-80437552309332323802009-09-25T09:17:00.000-07:002009-09-29T04:08:07.187-07:00Rosario Anglicano para el Pueblo de Dios (Anglican Rosary for the People of God)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sr0I2BZgshI/AAAAAAAAG7k/RFBo1yv6Ocg/s1600-h/DSCN2594.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sr0I2BZgshI/AAAAAAAAG7k/RFBo1yv6Ocg/s320/DSCN2594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385470453586375186" border="0" /></a>In the office of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Ecuador, you will find a display case with clergy shirts, traditional worship music of the area, and some Anglican rosaries. These rosaries are hand-made by Reverend Juan Salvatierra in the mission parish of San Felipe, Imbabura, Ecuador.<br /><br />I purchased one of these rosaries from the office because of all of the symbolic significance of the prayer tool.<br /><br />The Anglican rosary, mine is made entirely of string and wooden beads, was developed in the 1980s by a group of Episcopalians who were contemplating forms of prayer. It has 33 beads: four groups of seven with single beads in-between each group. The "33" represents the number of years Jesus Christ was physically present on Earth. The groupings of seven, called "weeks," represent wholeness (See: Creation). This is a nod to Marva Dawn and other observers of the great seventh day of ceasing, resting, embracing, and feasting. (<a href="http://mysterybow.blogspot.com/2009/08/sabbath-prayer.html">Link to a prayer I wrote based on her book</a>)<br /><br />The four single beads, or "cruciform beads" form the points of the cross when the rosary is opened into a loop-shape. When it is opened like this, the circle represents the love of God and the potential for us to live as one.<br /><br />The single bead closest to the cross is called the "invitatory bead" because this is where prayer is designed to begin on the rosary. It invites us in our pains, fears, sins, and yearnings, to trust in God for courage and strength. It also invites us to share our thanksgivings<br /><br />The cross, mine is a woven Latin-style, represents the level at which God is willing to sacrifice for our redemption.<br /><br />While you may obviously pray however you desire (even without the assistance of a rosary, clearly), one method is praying with the beads. In this method, you start with the invitatory bead, setting the theme of the whole prayer. The weeks (sets of seven) serve as places to make requests, to seek, and to let your heart long for God. The cruciform beads serve as places to rest in between the weeks. It is customary to pray around the circle three times, though you may do more or less. When you want to conclude, you return to the invitatory bead, uttering the same prayer you began with or an expression of praise. After this, you move on to the cross to express gratitude.<br /><br />It is beneficial, perhaps even crucial to not rush through the prayer; those times of rest are their specifically for silence so that you may receive. By allowing room for the Grace of the Holy Spirit, the prayer will be deepened inside of you.<br /><br /><br />As a side note, if you would like one of these hand-made rosaries from the Reverend Juan Salvatierra, please email me <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">(curtis.farr@gmail.com)</span> and I can bring one back when I return in July.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-81703385707640916712009-09-15T18:22:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:23:11.390-07:00I went exactly 6 weeks without getting sickYes, it happened. Maybe I ate something wrong. Maybe I accidentally drank the water. Something went awry, and I spent the morning running between my classes and the bathroom. No bueno.<br /><br />After calling-in the last ten minutes of my last class by playing Michael Jackson and bracing myself in my chair, Eduardo and I returned home. He told Marjory I had diarrhea (which is the same in Spanish minus the "h," by the way) and they worked diligently to fix it. Bless their hearts, they made a tea of oregano, salt, sugar, and yeast (I think).<br /><br />The tea was fine--I think the goal was to settle my stomach, which was a bit agitated. The problem was the rest of their treatment. Their method seemed peculiar to me. It was true for my cold as well: they suggested whiskey for a cold or cough...which always seemed to me like an excuse to drink whiskey since it actually depresses the system, and water can flush you out much better.<br /><br />So today, when I was de-hydrated after losing <span style="font-weight: bold;">a lot</span> of liquid, you can understand I was quite frustrated to be told to only drink a "little water." I was to the point of fainting, and they were saying "poco a poco." I'm thinking "poco a poco? No THANK you. I think I'll attach my mouth to the spout of your Brita filter and guzzle down a quart or two."<br /><br />I did take such initiative, had a little soup, and I took a nap until my Spanish tutor arrived.<br /><br />It may not be a pretty story, but it's part of the experience--and it took up my whole day. I thought it would be a shame to leave you all in the dark.