From Ecuador to the United States - Overmans Home for Christmas

Dear Readers of Our Blog.

After surviving a devastating earthquake in Ecuador, we desperately want to go to see our family and friends for Christmas back home in the United States.  We have set up a GoFundMe account to try to achieve that goal. 

Last year we decided to move to the coast of Ecuador. This decision was reached after a lot of research and soul searching about what and where our lives needed to be. We chose the small fishing village of Crucita Ecuador, in the Manabi province. There is no mail delivery in Crucita. No large stores.  No malls.  The electricity goes out a lot.  But the land and the people are beautiful.  It is a simple life.  We were very happy.  

On April 16th, at about 7:00 pm we were watching a movie when we heard a loud boom, as if someone had just dropped 20 ton boulder next to our house. Then the house began to violently shake back and forth, as the booming sound increased.  I did not even realize I had fallen to ground when I heard my husband Jason yell, we have to get out of here, it's an earthquake.  I know I was in shock.  I also know that in a split second I had to make the decision to leave my cats and run out of the house as quickly as possible.  

We were safe for the moment.  We found some of our friends/neighbors.  They were safe too.  We later found out that one of our neighbors who we did not know personally, had been struck fatally by falling debris. 

The next few days were a total blur.  More earthquakes occurred.  No water.  No electricity.  No phones. No place to buy food.  We had no way to contact our family back in the United States to let them know we were okay.  We have friends in Portoviejo. We had no way to know if they were okay. Portoviejo is where we go to shop for food and supplies.  As with many of the roads and highways, the road to Portoviejo was collapsed.  A car had fallen into it.  I do not even know if the people survived.  I hope that they are okay. 

El Centro Portoviejo - where we used to shop

We are basically cut off from the surrounding towns.  Even if we can get to them, the places where we shopped are gone.  There are plenty of tiendas (little stores) here in Crucita and they eventually began to open.  They run out of items quickly. Cat food is nearly impossible to find.  When we do, it is almost $3 for a 2 cup bag of food. We have four cats.  

We are getting by as best as we can.  It is costing us more to live here right now. The added expenses are making things difficult. I know things will get better, as things do after a natural disaster. I just do not know when.  

The road to Portoviejo from our village Crucita.

What I do know is that we are barely getting by right now.  There is no way we can afford to fly home to the United States in December.  The prices of airline tickets continue to rise.  The availability of tickets continue to decrease.  If we are not able to buy tickets in the next month or two, we will not be able to see our family and friends in December. This will be equally devastating for us and for our family.  We cannot express how much we miss them.  We know they are missing us and have been so worried about us since the earthquake occurred.  We are hoping to have a happy reunion in December. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.  If you or someone you know can help us make it possible to get back to the United States, by making a donation to GoFundMe, we will not only be grateful, but we promise to show our appreciation for your kindness by paying it forward.  When we are financially able, every penny you donate to us, we will donate to other families in need. 

We thank you for all your support.

A monument to the fisherman of Crucita