Farnsworth Forum

Perhaps some of you remember the Tony-winning turn of Zero Mostel in Fiddler on the Roof.  His character Tevye sang the Broadway hit song "If I Were a Rich Man."  Parts of the lyrics run like this: "Dear God, you made many, many poor people I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor But it's no great honor either! So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?" If I were a rich man Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum All day long I'd biddy biddy bum If I were a wealthy man I wouldn't have to work hard Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum If I were a biddy biddy rich Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen Right in the middle of the town A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below There would be one long staircase just going up And one even longer coming down And one more leading nowhere, just for show. . . . (Credits: Lyrics, Sheldon H

Our first quarantine visitor was Hugo, Marisol's younger brother.  He delivered homemade bread that my mother-in-law Zulema and my sister-in-law started selling during the covid-19 crisis since bakeries were closed down, at least for the first two months.  As you can see in the picture Hugo is loved by his twin nephews.  Architect Hugo is now supervising a construction site in Loja, southern Ecuador. Neighbors Patricio, Edith and Carolina were the second visitors we have had since March 17 when our quarantine began.  We had hoped to connect with them more deeply for quite some time.  This is one of the benefits of isolation because people are more hungry for contact with people.  We hope to invite them to our house again soon.  I made my "famous" lasagna.  Marisol prepared a strawberry pudding dessert, and Edith brought a berry pie that her friend baked.  Hopefully they liked it!!! Our friends and colleagues Ramona and Emilia also visited us recently.  Ramona a

It has been strange to see Otavalo’s empty streets   and long lines at the bank and grocery store since March 17 when the quarantine in Ecuador began.   Ned ventures out one day a week for errands and food shopping; the rest of the time we have been holed up in our house and yard, the curfew currently being enforced from 2 pm to 5 am. Like so many of you, big changes arrived to our lives and ministry.   Joel and Amelia receive online classes from their local public schools.   We have supplemented this with English language learning.   Jacob and Elias’ normal home school regimen has not changed.   Recently they assembled a puzzle of the human skeleton in health class. We also enjoy regular times of worship with the Farnsworth Family Trio (Amelia, Jacob and Elias) on the roof, the upstairs porch and the living room.   Praise music sounds more beautiful now than ever. Zona de Vida Church meets on Wednesday nights via Zoom for Bible study, fellowship and prayer

Fred Rogers has been in the news since the flick A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood starring Tom Hanks came out last year.  I have not seen the movie, but Mr. Rogers has been a hero of mine since I was a child.  I wish that the show still aired on PBS so that my twin boys could watch it.  In the midst of all that is happening in the USA right now, his message is perhaps more timely than ever.  I will not comment here on the death of George Floyd.  I am not in the US, and being far away from the situation, I do not want to weigh in specifically on his death nor the prevalent protests playing out at present. Before passing away in 2003, Mr. Rogers accepted people for who they were, even when their lifestyles did not always jive with his own.  Jesus did that, too, and he also washed people's feet.  Rogers followed Jesus' lead in that, not afraid to put his feet in the tub with Francois (Officer) Clemmons, an African American man and one of the first recurring characters o

Greetings all!  The quarantine has lasted over two months already.  How much longer can one survive the isolation?  But the unexpected family time has been a blessing.  It has been wonderful to have extra time with my wife and children.  Having time to read, garden, and do things that I usually don't has also been good. One of the books that I have been reading is Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.  In comparison to Anne's, our quarantine has been a walk in the park. In April we needed to let the lease lapse on the church building of our church plant in Otavalo, Ecuador.  We have not had income since our meetings and offering ceased on March 8, and unfortunately rent is not something that we can afford at this time.  The government restrictions on red status do not allow for public meetings.  Thankfully our curfew recently changed from 2 pm-5 am to 6 pm-5 am, and we can now drive two days a week instead of one.  Once our status turns to yellow, church meetings of up to