Planting Seeds of Hope - Ecuador 04

Here is the latest news about regarding the political situation in Ecuador. Please keep our brothers and sisters in your prayers.

Dear Family & Friends,

President Gutierrez was overthrown early this afternoon and fled the presidential palace in an army helicopter. When he tried to fly out of the country from Quito’s airport crowds of people blocked the runways although he was able to escape the city in another larger helicopter. There is an arrest warrant out against him and they suspect he is in route to his native city in the Amazon, Tena. The new president and former vice-president is trying to form a government and has the unenviable task of convincing the public to support him as the civilian population is demanding structural changes in the executive, judicial and legislative functions of the State. In Guayaquil airport the former President Abdala Bucaram, who only last week returned from 8 years of exile in Panama, tried to make his escape along with the corrupt supreme court judge, (who dismissed the charges against Bucaram) was detained with his judicial colleague. Calm has returned to the streets and people are celebrating and remaining vigilant that conditions are put into place so that this chronic political ailment is eliminated.

From my viewpoint, this past week has been a momentous one for Ecuador where participatory democracy was evident as people abandoned the traditional political leadership and expressed their concern for a decent and honest Ecuador through marches and the overthrow of a corrupt government. It has been a valuable lesson for a younger generation exasperated with the social problems left by 25 years of bad government. The most likely scenario continues to be the call for general elections within the next 6 months. The challenge for those who marched for change will now be to win at the polls in a country subject to populist politicians.
Greetings to you all,
Tom

Dear Friends and Family,

During the past week the social situation in Ecuador has quickly deteriorated in the midst of a judicial political crisis. Today the streets of Quito have been overtaken by crowds of civilians demanding the ouster of the President. After a night of street confrontations with police the protesters are ever closer to the presidential palace and are threatening to overrun it. Because of the heavy use of tear gas to control the crowds a Chilean graphic journalist died and many people are in the hospital. The President has now ordered his sympathizers brought in from largely native Evangelical rural communities to retreat from the city to avoid further confrontations and has asked the Catholic bishops to mediate a political solution to the crisis. 52 deputies from the 100 member national congress, some of them former government supporters, are now meeting in the North of Quito, and have elected a new Assembly President, Cynthia Viteri, to resolve the judicial crisis. The tonic of these protests is the massive citizen participation organized loosely in a civic movement in Ecuador’s major cities, fed up with the corruption, Presidential errors and lies, and lack of action by the country’s politicians. The situation is yet to be defined and there are determined efforts to avoid further violent confrontations as the protests up until last evening had been pacific. The US ambassador, Kristine Kenny, a staunch supporter of the government, has been meeting daily with the President and is being forced to moderate her position. The military continue to offer the bulwark of support for the President however until now they have been reluctant to repress the marches.
I will keep you posted as events develop,
In solidarity, Tom

Here is the Christmas Greeting from the Walsh Family in Ecuador!


Dear Friends,

This month´s National Geographic carries a feature article on new earths. It is a fantastic journalistic story into what scientists are discovering as they explore farther into space and identify what is there. At last count there are 130 new planets, all discovered since 1999 and the search to find earth like planets is ever closer.

In the here & now of 2004, an Ecuadorian friend, Pablo Sanaguano, depicts in this Christmas drawing the peaceful world we long for, where care, solidarity and friendship displace indifference, lack of solidarity, hate and violence. World religions, whether Jew, Islamic, Christian, Bhuddist, or Hindu need to be working together, harmoniously, giving testimony to create this new earth. We can be assured the the God of Love and Life will give us grace for this journey.

"Let There Be Peace on Earth"

And love and good health for you all,

Julia & Tom, José, Evita, Pancho & Virginia.

Gracias to everyone who came to hear our Ecuador trip report last night.

We had a great sharing evening filled with pictures, music and story telling. We even had a hammock set up filled with Artesania!
We had pictures and stories set up around the sanctuary and people wrote messages of solidarity. I will have them translated into Spanish and then we can send a collage of pictures and messages to Jambi Kiwa to celebrate the opening of the new factory.

We said many thank-you's last night and presented Linda (on behalf of Runnymede United) with a stole made by a women's weaving co-operative. We also presented Joy with an Ecuadorian rainstick for the band as she was instrumental in leading the prayer support during the evening services over the summer while we were gone. We certainly felt your prayers!

In addition we said thanks to the United Church of Canada and their support through the Youth and Young Adult Vision Fund, to COMART, our support teams and the people of Jambi Kiwa.

It has been an honour to be able to share the Jambi Kiwa story with many, many people. By sharing this story through our personal experiences we have been able to broaden people's understanding of community development. We have shared the message of partnership and solidarity.

I just found out that we raised $560.00 towards sending JK members for English Training prior to their studies at the Coady International Institute (see previous post).

Gracias to all who have supported this global partnership financially and beyond!

The people from the Coady Institute (St. Francis Xavier uni in Nova Scotia) were just in Ecuador conducting the Jambi Kiwa case study. I'll post more info as it comes. It sounds like it was an exciting time for the women to tell their story and it will be used at the University to share with other students from NGO's around the world in their Community Development Classes. If you would likemore info about COADY institute check-out www.stfx.ca/institutes/coady (They have International Youth Internships too!)

