Adventures Chronicles: Previous Editions
ADVENTURE CHRONICLES
My husband had grown up in Ecuador as a missionary kid, so when in 1997 he decided that it was time to commit ourselves to missions I wasn't surprised. At 37, I boarded a plane for Ecuador with 4 children, 11 pieces of luggage plus carry on items, 1 dog carrier, 3 words of Spanish to my vocabulary, a burning desire to see God touch a nation, and what would turn out to be my greatest survival skill – a love of adventure!
Here are just some of the stories that I could tell, but included here are some of the most entertaining (certainly not the most spiritual - those are for another book.) Here are chronicled the adventures that made us laugh and enjoy the ride.
ANIMAL FABLES
ANIMAL FABLES #1: HAMSTER SMUGGLERS
Growing up my love for animals was only second to my love for children. I spent much of my childhood trying to befriend and tame anything that moved. That alone should have been a sign that I would not only adopt two children, but also have some entertaining adventures with animals in Ecuador. But, as if that wasn't enough, our first adventure centered around a hamster on our first flight into Ecuador.
Dana was 8 years old at the time we announced we were moving to Ecuador, and the proud owner of a teddy bear hamster named, Fuzzy. All that she wanted to know was if she could take Fuzzy to Ecuador. I thought for only a moment of my daughter’s seemingly simple yet desperate request. Quickly, the thought that I should call the airlines or somebody to ask if we would be allowed to transport a hamster to Ecuador entered my mind, but that thought was followed by a second and unacceptable thought - “What if they said, NO?” In a moment of devotion I decided that NOTHING would keep my little girl from taking her hamster to Ecuador. I said, “Yes, of course you can take Fuzzy!” I thought, “Better not to ask, we will just take him with us. How hard could it be to take a little hamster on a plane?”
The children and I began to conspire as to HOW we were going to sneak a hamster onto a plane for a seven-hour flight? We realized that we had several obstacles including the metal detectors and the x-ray machines. We decided to put him in a small plastic (no metal) animal keeper and put him in Dana's backpack. But, we remembered that they would make her put the backpack on the x-ray machine where his x-ray image would surely draw attention. So, we devised a plan. Brittany would wear a hooded shirt where we would rubber band Fuzzy (a pin might set off the metal detector) for the walk through security, then transfer him back to the backpack (very discreetly) for the remainder of the flight. The plan was fool proof!
Perhaps you can imagine the stress involved in running through an airport with 4 small children and 12 pieces of luggage (one of them a dog carrier containing our 100lb, spoiled Samoyed), but needless to say we momentarily forgot about Fuzzy until we reached the x-ray machines. We tried to be discreet in our sudden halt as we realized we were at the x-ray machine but we drew the attention of the security guard who saw us pull the hamster from the backpack. We thought we were busted! He just politely said, “Oh, that is a good idea. You don't want the hamster to be exposed to the x-ray.” So, Dana and Fuzzy walked together through the metal detector and he was placed back into the backpack. We thought that the worst was over and all of our planning had been unnecessary.
We boarded the plane at midnight. The four children were together in a middle row of seats and Chris and I were seated two rows behind. The children were so excited on their first flight that it took me a while to get them settled down and convinced that they were going to sleep for the flight. It wasn't long before the lights of the cabin were turned out and everyone on this completely packed airplane was fast asleep (including my husband). I put my head back wondering if I could slow down the adrenaline pumping through my veins and was just about asleep when a flight attendant tapped me on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, maim,” he said, “Do you have a hamster on the plane?” Of course, my first thoughts were, “BUSTED! How did he know? I wonder what they do to hamster smugglers?” I nodded, “yes?” Then he said, “May I see it please?” I thought, “That's strange! Why would he want to see it?” I stood up and walked over to where my four children were sleeping, reached into the backpack, pulled out the plastic cage, and ... GASP! IT WAS EMPTY! I shrugged sheepishly at the flight attendant, slipped over to my husband, woke him up and told him that our hamster had escaped and was running loose. I said, “Come help me find it!” He closed his eyes and said, “Don't worry, just wait for someone to scream.” and went back to sleep! I realized that the capture of the fugitive hamster was up to me alone. Where to start? I looked up and the plane was completely dark, every seat was occupied and almost everyone was asleep. I dropped to my hands and knees (trying in vain to retain my dignity) and crawled down the aisle hoping to get a glimpse of the hamster on the run. Fortunately for me (and Fuzzy) there were two young men who decided to play cards rather than sleep. At first, they were quite confused and curious about my actions until they saw the object of my quest run past their feet. They signaled me and Fuzzy was captured and returned to his cage.
