Evangelism Updates

People have asked us in emails, “How are you adjusting to the different culture?” One thing that is difficult to get use to in Ecuador is that people are much more familiar with each other than my past experiences. Some of this familiarity seems harmless. For example, greeting a woman includes a kiss on the cheek. However, some familiarity seems a little extreme. In restaurants, some couples are rather passionate while waiting for food as if there was no one around. Also, a thing which may sound a bit disgusting for spiritually minded people like us—and it is for many Ecuadorians as well—is that people (usually men) use the facilities when there are no facilities. Also, in many public bathrooms there are not ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ bathrooms, but merely stalls with doors that close. In one park there were two different rooms, but there were no doors on the rooms. I’m sure it’s not a sin, and there’s probably nothing wrong with it; but we gringos are not use to seeing the opposite sex’s feet underneath a bathroom stall. In that same bathroom, there was a woman selling paper for ten cents. One missionary told Mary, “Go to school, Mary, so that you won’t have to have a job like that.”
During my first few weeks in Ecuador, I determined that exposing myself to the culture did not include adopting all of its practices. It was with that attitude that I walked into a bathroom in a government building. Both the men’s and women’s bathroom doors were wide open. So, I decided that my visit to the men’s bathroom would include closing the door behind me. And this I did. However, when the latch on the door closed, the doorknob came off in my hand, and a couple of metal parts clanged on the tile floor. I tried to put the knob back on, but it wouldn’t go on. After using the bathroom and washing my hands in privacy (except for a peep-hole in the door), I now had the task of getting out of there.
For several minutes, I worked with the knob. I’m usually pretty handy, but nothing worked. Then I had an idea. I could stand on the urinal and climb over the wall. However, the wall was portable looking—kind of like an office divider. I thought that my weight might pull the urinal off of the wall. I had thoughts of a Nazarene missionary put in jail for vandalizing and flooding a bathroom. My next thought was to call out to someone. But I didn’t know what to say in Spanish, and my missionary friend who knew Spanish wasn’t anywhere near. So, I started playing with the knob again and after about fifteen minutes, I finally got the door open.
When I got back, Landon had to go to the bathroom. I showed him where it was and told him, “Don’t close the door!” So, our answer to the email question is that we’re adjusting to the culture real well.