Full Moon Rising

I think I'll make note of an unusual and most amusing moment on our recent ministry/service trip to southern Ecuador.

We were traveling south from Riobamba to a town of about 4,ooo people called Alausí (pronounced Al-ow-see) to the site of the first ministry efforts of our week. We came upon an indigenous woman (in the states, we'd say Native American or Indian) walking her cow down the road. Or maybe it was the cow walking her. Either way, the lady was wearing the typical attire of a brilliant colored, knee length gathered skirt, with a red shawl and brown fedora.

As we passed by, some noticed that she had just lost grip on the rope and the calf...I'd guess it was a yearling.... was now trotting down the road in the same direction we were headed. We noticed a worried look on her face as she gave chase. The cow was quickly distancing herself from her owner. We drove ahead of the cow and one of our team leaders, Lucy Silva got out to assist....the cow slowed its pace as it approached Lucy. Just then, 2 of the guys (Kyle and Yoan, a seminary student from Venezuela) jumped out the van and began to give chase to capture the heifer. This of course spooked the cow and away she went....running right past Lucy. The owner looked even more desperate. The boys gave chase, but it was quite a distance before they caught up with Ms. Bovine, or Señorita Vaca. They were able to grab the lead rope and triumphantly returned the cow to the grateful owner, who could only express her gratitude in Quechuan. The young men understood her sentiment, if not her words.

While we were stopped, awaiting the capture and return of the cow, 3 of our young ladies asked if they could find a spot in the bushes to answer nature's call. We had been traveling for a good while with no signs of an approaching town or gas station of any sort. 1 of the girls walked over in a "northerly" route and the other 2 went in a more "southeasterly"direction to find their location of choice behind trees, shrubs, etc.

A few minutes later, we heard some anxious "squealing" or "shrieking", as often occurs when one comes upon a snake unexpectedly. A moment later, a man comes into view, walking from the general area where the 2 young ladies had last been seen. He had a big grin on his face as he passed by our vans and proceeded walking down the road.

He was soon followed by the girls, who told us (with no small amount of emotion) that the spot they had chosen turned out to be just off a well worn path. Just when they had fully "assumed the position", along comes this fellow up the trail, passing within mere feet of their potty station. He passed by just at the most opportune/inopportune moment, depending on his or their perspective. As if that wasn't bad enough, they then turned around and realized that some 100-150 ft below their "station" on what they then realized as being a fully exposed (in more ways than one) hillside bluff, was a little town. A bus was going by beneath and behind them, and there was a group of people, sitting on a front porch of one of the houses facing the hillside. They were drinking coffee, all the while watching 2 full (American) moons appear on the horizon directly in front of them, quite a bit earlier than the normal time for sunset.

After we heard the story in detail, and our laughter subsided, we loaded up in the vans and resumed our journey. Just around the next bend along the mountain highway was a gas station with the long desired facilities. As we passed by, howling with laughter, we soon came upon a road crew doing some repairs. As fortune would have it, there was "the man" waving to us (well, probably it's more accurate to say that he was specifically waving to a couple of our group) wearing that same broad grin.

I have withheld the names of the victims. I will only say that they attend a certain university that is sponsored by the Church of the Nazarene.... located about an hour south of Chicago.