The "Quito" Diet and More!

Our 3rd week in Quito has passed and both Elder Lewis and I have lost some weight on the "Quito Diet."  It's a little different from the Keto Diet, but rather effective.  We eat a light breakfast before leaving for the office, a late lunch at a nearby Ecuadorian restaurant, and then a sweet treat in the evening.  Lunch is high in protein - meat and beans or lentils with a little rice and salad.  That's about the only similarity to the Keto Diet.  The real  benefit of the Quito Diet is that we are walking EVERYWHERE.....1/2 mile here, 3/4 of a mile there, 1 mile over there, etc.  Of course the weather is constantly beautiful so walking is not a problem unless you're carrying  a week's worth of groceries.; then it become a little problematic.  However, we are learning how to balance the weight of multiple grocery bags and developing some upper body strength as well.

The Quito Diet - Lunch at Mesnestras de Negro

Tuesday's Special

2 plates for 1 price of $4.99

This past week we enjoyed lunch with the newer missionaries and their trainers as well as President and Sister Barlow.  We also volunteered to go on a teaching experience with the Elders and had the opportunity to share our testimonies.   We continue to share pass-along cards on bus trips and find that people are willing to talk and to consider an invitation to learn more about Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow the Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be speaking at the conventional center near us.  From what I understood in Church today (with my limited language skills), a Prophet has not been in Quito for 28 years.  If that is truly the case, you can only imagine how excited the Ecuadorian Saints are to see and hear a prophet of God speak in their ciudad (city).

President Russell M. Nelson 

in Guatemala South American Tour 

To give you an idea of the excitement and enthusiasm that is among the members, let me share an experience I had this past Wednesday.......

"Today a youth leader came to the mission office with 4 youth - 2 young men and 2 young women. He asked if the youth could shop the mission store for Sunday clothes that they could wear to hear the prophet speak. The mission store is basically left over clothing, shoes, and a few other items from former missionaries. Some of the items are in pretty good shape, but most of them are worn and dated.

I took the four youth up to the store to help them shop. It was so much fun to see how excited they were to find clothes that they thought would be appropriate to attend a meeting with the Prophet. At one point I was so moved by their enthusiasm that I had to fight back tears. They would pick something out to see if it would fit and then ask for my approval. When I would nod approval and say “muy bueno” their faces would beam with confidence.

When we finished, the 2 young women had dresses and shoes; the young men had suit coats, slacks, white shirts, ties, shoes, and socks. I also taught the young men how to tie their ties correctly and how to fold and hang their slacks on a hanger so they would look neat and pressed. It was an amazing and humbling experience to serve these youth, and to see their countenances shine with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ as they prepared to receive prophetic counsel.  

I hope to see my four young friends on Monday night. I know there will be a lot of people at the convention center, but maybe I’ll be blessed to see their shining faces again.....dressed and prepared to see and hear a Prophet speak.  

Love to all from Quito!

A Week of Miracles!

Our second week in Quito has gone well.  We cannot deny that we've experienced some miracles this past week and though they may seem small to the casual observer, they have been significant to us.  We know that the Lord is mindful of us and of the good work that is taking place here.

Miracle #1:

Each Monday, the mission records the baptisms and confirmations from the previous week and then files 3 reports for record keeping purposes.  It is important that the records are consistent and accurate.  This was my second week to fill out the reports.  The first week I did them under the tutelage of Elder Twitchell.  This past Monday, Elder Twitchell was out of the office and I was able to do all three reports on my own.  I'm honestly not sure how they all came out correctly, but they did and that small miracle boosted my confidence in my capacity to learn the responsibilities of the mission office.

Miracle #2:

Elder Lewis and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary on Wednesday.  Our plan was to finish missionary office work in the morning and then check some local sights and have a nice dinner in the afternoon and early evening.  However, Elder Lewis had a last minute question and delayed one missionary from going with the other two missionaries who were meeting a driver and moving mission furniture from one apartment to another.  Consequently, Elder Flake was left behind for the entire day and our anniversary plans for the day had to be postponed.  I was disappointed and a little frustrated with Elder Lewis - not a good disposition to be in for  missionary work or a couple celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary.  I was not planning to "babysit" (Elder Flake's words, not mine) on our anniversary. 

