Ecuador

Missionary work in Ecuador reminds me of car crashes in Orlando, Florida. Here’s why. Kristen, Kaitlin, and I went to Orlando for a vacation with my sisters, brother, and all the cousins. I didn’t get the extra insurance on the rental car because I never do – my insurance covers that. But every day I saw three or four car accidents and by the end of the week-long trip I determined that any future trips to Orlando will require supplemental insurance. Why are there so many accidents? Could it be that people from all over the world are visiting the amusement parks and they all have different expectations on how other drivers will react? Similarly in Ecuador, the competing mission work from various organizations, the explorations of several oil companies, the needs of the Ecuadorian state and other people groups, all interacting with indigenous people led to multiple crashes.

Ecuador is the source of a famous mission story from the 1950s where five men were killed trying to contact an indigenous group, then the families of the men were able to establish contact and inspire the group to give up their revenge culture to embrace Christianity. Except there is more to the story than was told in the United States. There were competing priorities and personalities. Did the indigenous people really convert or did they just want the trade goods the missionaries brought? Did their relationships with the missionaries benefit the people or make them more susceptible to being displaced? God in the Rainforest by Kathryn Long discusses sixty years of interactions and raises many questions. Can cultural isolates survive encounters with the outside world (such as the approaching oil companies) without the ability to read, write, and represent themselves politically? Did the ways they were taught to read and write detract from their ability to choose?

Since my husband and I each come from a missionary family, these questions are important to me. I value education and healthcare as well as sharing meaningful ideas. I need to learn more about ways to avoid damage to the vulnerable, which can be done even by the most well-meaning people.

I borrowed God in the Rainforest from the Los Angeles County Library. None of the complexities shown in the book change the fact that this is an amazing story. To hear it told with original pictures, film, and interviews, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWArGUozZok

Meanwhile, in another area of the Ecuadorian rainforest, Texaco (later bought by Chevron) did not follow oil extraction protocols and left an environmental mess resulting in a $19 billion judgment against them. This story becomes crazy complicated when instead of paying or settling, they strike back personally at the opposing counsel. You’ll find this story in Law of the Jungle by Paul Barrett. Amazon Prime has more on this subject if you search for keywords Ecuador and oil.

Moving beyond conflict in and about the rainforest, we can travel to Ecuador while staying at home by:

· Joining Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa for a tour of Ecuador: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7dMzG-T2w

· Staying at the beautiful Mashpi Lodge and meeting the community around it: https://ihavenotv.com/mashpi-lodge-ecuador-amazing-hotels-life-beyond-the-lobby

· Discovering animals that I had never seen before at: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/undercover-in-the-jungle-8ezkp9/20203/?button=fullepisode

· Checking out something small but dangerous at: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ysxgd

· Seeing the Volcano Stories Season 1, episodes 19 & 20 on Amazon Prime.

· Updating our knowledge - Panama hats are from Ecuador – in The Panama Hat on Amazon Prime.

· Touring the La Compañía cathedral in Episode 19 of The World's Greatest Churches in The Great Courses on Kanopy.

· Listening to Andean music performed by Ecuadorian musicians at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOgiKxq7w7Y

If you are in the Los Angeles area, the Taste of Ecuador festival for this year was postponed, but keep an eye on their Facebook page for next August: https://www.facebook.com/EcuadorianFestivalLosAngeles/

For an example of Ecuadorian food, Kaitlin, Andrea, and I recently ate on the patio at El Caserio Restaurant in Los Angeles. Andrea had llapingachos (grilled potato patties) served with pork riblets roasted with garlic and onions topped with an egg over easy and peanut sauce. Kaitlin had fusilli de mare a la vodka (there is an Italian twist to this Ecuadorian restaurant). I had the encocado de pescado (sea bass in coconut sauce served with Ecuadorian rice and sweet plantains). For dessert we shared figs in syrup with burrata. See here for a recipe for llapingachos: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/llapingachos-or-stuffed-potato-patties/ or here for a wide variety of Ecuadorian recipes: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/ecuadorian-recipes/

There is of course even more to see in Ecuador as illustrated here: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-ecuador/

When this pandemic is over, you might want to plan travel to Ecuador using your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Ecuador and throughout the world.

Photo credit: Jay Bock at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaybock/20998454832/