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-49632181390363665292009-09-12T13:33:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:23:49.577-07:00Teacher: (noun) someone who excels in being awesome. See: phenomenon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sqwi7V8ECOI/AAAAAAAAGsA/6cZpP_hXJpg/s1600-h/SDC10924.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sqwi7V8ECOI/AAAAAAAAGsA/6cZpP_hXJpg/s320/SDC10924.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380714057697593570" border="0" /></a>Do you know who I have respect for? <span style="font-weight: bold;">Teachers</span>.<br /><br />I am one week into this school year...not even that...I'm four days in, and I do not understand how people do this for 30 years. I speak only of the physical toll it takes of course. Four days and I am exhausted. My voice is gone, my legs ache, and I panic a bit at the thought of needing lesson plans for thirty-seven more weeks.<br /><br />There's no doubt, this job is tough. I teach kindergarten (age 4-5) and first-seventh grade with an average of five periods a day. I never realized how much patience and talent it takes to instruct the younger ones. It is a struggle to get their attention, and it is impossible to have everyone at one time. I'm also teaching them English at the same time they're really picking up Spanish.<br /><br />The second-fifth graders are as hyperactive as you would expect 6-to-11-year-olds to be. I can manage to gather them long enough if I promise to show them one of my two magic tricks when we get the alphabet cards in order.<br /><br />The sixth and seventh graders are going to be the most fun, I think. I've got them in a unit right now learning the vocabulary of Michael Jackson's <span style="font-style: italic;">Thriller</span>. They adore his music and know songs that I had to download just so my music knowledge could be as vast as theirs. Jacko is HUGE here! Little Martin will be teaching us the dance.<br /><br />Each group seems to offer its own challenges, and I simply cannot wrap my head around the amount of perseverance retired elementary teachers like my mother must have had, not to mention that she was raising a rug-rat like me.<br /><br />As I said, I only mean to speak about the physical stresses. I'm already finding this job to be quite rewarding. Some students have already touched me with their courteousness toward me and each other.<br /><br />I think if I can be as patient with my students as my Spanish-speaking counterparts have been with me, I will be alright.<br /><br />If patience is a virtue, than teachers are the most virtuous creatures on God's green earth.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-54792353900617793222009-09-06T11:31:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:24:11.939-07:00One Bread, One Body<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SqQCqrUe5hI/AAAAAAAAGdc/RSRgmERLceA/s1600-h/384_jesus_gives_communion.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SqQCqrUe5hI/AAAAAAAAGdc/RSRgmERLceA/s320/384_jesus_gives_communion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378426787193611794" border="0" /></a>I encountered something very powerful this morning during Communion. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite quotes about the significance of this practice.<br /><br />"It is a meal to be repeated to keep Christ's memory alive and to express the unity of all followers in the mystical body of Christ."<br /><br />"Augustine knew that the Jesus made present in the agape meal is present in all his members."<br />-Garry Wills<br /><br />"...in the instant of the touch there is no place for thinking, for talking; the silent touch affirms all that and goes deeper: it affirms the mysteries of love and mortality...I am sharing food with you; it is all I can do, and it is everything."<br />-Andre Dubus<br /><br />"I am the living bread that came down from heaven."<br />-Jesus<br /><br />"It's a betrayal of the Anglican spirit if I don't figure out how to be friends and take communion with people who hate me and everything I stand for."<br />-Tim Mathis<br /><br />"We take the bread and dip it in the cup to remind ourselves of Jesus' body and blood. To reflect on the truth that we're all in this together, one body, and that his body is being broken and blood being spilled are for our union."<br />-Rob Bell<br /><br />These are just a few. Please add your own thoughts and quotes if you have them. I'd love to hear.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-47998350345035285002009-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:25:57.966-07:00It's Business Time"Okay," I'm telling myself. "Time to get serious. It's business time."<br /><br />This coming week school starts. I've never taught in a real class before and I don't have a teaching certificate. I learned some from my teaching courses at WSU, andluckily, a certain quality needed for teaching seems to run in my veins. English is also my native language, which gives me an upper hand. ;-) I'll be honest though, I'm a little scared.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SqLBRr4CYmI/AAAAAAAAGdU/r3iIz0OQi28/s1600-h/SDC10823.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SqLBRr4CYmI/AAAAAAAAGdU/r3iIz0OQi28/s320/SDC10823.