Estamos en Quito, Ecuador

That says we are in Quito, Ecuador. The journey was long, but pleasant. We've already met a handful of interesting people with stories that we will have to share when we return, it would take to long to write it all. Our family that we are staying with is sooooooo nice. In the house there is the Mama (Susana, and the Papa (Marco. During the week three of their gandchildren stay with them during the day, so we got to meet three of their grandaughters on Friday. Immediate bonds with all of the family! There is also another spanish student staying with them. She is from Japan and is also sooooo nice!! Today (Saturday, we took public transportation from our home to the "Old Town." Old town is know for it's colonia buildings, gorgeous churches, and traditional looks. We are enjoying it and are taking it all in slowly. Please pray for Jesse's sinuses. He has had a hard time breathing since the Sacramento airport and did not sleep so good last night. I think we are going to try loosing the wool blankets tonight to see if that helps. Trial and error.
Here are a few pictures from our day. We start school Monday, and will probably post again then.
Oh, and our Spanish is doing pretty darn good!!

Okay, we thought we were going to post some pics, but the combo of this slow computer and our camera being on the wrong setting is just not working. So, here is a pic of us at the internet cafe, with our camera on the right setting. More pics later!!

Leaving . . . .

Ahhhhh, okay it's 4:00 and we are supposed to be out of the house on the way to my parents in 30 minutes. I can't believe the time is finally here. Just so everyone knows I got my official RN license in the mail today. Yeah, it was pretty exciting!!
Okay, with heavy backpacks and hearts full of excitement and expectation we embark on our journey. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel tonight and tomorrow.
We will update you (and hopefully post a couple pictures of Quito) as soon as we can, probably a couple of days though. Nothing but love

Where does this Begin...

Why Ecuador? What about North Carolina or Hawaii? What are we doing and what really are our plans...? You might be asking all of these questions or even getting caught up for the first time.

So, where does it all begin... Cass and I have been married for two years now and as of May she is finished with school. We pondered bravely what we could do and what our next step might be as we have this window of time in our lives where we could do or go anywhere. We went clear to the east coast to explore North Carolina where Cassidy was extended four job offers at Duke Medical. We then traveled to the most western state in the U.S. to see what Hawaii might have for us. As the options were many and the uniqueness of each location enticing we needed to develop what our purpose or vision for this up-coming few years would be.

Our intention was to move to acquire the exposure to a new culture, city, group of friends, jobs, and location in the good ole' USA. Ultimately, it was to grow individually and together out of our current comfort zones and expand the development of our selves, our exposure to "that" which is outside of our beautiful town of Chico, and for the two of us to grow together.

The Conclusion:
Every place/location has many things that make it unique, enticing and worthy of growth opportunities for us. The question was, "which place, when everything weighed out, is the place for us right now?" All things considered, we landed our decision (surprisingly) on Chico. So what about that previous paragraph and all that talk about growth and "comfort zones" and stuff? We came to a conclusion that our passion is people, our desire is to create moments where lives are changed (medical missions, ministry opportunities, supporting a child or village in another country, raising money to build wells in poor countries, etc.) our values rest on our faith, our family and our friends and our passions are to travel. Chico offers the best base to currently meet those interests of ours. We have labeled this time in our lives as being "Globally Intentional."

Off to Ecuador:
So here we go. Two months in South America. The first month we will be hosted by an Ecuadorian family while we attend a language school to study Spanish. Our one-on-one tutoring with consist of four hours a day studying, excursions and extra curricular activities. Cassidy has arranged for a special emphasis in her studies geared toward the medical professional. She will learn medical related material, culturally sensitive issues and have numerous visits to hospitals and clinics in the area (while I suppose I will be updating our Blog).

The second month will be filled with the unknown! Backpacking around Ecuador from the Pacific coast towns and beaches, to the Andean Mountain range with it's glaciers, and down into the Amazon to explore the jungle.

Follow our journeys! Explore with us! Be a part of this time in our lives where we believe God has directed us! And embrace the stories, excitement and pictures to come...

Nothing But Love!
Jesse and Cassidy Scherba

4 Days and Counting

We leave in 4 days!! (Thursday, July 17th at 9:48pm)!!

Cassidy Scherba, RN

So, as the title may give away . . . I passed!! I didn't plan on finding out if I passed my boards for at least a month. But I went on the State of California Board of Registered Nursing website this morning and low and behold . . . there was my name with a license number, issued on July 11, 2008. I'm pretty sure they only give licenses to people that pass the boards!!! I know this doesn't technically have to do with Ecuador (on our Ecuador blog), but the relief of knowing that I won't have to wait until we get back to find either a license or a letter of rejection waiting for me in a pile of mail is exhilarating. Ok, that's all for now, feel free to pass on the good news!