Stained Glass Masquerade

A group of gringitas (international students) and I explored the Historic District of Quito or El Centro on our first full weekend in Ecuador. We ate at a fabulous heladería and café called San Augustín which had the most delicious sabores of ice cream. I highly recommend Guanabana (a well known fruit in Ecuador which has a peach, coconut, pineapple flavor going on) and Mora (blackberry) together. Muy rico! We ventured the streets snapping photos of the ancient architecture and mounding rooftops and gawking at the pirated DVDs for a $1.50 and cute $5 flats.

One of the first things you notice in Ecuador’s historic Old Town is that, just like Starbucks’ in New York City, there’s a cathedral on every corner. So, we toured La Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesus which was constructed over the span of 160 years (1605 – 1765) embodying the Baroque style of art and architecture. There are two massive original canvases in the entry hall which are attributed to Hernando de la Cruz and date back to 1620. The one at the north end is called, The Last Judgment, and the one at the south is called, Hell, utilizing polarity as additional symbolism for conveying meaning. As I stood beneath the looming image of Lucifer enthroned on a fiery pedestal with dark demons creepily encroaching on all sides, I shuddered. It was grotesque and tortuous; man, woman, and child were being consumed giving vivid illustration to ¨the outer darkness; where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¨ The aspect of the artistry that spoke to me the most was the fact that with each person was scratched a pecado or a sin that branded them. Some were asesino (murderer), ladrón (thief), mentiroso (liar); but, the cast majority were things like murmurado (one who murmurs/gossips), espectador (onlooker), and descriptions like desagradecido (ungrateful), injusto (unjust), and despilfarrador (wasteful). The painting just highlighted the fact that somewhere along the line we started putting sins on a Richter Scale labeling some more violent than others when in fact omission and failure to act and reach out to our brothers and sisters can be just as entombing.

As we continued to meander into the heart of the cathedral, we were blinded by the glimmer of the refraction of the sunlight penetrating the skylight windows and bouncing off the 23 carat gold leaf, which gilds the entire church. The Church of the Company of Jesus in Quito has been catalogued by UNESCO as one of the hundred most important World Heritage Site Monuments in the world. After a 12 year restoration at a cost of 4.5 million dollars, the temple was reopened to the public so it could be viewed in all its adorned and magnificent splendor. As I knelt down on what was most likely a Persian rug lining the altar rail, I got chills; the sickening, disturbing kind of chills. I tried to pray, but just felt so disconnected and so very far away from God. I couldn’t help but feel repulsed and jaded by the disenchantingly (yes, I did in fact make that word up) ornate architecture of the cathedral. As I took in the golden image of Jesus hanging on the cross, I couldn’t help but think, this is so ridiculously ostentatious for a vow of poverty. I guess it was my Shane Claiborne/Casting Crowns moment, you know, the one where you just want to shout, “Jesus is not in that stained glass window” and question, have we traded our altar for a stage? If so, is the performance convincing and when will we close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade?

God’s church is authenticated on the streets and in the slums, amidst the stray dogs and polluted air. I felt liberated when I stepped outside and breathed it all in. God lives in us; may we be God´s children and build God´s church in the streets, in Ecuador, Brazil, Mozambique, and the United States, stretching as far as the east is to the west.

Andean High

Estoy en Quito. Hola from 2,850 meters or nearly 10,000 feet!

I was literally on the midnight flight into Quito, which coincided with a customs pile-up, so it was even later in la madrugada than expected when I met my host dad, Edi, more fondly known as papí (Pop*ee). My mamí (mom*ee), Doris, wasn’t there because I have a two year-old little sister and a baby brother on the way, (Juaquin is expected to arrive at the end of January or the first week in February), but she was waiting for me when we got home. My Ecuadorian parents are very loving and affectionate and from the very first instant it was obvious that I had been adopted into their family as their oldest daughter. We had a great introductory chat (which went well since I had eleven hours of rehearsal on the plane). But, I must admit I totally had that low moment; you know the one in the Atlanta airport after you have just heard the voice of your hysterically crying mom for the last time. Before you drop off the grid for the next 4 ½ months and disappear into the unknown crevices of a foreign country. Yeah, that miserable moment where I was totally like, this was a mistake, what was I thinking? I can’t do this!

Cue God…. Oh wait, God never needs a stage direction to enter the scene.

When I arrived at my seat I discovered the lovely face of my fellow Hokie and sweet sister in Christ, Carly, and everything was suddenly better. I would say what a fortunate coincidence, but as another one of my beautiful B-stud (cool chrisitanese term for Bible Study we like to throw around on the college campus) sisters in cru. always says, “There are no such things as coincidences, there’s just Jesus.” So, it was totally a “just Jesus” moment where I was reassured by the Holy Spirit that I was meant to dive into studying abroad, learning Spanish, and serving in Ecuador as a part of being called into God’s Global Ministry.

In between our excited nervous chatter, we realized the very eloquent Spanish speaking man to our left (who had ridiculously bilingual and adorable children) was wearing a Virginia Tech class ring. Of course, we had to ask. He was a GTA in the history department who studied at USFQ for a semester, where he met his wife. They had just finished visiting family in Lynchburg and were heading home to Quito where they have lived for the past twelve years. Come to find out his son, Wesley, is named after John and Charles Wesley because his father is an ordained Methodist minister in the Virginia Conference and he is a Pastor who leads youth ministry in Ecuador! He gave us a rundown of the city, things we must do, dangers to guard against and offered a glimpse into Ecuadorian culture; so, both encounters were really fun and unexpected blessings, but then again that’s how God works, unexpectedly.

This morning I woke up to squealing and cluttering from the breakfast table and emerged to meet my little sister, Rebeca (Bequí), who was dressed in Disney princess pajamas and was chanting Raquel. She was wearing a bib that said, abrázame (hug me), so I did, and received a really sweet little beso (kiss). As we continued our get-acquainted conversation over a delicious fresh, fruit salad with mango, kiwi, banana, papaya, and apple, a fuzzy Elmo slipper snuggled with me under the table.

The view from our seventh floor apartment of the northern part of Quito, the airport, and the mountains is quite gorgeous. The very first morning the snowcapped volcano, Cotapaxi, was visible, but since it has been high in the nubes (clouds). Given this fact, the first thing you will undoubtedly notice in Ecuador is that one single flight of stairs feels like thirty minutes on the elliptical. Needless to say, the altitude here takes some adjustment.

Mis papís took me on a short ride through our part of the city and we had a fun seafood lunch. I became acquainted with a ceviche which is a very typical Ecuadorian dish. The most popular ceviches are made with camarón (shrimp) which swim in a lemon/lime juice (in Spanish lemon and lime are the same word, limón, how incredibly efficient or inefficient rather, depending on how you look at it) with onions, cilantro, and it is customary to put popcorn in it! It was unusually delicious with a mezcla única (unique mixture) of flavors. ¡Que rico!

The first evening I met both sides of my extended family at separate get-togethers. It was quite overwhelming, but very loving and lively. At first I thought that we were gathering as family for a special occasion, but now I realize being surrounded by relatives is an everyday occurrence for my Ecuadorian family; whether it is an afternoon cafecito, a late night postre (dessert), or a quick game of tennis on the wii. It is such a blessing to be adopted into an amazing, adoring, and larger than life family here in Ecuador. It is such a wonderful reminder of home. Praise be to God!

Ecuadorian table manner tip of the day: when consuming food, especially homemade meals, you must say, ¡Que rico! at least six times to appear decently appreciative and satisfied. Seriously.