[ About an hour outside of Sucúa, across a rickety suspension bridge up in the jungle, lives a family with such a foul reputation, even their own people call their village, ‘a den of thieves’. This family has been at odds with just about everybody for years, and they despise gringos – especially christian gringos! So much so, that whenever we had to pass by there, we readied ourselves for the usual barrage of curses, fruit, and...
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Easter is a really big deal here in Ecuador – as it should be. On Palm Sunday, I happened to be in Quito with my nephew and we decided to visit one of our favorite places, the Basílica del Voto Nacional. It’s listed as the largest cathedral in the Americas, a truly awe inspiring work of art and devotion. As we walked up, a parade was about to start. We of course bought some palm branches and joined in the procession. Like...
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Ash & i are still a bit numb from yesterday. You remember the mythical Clearing House Sweepstakes guy – that guy you hope will just show up at your door with a giant check?! Well, it kind of happened to us. We were part of a celebration in Birmingham marking the 100th Anniversary of the Assemblies of God in Alabama (that’s the family of churches that we’re a part of, 370 in AL & more than 12,000 in the US)....
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On Good Friday, one year ago, a desperate father named Bolivar and his daughter, Dominga, set out on a journey from the deepest corner of the Ecuadorian jungle. They were in a life & death search for a miracle. She was spitting up blood, her abdomen swollen, her body was battling a mysterious illness. They are Acshuar Indians. A remote, indigenous people who fiercely resist all advances of civilization. After...
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