I just got back from seeing the movie "Thirst" which was screened as part of the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film and Video festival (www.planetinfocus.org). It is a powerful story about the privitization of water. It tells the stories of Indigenous Uprising in Boliva, communities in India and Stockton California. You can check out www.thirstthemovie.org
It speaks to community empowerment and mobilization in the face of globalization and privitization. There was discussion after the screening about the bottled water industry and the fact that Pepsi and Coke are bottling tap water from Brampton and Quebec....interesting stuff.
Tomorrow morning they are having a multi-faith service with water as the focus... I also picked up the International Development edition from Between the Lines, which should be a good read.

Today is a big day for Jambi Kiwa, so keep them in your prayers! I will add pictures as soon as I get them. See Tom's note below:


Tomorrow (friday) is the inauguration of the new factory and the Comart people will be "present in the distance" as we celebrate Jambi Kiwa's entranceinto a new stage of organizational life. The installations look nice andI will get some pictures for Comart.
Kindly, Tom

Alex and I went to the Memorial for Michael Channer and it was packed. There was so much love and heartbreak in the room. The music was beautiful and the choir sang thesong that was sung at his Confirmation at Carp UnitedChurch when he was 16 years old. Family and friends spoke about how he followed his dreams and inspired others to do the same. His girlfriend of 3 1/2 years also spoke about his more romantic side! After praying and attending the service I wrote the following to our Angels....

Sharon and Gerry,
We only met briefly this summer while on a mission trip in Ecuador this July, but we felt like you were angels sent by God. You blessed us and inspired us. We will always remember sitting in your VW in Torturas as you shared stories about your life, including stories about Mike.
As I have been praying for you I am reminded of Psalm 91: "For he will command his angels concerning you to guardyou in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands" Just as God sent you as angels for us, I pray that God will send you angels to be with you during this time.

We received this sad news from our "Angels" Gerry and Sharon. Our prayers are with them during this difficult time.

Shannon, Donna, Jenn, Kirsten and Martha,
This is to let you know the tragic news that our son Michael died in an airplane accident last Thursday in Zambia, due to catastrophic engine failure. Please check our website at www.travelpod.com<http://www.travelpod.com/>; with ID "thymeoff", orthe newly constructed website www.michaelchanner.ca<http://www.michaelchanner.ca/>; for more details. A memorial service will be held here in Ottawa at Bells Corners United Church on SaturdaySept 18th at 5:30 pm EST. Everyone is welcome to help us celebrateMike's life at the service and at a supper afterwards. If you cannotjoin us please think of Mike and us at that time (and maybe you could join the many people around the world whose lives he touched, and light a candle for him). After a week or two we will be flying to Zambia to meet Michael's boss and his colleagues. We arrived back from Peru on Monday, and are staying with friends in Ottawa. Our loss is too devastating to say more at this time,but we will be in touch at some future date. Gerry & Sharon

Channerthymeoff@hotmail.com www.travelpod.com/members/thymeoff<http://www.travelpod.com/members/thymeoff>; www.michaelchanner.ca <http://www.michaelchanner.ca>;

// posted by Martha @ 7:19 PM

Hola from Toronto!

Most of us left Quito at 7 am this morning....the Toronto gang made it home with only one bag missing and the Vancouver gang is still in transit....

I'll write more about the last couple of days after some R & R!

Shalom

Holy and Awesome God,
We thank you for this time of rest and relaxation.
We thank you for this chance to witness the beauty of this country; the ocean, the forests, the volcanoes and the lush vegetation.
We give thanks for the many juices that we´ve tasted over the past 3 weeks from bananna to, pineapple, blackberry, orange, passionfruit, tomate de arbol, mango, papaya etc, etc

Lord we give thanks for the opportunity to walk with you and your people here in Ecuador.
We have learned so much from this short visit, and there is so much that we are yet to learn.
Lord we pray that you will continue to nurture the seeds that you´ve planted in our hearts.

We still have many questions about why so many people live in poverty Lord.   We pray that you will continue to help us wrestle with these and other questions that are written on our hearts.

You have shown us how the Jambi Kiwa project is bringing hope to so many people through the stories of the women. Lord we thank you for sending us Maria and Josephina to share their stories, so that we may know that you are working in their lives.  Empower these women Lord, so that they may continue to be leaders and provide more hope to the younger generations.

Lord we pray for protection as we travel back to Quito tomorrow and then back to Canada on Saturday.  We pray for continued good health and humour for the group.

We thank you Lord for sending us so many people along the way who have made this trip a success.  We thank you Lord for sending them right when they were needed. 

Gracias, gracias, gracias!

In Jesus name,
AMEN

Well, if you are still in suspense about the soccer game....we lost a hard fought battle (sorry it's been over a week and I can't remember the score).

We spent Saturday morning at the Tourist Market (el Mercado) where we practiced our Spanish and bargining skills. We bought everything from ponchos, wool gloves, to Tagua nut (veggie ivory) carvings.

We then headed to another fiesta, this time in honour of some highschool students and their graduation (some of the same muscians who came to play for us earlier in the week). It was awesome to have been invited! I sat and chatted with the grads and there was lots of chatter about future plans and all wanted to know if I had a boyfriend....seems to be a popular question down here...that and are you married?

Gerry and Sharon joined us on this leg of our trip, a couple from Almonte (outside of ottawa). They are retired and driving around in their Westfalia having some well deserved "THYME OFF" from selling their herb garden buisiness. We were excited to have them join us as they speak Spanish and know tons about development and herb gardens.

We enjoyed a great meal of roasted sheep, potato and avocado soup, rice and sangria! We then headed outside for more musical sharing. Kirsten, Alex and Craig played some tunes and then joined in in trying out more South American rhythms.

