Howdy peeps!

Hope you are all well!

So this week I have still been at language school, which is definitely getting a lot better and my Spanish is improving....however tiring and difficult it is!

I think I have another week of Spanish school and then hopefully I can start working properly with pan de vida!

However I have done a fair few cultural things this week!

Last week we went to la casa del cultura, which is like this museum thing in town, saw some absolutely stunning paintings by people from South America. After we went to the park opposite where I tried to play on the swings...until a guard who patrols the playground and daytime shouted 'solo niños!' So I sadly had to get off...but instead we saw all the performers in the park, which are very different to the ones in south bank!

Last weekend, I went to this exhibition for all these flowers...Ecuador is renown for their roses! Unfortunately we couldn't get in, but looking through the windows we got a good view...they were amazing! Massive and beautiful! Very funny though, Maria tried to get us in by saying that I came from England to look at trading flowers to my mum! Very funny!

On the way home we went to this amazing fruit and veg market, it was amazing! Women walking around with bags and bags of oranges, children running around, music playing....and produce I had never heard of in life! This week I have tried so many crazy fruits, some amazing some not so great but all a fab experience!

That evening I went to an 18th party with Sara....wooooow was it different to parties at home. I think that was like the biggest culture shock I've had! And the next day we went to a BBQ birthday, there were mariachis! It was awesome, everyone was dancing along and having a good time!

This week I also went to the equator (mitad del mundo) which was awesome. A stone monument with a line in the middle surrounded my llamas!

Despite all this fun, it has been a hard week. It no longer feels like a holiday but life, which is so awesome! But also challenging because while I am settling in, I havent fully. I don't know the language, I don't have a church yet, I haven't started working at pan de vida yet etc. So it's all very exciting but also very daunting!

However, I have good news-ish. Barbara (the American lady stuck in prison) got a trial late last week which is awesome! However, her public attorney was only told about the trial that morning. So it went as well as it could. But the women like Maria doing the bible studies in the prisons have been advising her strongly to get a private attorney which is about $2500-5000...of which she said she can't afford. The US embassy also said that they wouldn't loan her the money. Her son is coming late this month I think to try and sort things out. But prayers would be very much appreciated!

The other thing is that I mentioned in the past that Maria managed to find a school for the boy David, who is an 18 year old only at primary school level. This was amazing because he asked her 3 weeks after schools started and getting an 18 year old into secondary school at first year was tricky! Maria has said that he has been doing very well, working very hard and taking it seriously. We met up with him a few weeks ago and we was asking us about Jesus, which meant we got an amazing opportunity to share the gospel with him, of which made a big impact! She has been buying him uniform and what he needs for school in order to feel like he can settle in. However, David is living with in a home run by missionaries, and this week they called up Maria and said that they don't have the funds to keep him. I learnt a bit more about his story and its so devastating! When he was 8, him and his little brother ran away from their family in another city in Ecuador, because they were involved in smuggling drugs and were very abusive. They got to Quito and went to remar (the school that Maria works at, giving an education for children on the streets). At the time, they didn't have the last year of primary education. So David left and tried to look for schooling. But as an 11 year old boy with no family, it was hard and he ended up getting involved with the wrong people as they would give him shelter. So a month or so ago, as an 18 year old, he came to Maria for help as he recognised it was his last chance. This is because this is the last year that they are doing three years worth of secondary in one year, which would mean he would actually get a chance of getting a job if he completed it. But in order for him to at least get through this year, he needs this home. It will cost $100 a month for him to be in this home with people who will provide food and care for him. Prayers for this provision and for this boys life would be so appreciated!

Other than that, I am enjoying myself, meeting lots of lovely people and understanding buses and Quito a lot more which is fab!

Thankyou for all your support, and again thankyou for the messages. They are so encouraging! Izzy xx