However, that change of plans on Wednesday provided a priceless opportunity for us on Friday afternoon; an opportunity that I had just prayed for earlier that morning.  We finished our work at the office by noon and went to the tram/bus stop to do what we'd planned to do on Wednesday for our anniversary.  At the bus stop, a young woman between the age of 25-30 named Laura was standing next to us and saw our missionary tags.  She asked in careful English if we were Mormon.  We said that we were and she told us that her late grandfather was a member of the Church.  In the course of our conversation, with her trying to speak English as we tried to speak Spanish, we discovered that she was just visiting in Quito for a few days and was returning to Guayaquil where she was finishing her last year of residency to be a Doctor of General Medicine.  We asked if she would accept the missionaries in Guayaquil and the rural community where she would be doing her residency.  She said that she would and gave us contact information.  We gave her a pass along card with information about the Church.  We were so excited!  It seemed miraculous that we happened to met at that particular moment while waiting for the tram/bus.  Buses come by about every minute and they are crowded!  Immediately following our conversation and the exchange of information, she boarded the bus that came right before our bus and was out of sight before we knew it.  The probability of our paths crossing at that particular moment was nearly impossible!  The experience reminded us that we are truly engaged in God's work, that He hears our prayers, and that He is mindful of each us and will bless His children as we reach out to one another. 

We were praying to have a missionary experience and Laura wanted to learn more about the faith of her grandfather. 

My disappointment about failed anniversary plans on Wednesday were replaced with a feeling of joy and excitement for the work of sharing the gospel.

The Miracle of Name Tags!

Miracle #3:

After our missionary experience with Laura at the bus stop, our tram/bus pulled up and I stepped into the crowded bus thinking that Elder Lewis was right behind me.  I grabbed a handle on the rail and looked back to see the doors close and Elder Lewis standing on the other side of the door.  Our goal is to stay together for a variety of reasons - not getting lost is one and safety is another.  However, at that moment it appeared that we were going to be separated with no plan of how to reconnect.  I admit there was a moment of panic and I thought, "YIKES!  What am I going to do?!?"  Through the glass of the tram door I could see the worried expression on Elder Lewis' face and I knew he was thinking the same thing.  He instinctively reached up and slapped the door.  I don't know if that made a difference or not, but a moment later the door miraculously opened for a second time, something that rarely happens.  It opened just long enough for Elder Lewis to step in and then it closed again.  I don't know if the unseen driver saw what happened, but whatever the reason was we were reunited and felt very blessed that our companionship did not have to navigate separation in uncharted waters.

_____________________

President Barlow testified at our initial training that the Ecuador Quito Mission is a mission of miracles.  Our experiences this past week have confirmed that miracles have not ceased and they will be a part our everyday lives IF we will "exercise faith in Christ; ..... and lay hold upon every good thing...."; THEN we will  "have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in [Christ]."  (see Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:27-33)

Blessings to all from Quito!

From Ohio to Utah to Ecuador in 6 Months!

We are here in Quito, Ecuador!  The past six months have been filled with exciting and significant events.  We are humble by the blessings that have been ours as we have prepared for missionary service. Here are a few highlights.....