Soon it was time to board the CASA CONDOR (CC) bus en route to Pulingi San Pablo. We arrived just before dark to an amazing view of the Chimoborazo volcano. We soon piled into Tom's cabin to enjoy snacks around the fire. We ate dinner at the community centre and then put on phonchos and all our winter gear and headed on a Star walk. It was so spectacular to be up at 3800m and Kirsten will never forget seeing her first shooting star!

After a chilly night we enjoyed Dan's pancake brekkie in preparation for our hike up Chimborazo. We hired horses and guides for the day so that we could take turns resting our legs and lungs. Half way up we had to change our route as there was some conflict between 2 communities and one wanted to charge us and entry fee. We enjoyed our picnic lunch at the lagoons and then some braved climbing up to the ice fields to throw a few snowballs....they couldn't resist, being July and all!

We returned to find the power out in the community, but luckily most of us managed to get a hot shower. That night we enjoyed a much anticipated Ecuadorian speciality...."Cuy", guinea pig!

Monday...
Dan the pancake man came through again the next morning before we loaded into the CC and headed to Nizag. It was a long ride into a community well off the tourist trail. This indigenous community claims to be a free people, never conqured by the Incas or the Spaniards and have had few visitors, let alone groups. It was like stepping back 400 years!!! We were honoured to have been invited. We gathered together for lunch and then headed out into one of the Jambi Kiwa gardens. It was a hot afternoon and the group welcomed the warmth and lusciousness of the area. Some weeded and planted while others packed soil into bags for transplanting. SOon we were surrounded by the laughter of children and the colourfully dressed women.

Later we toured several Jambi Kiwa gardens and marvelled at the varities of plants from mint, stinging nettle to Artichoke.

After dinner we packed into the church for an evening of song and scripture. It was mainly in Quichua, with the occasional Spanish translation. Then it came time for those who were doing a home stay to leave and those who were sleeping in the church to get ready for bed. The initial plan was for us all to do homestays, however there seemed to be a little hesitation to have us all stay. It was a huge step for this community to open their doors to us and a real chance for us to witness how the poor live.

The next morning we awoke to the sounds of roosters, donkies and car honking. We each spent the morning with different Jambi Kiwa producers, in gardens scattered all around the community. IT was a really special time and a chance to experience the front lines of the project. I think we now have a better understanding of the whole process; from the planting to the drying, to production to marketing.

That afternoon we went for a hike to La Nariz del Diablo (the Devil's nose) and some women accompanied us making their cactus bags as they walked. They seem to be always making these bags whether they are walking, planting, breast feeding- talk about multi-tasking!

That night there was more music in the church, followed by dancing. It was great to see all the happy and hopeful faces of the children as we danced the night away. There were several presentations of thanks and I ended up with three cactus bags around my neck filled with bread, and letters from the Jambi Kiwa women and the Catholic Church. They expressed their gratitude for our presence and solidarity, a witness to God's message of Love and Hope.
After one song too many the party broke up and it was time for bed.

The next morning church bells rang at 6 am and we were up and reading to head to the next community.

It was a long an windy road into Torturas and it was pretty chilly upon arrival. We went from 1300m to 3000m (something they've learned to do differently the next time around) and it felt like going from June to November in the course of a few hours. We had a chance to check out the local market before lunch. Some were feeling the affect of the altitude and change in temperature. We put on many layers and some headed out to the model garden for some tilling and harvesting of camomile.

Given the cold, difficult conditions and our declining states of health we decided to head back to Riobamba early. People then had a well deserved rest and shower.

The group said goodbye to Dan, Donna and Kirsten as sadly they had to return home to work. We then enjoyed our last supper with Tom; he took us to a nice restaurant which had Simon Bolivar connections and was filled with history and artifacts.

The next morning we boarded the CC for the last time and headed to the beach. It was a spectacular ride through the Andes and down into lush bananna growing terrain. We passed by the huge Dole and Bonita plantations. Soon we were passing by some gated communities, malls and big box stores in Guyaquil and then the slums. The dichotomy between the rich and the poor was so striking. Eight hours later we arrived in Montanita a the Papaya Hostal. We were greated by a warm French Canadian Bonjour by the owner, Marie-Helene. She like, Maria, Josephina, Tom, Sharon, Gerry and Luis has been an angel on our journey. The hostal is like a tree house with hammocks everywhere and a beautiful terrace where you can read and listen to the ocean! She is an amazing cook and we've mowed downthe veggie lasagna, french toast, ginger chicken and mud crabs!!!!!

The weather is far from sunny, but that hasn't stopped people from swimming and surfing. Many are lazing around in the hammocks, reading and writing in their journals. There have been reflections and conversations about our learnings, which I'm sure will continue long after we return home....well Marie is making Pesto Spagetti with her home made parmasan cheese....so must go.....

Hola from Montanita!
The group has made it to the beach to relax after 2 weeks of intensive global partnership!
I'm pretty tired, so will give an update on the last week tomorrow. I hope to upload some pictures too!!!!

hasta manana...

Tuesday July 13, 2004

Hola from Santa Cruz where the group has been busy working at the site of Jambi Kiwa’s new plant processing facility. This new facility is scheduled to be finished in mid-September to try to meet International standards for Organic and Fair Trade certification.

We were honoured to be able to work alongside some Jambi Kiwa members while digging trenches, mixing and pouring concrete, clearing the hillside of old pine trees, and building a brick wall. We shared an amazing meal of carrot soup, lentils, rice and chicken and learned how yummy popcorn in your soup can be!