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378073414613492322" border="0" /></a>I got some encouragement yesterday, after a very successful class with the clergy. With six of them, two are the women on either side of me in the picture, I wrote The Lord's Prayer with the lines mixed-up and told them simply to "put it in order." After about 20-25 minutes, they got it. Some of the best learning happens when the students teach themselves. Thanks Barbara Monroe and Beth Buyserie!<br /><br />I guess that means I don't need to go in at all. I can just let them open their text books and figure it out.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Excerpt from their textbook:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Match each sentence with the drawing. </span><br />Good morning teacher (<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">normally wouldn't call your teacher 'teacher,' and you normally would capitalize it if you did</span>).<br />Come here student (<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">same</span>).<br />Good bye white girls (<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">okay, seriously? even 'Goodbye (one word) white girls' sounds a little...Blazing Saddles </span></span>)<br /><br /><br />...Maybe it's best if I show up, just to make sure a bunch of ten-year-olds don't walk around Quito saying "Where are all the white women at?"Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-12769968176058997782009-09-01T09:08:00.001-07:002009-09-25T11:26:48.700-07:00Comida en Ecuador<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1O4VViYQI/AAAAAAAAGaY/1HFEXdxma_0/s1600-h/DSCN2362.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1O4VViYQI/AAAAAAAAGaY/1HFEXdxma_0/s320/DSCN2362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376540259857359106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">I was prepared to be sick for a month.</span><br /><br />I had no real idea of what to expect of the food in Ecuador. Would their different food safety standards affect my system? Would I rapidly shed the minuscule amount of body fat that I have?<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised when my housing situation was set in stone. Marjory Granja makes delicious food (comida). When she cooks, which was every day for the first month, she uses all natural ingredients and spends hours preparing dishes that look and taste amazing.<br /><br />First I'll tell you that they view meals differently. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Desayuno </span>is around the normal time and resembles Breakfast. We have cereal or bread and cheese, some fresh fruit, and coffee. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Cena </span>is much different than dinner in the states. It is exactly like breakfast, except without fruit and tea instead of coffee. It is like this because lunch is big.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1HuiFNBVI/AAAAAAAAGZ4/Za3DLezQJb4/s1600-h/DSCN2377.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1HuiFNBVI/AAAAAAAAGZ4/Za3DLezQJb4/s320/DSCN2377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376532394898425170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">ALMUERZO (Lunch)</span><br />Working adults go home at 1:30 pm. Students are done for the day. Almuerzo is THE meal. It is a full deal with vegetables, meat, beans, rice, potatoes...<br /><br />We start out with a bowl of homemade soup. The bowl pictured is a chicken and vegetable. We have corn chowders, potato soup, spinach...<br /><br />After that, the main dish is served. Pictured is lamb with vegetables, rice, and avocado. I've had plenty of chicken, beef, some fish, and even some cow tongue.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1Ht05si3I/AAAAAAAAGZo/blUNLS_vytw/s1600-h/DSCN2365.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1Ht05si3I/AAAAAAAAGZo/blUNLS_vytw/s320/DSCN2365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376532382770563954" border="0" /></a>We usually share a pitcher of fruit juice blended from different fresh fruits like pineapples, apples, oranges, and some that we don't have in the U.S.<br /><br />Sometimes we share cerveza (beer...but you knew that). The brand of Ecuador is Pilsener. It's much lighter than the IPAs of the Pacific Northwest that I'm used to, but it is refreshing.<br /><br />Sometimes Marjory makes snacks. Pictured is caca de perro (dog crap) and caca de mono (monkey crap). We had a good laugh when Erica <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1HvVrREQI/AAAAAAAAGaI/k9c-iqD2OR0/s1600-h/DSCN2452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1HvVrREQI/AAAAAAAAGaI/k9c-iqD2OR0/s320/DSCN2452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376532408748282114" border="0" /></a>translated it for me and I didn't know if she meant to say "shit" or not.<br /><br />Of course, some days it is just better to relax and go out to the local <span style="font-weight: bold;">KFC </span>(of which there are many) and get some of the colonel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1P3mSJ4uI/AAAAAAAAGas/teUYrRXF_BU/s1600-h/DSCN2379.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/Sp1P3mSJ4uI/AAAAAAAAGas/teUYrRXF_BU/s200/DSCN2379.