Thank You Ecuador

So this is it.  We have made it through 5 months and learned so much.  I want to write a sort of thank you note for this time.

People of Ecuador,
    Thank you so much for this amazing experience.  We have had a wonderful time and met some wonderful people.  Ecuador is beautiful in every sense of the word.  The waterfalls blow me away as do the mountains that dot the horizon no matter where you go.  I am thankful for the views I had everyday going to and from work and on all of our vacations.  Thank you for the countless number of parks we have visited that all have something different to offer and never left us without things to do.  We thank you for all the arts and crafts you sell at a very fair price without being pushy.  In general thank you for teaching us so much about being good, patient parents, hard workers, friendly and welcoming and helping us to slow down and enjoy one another.  Thank you for giving up your seat on the bus for me every time I got on with Melayna and Lucas.  Thank you to the man that held Lucas one day on the bus since I had too much on my lap and to the lady and man that helped carry my luggage onto and off of the bus on my way to Quito to meet people going to Baños.  Thank you to Llorena for seeking us out after church to see if we wanted to do something with her and her son and then treating up to pizza at Western.  Thank you to Matt and I's co-workers who have shown us so much support and have looked out for us while we were here.  Thank you to Diego who always went out of his way to talk to me slowly and get me to understand things and to always make me feel welcome. Thank you to the nice carpenter that greets me with a hug whenever he sees me and to the nice store owner that talked to me while I walked to work one day and now says hello and asks how I am every time he sees me.  Thank you to the teachers at the daycare that so graciously accepted my children and tried to make them feel welcome.  Thank you to the people that were willing to slow down when they talked to help us understand more of what they were saying and for the people that were patient with our Spanish speaking.  A huge thank you to the Oviedo family that helped us, especially Matt in so many ways and took him to Bible studies and taught him Spanish.  Thank you to the Oviedo family for finding us a place to stay in Otovalo.  A special thank you to Eduardo and Alexandra for being our tour guides and showing us such amazing hospitality.  A big thank you to Audrey for sending and bringing donations for us and candy for our kids.  Thank you to UK for letting us be a part of the Medical Brigade and all the people on the brigade that made the experience so wonderful and excepting our children so willingly.  We have truly enjoyed our stay and we will be coming back.

To Everyone Else,
A huge thank you to the family and friends that read this blog, FaceTimed us, emailed us, sent us mail, prayed for us, supported us financially and will be welcoming us home in the next few days.  We could not have made it through this experience without each of you.  The biggest thanks to our parents for instilling in us the desire to serve others and step outside of our comfort zones, and to my parents for the care package for my kids and cookies for me.  Another huge thank you to my brother and dad for coming to visit us and bringing goodies.  We are forever grateful for everyone's support.

In addition to Bethany's Thank Yous

A special thanks to Bethany's parents for running errands and making extra phone calls for us while we were gone and taking care of my car.
Thank you to Mercedes at Centro Medico for driving me home everyday from work at Centro Medico and for putting up with my Spanglish.
Thank you to Marcella Oviedo for her Spanish lessons and good company on Wednesday and Thursday evenings .
Thanks to Maggie Moore for your help and good friendship in Santo Domingo.
Thanks to Jared Benton for sharing his perspectives and new ideas for patient care.
Thanks to Dr./Deacon Nick for his insightful views both before and at the end of our trip. You truely
brought a new perspective to the last week of our trip.

We are sad to say goodbye, but we are ready to see everyone in the US.  We have learned so many life lessons that we will never forget.