February 2008

Dear friends,

These past four months have been extremely full. Chris was in Massachusetts at the end of October and the beginning of November for the Diocesan Convention, required psychological checkups for postulancy, and a few other meetings. In December he facilitated two two-day workshops for indigenous pastors and church leaders on theology, one in Quito and one just outside Riobamba, four hours south of Quito. Christmas came after that, and along with it were several “Navideños,” Christmas meals and parties for churches, offices, etc. We hosted the Diocesan office’s Navideño in our apartment, which was very enjoyable.

In January we, and particularly Chris, started in earnest preparing for one of three annual meetings that the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has. The February 2008 meeting was held here in Quito. Chris was in charge of planning for a day in which the entire Council visited various parts of the Diocese. He planned transportation, who was going where, and translation, among other things. He himself took a group of 20 people three hours north to Ibarra where they spent the morning with the parish and the people of San Felipe Episcopal Church. Trish spent the morning in Quito at the Mennonite Church with a group of five people, listening to the stories of several Colombian refugee families.  All people in the Council were extremely moved by their time visiting and their interaction with the people of this Diocese.

Chris spent most of last week in Panama in meetings for the regional secretaries and the board of directors of CLAI. It was a good time of connecting more with the people throughout Latin America who work with and govern CLAI. The Central Ecuador Diocesan Convention started the day Chris returned from Panama. We went and observed the Convention, in which Bishop Ramos announced his plans to retire from the Diocese in June 2009, and in which a bishop search committee was formed to start the process to seek a new bishop for the Diocese.

We spent quite a lot of time in January and February with a family from Tennessee who own a fair trade store and were here looking for new relationships and products. In the beginning of February, Chris was driving to a church south of Quito with the husband of the family when they were hit by an SUV, which then fled the scene. After being hit, our truck hit the median and flipped over, landing on its roof. Much to the surprise of onlookers, they were both able to walk away from the accident, although the roof of the truck caved in and hit Chris on the head when it flipped over, causing muscular trauma in his neck and back. If it had not been for seatbelts they could have been killed, and we are extremely thankful that they were preserved. The final quote from the insurance company is being finalized, and there’s a good chance the truck will be totaled. In any case, we are looking at paying out a substantial amount for the deductible, something that certainly was not planned for when we had made our budget.

Trish is continuing to organize the Diocesan library, with her sights now on developing it with more contemporary texts focusing on Anglican formation, church history, and theology. Also, with a lot of help from a good friend from college to whom she is extremely grateful, she finished a grant for the refugee project to Episcopal Migration Ministries, and the project was awarded $6,000.00, which is six times as much as it had before. So we are extremely thankful to EMM for their generous support in serving and assisting Colombian refugees. She translated the same grant into Spanish and it will be sent this week to MENCOLDES, a Colombian Mennonite development organization. In November Trish also worked on translating and editing projects for CLAI, and makes as many CLAI women’s group meetings as is possible.

The girls continue to do well. Claire was accepted into a primary school for next year, which involved a bit of investigation on our part as we searched for the best place for her next school years. This seems like a great place for her, where her class will be small, and there is a lot of green space for her to run around in. There will also be at least one classmate of hers from her present school, which will make the transition easier. And she turned 6 on February 11, with her big present being three fish! As most of you know, fish are her passion, and so this was a very special gift. And she loves taking care of them! Isabel continues to do really well in daycare, enjoying the activities and her little friends. Lots of words are starting to come out now, the majority of them in Spanish! She is full of energy, very cuddly, is starting to really love drawing and books, and continues to be a big eater, sometimes eating more than her big sister at mealtimes!

Please give thanks with us for Chris’s surviving the car accident and pray for his continued recovery. Also, keep the search for a new bishop for this Diocese in your thoughts and prayers. In particular please pray for the thousands of people who have lost homes, crops, and livelihoods due to the recent eruption of Tungurahua Volcano 80 miles south of Quito and the floods caused by unrelenting rains which have pounded the entire country and have caused a national state of emergency to be declared. We thank you for your many prayers and support for our life and work.  

Much peace,
Trish, Chris, Claire, and Isabel

Check out our photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/morck.

www.stjames-cambridge.org/morcks
 
Iglesia Episcopal del Ecuador
F. Sarmiento N39-54 y Portete
Quito
Ecuador