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376541346738332386" border="0" /></a>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-69857226345505179402009-08-31T05:48:00.001-07:002009-09-25T11:27:42.559-07:00Four Weeks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpvsVJYjmSI/AAAAAAAAGW8/KmrDlv5d7Z4/s1600-h/venisanctespiritus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpvsVJYjmSI/AAAAAAAAGW8/KmrDlv5d7Z4/s320/venisanctespiritus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376150428237142306" border="0" /></a>A month ago I was eating a delicious pork chop at <span>Beaches </span>Restaurant on the <span>Columbia River</span>.<br /><br />In a frenzy, the day before lift-off, I packed three bags full of everything I'd need for a year.<br /><br />I was tearfully saying goodbye to friends and to family, wondering how the heck I got to be where I was.<br /><br />The summer quickly came and left. My time at WSU (go Cougs) with my friends at Cornerstone and the Commune was over. I was in Spokane becoming a <a href="http://www.kristafoundation.org/">Krista Foundation</a> colleague one minute, and the next I was in Toronto meeting other YASCers and people who would profoundly change my life. I had much to do to prepare for this year, and I hardly had time to REALLY prepare for it.<br /><br />So when I arrived a month ago, it was a surprise, a shock that I was already here.<br /><br />I've dealt with some homesickness and loneliness, and every time I see my empty luggage sitting on the top bunk, I think about the adventure that begins when I return and begin seminary. I've felt guilty for that because I think it is keeping me from really focusing on living here, but I'm realizing that it is all part of the process. I need to really address how much I love home before I can start to call Quito my home.<br /><br />I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I am so grateful for all of the support all of you who read this have given me. I truly feel it every day, and it is what's giving me strength to keep going. You are all blessings--representations of the Holy Spirit at work in my life.<br /><br />I don't wish to sound like I'm not in good hands down here. I am.<br /><br />Chris and Trish have been enormously supportive, as has Bishop Ruiz. My family is wonderful and caring--always asking if everything es bien. I have many comforts that some of my fellow <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=21110025051&ref=ts">YASCers</a> probably don't and won't have (though that doesn't make me miss showers with good water pressure and toilets that flush paper any less).<br /><br />I'm blessed to be here, and I'm getting ready to take the advice of <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vJ4XHAlTmg4xVuuNzxV6DQ?feat=directlink">David </a>who said "the year will go by fast, so live it up while you're there."Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-44688528061950595272009-08-25T15:13:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:28:20.065-07:00Sunday at El Panecillo and the Equator<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkeLtDMRI/AAAAAAAAGRI/3hqOKFjoQfM/s1600-h/DSCN2427.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkeLtDMRI/AAAAAAAAGRI/3hqOKFjoQfM/s320/DSCN2427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374030725060440338" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sunday, after church, Eduardo, Marjorie, Pablo, Erica, Camila, Amelia, and I squeezed in the car and went to the middle of the world. Bishop Ruiz joked that US Americans think New York City is the middle of the world, but really, it is Ecuador.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkdE3RWwI/AAAAAAAAGQw/-ecb_5K2NN4/s1600-h/DSCN2411.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkdE3RWwI/AAAAAAAAGQw/-ecb_5K2NN4/s320/DSCN2411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374030706044394242" border="0" /></a><br /><br />They have built a town, celebrating the division of the hemispheres. There are gift shops galore, a stage where a brass band was playing, a museum, and the most US Americans I've seen since I got here. (I even saw one wearing a Seahawks tee shirt).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkc1OZ6oI/AAAAAAAAGQo/cd7UUvDZ1Ac/s1600-h/DSCN2390.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkc1OZ6oI/AAAAAAAAGQo/cd7UUvDZ1Ac/s320/DSCN2390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374030701846456962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We did some of the tourist things...standing in both hemispheres and I almost bought some knick-knacks at the shop on the way out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkd6guDDI/AAAAAAAAGRA/nwo7M_3y7Ng/s1600-h/DSCN2419.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpRkd6guDDI/AAAAAAAAGRA/nwo7M_3y7Ng/s320/DSCN2419.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374030720445320242" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Following that, we went to El Panecillo (translated "the little bread"). This is a volcanically created hill that houses a statue of the Virgin Mary. (I bought a handmade replica). This is also supposed to be the Woman of the Apocalypse described in the Book of Revelation. It's a large, beautiful aluminum statue that you can see wherever you go in historic Quito.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-49138081852771502712009-08-22T12:01:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:34:14.040-07:00The "Bell" tolls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpBCDUtTcOI/AAAAAAAAGHQ/F_uswtNJw8M/s1600-h/DSCN2373.