What's Happening with the Huser Family...

...bedlam, schedules, busyness, stress, exhaustion, traveling and traveling and traveling, doctors, candy, movies, appointments, car rides, car seats, madness, food, malls, friends, exercise, speaking engagements, pandemonium, naps, and water parks. These are just a few of the words that describe all the many reasons that I have not written or updated our blog. I realize that I don’t really have a good excuse, and that we needed prayer during our 6 month stateside probably more than when we were overseas, but nevertheless – here I am months later trying to catch up. Sadly, the two best words are selfishness and negligence and for that I am sorry.

Knowing that you all care so much about us – that you take the time to read our blog, pray us through our many struggles and comment on our crazy stories and fun pictures – should have encouraged me to continue to update you all through our chaotic stateside, but I didn’t. I was just too tired, my brain wanted to rest and when all of the excitement and craziness had died down all I wanted to do was snuggle up in bed with Adam and watch TV!! It’s the honest truth, what can I say! J

So …. hopefully you can forgive me (us) and will choose to continue to read our blog updates and follow us along this new adventure that we have started. We love you guys and really want you to be apart of this new chapter in our lives and we will do all we can to stay in communication with you all!! J

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...Ecuador, plane rides, luggage, luggage, luggage, clothes, books, chicken nuggets, caffeine, car seats, traveling, customs, passports, sunshine, mountains, mayhem, crying, sleeplessness, excitement, brilliant beauty, new friends, snacks, no bugs, cool weather, new house, village trips, visa work, lines, lines, lines, waiting, new car, rice and beans and fish and bananas and yucca, snotty noses, high altitude, blankets and laundry. These are the words that describe the adventure that we have just embarked upon as we have left the states and moved to Zamora, Ecuador!!

As many of you know, the last three years we were living in Iquitos, Peru. Our job was to train Latin men to live out in the indigenous communities and share life with the Indians while storying the Bible. The people group that we were trying to reach was the Huitoto who lived on the border of Columbia and Peru. The Huitoto lived either a floatplane trip away (which was about an hour) or 18 days upriver by boat. Because of their location, and with us having two children during this time, I was never able to actually go to a Huitoto community. Adam was traveling by himself out to the community for 2 weeks or so while I stayed in town with the kids.

I was able to participate with the last training that we did out on the river and it was perfect. We loved working together as a family, living in the community and building relationships with those around us. It was the first time that we had been able to do that and we realized that it was the type of ministry that we were called to and that we wanted to do. Because of that, we decided to look for a job that would give us those types of opportunities, and the job working with the Shuar in Zamora, Ecuador was exactly that.  We readily accepted it and so here we are in Zamora!! We will still be doing the same type of work, just in a location that will allow us to do it where we live and as a family, and so we are super excited to get to know the city and to explore all the possibilities J

Right now we are learning the ropes with Dorothy and Rocky Black, a couple that has been living here for the last three years and who will be leaving next week. We are trying to quickly absorb all of their knowledge and insight!! We will be living in their house when they leave and so we are not going to have to go house hunting with Sophia and Samuel, thank goodness!!!

We are overjoyed to have been given this new opportunity and we are expectant and elated to see how God works in us and through us as we start (or continue) this new adventure!!!

Here are some pictures of our stateside time and of our new city!! They are all out of order, but there were too many to try and rearrange! haha. 

aWe hope you enjoy them J

The first night in her twin bed - we woke up in the morning to find that Sophia had wandered out into the living room and fallen asleep on the couch! (Oklahoma, January 2012)

Traveling back overseas - to Ecuador!! (July 5th)

brrrrrr, we aren't used to the cold weather!! we love the carpet though!! 

(Oklahoma, January 2012)

Pool time!! We love the backyard :) 

(Arkansas, May 2012)

Driving to visit friends!!! (June, 2012)

The Bombuscardo River - Zamora, Ecuador (July 13th -- 10 minutes from our new home!)

We are back!!!! (Arkansas, January 7, 2012) first morning back in the states :)

Samuel and I on the Bombuscardo River (Zamora, July 13)

DONUTS!!!! (Tennessee, June 2012)

Playing with new friends - learning new things! (Tennessee, June 2012)

Christmas in January (Oklahoma 2012)

Samuel, Adam and Ondrej (Tennessee, June 2012)

Sophia and Annie swapping shoes... their favorite thing to do! (Buffalo River, Arkansas - June 2012)

BAGELS!! (First road trip to Oklahoma, January 2012)

Adam, Sophia and Samuel on the Bombuscardo River (July 2012)

Christmas Stockings with the whole family :) (Oklahoma, January 2012)

Uncle Jon and Samuel -- every time Jon held Samuel he ended up having to change clothes! haha. (Oklahoma, January 2012)

 Samuel and Sophia playing in the river (Ecuador, July 2012)

Rocky and Dorothy Black - the amazing couple whose job we are continuing! (Ecuador, July 2012)

Fall Leaves - I love the seasons!!! (Oklahoma, January 2012)

Eating with Family - yummy chicken bones - thanks Uncle Mark :) (Lockwood, Missouri, February 2012)

Playing hide and seek! (Missouri, February, 2012)

Samuel and Clovis!!!! (Missouri, February 2012)

Sophia loves pushing things and taking care of babies :) She also loves mimicking what I do - I squatted down to take the picture so she did too!!! haha. (Oklahoma, March 2012)

Visiting Cooper and learning about chalk!!! (Missouri, February 2012)

Grandpa and Sophia pushing the car to help Samuel drive better (wink wink) (Oklahoma, March 2012)

Figuring out inside games to play while its too cold outside!!! (Oklahoma, February 2012)

Samuel and Sophia playing together!! (Arkansas, May 2012)

Samuel turns 1!! (May 26th, Arkansas)

They love the chalk! (Arkansas, May 2012)

lots of road trips ... 

Playing with the aunts and cousins!! (Arkansas, April 2012)

Bike Rides!! (Arkansas, April 2012)

Being held by Great Grandpa (Oklahoma, February 2012)

Helping daddy mow the yard (Oklahoma, March 2012)

Playing with Micah! (Arkansas 2012)

Playing in the yard (April, Arkansas 2012)

Sophia turns 2! (Oklahoma, February 23)

Visiting with friends! (Missouri, February 2012)

Tammi and Sophia (Missouri, February 2012)

The Zoo!!! With Aunt Amber and Cousin Micah (Arkansas, May 2012)

Brad, Kayla and West!! (February 2012)

Jaye, Cooper, Megan and Logan (Missouri, February 2012)

Adam, Samuel, Amber and Micah in front of a giant tortoise at the zoo! (May 2012)

Grandpa and Samuel (May 2012)

Easter!!! (Oklahoma 2012)

The Boys on Easter (Oklahoma 2012)

Adam and Russ (our new boss) on the river heading to the community!! (Ecuador, July 2012)