Our Mission Path
Serving God in Ecuador
Níspero Jam
Níspero Jam
Makes: 4 8 oz jars
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 cups Níspero (loquats), seeded and halved
- 4 cups cane sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. cardamom
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions:
- Remove the blossom end of the Níspero, then cut in half. Remove the seeds.
- Add prepared Níspero to a 6-quart Dutch oven.
- Cover with sugar, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and cardamom. Bring to a boil, then reduce the temperature to low-medium.
- Cook 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Spoon thickened jam into sterilized jam jars, leaving 1/4″ space. Seal lids tightly, then place them in boiling water for ten minutes.
Click here for more mouth watering Níspero (Loquat) recipes!
With love,
The Downing Family
Be The Donkey!
Today we attended Palm Sunday services on line due to the Coronavirus lockdown. We have always loved this time of year. In the United States typically children would be employed to wave palm branches at the beginning of the service. Here in Ecuador, that practice has been outlawed due to environmental concerns.
Sometimes we miss pastoring. Timothy always loved preaching especially during this season of hope! Over the years he has had the opportunity to preach many Palm Sunday messages. One of our favorite Palm Sunday services was held at the Hillside Ave. Chruch of God. During the sermon, we considered the lowly donkey that carried our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that first Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11). Timothy encouraged the church to “Be The Donkey!”
We want to encourage you today, Be The Donkey! It is commonly known that our job as believers is to be the hands and feet of Christ in this lost and dying world. In other words, we are to take Jesus to wherever He wants to go.
As the Donkey of Christ, we must understand three important truths.
First, we must always keep in mind that the crowds are not for us. People really do not want to see the Donkey but they desperately do want to see the Savior! Our job is to be the Donkey, not the Savior!
Second, as Donkeys, we are aware that our job is not to speak our own words or do our own ministry but to carry Christ’s words on our lips, to travel His path, and to carry out His ministry. Be the Donkey and carry Jesus to people, don’t offer your own braying!
The third truth that all Donkeys must understand is that Jesus may not want to go where we want to go. He may not want to go to where we feel safe or to where we prefer to spend our time. He may lead us into danger, or into the desert, or even into the furthest parts of the Earth! As Christ’s Donkeys, we do not set our own path, we don’t have the right to do something so audacious, we go where He leads us! Be the Donkey and follow Christ’s prodding!
Today and every day after will you join us in living life in a very specific way? Will you be the Donkey of Christ? We are His Donkey in Ecuador will you be His Donkey in your neighborhood? Will you commit to taking Jesus to where He wants to go? Remember He “Came to seek and to save that which was lost!” On our own, we can seek, but we can not save! What we can do is be the Donkey! Carry to the lost and dying world the only one who can save! Let us together be the Donkey of Christ and carry Him to whom He seeks!
With much love,
The Downings
Two Viruses
Friends we hope all is well with you. Here is a quarantine update from your missionaries in Ecuador.
Love The Downing Family
Plátanos asados con queso (baked ripe plantains with cheese)
This recipe produces: 6 baked ripe plantains
This is an easy recipe for a taste of Ecuador. Baked ripe plantains stuffed with cheese are a common treat that all seven Downings suggest you try this dish at least once.
Click play to listen to this recipe!
Ingredients
6 slices of mozzarella
1-2 pats of melted butter
6 ripe plantains, whole
Instructions
First. Pre-heat oven to 400 F
Then. Peel the plantains, place them on a baking sheet and rub them with butter.
Then. Bake the plantains for 30 minutes, turn and bake for another 20 minutes. Both sides should be golden brown.
Then. Remove the plantains from the oven, make a cut (from end to end) and stuff them with the cheese slices. In a few minutes the cheese will melt
Enjoy. Serve warm.
Love, 
The Downings
I Cannot Be Idle
William J. Henry was an early leader in the Holiness Movement. In 1889 he, answered a call to hold revival meetings in eastern Pennsylvania and eventually held meetings in each state and Great Britain. This is one of many hymns written by W. J. Henry. We like it because of it’s missionary emphasis.
I cannot be idle, for Jesus says, “Go
And work in My harvest today;
And then at the evening, when labor is done,
Whatever is right I will pay.”Refrain:
Then away to the work I will go,
And join in the reaping of grain,
And back from the harvest with beautiful sheaves,
I’ll come with rejoicing again.I cannot be idle, the fields are so white,
And numberless sheaves will be lost;
They perish for want of more reapers to save,
How awful to think of the cost! [Refrain]I cannot be idle, soon time will be o’er,
And reaping be ended for aye;
I’ll gather the lost from the byways of sin
To walk in the beautiful way. [Refrain]I cannot be idle, no time for repose,
My resting shall be over there,
Where all of the faithful in heaven above
A crown of bright glory shall wear. [Refrain]-W. J. Henry
Love,
The Downing Family
Dulce De Piña
Dulce de piña
Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple
½ cup of water
½ cup caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 fresh lemon verbena sprig
Juice of 1 lime
Preparation:
- Peel and core the pineapple, discard the core and peel.
- Cut half of the pineapple in small squares and blend the remaining half to obtain a puree.
- In a medium sized saucepan, over high heat, boil the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods and lemon verbena sprig.
