Author Jeanne Smucker went with her missionary family to Ecuador as a very small child and stayed until she was 14. Her whole life as a child was spent there. This memoir explores the growing-up period, among Indigenous peoples who became fast friends and in an atmosphere of cultural differences, some charming, some harsh. The book explores Jeanne's return to Ecuador as a grandmother, seeking that earlier self. Her memoir shows ten days in the country, a time in which she rediscovers old friendships that mean a lot. She also comes to understand that her parents' mission for the Church of the Brethren gave courage to those who implemented change: opposition to domestic violence, overturning of hateful Medieval customs, economic opportunity and growth and respect for all peoples.