At the end of a long day we hosed off all the dirt, sunscreen and bugspray and headed back to the Retreat Centre for some well deserved free time.

After dinner we gathered in the chapel to listen to a local church group play parts of an Andean Mass. There were songs that integrated the Christian story with the Andean traditions of God being mother and father, sky and earth, a God of justice, solidarity and liberty, and the importance of community. We enjoyed the various instruments including pan flutes, and Ecuadorian and other Latin American rhythms. We then had a chance to offer songs by Kirsten, Dan and Alex.


Wednesday July 14
We woke up this morning all a little sore from the work the day before, nothing a little Arnica or Advil couldn´t fix! Some went back to working at the factory mixing concrete, shoveling rubble from inside the building and digging trenches. Others thought they were going to work “in the trees” but ended up inside huge compost heaps! We learned a lot about the different stages of compost and how important the worms are for breaking down the matter.

After lunch we headed to the soccer pitch for a game of Canada vs. the Ecuadorian Construction crew. It was quite the site watching the game being played on a sandy, dusty pitch with a teeny tiny ball. We surprised them by having women play and were victorious 6-5!!!!! They challenged us to a rematch the next day.

We finished work a tad early and piled into Tom’s pick-up en route to see a volcano erupting.
It was a bumpy ride through the “Avenue of the Volcanos”, a gorgeous luscious countryside.
It was a spectacular site to see a volcano erupting (only rocks and ash, no lava) and to hear the rush of the river beside us. A truly unique experience, off the tourist (aka Gringo) path.
A spiritual ending to a busy work day.

Thursday July 15
Two members woke up feeling the effects of altitude and tried to join us at the worksite. Very soon, Maria, the healer, was quick to react with herbal teas. It was amazing to watch her at work with the sickies and with another member whose old knee injury flared up. These women are amazing with their knowledge of their Ancestral medicines, we have so much to learn from them!

We worked away in the morning and soon it was time for a soccer rematch! We got there and the crew had been practicing already. It was a well fought game however this time we were on the losing end. Cudos to Karla, Kerry and Shannon for showing them how women can play tough and score goals too!

After soccer we went back to work and soon it was time for the “Programa Especial” The members of Jambi Kiwa had organized a social event, filled with wine, cookies and sandwiches. There were some very moving toasts from the Jambi Kiwa organization, recognizing the importance of empowering the local farmers. They thanked us for coming and sharing this time with them. We then had a chance to express our gratitude for their hospitality and willingness to teach us. They presented us with a letter to the COMART foundation expressing their gratitude for their willingness to be economic partners and for their understanding of solidarity and partnership. Then they presented us each with a box of “ Expectorant” tea and we presented them with one of our CD’s and a soccer ball. The next thing we knew there were dancers dressed up as birds, engaging us to dance with them. We were all on the dance floor, in what were learned was a mating dance of some Andean birds. Another, non-tourist experience! We went home with a sense of new friendships and a greater understanding of what global partnership really means. WOW!!!!!

Friday July 16, 2004
On our last workday we had a chance to lay bricks on the “international wall” and start to use the awesome soil from the compost in some of the gardens. We are finally planting!!!!

We enjoyed lunch (have I mentioned how well we are being fed?!!!!) and then headed down for the final soccer game…..now I’m afraid you are going to have to wait for the results since I’m at Tom’s now doing the group’s laundry and the game is underway……this afternoon we’re headed for the hotsprings and this week-end a hike up Chimborazo….more details to follow…..

HOLA from Riobamba!!!!!
We arrived safely on saturday after flights from vancouver via houston and toronto via miami. everything went smoothly and the bus was waiting for us to go back to the hostal. we had a chance to mingle in the hostal lobby and eventually crashed. we slept in and then hung out in the garden and hammock before our guide jose, martha¨s friend who lives in quito, arrived. we headed north of the city to mitad del mundo aka middle of the earth to hang out at the equator. we had a chance to eat typical ecuadorian food and listen to music. after lunch we wandered around the shops and many awesome purchases of sweaters, ponchos and hammocks were made. then we headed to the real equator to another museum where we watched the water flow straight down the drain. kayleigh, craig, jacob and karla managed to balnce an egg on a nail at the equator and they have the certificate to prove it....try that at home!
we then headed old Quito and had a beautiful view of the churches and other buildings lit up at nights. Apparently the city has been recently cleaned up for the Miss Universe pagent in June.
We then found one of the only restaurants open on a sunday night, a fancy chinese place!
After a busy day we crashed.
This morning the Casa Candor bus arrived to take us to Riobamba (this bus is owned by some of the communities) It was a 5 hour ride to Santa Cruz, the retreat centre. We each have indivdual rooms and it looks like it will be an awesome place to stay for the week. This afternoon we met Tom Walsh, Maria, Rosa and many others associated with Jambi Kiwa. We had a chance to visit the new plant drying factory where we will be working tomorrow. Then we went to the current factory and had a tour and learned how the plants were dried.....
now we have to head back for dinner at 7pm....tomorrow we start work!

Blessings,
Martita and crew

All our bags are packed and we're ready to go......

It's hard to believe that it's finally the 10th of July and we are about to embark on this adventure in global partnership!

To the many people who called last night to wish us well, I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to call you back. I was out at Scarborough Missions with Julia Duarte and we had a wonderful chat, just what I needed to calm my nerves! I also picked up a bag of vitamins and other antibiotics to take for Kids Can Free the Children as they are establishing a medical clinic in a remote community. Afterwards I made it to the Renessaince Cafe (On the Danforth) just in time to see our Kirsten Jones perform. Whew, what an amazing talent she has and I am so looking forward to singing with her on this trip.

and so we're off....the Vancouver gang will be meeting at the airport at 5 am for what promises to be a nice send off....

until next time...

