Thursday, September 6, 2012
Happy Birthday!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Ministry (?) Update
This morning while I was running on a trail along a river here in Puyo, I found myself thinking, "What are we doing here?" In Honduras, we had a goal of improving our Spanish and for the most part, it was a success. But when we came to Ecuador, our "goal" was not as obvious. We have thought about several things that we want to do and certainly there are needs that we can help with, but to be plainly honest our "ministry" at this point is best understood in these verses:
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake...
-1st Peter 2:13
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
-1st Timothy 2:1-3
Beginning the process to change our visas, renting a house, obtaining legal/notarized rent contract, learning how and where to pay the water bill, learning how and where to pay the electric bill, setting up and paying for phone and internet service, obtaining the proper, legal, notarized documents to process our visa, purchasing a vehicle, obtaining legal documents for ownership of vehicle, obtaining a driver's license, correcting proper, legal, notarized documents to process our visa, having a baby (Noah), obtaining legal Ecuadorian citizenship for Noah, visiting the US Embassy to obtain US citizenship for Noah, setting an appointment to revisit the US Embassy to obtain US citizenship for Noah, attending a driver's education course so that I can take the driver's license test, recorrecting proper, legal, notarized documents to process our visa since the law changed as of 3 weeks ago (yes, it does not matter that we were in the middle of the process), being the proud parents of a card-carrying Ecuadorian citizen!
Are we still working to improve our Spanish communication? Yes, but we could still be more dedicated to our studies. Are we continuing to look for more opportunities to share the wonderful news of salvation? Yes, but we could certainly be doing more. Is there more that we would like to be doing? Of course! Are we caring for our children and family physically, mentally, and spiritually? Yes, but there is always room for more growth.
Do we sometimes get frustrated that our current outward "ministry" is simply submitting to the government's whims? Yes, but that does seem to be both important and urgent at this point in our life. So if you talk with me on the phone and if the conversation turns to what we are doing, don't be surprised if I simply quote to you 1st Peter 2:13!
Enjoy!
Taylor
P.S. - We return to Quito in a week to (Lord willing) finalize our recorrected documents and apply for new visas, and to apply for US citizenship for Noah.
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake...
-1st Peter 2:13
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
-1st Timothy 2:1-3
Beginning the process to change our visas, renting a house, obtaining legal/notarized rent contract, learning how and where to pay the water bill, learning how and where to pay the electric bill, setting up and paying for phone and internet service, obtaining the proper, legal, notarized documents to process our visa, purchasing a vehicle, obtaining legal documents for ownership of vehicle, obtaining a driver's license, correcting proper, legal, notarized documents to process our visa, having a baby (Noah), obtaining legal Ecuadorian citizenship for Noah, visiting the US Embassy to obtain US citizenship for Noah, setting an appointment to revisit the US Embassy to obtain US citizenship for Noah, attending a driver's education course so that I can take the driver's license test, recorrecting proper, legal, notarized documents to process our visa since the law changed as of 3 weeks ago (yes, it does not matter that we were in the middle of the process), being the proud parents of a card-carrying Ecuadorian citizen!
Are we still working to improve our Spanish communication? Yes, but we could still be more dedicated to our studies. Are we continuing to look for more opportunities to share the wonderful news of salvation? Yes, but we could certainly be doing more. Is there more that we would like to be doing? Of course! Are we caring for our children and family physically, mentally, and spiritually? Yes, but there is always room for more growth.
Do we sometimes get frustrated that our current outward "ministry" is simply submitting to the government's whims? Yes, but that does seem to be both important and urgent at this point in our life. So if you talk with me on the phone and if the conversation turns to what we are doing, don't be surprised if I simply quote to you 1st Peter 2:13!
Enjoy!
