hjj19

Monday, September 11

Take note of the date (9-11). Maybe that’s why security was so tight in Quito last night. I slept a little on the long flight, but of course not enough for a full night. We felt like something that had been chewed and spit out as we came off a night flight into the newly awakened and freshly groomed world of Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

One thing I always enjoy about returning to the US is the friendly welcome from the customs agents. Then we had to go through the agriculture line where a sleepy young lady wordlessly picked through one of the bunches of roses and apparently didn’t find anything bad. We got to keep them!

We walked the whole way to our next terminal because we had the time and needed to stretch. Then another flight, and we walked off in Minnesota. I love seeing all the trees around houses as we fly in here. And fields before that!

Picked up all our luggage, got a ride to where our van was parked, loaded it up, and climbed into the luxury of our own vehicle, our own space, and our own dirt! Ahhh…

Update on Marlin:

A couple days after we got home, Maren emailed to ask Dr. K. for an update on Marlin. Everyone we saw was asking about him and loved to see his pictures because they had been praying for him.

Well, we got sad news. Marlin’s father refused to see a specialist in Ambato or let Marlin stay for a while in the orphanage. Instead, they went back into the jungle on Saturday. Ouch. Marlin wasn’t eating well enough yet. There’s not much hope, and we’ll probably never hear any more news. But God knows what He’s doing, and we just pray that the whole situation will have a lasting effect on that family. We pray that they saw God’s love while at the hospital in Shell.

~ Hannah

A parting Ecuador picture: Elsa, Hannah, and Paul posed along with one of Paul's new Ecuadorian friends who works on the HCJB team and serves as an evangelist to outlying areas.