Saturday, September 27, 2008

The Day After Yesterday

It's been a whirlwind week for us. We traveled to Quito, Ecuador, which most of you know is somewhere in South America. It's actually just a few miles from the country's namesake: the equator. And that was where our business ended: at the Inti Ñan Museum. "Inti" is Quechua for "sun." "Ñan" connotes "path." So this museum is about the path of the sun along the equator.


The museum is a hands-on kind of place. There were a few interesting experiments demonstrating solar clocks, as well as some tests showing the different results about gravitational flow, as affected by the magnetic forces. For those worried about weight, come to the equator; you will instantly weigh as much as 2 kilos (4.4 lbs) less!


You know that sobriety test, where you have to walk with eyes closed, head tilted slightly up, arms stretched outward with your palms up? Well, you can't pass that one walking on the equatorial line! Not even with your eyes open! The gravity pulls you one way or another. I stumbled towards the north, Pam towards the south.


And yes, water flows out of a drain in opposite directions in both hemispheres. In the southern hemisphere, it flows clockwise; the north is counter-clockwise.


Even with all the fun we had, there were very sober reminders as to why we are in South America. There was a section that demonstrated several people groups that worshiped the sun. If this were not sad enough, there was a ceremonial outfit that was used in both sun worship and a Catholic celebration; it clearly demonstrated the blending (syncretism) of pagan worship with "Christian-based practices." It was a sad, sad sight to see, much less think about. Things of the world should never feel comfortable within Christianity.

This suit (seen above), though, shows a clear belief that mixing the worship of creation with worship of the Creator is acceptable for too many.

[Now, before you wag your head in dismay, check out your own church! What from the lost world influences your worship? That should be cleaned up, too!]

We are home now. It is good to be back. Yesterday was good. But now it is the day after yesterday, and life in this part of South America calls out to us. And we must answer, while it is still called, "today."

2 comments:

martinezfamily said...

Did you like Quito?

Kevin, Somewhere in Southern America said...

Yes, Quito is nice, Ricardo. The weather is pleasant and the people are very nice. There is a lot of traffic, but they are not as aggressive as the city in which we live.