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SpBCDUtTcOI/AAAAAAAAGHQ/F_uswtNJw8M/s320/DSCN2373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372866980318769378" border="0" /></a><br /> In <span style="font-style: italic;">Velvet Elvis</span>, Rob Bell attempts to paint an alternative perspective of scripture, tradition, and doctrine of Christianity. He does so in a way that has been often challenged by his more "fundamentalist" or "conservative" counterparts, and rightly so. He spends 177 pages arguing passionately against all of the ways certain (and many) Christians have not acted in a Christ-like manner. He is consistent in stating that he is only a contributor to this discussion, and he sequentially explains how he arrived at his conclusions--or rather, his belief in the mystery. Mystery is a huge part of faith and worship for me, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Elvis </span>really struck a chord. It struck many chords. It played Guns n' Roses in my soul. A good friend of mine, Josh, posted this as his Facebook status: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Have you ever tried to proclaim a mystery boldly? No wonder Episcopalians have a hard time with evangelism!</span> I think many Christians have a hard time with evangelism not only because of the difficulty to proclaim a mystery boldly, but because of many things Bell analyzes in his book. My palms are burning with anxiety as I contemplate his words and how to best share them.<br /><br /> I'll skip to the end, but know that the whole thing is filled with juice. Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Elvis-Repainting-Christian-Faith/dp/031026345X">here</a>.<br /><br /> In the Gospel of John, Mary encounters Jesus after the resurrection and thinks he is the gardener. <span style="font-style: italic;">"I love that line 'thinking he was the gardener.' It is so loaded. Jewish writers like John did things like this all the time in their writings. They record what seem to be random details, yet in these details we find all sorts of multiple layers of meaning...John tells us that Jesus is buried in a garden tomb. And Jesus is mistaken for a gardener. Something else is going on here. John wants us to see a connection between the garden of Eden and Jesus rising from the dead in a garden. There is a new Adam on the scene, and he is reversing the curse of death by conquering it. As one writer put it, 'It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.' And he's doing it in a garden. He's reclaiming creation. He's entering into it and restoring it and renewing God's plans for the world" </span>(156-157).<br /><br /> When God creates the world, he creates systems for growth, development. <span style="font-style: italic;">"It is all 'good.' Notice what God does with his 'good' creation. 'Then God said, 'let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so.' The next verse is significant: 'The land produced vegetation.' Notice that it doesn't say, 'God produced vegetation.' God empowers the land to do something" </span>(157).<br /><br /> In the same way, God created humankind to change and grow, in many ways, including their understanding of life and God. God does not want us to get stuck in the mud, reverting to cultural norms from thousands of years ago. Jesus is evidence of that. Jesus changed things and challenged norms in a big way. He completely turned upside-down everyone's understanding of scripture. After his teachings, no one came quite as close to Truth (with a capital "T"). When we read these other books, we need to keep in focus Jesus and his focus on two commandments.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.</span><br /> This, of course plays into NOT making false idols (because in the two commandments Jesus highlights, all the others are found). False idols (things that people hold of too high of importance) today include things like pornography, drugs, alcohol...etc. They also include things that can be used for good like the internet, sports, and even...gasp...the Bible. Now now, I did say that these things can be good. They often are. Obviously the Bible can be good...it has the "Good News," yes? But when we lose focus and start to idolize the written word more than we pay attention to the living word, we lose focus on God. When we forget our job as human beings, we violate this commandment. Unfortunately, in much of Christianity, this tendency has caused great mistreatment of people, which is clearly against the point. It is in complete contradiction with the second most important commandment.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) You shall love your neighbor as yourself. </span><br /> How is it that so much of Christianity is getting caught up in the ancient, culturally-bound rules when a culminating mantra for living is in the Gospel; when "Christ" is in the name of the religion! Without him and his ideas on how we should treat each other with respect and dignity, we become a bunch of snobby, frumpy, legalists. We become intolerable, and I know it isn't what God has in mind. It isn't what the word natural means. We argue our beliefs by claiming to know what is natural. We figure out what is natural by making personal choices about how to interpret the Bible. We get so caught up in OUR belief of what is natural, that we ignore what we're told to do. This happens on the individual level as well as the corporate level.