First off, let’s be clear…I HATE politics! There are no truthful politicians.  The game is all a struggle for power and position and truth rarely plays a big part in the game.  I try to stay moderately informed, but on the whole I tend to avoid news in general. It either makes me depressed or… Read More Learn the Language or Leave Our Country!!

When we first arrived in Manta, we went to the Supermaxi. This is a supermarket similar to a Walmart (although not near as big).  Going to the grocery store here was a ‘fun’ experience.  Our first trip was on a Friday night (Strike #1).  We were there with all 3 kids after they had been… Read More Shopping in Manta, Ecuador

Tuesday we made our first trip to the orphanage.  I literally had to fight back the tears as we first walked through for a tour, and honestly I can’t even tell you why.  There are 21 kids ranging from eight months all the way up to fifteen years of age.  There is a family of… Read More Shekinah Orphanage

We have had a busy last couple weeks.  On the weekends, we have tried to get out of the house and go on mini adventures.  One Sunday we (or should I say Mike) decided that once low tide hit we would make the trek up the coast line from our condo to Murcielago Beach.  This… Read More Beach Adventures

After our Saturday afternoon of bocce ball, the kids played in the sand, while we sat and visited some more.  As evening settled in, we walked over to the area where the Supermaxi is.  There is a gentleman (Juan) who makes homemade ice cream.  It was so so good!  He has a ton of flavors… Read More September Saturday in Ecuador

One of our objectives in coming to Ecuador was to become involved with one of the local orphanages.  Mike had found out about one of the orphanages on the website www.mantaexpatsonline.com.  It is run by Al and his wife, Linda, as a free informational site to help people who are new in the area.   They also… Read More The Manta Gringos

Life in Manta thus far has been pretty amazing.  However, there have been some unexpected challenges. We had actually been planning to live in a different condo than the one we are currently in, but the owner was pulling some crazy antics with our real estate agent.  A few days before we left the States,… Read More Life in Manta, Ecuador

After almost 3 months of prepping, planning, an estate sale, packing up our house, getting it ready for rent, a trip to Oregon to pick up our kids from their grandparent’s, back home, 10 days of packing, rearranging, unpacking, and more rearranging…we FINALLY made it to Ecuador. Our trip down took about 3 days.    Trip Highlights… Read More Traveling to Ecuador

Question #10 – What are your goals in going? Do you feel that you’re a little idealistic? I am under no illusion that everything will be as we expect and that it will go 100% smoothly. Nothing in life is certain.  In fact, I anticipate some of our best memories will be of those situations… Read More Ecuador!! What Are You Thinking?!! (Part 3)

Question #4 – Are we going on a mission’s trip? (This is probably the top question we’ve been asked.) Not exactly.  We read some articles about an orphanage in Manta that is run on volunteers and donations.  We thought this would be a great opportunity to show our children the true meaning of being a Christian. James… Read More Ecuador!! What Are You Thinking?!! (Part 2)