The CD is ready!!!!!!!!

Please join us in prayer.....

Holy and amazing God,

We praise you and thank you for the gift of music.
We give thanks that the Seeds of Hope CD is ready for
distribution. We praise you for the joyful and
inspiring melodies that you have given to the
song-writers. We give thanks for all of those who
offered their time and talent to recording and
producing this CD.

Lord Jesus, we give thanks for Kirsten and her vision
and committment to this project. We pray that you will
continue to bless her, guide her, protect her and
empower her in her musical career. Fill her with your
love, your spirit and your songs.

Lord we confess that we may be anxious about selling so
many CD's. Help us to remember that you are the vine
and we are the branches. Lord remind us that this
project is grounded in the self-giving love of Jesus,
our true vine. May this CD be an action of our faith
community that will show love as visibly as fruit.
Lord we thank you for the opportunity to share the
fruits of your Spirit.

We pray that this offering will be pleasing to you.

Lord, empower us, give us courage and strength and time
to sell this CD. We pray that you may remove any
obstacles for people to share the Jambi Kiwa story and
the stories of faith that are on the CD.

Lord as we prepare to leave for Ecuador we pray that
you will continue to guide us and prepare the way for
us. Lord we trust that you are in charge of all the
details. We give thanks for the words of assurance
that you gave Paul, "I can do all things through him
who gives me strength."

In Jesus name we pray,
AMEN

Today we had our blessing/commissioning at the morning service. It was an opportunity for us to commit to seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God and fellow travellers on this journey. We committed to sharing our stories with others upon our return and to be open to the seeds that God may plant in us while we are away. It was an opportunity for the congregation to commit to praying for us while we are away. Rev. Linda presented us each with herbal plants to give to a member of the congregation to nurture, a symbolic reminder to pray for us while we are away.

We then piled in cars and headed up North to have our orientation. We had the opportunity to get to know eachother through sharing tid-bits about ourselves (we now know who is allergic to penecilin, who will need to use the bathroom frequently, who likes icecream etc etc) and sharing our stories of culture shock experiences. We brainstormed ways to keep safe and healthy during the trip, discussed the itinerary and packing list.

Many thanks to my Aunt Jane and Uncle Ian for hosting us at Windy Reach and for providing us with an awesome meal.

The countdown is on!

ONE MONTH TO GO!!!

GOD AS BREAD AND BUTTER

"It is good enough to talk of God whilst we are sitting here after a nice breakfast and looking forward to a nicer luncheon, but how am I to talk of God to the millions who have to go without two meals a day? To them God can only appear as bread and butter. " Mohandas K. Gandhi


Please join us in reflecting on Isaiah 58: 10-11

"And if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs in the sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

How do you feel as you read this quote and biblical text?
What are your reflections on this quote and biblical text?
What does God promise us in Isaiah 58 10-11?
For those of us who have plenty of bread, will we choose security of our bread in abundance or the blessings of Isaiah 58 10-11?
Why?

(Devotions from the CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK FOOD STUDY TOURS Source: Mission Visits; planning and policy guidebook for congregations and presbyteries)

Feliz cumpleanos to two of our group members today,
Jennifer and Kirsten- what are the odds that two of my
favourite friends share the same birthday? (ok Shan, I
guess you know about this with Amy and me!) makes it
easy to remember!!!

Jenn and I just had a birthday breakfast and coffee at
Alternative Grounds on Roncesvalles, and I would encourage everyone to learn more about FairTrade Products if you don't know
about them already (check out www.transfair.ca and www.bridgehead.ca- which was started by United Church folk). The
Jambi Kiwa medicinal plant project is an example of
Fair Trade (although they are not certified as of yet) as the workers actually get paid what they
deserve, instead of huge corporations making people work for what is esentially slave labour.

Supporting Fair Trade products is just one small way that we can stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the South.

Holy and Amazing God of Love,
We praise you with the sounds of joy, laughter and music. We celebrate and give thanks for your creation and the newlife that you offer us.

Thank you for your invitation to be in relationship with you and to offer our prayers and petitions.

Lord we confess that we are often anxious and turn away from you.
Lord we are anxious about this trip and the funds still needed.
We are anxious about stepping out into the unknown, into a foreign culture and language. We are anxious about getting sick, feeling unsafe and being homesick.

Lord we lift these fears up to you and ask for your peace, your peace that transcends all understanding.

Transform us, lead us and empower us to walk in partnership with our sisters and brothers of Jambi Kiwa. We rejoice in your love for all!

In Jesus name,
AMEN

Please join us in prayer....

As the group prepares and develops a partnership with the
people in Ecuador, pray for God's hand to prepare and
guide them.

Pray that God will continue to sew seeds in the lives
of these amazing young adults: Alex, Craig, Dan, Donna, Jacob,
Jennifer, Kayleigh, Karla, Keith, Kerry, Kirsten, Laura, Martha, Matt and Shannon.

As the "Seeds of Hope" CD is in production, pray that
it may be a medium to share our faith stories, and the
Jambi Kiwa story of faith and hope within and beyond
our RUC community.

As the Planter fundraiser takes place in Vancouver, pray that they will be ready
in time for Mother's Day.

Praise God for the funds raised so far. Praise God for the opportunities to share the
Jambi Kiwa story with others.

Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow!!!!!

Gracias, gracias, gracias to all of the people who have supported the events of this past week.
With God's love and grace we have been able to share the Jambi Kiwa story with many different people.

Last sunday night we had the chance to hear more about the Jambi Kiwa story. We heard the voices of hope from the women and men as we watched part of a DVD which has been created to describe the Medicinal Plant Project (If you would like to see the entire DVD, let me know!).
During prayer time we had a chance to light candles and place them on a map of the world and read the prayers on the Prayer Shawl.

Julia Duarte and several people from Scarboro Missions (www.web.net/~sfms) came and we prayed for all the amazing work they are doing with thier global partners around the world. We also welcomed people from INASMUCH and People Bridge Charitable Foundation ( www.peoplebridgecharity.ca) who are working in Canada and around the world developing global partnerships and sewing seeds of hope.

******* ******* ******* ****** ******* *******

On Tuesday night we helped to lead worship for the Toronto West Presbytery meeting which was held at Runnymede. We were able to share about the trip as a testimony to God working in the lives of those at Runnymede. People were able to see the pictures and read the prayers on the prayer shawl and several people asked questions about the trip.

******* ******* ******* ******* ******* ********

Today we hosted a Fundraising/Education Luncheon and were able to further share the Jambi Kiwa story. I forgot to say formal thank-yous to all who helped make this event happen, so I'll say them now!

Gracias Shannon for taking the lead to organize this event. For all your work on the flyers, tickets, lining up crockpots etc etc. Thanks for spending your saturday night cooking up a yummy stewy storm!

Gracias Kirsti for having the vision to arrange and deck the tables in the colours of the Ecuadorian flag and to create a wonderful inviting atmosphere.

Gracias Donna for organzing an amazing silent auction! There were several bidding wars over the course of the luncheon and lots of money was raised. Thanks to Brenda Lien, Joy Sumyi Lee and Bouke Salverda for donating their time and talents to be auctioned!

Gracias Kirsten for being the MC and for showcasing the "Seeds of Hope" CD. Thank you for sharing your beautiful song and through your words reminding us that we can love God now without all the answers and without being perfect (whew)!

Gracias Katy for sharing your wonderful song and for helping to sell tickets!

Gracias Nancy for sharing your inspiring song that makes our Souls Joyful!

Gracias Joy for well, where do I start????? For helping to set up all the technical stuff, sharing your musical gifts and for being such an awesome prayer support! You planted seeds in us during Alpha a few years ago and now look!!!! Bless you!!!!

Gracias Jennifer being such a supportive friend, for spending your saturday night cooking, and for helping with the silent auction!

Gracias to the Kitchen crew (I think I saw Julie Lee and the Sumairsingh family in amongst the LAAF'ers scrubbing up a storm).

Gracias Brian for lending your projector and computer so we could view the Jambi Kiwa DVD. I really enjoyed watching the images of the children dancing around a may pole as I listened to the music. To me it symbolized global parntership, the Jambi Kiwa communities sharing their faith story through the DVD, and we through the songs that we've written. Awesome stuff!!!!

Gracias Don for lending us your amp!

Gracias Frank for helping with the set up and clean up in such a short timeline!

Gracias Lynn for making sure all the announcements and prayer requests appear in the bulletin!

Gracias Laura for filling all those balloons with helium, for providing and serving food!

Gracias Linda for your continued prayer support for this Young Adult Ministry and for leading us and encouraging us to be open to hearing God's voice!

Gracias to all of you who supported this event through your prayers and your time. Thank you for taking the time to share a meal in community and to learn more about the "Planting Seeds of Hope" trip.

It's official, we have plane tickets!!!!!!!! I picked them up yesterday, so now it seems really real :)

Tonight we enjoyed an evening of friendship and fellowship with Julia Duarte and Mike (sorry, I didn't catch his last name) from Scarboro Missions. Julia shared with us some of her stories of her life and work as a missionary and mother in Ecuador. She brought with her a video of her country and it was great to learn about and see all the different regions of Ecuador. We asked questions about climate, food, safety concerns, tourist attractions etc.

We then had a planning meeting to discuss all the upcoming events,
i.e. April 18th- SNC Talk, 7:15 p.m.
April 20th- Toronto West Presbytery Meeting- Leading worship (brief outline of trip)
April 25th, Fundraising Luncheon (after the morning service)
May ? CD party
June ? Orientation Day
June 27th Commissioning Service

Please keep these events in your prayers. Pray that God will continue to be present in all the planning and will prepare the hearts of those who will be coming to the events.

Holy and awesome God,

On this Easter week-end, we join with our brothers and sisters around the world to reflect upon the sacrifice you made for us.

Thank you Lord for sending your son to walk among us and to show us how to love.

We confess that we are a broken people longing for your healing love. Help us Lord to reflect upon the cross and what it means for our lives today.

Lord we long to be in relationship with you. Teach us to walk in partnership with you and your children around the world.

We thank you and give thanks for the seeds of hope that you are planting around the world.

In Jesus name we pray,
AMEN

This is a posting from Jennifer- one of the people coming on the trip.......

Most of you know I spent a year in Swaziland, Southern Africa.

I went to an AIDS awareness pub gathering yesterday, hosted by my awesome landlords and second family, the Doyles.

I learned, among other things, that Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the WORLD now.

I think the AIDS crisis in Africa, and around the world, is so overwhelming, I feel like what can I do to help?

As we mark the 10 year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this week, we look back and know that, we as a global community, we let
800 000 people die in 100 days.