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">"It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever"</span> (167). When we even CONSIDER these as categories, we are violating this most sacred commandment. When people said (or still say) that so-called minorities "can't" or "shouldn't" lead in the Church, be in the church, live in a certain lifestyle...<br /><br />[You know what I'm talking about.]<br /><br />...when people say these things, they are offending hoards of their brothers and sisters who are fighting the same fight: to live the life we believe God has for us. How dare anyone say they aren't fighting well enough. How dare anyone say someone is "living in sin." We all sin. Note: we are not sinners. Bell notes that while we sin, nowhere in the Bible does it say we should regard ourselves first and foremost as sinners (139). How can anyone have the nerve to assume they have something figured out when they might not have even struggled with the same issue? Our approach to situations where we disagree with someone on something like...oh...homosexuality, should not be an attempt to change minds.<br /><br />We shouldn't pray against someone's will.<br />We shouldn't be egotistical and pretend that we're right.<br />We shouldn't disrespect that person in any way, shape, or form.<br /><br />...I don't need to cite that crucial commandment again.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"We are all created in the image of God..."</span><br /><br />WE ARE ALL CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD - in case you missed it<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"...and we are all sacred, valuable creations of God. Everybody matters. To treat people differently based on who believes what is to fail to respect the image of God in everyone. As the book of James says, 'God shows no favoritism.' So we don't either...Oftentimes the Christian community has sent the message that we love people and build relationships in order to convert them to the Christian faith </span><span>(to OUR Christian faith)</span><span style="font-style: italic;">. So there is an agenda. And when there is an agenda, it isn't really love, is it?...We have to surrender our agendas"</span> (167).<br /><br /> A friend of mine talked about many church's goal to be a community. He basically said that to be a community, each person has to sacrifice something. Father Tom, at my home parish <a href="http://www.goodshepherdvancouver.org/">Good Shepherd</a> put it this way: "Everyone has to leave something at the door." We aren't in true community if we aren't willing to accept that not everyone (maybe not anyone) will agree with us. We have to check our opinions with our coats and handbags and embrace the community. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">whole </span>community. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Every </span>brother and sister.<br /><br /> I write this entry at a time when I manage personal relationships at home and abroad, explaining my own struggles and dealing with the new ones. It's a time when people within my own religion, denomination, parish, and group of peers are at odds with each other about issues we find fundamental to our identities as people and as communities. It is a great time of frustration for many people, and it is a time when we all need to realize that God is here. God is always in the boat. Jesus made it, and the almighty wind of the Holy Spirit is filling the sails. We must have faith in that, and we must not lose sight of our Lord.<br /><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Jesus taught his disciples to pray, 'May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' There is this place, this realm, heaven, where things are as God desires them to be. As we live this way, heaven comes here. To this place, this world, the one we're living in...For Jesus, the question wasn't, how do I get in there? But how do I bring heaven here?" </span>(147)<br /><br /> What are we doing when we let hot-button issues divide us? Are we fostering a path for heaven to come to earth? Are we respecting human dignity and holding Jesus' requests with the weight that they deserve? We absolutely, without a doubt, have to reanalyze our behavior--and this goes to people on all sides of all issues. Really...it does. As we disagree, let's do something significant and live into these questions while recognizing God in every person.<br /><br />...oh, and go <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Elvis-Repainting-Christian-Faith/dp/031026345X">buy </a><span style="font-style: italic;">Velvet Elvis</span>.Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-84182369784305180282009-08-19T07:09:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:36:02.388-07:00Sacred PlaceDays before leaving <strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Pullman</span></strong>, the home of the greatest university known to man and womankind, a good friend of mine, Gail, gave me this:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowKkfwn6bI/AAAAAAAAF_4/HSU5fe7cT4A/s1600-h/DSCN2353.JPG"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowM8PzfM5I/AAAAAAAAGAg/58s7C2zp-bU/s1600-h/DSCN2353.