After our arrival in Ecuador, a delegation of Quichua pastors came to our home to welcome us. Fuzzy was in his little cage going nowhere fast on his hamster wheel. My husband was in another room of the house and as they waited for him they stared at the little hamster, whispering among each other. I didn't know much Spanish, but I could deduce that they were asking me what it was. I knew that they raised guinea pig so I told them that it was like a little guinea pig. I saw that my answer only caused them more confusion and then I remembered that guinea pig was one of their favorite meals! They must have thought that it was an hoarse-D'oeuvre! My husband came into the room in time to rescue me (and the hamster) and explained that it was a pet that had risked life and limb to accompany Dana to Ecuador.
Sadly, after the harrowing trip to Ecuador it appears that the altitude (9,000 ft) was too much for little Fuzzy. A few months after arriving in Ecuador we found him. He had died mid-stride while running on his wheel. It was obvious that his death was sudden and painless.
MORAL OF THE STORY: “There is a plan that seems right unto a mom, but the end thereof is death.” (see: Proverbs 14:12)
ANIMAL FABLES #2: THERE'S AN ALIGATOR IN THE POND!
My husbands parents had lived in Ecuador many years and before my father in law's death they were renting a house on an avocado farm. The house had a pond about the size of a pool which my father in law had stocked with fish and a caimen (alligator). When we came to Ecuador it was decided that we would rent this house and my mother in law would find something smaller for herself. What I didn't realize was that I was inheriting several animals along with the house, one of which was a four foot caimen (alligator). I petitioned my husband, “We aren't keeping the alligator?” He seemed completely unconcerned by my fretting and after a few weeks I saw that my husband was set on keeping the alligator and that it wasn't aggressive. The kids thought it was “cool” having an alligator in their pond, the dog thought it was great fun to bark in his face, and the alligator was indifferent to us all. I resigned myself to the fact that the alligator was there to stay and so I decided he needed a name. I named him, Sebastian, otherwise known as, Johann Sebastian But… if he gets much bigger, I am getting a new pair of boots!
Sebastian spent his time either under water or sunbathing just on the edge of the pond. The dogs (for we had now bought a boxer) loved to bark in his face until he would eventually tire of the racket and return to the water. Our Samoyed had a love for the water and would spend much of his time swimming around the pond chasing a duck. When he would run out of breath he would rest in the shallows of the pond where he would unknowingly position himself with his tail at Sebastian's submerged nose.
It was obvious that Sebastian had plenty of fish that were willing to swim right into his mouth when he was hungry so he was not tempted in the least to any aggression. The children got used to playing at the pond's edge, catching the guppies and gold fish.
One morning, I was in the kitchen and Tony (age 5) came running in soaking wet. If it had been a cartoon, his eyes would have been sticking out 12 inches from his face and his heart would have been jumping out and back from his chest, stretching out the skin to about 2 feet from his chest, in a cute little heart shape. I said, “Son, what happened!” “MOM! I fell in the pond!” His older sisters came running in on his heals laughing and giggling. They said, “Mom, you should have seen it! It was a miracle! Tony fell into the pond and he was so afraid the alligator might get him that he bounced off of the water!”
MORAL OF THE STORY: Sufficient motivation creates an atmosphere for a miracle.