Taylor
P.S. - We return to Quito in a week to (Lord willing) finalize our recorrected documents and apply for new visas, and to apply for US citizenship for Noah.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Happy 4 Weeks, Noah!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Adventures in Quito
We recently planned a trip to Quito to bring our friend A. Lassiter (writer of the Monkey Reserve guest post) back to the airport so that she could return home. We had a wonderful, yet squished ride from Puyo to Quito on Saturday with 3 adults, 4 children, and 1 baby in a car seat crammed into our Toyota Hilux, which really only seats 5 adults. Sunday morning, A.L. and I headed to the airport at 4:09 AM. Our (the Hollingsworth's) plan was to enjoy the morning meetings with our friends in Quito then return to Puyo in the afternoon.
During a break between the meetings, we began talking about our visa paperwork. The conclusion of the discussion was that Alesha and I agreed to remain in Quito to process some needed documents. You must understand that processing these same documents from Puyo may take between 2 - 6 weeks, whereas in Quito, the capitol, we could have them processed the same day. Since our visas expire at the end of August, giving us just 4 more weeks, we decided to bite the extra expense (downtime from work) and get our documentation done.
I spent all day on Monday running between the office of our visa lawyer, to the notary, to arranging appointments with others whom I needed a signature from, and by the end of the day I had finished none of the two things that I set out to do: 1) notarize a rent contract that shows I have a dwelling place; 2) register Noah as an Ecuadorian citizen.
So we decided to stay yet another day. Since I was unable to accomplish the two items on my list from Monday, I decided to aim for 3 items on Tuesday! In the morning, I met with the needed persons, obtained my notarized documents (through much standing around and waiting on my part), talked with the visa lawyer, and I still had time to bring home some lunch for the family! We had a semi-relaxed lunch, packed up the truck and headed out to the American Embassy to get info about obtaining a birth certificate and passport for Noah, and then to the Ecuadorian Civil Registry office where I *almost* had all of the needed paperwork - in fact, I did have everything that they needed, except they wanted the only original copy of our marriage license, but I could not give it to them because I needed it to change our visas...bummer.
Though I was not able to "finish" the other two items, I now know what I need to do about them. I have someone working to get a legal copy of the marriage license, and we are making an appointment for the American Embassy to process Noah's documents. I was so happy by the end of the day, that we stopped at one of our favorite parks in Quito, La Carolina, to play around for a while before heading back to Puyo.
So we are back here waiting to hear back from the visa lawyer about our visa status.
Enjoy!
Taylor
P.S. - For anyone who thinks that the hassle of a process is any easier in the U.S., I suggest that you talk with a non-US citizen to see what they had to go through to get to live in the States long-term.
During a break between the meetings, we began talking about our visa paperwork. The conclusion of the discussion was that Alesha and I agreed to remain in Quito to process some needed documents. You must understand that processing these same documents from Puyo may take between 2 - 6 weeks, whereas in Quito, the capitol, we could have them processed the same day. Since our visas expire at the end of August, giving us just 4 more weeks, we decided to bite the extra expense (downtime from work) and get our documentation done.
I spent all day on Monday running between the office of our visa lawyer, to the notary, to arranging appointments with others whom I needed a signature from, and by the end of the day I had finished none of the two things that I set out to do: 1) notarize a rent contract that shows I have a dwelling place; 2) register Noah as an Ecuadorian citizen.
So we decided to stay yet another day. Since I was unable to accomplish the two items on my list from Monday, I decided to aim for 3 items on Tuesday! In the morning, I met with the needed persons, obtained my notarized documents (through much standing around and waiting on my part), talked with the visa lawyer, and I still had time to bring home some lunch for the family! We had a semi-relaxed lunch, packed up the truck and headed out to the American Embassy to get info about obtaining a birth certificate and passport for Noah, and then to the Ecuadorian Civil Registry office where I *almost* had all of the needed paperwork - in fact, I did have everything that they needed, except they wanted the only original copy of our marriage license, but I could not give it to them because I needed it to change our visas...bummer.
Though I was not able to "finish" the other two items, I now know what I need to do about them. I have someone working to get a legal copy of the marriage license, and we are making an appointment for the American Embassy to process Noah's documents. I was so happy by the end of the day, that we stopped at one of our favorite parks in Quito, La Carolina, to play around for a while before heading back to Puyo.
