Guayaquil, Equador With trepidation we parked our motorcycles outside the orphanage and waded through the sea of children accumulating around our bikes. Picturing cramped rooms full of lonely children our expectations drifted towards the somber. But all reluctance quickly melted away when each of the 24 girls introduced their name, age and favorite activity. Full of smiles and hope, nearly all excitedly listed dancing as their first choice. Which was quickly followed by reque

Once again our technique of sending out random emails to prospective missionaries pulled through in Ecuador. Throughout our travels we've tried to connect up with MAF, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, and in Ecuador we happened upon one of their largest operations. photo by SWLocated in the former oil town of Shell, MAF flies 4 planes into the thick green jungle of Eastern Ecuador. 50 percent of the flights serve as medical assistance, the other half is devoted to missionary t

Throughout many areas in Latin America economic development is the Achilles heal that relegates the countries to third world status. Surprisingly we've encountered relatively few organizations that are taking serious steps to alleviate this problem. Much of this relates to the formidable challenges presented by the foreign governments. The mind boggling bureaucracy plaguing such nations is described succinctly by a recent story from fellow travelers. Arriving at the Ecuadoria