Sunday, December 28, 2008

Christmas Party at a City Dump
































More info at this site:

Conversation, Invitation, Integration, Congregation



Cradling the bass on my lap, I peer across the top of the music stand to watch Analizbeth tuck her violin under her chin. Sliding across the strings, her bow releases from the instrument the strains of a beautiful melody.

Her sister, Jessica, is at the piano. On guitar, Beth leads the worship band, and with Gabriel also at guitar, the team consists of more than half Ecuadorians.

Pastor Len has publicly credited Spotlight Listeners´ Club with flinging open the English-speaking church’s doors to the Quito community. The face of the congregation has changed with regular English-conversation evenings at church.

Analizbeth, Jessica and Gabriel (also Jonathan and Juan Pablo, violinist and drummer respectively) all are under 30. Just like much of Ecuador and much of Latin America is under age 30. Is it any wonder then, that the EFC group, “20-Somethings”, is experiencing burgeoning growth? Gaining a life of its own, the group is changing the church’s body life.





I think of another Ecuadorian, William, and his involvement in the 20´s group, in discipleship and Bible study. I think of his participation in my conversation group many months ago at Spotlight. He has since moved on to other outreaches at the church. This is integration, even as Spotlight Listeners’ Club continues to stand welcoming new people at the church doors on alternate Wednesdays.

Other Spotlight Listeners' Club coordinators say:

We are meeting once per week (just completed our 7th today) and have an average of about 25 women, plus 8-10 conversation partners each week. We also have a childcare program that can accommodate 12+ babies/toddlers. Our population is primarily Japanese with a few Korean and Arabic women. -Michigan, USA

The Spotlight Club is going absolutely GREAT! It is truly amazing. We are going to have our 8th week tonight (we meet once a week. Of course some of the students have asked for more nights but for right now I think I am going to have to try to stay with just one. We have had some wonderful volunteers and each week we have any where from 8 to 16 "students" come to the club. We can see it gradually growing and it is wonderful. -North Carolina, USA

Those that volunteered did a great job. I had stressed speaking slowly and clearly and had two young women for the basic group that were very creative and excited about what they were doing. The one advanced group leader did a fantastic job as did the leaders (husband and wife about our age) in the middle group. We did the program on Thanksgiving celebrations. We had people at this Spotlight that were originally from Peru, Honduras and Mexico. -Georgia, USA

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

December?



Yes, it is December. But the signs here for the start of the Christmas month are different.

No bundled-up-in-scarf-and-mitten shoppers, no snow predicted in this century. Instead we do listen to the chiva buses making their evening rounds, and we have heard the traditional song "Chulla Quiteno* " a hundred times already!

The bull fights make some city streets unnavigable, and the blue and red flags of Quito are flying. Once the "founding of Quito" holiday is over, things will begin to seem a little more like December for this South Dakota girl.



I should be happy that our backyard has a blooming 7-foot poinsettia tree . . . but I long to walk into my family greenhouse and see my brother bending over his little potted poinsettias instead. I should be glad that our grass in very green and lush and there are blooming impatiens and marigolds 12 months a year, but just for a few hours a good blizzard would be better for me!!

May the month of December be a peaceful and blessed one for you!!

love,
Kathy

*Melodía - Pasacalle: Alfredo Carpio Flores

Letra: Luis Alberto Valencia

Yo soy el chullita quiteño,
la vida me paso encantado,
para mi, todo es un sueño
bajo este mi cielo amado.
Las lindas chiquillas quiteñas
son dueñas de mi corazón,
no hay mujeres en el mundo
como las de mi canción.
La Loma Grande y La Guaragua
son todos barrios tan queridos de mi gran ciudad;
El Panecillo, la Plaza Grande
ponen el sello inconfundible de su majestad.
Chulla quiteño, eres el dueño
de este precioso patrimonio nacional;
Chulla quiteño, tú constituyes
también, la joya de este Quito colonial.
What are they are singing on those open busses with live bands? Here's a
translation --done by Ralph-- that may help tell the story. A "chulla" had one
pair of shoes (nicely polished) and one suit and lived an existential, somewhat
Bohemain lifestyle. Please leave a comment if you have suggestions on improving
the translation.

I am Quito's high class bum
in my happy-go-lucky life
For me, it's all a dream
under this beloved sky.

Ah, the beautiful Quito ladies!
To them my heart belongs
No other women in the world compare
With those I sing of in this song

The Great Hill and the Guaragua
they're great barrios in my wonderful city
Bread Loaf Hill, Independence Plaza
Leave an undeniable seal of their majesty

High class hobo, you are the master
of this precious national treasure
living for the moment bum, you too belong
the jewel in fact, of colonial Quito

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