So we are back here waiting to hear back from the visa lawyer about our visa status.
Enjoy!
Taylor
P.S. - For anyone who thinks that the hassle of a process is any easier in the U.S., I suggest that you talk with a non-US citizen to see what they had to go through to get to live in the States long-term.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Monkey Reserve (GUEST POST)
Hello! Abigail L. visiting the Hollingsworth's in Puyo, Ecuador and guest writing a blog post for you all. :-)
While waiting for baby Noah to make his arrival (see previous blog post for details) we visited the local monkey reserve. You may recall that Taylor posted a while back that they had seen the monkeys outside the reserve and planned to return later for the full experience.
Before even entering the reserve a monkey observed us parking and unloading. He seemed much less interested in us than we were in him as we snapped pictures.
Nate felt very unsure about these primates and needed much reassuring from his papa that everything was okay.
Which it was. Until a monkey got up close and personal!
Glory, Levi and Dan enjoyed walking around and seeing the birds and turtles in addition to the monkeys, some of which were in enclosures and some which were free to roam. Nate remained cautious after his previous traumatic experience and closed his eyes whenever anything was too close for comfort.
We walked on rough pathways through the jungle area and took pleasure in God's handiwork.
Overall, we had a fun morning seeing God's creatures and His creation. And if YOU come visit Puyo, I'm sure the Hollingsworth's would be happy to take you to see the monkey reserve as well. :-)
While waiting for baby Noah to make his arrival (see previous blog post for details) we visited the local monkey reserve. You may recall that Taylor posted a while back that they had seen the monkeys outside the reserve and planned to return later for the full experience.
Before even entering the reserve a monkey observed us parking and unloading. He seemed much less interested in us than we were in him as we snapped pictures.
Nate felt very unsure about these primates and needed much reassuring from his papa that everything was okay.
Which it was. Until a monkey got up close and personal!
Glory, Levi and Dan enjoyed walking around and seeing the birds and turtles in addition to the monkeys, some of which were in enclosures and some which were free to roam. Nate remained cautious after his previous traumatic experience and closed his eyes whenever anything was too close for comfort.
We walked on rough pathways through the jungle area and took pleasure in God's handiwork.
Overall, we had a fun morning seeing God's creatures and His creation. And if YOU come visit Puyo, I'm sure the Hollingsworth's would be happy to take you to see the monkey reserve as well. :-)
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Noah!
Join us in praising God for another boy!
P.S. - The images posted here are NOT good for printing. If you would like print-quality images, please contact us.
Noah Clyce Hollingsworth
Born in Shell, Ecuador @ 9:33pm on Monday 23 July 2012.
Weight 3.555kg (~7 lbs 13 oz)
Length 55cm (~21.6 inches)
 |
| Leaving Hospital VozAndes with the volcano Sangay in the background. |
Noah Clyce Hollingsworth
Noah was born after about 2.5 hours of real contractions. The nursing staff was not ready for such a fast transition from strong contractions to birth. I, Taylor, almost had to catch little Noah but a doctor came in, saw me, then saw Alesha, startled, then rattled off several sentences in Spanish which was way too fast for me to comprehend, but the nursing staff certainly figured it out and in 15 seconds the room was swarming like a bee hive. The birth was perhaps the smoothest we had yet. Though Glory and I were expecting a baby girl, we are ALL very excited to finally see, play with, and enjoy baby Noah.
Noah is named after the man found in Hebrews 11:7 and Genesis 6:8-9, and Clyce was the name of Alesha's grandfather.
Noah was born after about 2.5 hours of real contractions. The nursing staff was not ready for such a fast transition from strong contractions to birth. I, Taylor, almost had to catch little Noah but a doctor came in, saw me, then saw Alesha, startled, then rattled off several sentences in Spanish which was way too fast for me to comprehend, but the nursing staff certainly figured it out and in 15 seconds the room was swarming like a bee hive. The birth was perhaps the smoothest we had yet. Though Glory and I were expecting a baby girl, we are ALL very excited to finally see, play with, and enjoy baby Noah.
