Nuestras Adventuras en Ecuador : Zhical

On Thursday's we go to our outermost territories. There are a few different locations, but today we went to Zhical. No matter which territory we're going to on Thursday, a bus ride is necessary. It takes 45 mins-1 hour on bus to reach the territory. Our service group meets at 8:30am everyday, so we are at the bus stop by 8:45-8:50am. If we're fortunate, we will only wait 10-15 mins for a bus heading toward Quito to pass, this will bring us to Zhical. The buses here are approximate, so we never know for sure when we will be picked up. Two weeks ago, we waited for over about an hour for the bus to come, so with the long wait, and the long drive, we didn't reach the territory until about 10:30 or so.

Once we arrive in Zhical, we disperse into our 2-3 person groups and head out looking for people. This town is super RURAL! Some of the homes are located in spots you wouldn't think would be possible to live. The "road" leading up to the homes are usually mud paths or patches of trodden down grass. One area we went to was a big dirt/rock path, very, very steep through a forest of trees. This area is sooo steep, our boots slip easily and we have to either hold on to a nearby tree, if possible, or create a 'train' and hold on to each other, otherwise, there is no getting down this mountain. Believe it or not, the local older sister's in the congregation would be leading the pack! I can't believe some of the things they do, especially because it is hard for us at times.

This territory is exceptionally beautiful, so as we're trudging through the forests and fields looking for people to preach to, it's not uncommon to see many rivers, plants, animals and even some waterfalls!