Answers to Questions You've Asked:

A group of children sent us questions about Ecuador, our lives and our ministry, so we're posting them here. Got a question?  Send it to us at thehalls4@gmail.com.

1. How do you feel about living in another country? Is everything going great there? At first we were anxious. It is hard to make a change and learn a new language, but God gave us a safe place to live.  We now have a church home and many friends.
   
2. Where are you going to live? We live in a house on mission property in Quito, Ecuador. It’s about a mile or so from the mission office and seminary.
   
3. Will you have a pool? No, my kids miss swimming a lot.
   
4. Is it cold? How is the weather? In Quito, it is the same weather all year round. There are no changes in seasons except for its either rainy or dry. It's always a little cool, but never freezing. In the coastal parts of Ecuador and the jungle, it is very tropical, hot and humid.
   
5. What do you eat? Pretty much the same things we ate in the states, though Sherri has had to change her recipes to match the kinds of food we get here. We miss Wendy’s and Subway a lot, but there is a McDonald’s. Ecuadorians eat a lot of rice, beans, potatoes, fruits, soups and eggs. They don’t eat a lot of meat. They don’t like some US foods like peanut butter, pasta, grape jelly, and macaroni & cheese.
   
6. What does the landscape look like? Mountains and volcanoes taller than you can imagine in every direction. It’s incredible. There’s very little flat land where we live.
   
7. What do the people wear? It depends on their culture. There are many different tribes of indigenous (Indian) people that wear different types of clothing. Those in the jungle wear very little like you may have seen on a nature program. Those in the mountains (where it is colder) wear ponchos and hats made out of llama’s wool and several layers of clothing. Those in the cities wear clothes like you and me.
   
8. What sports do you play? Futbol (soccer) is the main sport here. Some also play volleyball and a few play basketball.
   
9. What toys do children play with?  The children here, in general, are poor so they don’t have a lot of toys. But they like balls a lot.  And girls love their dolls.
   
10. Do they have a Bible? Yes, they use Spanish Bibles.
    
11. What do houses look like? They are made out of cement blocks. Most people live in apartments. They are painted very brightly. The roofs are flat so they do their laundry and play games on the roof.
    
12. Do they have electricity? Yes, though it goes out more frequently than in the States. Then we have to use candles. Landon likes this a lot.
    
13. Do they have any stores? Yes, though they are smaller in size. They don’t have a lot of stores that sell a lot of different items like Wal-Mart. But there are a few malls.
    
14. Do they have shoes? Yes. The type of shoe depends on whether they are in the mountains (cold) or the jungle (very hot).
    
15. Do they go to school? It depends on the wealth of the family. Not all children can go to school; instead, they must sell candy or beg in the streets to get money for their family.  Or sometimes they stay home and take care of an older family member like a grandma.
    
16. Have you made any new friends? Yes. The Ecuadorian people are very friendly. They want to know all about you. We also have missionary friends. The kids have many friends at their school.
    
17. Is this your first mission trip? We took 3 short mission trips to Trinidad & Tobago before becoming missionaries. Now we will live in Ecuador and return to the States every summer to visit churches and family.
    
18. How is your new school? The kids go to an international Christian school in Quito. There are children from the US, Europe, Central America, South America and Korea. Although the classes are taught in English, you can hear many different languages spoken in the hallways!
    
19. What is your town like? Quito is a small city compared to cities in the states, but is large compared to the towns in Ecuador. It is the captial city of Ecuador. It has a lot of pollution because there are no clean-air laws here. There are a lot of people too. Many times more than one family will live in a small apartment. Although some things are modern, other things are not. It’s a mix.
    
20. Do you know or will you learn Spanish? Stan and Sherri went to language school for 10 months. We can now speak Spanish. Mary and Landon take a Spanish class at their school and talk to their school friends.
    
21. Are you willing to serve God? As missionaries, moving to a new country and leaving your family and culture behind means that you’re willing to do whatever God wants. It’s a step of obedience. Please pray that we will continue to serve God the way He wants us to.