To put it in perspective - that would be like watching the world trade centre disaster happen two and half - to - three times a day - for 100 days.

We do not want to look back in 20 years and say we did nothing to help this much LARGER pandemic.

Only 2% of the people living with HIV/AIDS have access to treatment.

ONLY 2%!!

There is an election coming up - please ask questions about what parties plan to do to make medication more accessible.

please learn more about what is being done at:

http://stephenlewisfoundation.org/ and

http://www.stfx.ca/xtendinghope/index2.html

Also, you can read recent articles about Swaziland, in the Globe, by Stephanie Nolan, at

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/international/

scroll down - to 'In Swaziland'

thanks for reading,

-Jennifer


Martha writes:
To learn more about the United Church's Beads of Hope Campaign check out
www.united-church.ca/beads/home.shtm .

AID's in Africa may seem a long way from planting gardens in Ecuador but the concept of global partnership and walking together, learning and helping eachother remains the underlying thread. Together we can, with God's help, make a difference in our world.

I've been reflecting upon Global parntership in preparation for orientation sessions and came across this resource from the United Church (To Seek Justice and Resist Evil, 2001).

..... Partnership brings people together in community for mutual empowerment through the sharing of gifts, recognized as gifts freely given by God for the benefit of all, not possessions which some may control. We need the gifts our partners share with us. They have gifts of spiritual and theological insight, of faithfulness in witness, the experience of costly discipleship.........

We are busy preparing a "Prayer Poncho" which will be displayed in the Church and will include beautiful images of our brothers and sisters in Ecuador. There will be prayer requests from the Jambi Kiwa community and the Canadian group.

Here are the latest prayer requests from the CDN group....

As the group prepares and develops a partnership with the
women in Ecuador, please pray for God's hand to prepare
and guide them.

As the fundraising CD is currently in production, pray
that it will be ready for sale in time for the SNC talk
on April 18th.

As the group prepares for the fundraising luncheon on
April 25th and the benefit concert, pray that
organizers will be attentive to the Holy Spirit when
planning all the details.

Pray that the Jambi Kiwa story of faith and hope will
be shared within and beyond our faith community.

Tom Walsh writes....
Chimborazo is the country's poorest province. The situation is not getting any better. The province has the highest concentration of indigenous people. Women's choices and self-esteem are constrained by a lack of training opportunities and by other factors.

Jambi Kiwa, "herbal plants" in quichua, is the name of the Association of Medicinal Plant Producers of Chimborazo. Its 600 members are small farmers. They come from over 60 different communities. New members continue to join. They organically produce, process and commercialize medicinal and aromatic plants for teas, medicines and condiments. The processed plants are sold to phyto-pharmaceutical companies. Jambi Kiwa also make formulas, creams and shampoos to be used against common poverty diseases.

To read the rest of the article and others, check out the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Co-operation site.

http://www.ceci.ca/ceci/info/eng/aindex.htm

While it's clear in my head, I realized that nowhere on this site have I explained the Jambi Kiwa project and what we will be doing on this trip...

Planting Seeds of Hope will be a 3 week trip which will see young adults (from Ontario and BC) traveling to Riobamba, Ecuador in July. The short term mission experience will allow participants to walk with the women of Jambi Kiwa on their journey

The seed for the Jambi Kiwa project was planted while Indigenous women were standing in line waiting for a handout of flour and oil. The women started to question why they were relying on handouts when they were living with an abundance of natural resources. They had a desire to see the end of their communities being eroded by the migration of men to overseas jobs, and how this forced the women to take 3 jobs to support their families. They had a desire to restore dignity by working towards reducing the 100% illiteracy rate among the women, and a desire to restore their sense of self-esteem and build on the networking strength in the community.



That seed was nurtured and today, Jambi Kiwa is a Medicinal Plant project which empowers the women in co-operatives thus allowing them to stay in their communities to grow and sell their plants. The co-op members are interested in acquiring knowledge about their ancestral medicinal plants and passing this down to future generations through planting model gardens at the local schools.

The first stage of the Planting Seeds of Hope trip will involve the group spending time at the new plant processing factory. There will be a lot of work associated with this: landscaping the surrounding area, helping to build furniture or shelves in the buildings interior, moving things, and painting. During this time members of the Jambi Kiwa community will be involved in teaching the group about the project. A case study by the Moses Coady Institute (St. FX University) in asset based community development should be near completion at that time and the group will learn more about this type of development.

The second stage of the trip will involve visiting the local plant producing communities. The group will help plant medicinal gardens at local schools. The Jambi Kiwa members who live in this community plus the teacher and students will assist in this. The evenings will be used to meet with the kids and their parents for fun activities.

This trip promises to be filled with lots of adventure and emotions! Please join us in praying for this journey in global partnership.

What an exciting adventure this last week-end has been recording the CD. I am so amazed at what a talented group of people God has brought together for this project. The recording took place at Kirsten’s house and it was really neat to bless her recently completed music room. On Friday Gene was the first to record his original song, followed by Nancy and Joy who recorded Nancy’s original, “My soul will be joyful” (a SNC favourite!).

Saturday afternoon we returned and Katy recorded her original song followed by Kirsten, Laura and Martha doing a version of “Abide with Me”. This took a little longer than expected as we were learning as we went…the patience award goes out and Mitch for guiding us along and encouraging us line by line, sometimes word by word!
Nancy came back in the evening to record “Perfect Love” and she wins the award for recording the fastest! She shared with us the scripture and the stone that inspired the song, a testimony to God working in her life.