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371682684720329618" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowM8PzfM5I/AAAAAAAAGAg/58s7C2zp-bU/s320/DSCN2353.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowM8g5i-2I/AAAAAAAAGAo/Hu-CcBeamkQ/s1600-h/DSCN2355.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371682689309145954" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowM8g5i-2I/AAAAAAAAGAo/Hu-CcBeamkQ/s320/DSCN2355.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />a journal she made. Each page has a quote pertaining to a sacred journey: "a feeling of longing for newness after finding oneself at a crossroads, encountering disappointment, which is inevitable on a journey, facing the choice to let go of expectations or to retreat, unexpectedly encountering the sacred," and "entering a new compassionate space."<br /><br />I've written in this journal just about every day so far. It's truly a special gift, and definitely one of the things I brought that I plan on guarding intently (along with the Bible everyone at Six-Day signed, the cross necklace Fr. Tom presented to me at church, the 'courage' charm my mother gave me, Oh, the Places You'll Go! from Liz and Chris, Because of You from Julie and company, and my turtle necklace from the shop on Newberry Street that Jude got me).<br /><br />Today's quote in the journal is by Phil Cousineau: <em>"Journeys...swerve and turn, twist and double back, until we don't know if we're coming or going."</em> I certainly can relate to the language of these words because sometimes I feel mixed up and I don't know what I'm doing next. This comes from not completely understanding the language, but last night I was sitting around the table with Eduardo, Marjorie, Rafael, Adriana, Pablo, Erica, Camilla, and Amelia and it hit me--I knew what they were talking about! I was comprehending the conversation, and I had forgotten entirely that they were speaking a different language. That was such a gift. For me, it was a first step in growing into the culture, language, and my family.<br />----------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div><div><strong><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >The city has gone bonkers!</span></strong><br />Ecuadorians are celebrating their country's Bicentenario: 200 years of independence from Spain (August 10). Crowds swarm as events are happening throughout the Centro Historico (Historic District). I had the chance to go to a concert in Plaza de San Francisco on Saturday.</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowKlFqDltI/AAAAAAAAGAI/rguyCvsWuyc/s1600-h/DSCN2277.JPG"></a><p align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowM718NAuI/AAAAAAAAGAY/_9-GuHQUEoM/s1600-h/DSCN2277.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371682677777564386" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SowM718NAuI/AAAAAAAAGAY/_9-GuHQUEoM/s320/DSCN2277.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><div>We heard five bands perform, and during one (when I took the picture to the right) I surely encountered the sacred. Beautiful music filled the plaza, the sky glowed pink and blue, and I skipped to one of the last steps from Gail's present. Like Moses at the burning bush, I wanted to take off my shoes to respect the sacredness of the moment and the space (Exodus 3:2-5).</div><br />I can't truly express the beauty of this evening or this part of the city. You will have to come down and visit me to find out for yourself.<br />----------------------------------------------<br /><br /><div></div><strong><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Coming Soon...</span> </strong><strong><br /></strong>I've had amazing food every day since I've arrived, so I've been taking pictures to post something about typical dishes in Quito.<br /><br />If you haven't checked out my photos, I'm always adding more. Use the link in the top right corner of the page. </div>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-44577336094395644542009-08-16T19:02:00.001-07:002009-09-25T11:24:58.546-07:00A Sabbath PrayerThe following prayer is a work-in-progress that I've compiled with great help from Marva Dawn's book <em><strong>Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: ceasing, resting, embracing, feasting</strong>. </em>I'm only half of the way through, but it has already been so helpful to me as I seek to create structure for my life in Ecuador.<br /><br />Lord, grant me the ability to sense Your presense in all areas of my life.<br />May my work be a kind of worship unto You.<br />May I cease to control and allow You to be God.<br />May my anxiety be extinguished by Your holy flame.<br />May I use the gifts You have given me to be a faithful steward.<br />May I find comfort in the fulfillment that You alone can offer.<br />May I stop laboring to dominate and understand.<br />Lord, allow the peace Your spirit offers to fill my heart and mind that I may rest this day. Use this time of rest to foster new perspectives in me that enable me to greet Your day with energy and enthusiasm.