On our fourth day in Guaranda Ecuador, (led by yours truly) we started or day ahead of schedule in order to get a head start on the day. Today’s theme was aid and development. of Due to prep times of glimpsers in the morning it was in my opinion the best call for what busy day we had ahead of us. For breakfast we had strawberry marmalade and butter on bread made exclusively here in Guaranda. After a quick breakfast we embarked on on a journey to San Juan de Llullundogo, about 30 minutes away.

While in San Juan de Llullundogo, we visited a nursery founded in Ernesto Rea in 1999.  There we interviewed him, along with faculty members, on what kind of work they do, who they serve, and what drives them to do so.  They responded saying they worked for people in the community educating children between 7 months to 4 years of age, while their parents worked, feeding the children 4 meals a day.  Despite little pay, they work to educate the kids to better their lives and be a part of it as well.  While playing with the children, we go to know them better.  Some better than others, with a wetter approach.  In fact, one of the children had a happy accident on April, one of our fellow Glimpsers.

Upon our return we enjoyed a lunch of rice, potatoes, and pig intestines.  We came back to the hotel and had our CAP seminar to discuss the needs of the nursery.  We decided to build benches and tables for the children, which will begin next week.

We prepared for our 2nd day of English tutoring, which was better than the last.  In my own lesson, we combined seasons, adjectives, and nouns, along with teaching them a song from America, “Rain Rain Go Away.”

We then went to dinner, where we enjoyed pasta-wrapped chicken and potatoes.  We then returned to our hotel for our nightly meeting, where we had a discussion about a country’s need for foreign aid. We then got into American politics as it related more to the Glimpsers. We then had the passing of the torch ceremony, where it was handed to Bianca and Nina, who I know will do a good job. For our Unity Clap, our chosen word was Pachamama, meaning Mother Earth.

Despite challenges, we continue to be a family and we are excited to re-join our own families while still maintaining the one we built here.

Your’s truly, Noah Lewis