Kirsten then had a chance to record her new song “I will love you now” (a LAAF favourite!) and Katy helped her out with the background vocals. It was past midnight by the time we packed up and headed home. All in all it was an inspiring week-end filled with God’s love and spirit. There was a chance for us to be in fellowship together sharing meals and snacks, drinking throat formula tea, and hanging out in Kirsten’s comfy bed.

Stay tuned for how you can get your own copy of this CD. We will be having another planning meeting this Wed. March 10th and will sort out the details of when and how you can get your own copy!

We start recording our CD today, so please join us in praying!!

Holy and awesome God,
We thank you for the gift of music,
and we delight in singing your praises.

Lord help us to remember that this project is in your
hands.

Lord prepare our hearts and voices so that we may
skillfully "make a joyful noise".

Lord as we prepare we are reminded of our purpose for
sharing our gifts of music.

Lord we are reminded of the communities in Ecuador who
have stood up in the face of injustice and oppression.

Lord you have been walking with them as you walk with
us.

Lord you have empowered them as you empower us.

Lord may we share our music and in doing so lift up
the voices of the Ecuadorian communities so that their
stories may be heard.

Lord they have so much to teach us about hope and
faith, may we be open to hearing your voice in their
stories.

Lord may we by this project do our small part in
planting seeds of hope.

We thank you and praise you, our God from whom all
blessings flow.

In Jesus name,
AMEN

Hola,
So much has been happening since my last posting! On Feb 15th I shared my testimony of how God called me into education and mission work and I hope to have that talk posted soon. Then, on Feb. 22nd I spoke at Division St. United Church and shared the story of the Jambi Kiwa project, I hope to have a link to that talk up soon.

We will be recording a CD this coming week-end as a fundraiser for the project, so please keep the singers, instrumentalists and techies in your prayers. We are also in the process of purchasing plane tickets and organizing educational workshops. So stay tuned for more details!

Yesterday I went to hear Stephen Lewis speak to a group of Toronto Educators about the Aids Crisis in Africa. It was a powerful talk and he stressed the importance of education of children around the world to address poverty. I had several insights which I will share on Sunday Night, so come on out at 7:15 for SNC to hear more!!

On this Valentine's Day take a moment away from the chocolates, flowers and cards to reflect on love. My friend Tom Walsh sent me this reflection from a woman in Ecuador. He writes,

"This reflection struck me (it is in Spanish and English) because often when visitors from affluent countries come and share with the poor of Chimborazo they are struck by the relatively happy nature of the poor. I think part of the answer lies in the fact that they know how to love and practice it in their day to day activity and this is reflected in their character."



LOVING

A husband went to visit a wise counselor and told him that he didn't love his wife anymore and was thinking of separating.
The wise man listened to him, looked into his eyes, said only two words, "Love her," and was silent. But I don't feel anything for her anymore, repeated the husband. "Love her." the wise man said again. And confronting a bewildered man, the wise man added the following after a brief silence: Loving is a decision, not a feeling. Loving is dedication and surrender. Loving is a verb and the fruit of that action is love. Love is like an exercise in gardening, you weed out the damaged and prepare the soil. Be patient ... plant, water and be careful of plagues, droughts or too much rain, but you must prepare yourself to never abandon your garden. Love your partner means: accept her, value her, respect her, give her tenderness and affection, admire her and understand her. That's all. Love her and remember:

Intelligence without love ... makes you wicked.
Justice without love ... makes you implacable.
Diplomacy without love ... makes you a hypocrit.
Success without love ... makes you arrogant.
Riches without love ... makes you miserly.
Obedience without love ... makes you subservient.
Poverty without love ... makes you bitter.
Beauty without love ... makes you ridiculous.
Truth without love ... wounds you.
Authority without love ... makes you a tyrant.
Work without love ... enslaves you.
Simplicity without love ... degrades you.
The law without love ... makes you cruel.
Faith without love ... makes you a fanatic.
Prayer without love ... brings few results ... and ...
Life without love makes no sense.

Submitted by Silvia Proaño, Quito, Ecuador

Hola and Welcome!
The "Planting Seeds of Hope" trip to Ecuador this summer promises to be an adventure and I'm happy to be able to share it with so many friends, family and strangers.

Last night at Sunday Night Connections, we heard Linda's message about being called to call others (see Sermons for a pdf version) and we were invited to think about our faith journey and to meditate as we wandered around the dark santuary with tapers. I started thinking about how far I had come on my faith journey and gave thanks for all of the people who have supported me so far. God wouldn't let me sleep last night, so I stayed up and wrote my testimony to share with you all next sunday night.

I have been asked to share my testimony about how God has called me and lit a fire in my heart for mission and education. So come on out next sunday night (Feb. 15th) at 7:15 to hear more.

This Wednesday we will be having a participants planning meeting to discuss fundraising,workshop and orientation ideas. Stay tuned for details!

On Sunday February 22nd I will be the worship leader at Division St. United Chruch in Owen Sound (where I grew up) and will share more about the trip. Thanks go out to Bouke for spending time with me Sunday afternoon to create a powerpoint presentation with beautiful images of Ecuadorian landscapes and people. Set to music, this will be an awesome way to meditate on God's beauty and creation.

Shalom,
Martha

P.S. I wanted to say a special thank-you to Franklin DeGraaf for setting up this blog. I think it will be a wonderful way to stay connected on this journey.

"But be doers of the word, and not merely bearers who deceive themselves" James 1:22

This is the start of Martha's journey.