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">AMEN</span>Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7777608343095184015.post-74786501836964902702009-08-09T12:33:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:37:11.678-07:00Three Things You Need For a Year in EcuadorWell as they often do, plans changed.<br /><br /><br />Due a church-political element, I am now living with Eduardo Granja (the dean of my school and the Episcopal cathedral of Ecuador), his wife (mi madre) Margory, and my brother (hermano) Rafael. It is a good situation; they are a lovely family, and it is convenient to live with my boss. I have already become the keyboardist for Rafael´s rock band. We play "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath and I even have a solo...yes...a keyboard has a solo in a Sabbath song.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SoBHuxNTtLI/AAAAAAAAFzg/1p65wfbB_ho/s1600-h/DSCN2152.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368369624634340530" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SoBHuxNTtLI/AAAAAAAAFzg/1p65wfbB_ho/s320/DSCN2152.JPG" border="0" /></a>It has been both fun and frustrating as I´ve struggled with the language. On Friday morning, Eduardo, Marjory, and I set out on a vacation to the northern part of Ecuador, visiting places such as Cotacachi, Ibarra, and catching many mountain and lake views on the way. We also met many family members of Eduardo and Margory. View my picasa photo stream <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/cfarr316">here</a> for more photos and details on this trip. A permanent link is in the upper left-hand corner.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Three Things you need...</span></strong> </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SoBFpYuZUiI/AAAAAAAAFzA/JHugWxSGz2I/s1600-h/DSCN2224.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368367333139632674" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 412px; height: 280px;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SoBFpYuZUiI/AAAAAAAAFzA/JHugWxSGz2I/s320/DSCN2224.JPG" border="0" /></a><strong>One: Sunscreen<br /></strong>Sure the temperature in Quito is between 45 and 70 degrees all year, but at 9400 ft, you´ll burn before you get to your car (if you have skin like me), so apply liberally.<br /><br /><strong>Two: A Spanish-English dictionary</strong><br />If the only Spanish you´ve taken is two years in high school, and the only thing you can remember is that "papas fritas" are french fries, you´ll need this. I have found it very useful as I try to tell Eduardo and Margory about myself...especially when Rafael isn´t around because he speaks descent English. When he is present, he becomes a translator. Eduardo says that I am to speak to Rafael in English so he can perfect his skills, but to everyone else, I need to speak Spanish.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SoBIIpomVZI/AAAAAAAAFzo/UT2sr4iL5u8/s1600-h/DSCN2208.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368370069277922706" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 240px; height: 320px;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a8Dp6QBOXME/SoBIIpomVZI/AAAAAAAAFzo/UT2sr4iL5u8/s320/DSCN2208.JPG" border="0" /></a><em>My "cousin" Pablo (pictured) and I had long conversations about culture around this tool. Soon, I won´t need it; tomorrow my Spanish tutor is coming for my first four-hour class.<br /></em><br /><strong>The Third thing you need: An extra pair of shorts</strong><br /><br />I´ll be honest, my first reaction to the way people drive in Quito was not bueno. At first glance, everyone seems to be overly agressive and careless.<br /><em><strong>a typical situation:</strong> you´re doing 100km/hour on a city street; pedestrians run across at opportune moments. Cars weave in and out of their lanes, running red lights and honking to warn "I´m coming through...watch out!" People honk and get angry if you stop at a light, and sometimes they will pull on the sidewalk to pass you. Forget stopping distance and every other precaution you learned in Driver´s Ed. </em>Needless to say, I was thrown off.<br />Then I was in the car with Eduardo: a gentle priest-man who doesn´t have an agressive bone in his body. He drove the same way--another cog in the machine. It really isn´t about being agressive; the priority on the road is about making good time, which they do. And everyone has amazing, cat-like reflexes. I shouldn´t generalize because the driving seems more hectic in Quito than it was in the countryside (just like driving in New York City is absurd compared to Battle Ground, Washington.<br /><br />Part of this year for me is to further understand that differences don´t always come from the same line of thought. If their driving seems crazy to me, it isn´t because they didn´t learn safe habits, they just arrived at their conclusion via a different path. I bet this would "preach."<br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" >Coming Soon to Picasa...</span><br /><strong>Pictures</strong> of my apartment, Rafael, his girlfriend Adriana, my older sister Emily, her husband Pablo, and her daughters Camilla and Amilia.<br /><strong>Also</strong>, I posted many of our countryside visit as well as of the festivities in Quito (Ecuador is celebrating its Bicentenario--200 years of independence).Curtis Farrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023981297435479596noreply@blogger.com