Life Notes from Ecuador -  Shell Snapshot

To give you a picture of Shell, Ecuador, here's a note I wrote when we were there in April 2012. 
Years ago the road to the jungle ended at Shell, Ecuador. Today it is still surrounded by canopy trees and vegetation that requires a machete to get through, but the road goes on for another hour and 3,500 people now call Shell home. The town square glows at night (sunset is 6pm year round) as children play on swings and slides, cart vendors sell kabobs and couples enjoy the newest, coolest distraction in Shell -- ice cream -- from the Ecuadorian version of Dairy Queen called Nice Cream.

Daily essentials are purchased from open store fronts: bread at the pastaria, groceries at Karen's, meat up the hill and across the stream at the only meat store in town that uses refrigeration. Brick streets thump under car tires but most people walk to do their daily errands. The houses range from a two-story modern stucco structure next door to a tilted two-room box with corrugated metal roofing.

Termites finished hollowing out the original HCJB wood hospital building in 2008 and it was torn down. The new one reminds Jay and I of our hometown hospital. Simple, reminiscent of the 1950's with a similar amount of equipment but with a very dedicated national and international staff. More than 100 patients cram the small waiting room on Monday mornings. Vitals are taken in the same room in full view. No HIPPA laws here.

Four family practice doctors could keep the flow of patients balanced but right now two doctors trade call every other night. One of them, Dr. Matt, grabbed the opportunity for some much needed RNR and flew to the states with his family a couple days before we arrived. Both family practice doctors are fighting burn out. 

Today the surgeons will operate on a man who arrived from the jungle two days after a snake bit his leg. The dead, black tissue will be removed and his long road to recovery will begin. Please pray for him. Another prayer request: new borns are typically small here but a nine-pound baby was delivered with shoulder dystocia. Please pray for that family. 

On the back side of the hospital compound, the missionary children arrive home from school about 3:45 and spill onto the lawn. Soon the boys bike down the gravel road, ditch their bikes and head into the jungle. Time for finding tall termite-mounds, searching for frogs and watching tree-cutter ants. As Dane and Luke’s new friend said, “I used to live in Texas. That was boring.”

 Yesterday it rained three inches. A week ago they had five inches in an hour. 220 inches of rain a year – Amazing! That’s even more than most jungle areas because Shell is at the edge of the mountains so the clouds gather here and dump their loads almost every day. The humidity is high but the temperatures are usually in the 70s so it’s quite comfortable.

We wish you could all experience this unique community of faith, service and fellowship with us. Thank you for backing us up with your prayers.

Sincerely,

Lynnelle for the Allisons