At the beginning of November, Daniel Hostetter (freshman) and his dad Clark traveled to the South American country of Ecuador to visit with a missionary their family supports. Seventeen years ago, Dr. Wes King started a home for boys abandoned from indigenous tribes. Clark and Daniel were able to visit with Wes and his family in their tiny mountain valley town called Baños (which means baths or bathrooms). The Hostetters took toys to deliver to the home and were were able to encourage Wes and his wife Donna in their ministry.
Daniel and Clark also visited another orphanage in Shell Mera, at the edge of the Amazon jungle. This orphanage houses roughly 60 kids and has a school on the property. The orphanage accepts many special-needs kids, and Daniel was able to play with a one-year-old with Downs Syndrome, a girl missing an eye, and another girl with a brain defect. “It was really eye-opening to see what those kids go through, especially because in their culture, disabled children are sometimes abandoned in the jungle because they are thought to be ‘not good enough’,” Daniel commented.
In addition to all of these life-changing experiences, Clark and Daniel hiked in the surrounding Andes Mountains and saw a volcano. “My dad showed me where he lived with some missionaries, a hospital where he volunteered (many years ago), and
the school where he studied back then,” said Daniel. Clark and Daniel also went to a soccer game (fútbol), explored local marketplaces, and climbed a 15,500 foot volcano all the way to the peak! “I was very immersed in the Ecuadorian culture and learned not to take everything for granted. There are so many people that just live in little shacks with tin on the top weighed down by tires, but they are still happy! Many people have to sell stuff on the streets to make what little money they can to support their families,” said Daniel. He enjoyed the people and the trip and is excited to return one day to minister.
