We Run Quito

This past Saturday I joined my friend Emily and her friend Emma to run perhaps the biggest annual race in Quito.  7000+ runners created a mass of red pounding the pavement on a crisp Andean night.  To celebrate our finish, we grabbed pizza with their friend Paco.

LtoR: Me, Emma, and Emily (photo compliments of Paco)

The finisher medal and logo on the t-shirt worn by 7000 people!

After the race Emily spent the night so that she could see Cumbaya (aka CumbayMiami or CumbaYork for the wealth of Ecuadorians in this area and their affinity with travel to the US).  She commented on the size of the houses down here in the valley and we discussed some of the notable differences between our respective neighborhoods of Quito.  We also took some time to bake chocolate-butterscotch chip cookies that melt in your mouth and reminded us of home.

That was a fun way to spend the weekend, and now I'm debating a 1/2 marathon at the end of November...we shall see!

Innovation

I must admit that I've always been a proponent of change.  If I were a scientist, I would probably study enthropy or chemical reactions, but as things stand, I'm more of a social scientist.  Thus my college degree in International Development shouldn't come as a surprise.  Development--as in progress, as in changing from less-developed to more-developed.  Those words are quite charged with meaning that I could explore, but I'd rather focus on another word associated with change--Innovation.

Mirriam-Webster defines innovation as an action--"the introduction of something new" or that new thing itself--"a new idea, method or device."  My thoughts focus more on the action, or at an even deeper level, the creativity and imagination necessary in order to spur on innovation and persevere until a little thought floating on a cloud grows into a ground-breaking invention.

While some people might have been blessed with a greater propensity to create, I believe that we all have a stroke of creativity in us.  After all, if we were made in the image of the Creator God who spoke all things out of nothingness, shouldn't at least a little of that rubbed off on us?  And what then are we supposed to do with that impulse to innovate?

Recently I have seen a number of people dreaming about and attempting new, innovative things.  A businessperson from a recent training class wants to start a business unlike any in the world.  Two people connected to revitalize an industry that had closed when there were no links in the distribution chain.  Another businessperson wants to bring business training and environmental sustainability together in one economically- and ecologically-sound model.

Innovation can be daunting.  Making a new idea a reality is not something that happens overnight, and it takes daring to overcome the very real risk of failure.  However, when I think of innovation in the context of the huge needs in the developing world today, I'm inspired by those who are willing to think creatively in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  We aren't going to eliminate poverty tomorrow, even if we yearn for a world without poverty.  However, if we are going to make progress toward that vision, we need innovative businesspeople who work to create dignified jobs, preserve the environment, and keep working to solve problems with innovative solutions.

Latest training graduates - equipped to create innovative business solutions

One final thought: Gandhi famously said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  So be innovative--bring positive, lasting, ground-breaking change.

Cruz de Ilaló

I still remember the first time I really saw mountains.  Sure, I had been out to Colorado when I was little, but when I was 10, my family went the Appalachians.  As we left the flat Midwest and approached those ancient towering masses on the horizon, I was overcome by awe at the majesty of God’s creation.  Now I live in a valley high in the Andean mountains, but that amazement still hasn’t ended.  Today was a relatively clear day for the start of the rainy season, and as I look across the valley to where the ridgeline forms a jagged border with the deep blue sky, it reminds me of the song “Hear our Praises” by Hillsong.

From the mountains to the valleys
hear our praises rise to You,
from the heavens to the nations
hear our singing fill the air.

Standing in awe at the beauty of creation quickly reminds us who our Creator is, and praise flows naturally from our awestruck wonder.  But when we don’t have those realizations, it’s easy to go about the day without doing “it all in the name of Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).  Working for Partners Worldwide, I’ve been challenged to explore what it means to do Business as Mission—to run a business or work at one’s job in service to God and others. 

I’m still learning and hope to share part of my journey here in the future, but in the meantime, let me share some pictures of my last time mountain climbing.  This particular mountain has a cross at the top that serves as a reminder that every inch of creation belongs to Him, and we are called to praise him wherever we are—mountains, valleys, or flat prairies!

The view of Chillos Valley at the start of the climb

At the top of the mountain

The Cruz (cross) above the valley

The neighboring hill in patchwork farming plots