Influence

Vicki Broden with dolls from Otavalo, Ecuador.

A person never knows the extent of his or her influence.

Just yesterday I made an interesting connection as a result of this blog. A woman by the name of Vicki Broden works for Adult Basic Education in Colville and knows several of my previous co-workers. She happened to notice my blog one day while these same friends were reviewing online pictures of my trip to Ecuador. Vicki is originally from Quito, so naturally she took an interest in seeing photographs from her home.

She recognized all of the places we visited. In particular, she enjoyed the pictures from Avenida Amazonas in downtown Quito. As a little girl, she lived in the same neighborhood with her family.

Vicki was also moved by my account of the men with long hair in the LDS Church in Otavalo, so much that she brought two dolls to our faculty meeting as a gift for me. The dolls provide an accurate representation of the typical indigenous clothing of the Otavalo region. She especially wanted me to have the doll representing the Indian man with long hair.

I don't think I've ever received such a beautiful gift from someone who had been a complete stranger to me only moments before. Her gift moved and inspired me.