Noah is named after the man found in Hebrews 11:7 and Genesis 6:8-9, and Clyce was the name of Alesha's grandfather.
 |
| Mama and her five little peppers. |
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| Dressed in "Goin' home" clothes. |
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| Mama and Noah at twilight with El Altar in the background. |
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." -Hebrews 11:7
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ...Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." -Genesis 6:8-9
Enjoy!
Taylor
P.S. - The images posted here are NOT good for printing. If you would like print-quality images, please contact us.
Friday, July 13, 2012
The Testing
When you are in school, toward the end of the year, you have to begin thinking about your final exams. Just prior to and during these exams is an extremely stressful time...at the time, this seems to have nothing to do with "real life". Well, this week, rather the Wed. through Fri., was my Final Exam Week.
It all started with an emergency trip to Quito on Wednesday. I had to deliver our official documents, visa, passports, etc. to the government, so that they could process our application for changing our visas. I left at 9am and returned by 7pm that same day - thankfully, the drive is still absolutely beautiful, otherwise, I would have been extremely bored by the end. Having missed an entire day of work during our busiest month this year, and learning that I STILL was missing some documents (why didn't they tell me this before I came to Quito??? Who knows...and YES, I asked and verified my paperwork before leaving: bienvenido a Ecuador!), I decided to make a checklist so that I could get everything done ASAP.
Here is my list:
Come Friday morning, by God's grace, I had actually accomplished most of these items (signified above with a "(T)")! For those of you who have lived in Latin America, then you know that NOTHING is trivial...oh, by the way, I do still work a full-time job. We decided against the notary (it is not the same thing as in the States - it is much more complicated, naturally). By 9am, I had sent my documents to be received by W.C. later that afternoon. After work I planned to go to Shell, but when looking at the clinic's times to be open, I learned that Friday afternoons, they were closed...so, no finishing my lab work and medical exam to start on obtaining my Ecuadorian driver's license this week (this was fairly stressful, because technically my 90-day tourist permit to drive had expired, I had to drive to Quito soon to pick up a friend from the airport, and there are frequent transit police check points looking for correct documentation along the way).
What to do next? Wash the truck of course...yes, it was raining, but only misting at the moment. I took it to a nearby place that washes and cleans for $10 ($35-value in the U.S.). While waiting and walking around, I passed by a building marked ANT (Agencia de Nacional Transito). Assuming that they would know what I should do about my driving predicament, I went in and asked.
They were the most friendly and helpful "officials" that I had met this far (just ask Glory and Levi about it next time you talk with them). After some discussion a man asked me if I was free to go with him, I was, so I did. He was very friendly. We drove for about 7 minutes and came to a very large complex which I assume houses the bulk of the transit police, general police, and military for Pastaza. He honked a friendly sort of honk at everyone and they always waved back. Once we parked and got out, we were constantly greeting people...Puyo is a small, friendly sort of town, so I did not think much of it.
We entered a building and made our way to an office of "the boss" (at least that is what the doorway title signified, though I cannot recall the exact title). My friend who drove me, E.A. introduced me to another man who spoke English; I'll call him Z. He explained to me that Ecuador DOES, in fact honor valid driver's licenses from other countries, and he gave me the form to complete, but said that it may still take a few weeks to finish the process. This was actually going to be easy! (Thank you, Lord!)
On our way back from the compound, I learned that my first friend (note, that HE used the title "my friend" when introducing me), E.A. was going to get me a temporary driver's permit so that I can drive for 30 days and be perfectly legal. But the most fun part of all of this was when I got a piece of paper that was to be my temporary permit and it was signed by my new friend E.A. who is also the Director of Transit for Pastaza!
