Birthday Weekend

Happy 9th Birthday Luke! You bring so much joy to our family. We appreciate your positivity and your compassion for others. Thanks for working so hard to learn Spanish. You are an encouragement to us all. We love you are proud to have you as our son.



Luke was excited that his birthday was on a Sunday. He told us that it was perfect because all of the boys at Casa Gabriel are who he wanted at his birthday party. Luke loves to go to Casa Gabriel and spend time with all of the boys there - they are the reason Luke works so hard to learn Spanish.


We celebrated Casey, Miguel, and Luke's birthdays last Sunday. Miguel is 16! He has only been living at Casa G since the summer. At the party, he shared his story and how thankful he was to be off the streets. This was his first birthday party and cake. Birthdays are a big deal at Casa G. The boys get lots of gifts and it is a time for everyone to encourage them and pray for them.



All three birthday boys sit in the middle of the room to be prayed over by us.

What a fun way to spend Luke and Casey's birthdays! Each one of these guys is a testimony of God's redeeming love. After the cake, gifts, sharing time, and prayers, they cranked up the music. What's a party without dancing? I forgot to mention that Juan Miguel rapped a special birthday song for Miguel, Casey, and Luke before they blew out their candles. There is never a dull moment at Casa Gabriel!

We're Here in Quito

Now that we have been in Quito for over a month, it is time to start blogging again. My goal is to update our blog weekly.

Quito is the capital of Ecuador, a big city high up in the mountains - elevation is about 9,500 feet. There are 2 million people who call Quito home. Because we are on the equator, the sun rises at 6:00 am and sets around 6:00 pm everyday. October marks the beginning of rainy season here. The sun usually shines brightly until about 1:00 in the afternoon - then comes the rain. It is very cold in our house. Our house has no central heat, and when the temperature drops to the 40-50's at night, it gets COLD!