- Add the chopped pineapple, the pineapple puree, and the lime juice.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, simmer until the liquid reduces and the marmalade thickens, about an hour. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
Love, The Downing Family
Fritada De Gallina (Fried Chicken)
Fritada de Gallina (Fried Chicken)
Serves: 10-12 people
Fritada de gallina is a delicious and tender Ecuadorian chicken dish. Seven out of seven Downings highly recommend this delicious dish. To hear the podcast of this recipe simply click play below.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs chicken, assorted pieces
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups of orange juice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1 ½ heads of garlic, 1 head peeled and crushed, the other ½ head peeled and whole
- 1 white onion, cut in large pieces
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- Pinch of salt
- Avocado slices
Instructions
First. Mix the crushed garlic and cumin with the wine, orange juice, cinnamon, and cloves.
Then. Soak the chicken in the liquid marinade mix for at least 2 hours, overnight is better.
Then. Pour the chicken and marinade in a large deep pan, add the whole garlic cloves and white onion
Then. Cook over low medium heat, should be lightly boiling most of the time, for about 1 ½ hours or until the liquid starts to reduce, stir sporadically.
Then. Continue cooking for 30 minutes, but watch it carefully from this point, stir more frequently.
Then. Reduce the heat to low until the liquid evaporates. Stir frequently to keep the chicken from burning and cook until the chicken pieces are browned.
Enjoy. Serve with avocado slices and hot sauce. Click here for our Ecuadorian hot sauce recipe.
Love, 
The Downing Family
Mango Ceviche
Mango ceviche
We love mangos! This simple mango ceviche recipe has brought us a fair amount of joy. Seven out of seven Downings from youngest to oldest love this ceviche. To hear the recipe click the play button below.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- Juice of a dozen limes
- 1-2 hot peppers (red chilies, serranos or habaneros), seeded and sliced finely
- Small red onion, sliced very finely
- ½ cup water
- four sprigs of chopped cilantro
- 2 tbs sunflower oil
- 1 tbs salt
- 4 ripe firm mangoes
- 3 ripe juicy (soft) mangoes
Instructions
First. Peel and dice the firm mangoes
Then. Soak the mangoes with ½ of the lime juice, ketchup, sugar and hot pepper slices for two of hours.
Then. Pickle the onions by soaking them in warm water and 1 tbs of salt for 10 minutes, rinse and drain.
Then. Mix the sliced onions and remaining lime juice, let marinate for two hours.
Then. Remove the pulp from the three soft mangoes and blend with ½ cup of cold water to make a puree.
Then. Add the sunflower oil to the marinated onions.
Then. Combine the diced mangoes, the mango puree, ½ of the pickled onions and the chopped cilantro in a large bowl. Stir well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Then. Serve with the remaining pickled onions on the side or a spoonful on top of each individual bowl.
Enjoy! Serve in chilled bowls.
With love, 
The Downings
Salchipapas (French Fries And Hot Dogs)
Salchipapas (French Fries with Hot Dog) Serves 4 people – 1 potato and hot dog per person.
Salchipapas are typical South American junk food. Salchipapas are typically topped with tomato onion salsa and salsa rosada. I would love to say that the Downing family never eats junk food but the truth is that 3 out of seven Downings enjoy this guilty pleasure.
Ingredients:
- Oil for frying
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into thin or thick fries
- 4 hot dogs, cut in half, with crosswise cuts on the ends
Salsa rosada (for about 2 ½ cups of sauce):
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tbs diced white onion
- Juice of two limes
- ¾ cup sunflower oil
- 1 tbs milk
- 8 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- Salt to taste
- Optional: 1 red chili pepper, seeded
Instructions Salsa rosada
- First. Blend the egg, diced onion, and lime juice until the onions are completely crushed.
- Then. Blend in the oil slowly until the mixture thickens into a sauce.
- Then. Add the milk
- Then. Pour most of the sauce into a blender. Add the diced tomatoes (and hot peppers if you desire) and puree.
- Then. Pour the puree back into the remaining sauce and mix. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Then. Refrigerate until the Salchipapas are done.
Salchipapas
- First. Soak the potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes.
- Then. Drain and dry the potatoes, meanwhile heat the oil to 350 F in a deep pan.
- Then. Fry the potatoes and cook until they are tender, but don’t brown them.
- Then. Remove the fries, drain the grease and let them cool down for one hour.
- Then. Re-heat the oil to 375 F and add the fries, cook until they are golden and crispy.
- Then. Add the hot dogs during the last 3 minutes of cooking the French fries.
- Then. Remove the French fries and hot dog, drain the grease and serve hot with the salsa rosada.
- Enjoy
With love, The Downings
Chicha De Piña
Spiced pineapple drink
Serves 8-10 people
Chicha de piña is a spiced pineapple drink made by simmering the pineapple skins and core with spices and hard brown sugar. Seven out of seven members of the Downing family recommend this simple drink.
Ingredients
- Assorted spices: cinnamon sticks, allspice peppers, cloves, anise
- The skins and core of 1 pineapple, well washed
- ¾ lb of panela (unrefined sugar) or brown sugar, whole or in chunks – more or less to taste
- 10-12 cups of water
Instructions
First. Combine all of the ingredients in large saucepan or pot
Then. Bring to a boil and simmer partially covered for at about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy. You can drink it immediately or let it rest refrigerated to allow the spices and pineapple flavor to concentrate.
With love, 
The Downings
If you enjoyed this recipe podcast we encourage you to click here and check out this one!