Wow, I can only be thankful to God for orchestrating me (1) to NOT go to Shell to get the necessary documents for applying for a driver's education course, (2) get the truck washed next door to the National Transit Agency administration building, and (3) to meet with and befriend the top-dog of the agency.
*sigh* I think I'm going to sleep well tonight...finally!
Enjoy!
Taylor
It all started with an emergency trip to Quito on Wednesday. I had to deliver our official documents, visa, passports, etc. to the government, so that they could process our application for changing our visas. I left at 9am and returned by 7pm that same day - thankfully, the drive is still absolutely beautiful, otherwise, I would have been extremely bored by the end. Having missed an entire day of work during our busiest month this year, and learning that I STILL was missing some documents (why didn't they tell me this before I came to Quito??? Who knows...and YES, I asked and verified my paperwork before leaving: bienvenido a Ecuador!), I decided to make a checklist so that I could get everything done ASAP.
Here is my list:
- Withdraw money. (T)
- Obtain rent contract (T)
- Notarize rent contract
- Print 4 visa-style pics for each person (T)
- Send rent contract and photos to W.C. in Quito
- Finish lab work at Shell hospital for Taylor's driver's license course
- Print 3 visa-style pics for Taylor's driver's license (T)
- Meet with M.M. for banking transaction (T)
- Pay for truck documents (T)
- Wash the truck
- Get ready for A.L. visiting
Come Friday morning, by God's grace, I had actually accomplished most of these items (signified above with a "(T)")! For those of you who have lived in Latin America, then you know that NOTHING is trivial...oh, by the way, I do still work a full-time job. We decided against the notary (it is not the same thing as in the States - it is much more complicated, naturally). By 9am, I had sent my documents to be received by W.C. later that afternoon. After work I planned to go to Shell, but when looking at the clinic's times to be open, I learned that Friday afternoons, they were closed...so, no finishing my lab work and medical exam to start on obtaining my Ecuadorian driver's license this week (this was fairly stressful, because technically my 90-day tourist permit to drive had expired, I had to drive to Quito soon to pick up a friend from the airport, and there are frequent transit police check points looking for correct documentation along the way).
What to do next? Wash the truck of course...yes, it was raining, but only misting at the moment. I took it to a nearby place that washes and cleans for $10 ($35-value in the U.S.). While waiting and walking around, I passed by a building marked ANT (Agencia de Nacional Transito). Assuming that they would know what I should do about my driving predicament, I went in and asked.
They were the most friendly and helpful "officials" that I had met this far (just ask Glory and Levi about it next time you talk with them). After some discussion a man asked me if I was free to go with him, I was, so I did. He was very friendly. We drove for about 7 minutes and came to a very large complex which I assume houses the bulk of the transit police, general police, and military for Pastaza. He honked a friendly sort of honk at everyone and they always waved back. Once we parked and got out, we were constantly greeting people...Puyo is a small, friendly sort of town, so I did not think much of it.
We entered a building and made our way to an office of "the boss" (at least that is what the doorway title signified, though I cannot recall the exact title). My friend who drove me, E.A. introduced me to another man who spoke English; I'll call him Z. He explained to me that Ecuador DOES, in fact honor valid driver's licenses from other countries, and he gave me the form to complete, but said that it may still take a few weeks to finish the process. This was actually going to be easy! (Thank you, Lord!)
On our way back from the compound, I learned that my first friend (note, that HE used the title "my friend" when introducing me), E.A. was going to get me a temporary driver's permit so that I can drive for 30 days and be perfectly legal. But the most fun part of all of this was when I got a piece of paper that was to be my temporary permit and it was signed by my new friend E.A. who is also the Director of Transit for Pastaza!
Wow, I can only be thankful to God for orchestrating me (1) to NOT go to Shell to get the necessary documents for applying for a driver's education course, (2) get the truck washed next door to the National Transit Agency administration building, and (3) to meet with and befriend the top-dog of the agency.
*sigh* I think I'm going to sleep well tonight...finally!
Enjoy!
Taylor
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