1. JANUARY:  Submitted our mission papers.
2. FEBRUARY: Welcomed grandchild #28. Evelyn Kae Lewis was born to Patrick & Erica.  She entered mortality 14 weeks early at 1 lb. 13 oz., was in the NICU for 91 days, and is now 5 months old and thriving.  
3. MARCH: Received our mission call to the Ecuador Quito Mission and announced the engagement of our youngest child Natalie to Brad Johnson.
4. APRIL: Went on our first ever cruise with our 4 beautiful daughters - Jenna, Whitney, Staci & Natalie.  Helped Ethan settle in Utah as he started his job with Lucid Software. Celebrated Natalie's graduation from Brigham Young University, the last  of 8 children to attend and graduate from BYU-Provo. Went through the Provo City Center Temple with Natalie as she prepared for her temple marriage in July.  Put our Richfield, OH home on the market.
5. MAY:  Stayed with granddaughters Mae & Emma in Maryland for a week.
6. JUNE: Enjoyed visits from Natalie & Brad, Jenna's family, and Staci's family.  
7. JULY: Sold our lovely Richfield, OH home.  Gathered with family for Natalie's & Brad's beautiful wedding in the Provo City Center Temple and reception at Le Jardin in Sandy, UT.  Enjoyed a Lewis Reunion with our children and Max's family in Provo.  Returned to Ohio to pack and store our belongings.  Sold our vehicles.  Traveled back to Provo, UT for 11 days of mission training at the Provo MTC.
8. AUGUST:  Finished our training on August 1st and flew to Quito on August 5th.

WHEW!  The first half of 2019 has been AMAZING!  We have felt the Lord's hand in our lives and in the lives of our family.  We are grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and we welcome the opportunity to be here in Quito to share our testimonies of Him and to serve.  

On Monday, August 5th we flew from the Salt Lake City airport to Atlanta and then to Quito.  We arrived in Quito at 11 PM and were greeted by President & Sister Barlow.  They were excited to see us and they are looking forward to having a senior missionary couple in the mission.  (I hope we don't disappoint!)  After greetings and photos, they drove us to our 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment that President and the Elders had outfitted with a new queen bed and bedding, and a few groceries.  On the way we saw the construction site of the Quito Temple and the convention center where the Prophet - President Russell M. Nelson will be speaking on August 26th.

President & Sister Barlow gave us a quick tour of the apartment, the keys, and some instructions about plans for Tuesday.  They left and we started to get settled.  We did a little unpacking and then fell into our new queen bed for a peaceful night's rest.  

Tuesday morning we awoke around 6:30 AM to sunshine streaming into our apartment.  Two sides of the apartment's four main walls are windows covered with light filtering blinds.  There was sunshine everywhere!  Ecuador literally means "equator" and so the sun rises around 6 AM and sets around 6 PM every day.  Quito's elevation is 9600 feet and the temperature ranges between 45 - 70 degrees year round.  Quito is considered to be the City of Eternal Spring.  That's a perfect description of the climate - Spring!  We are loving the temperatures and the sunshine!!

The office missionaries were scheduled to meet us at 10:30 AM in the lobby of the apartment complex, but since we'd woken up so early we started unpacking.  By 10 AM we'd unpacked our suitcases, eaten breakfast, and were ready for our first day at the mission office.  

Elder Twitchell, Elder Flake, and Elder Burga met us in the lobby of the apartment complex to walk us to the mission office.  The mission office is about 5 blocks away and less than a 10 minute walk.  It is in a building that houses the mission offices for the Quito Mission and the Quito North Mission, a Church Distribution Center, and some other church offices.  The building used to be the office for the South America Northwest Area.  Several years ago the area office was moved to Lima, Peru because the lingering ash plume from the eruption of nearby volcanoes prohibited flights in and out of Quito.  

Once at the office we started receiving instruction on what we will be doing.  Elder Lewis will be the financial secretary and I'll be the general secretary.  The Quito Mission is a walking mission so there are no vehicles to manage.  The apartments are managed by Elder Burga who is from Peru.  Needless to say, he speaks Spanish very well and is learning English.  He has a lot of responsibility and does a  nice job with the apartments.

At 3 PM we met the sisters, who also live in our apartment complex. The sisters took us on a walking tour of the area and showed us where to find the things we might need.  We then  made a trip to the SuperMaxi (a small Walmart like store.)  We picked up a few extra groceries and then walked back to the apartment.  We stopped at a bakery and bought the sisters a treat for helping us.  

Speaking of bakeries, there are small bakery shops, mini-markets, pharmacies, and little cafes on every corner.  It's easy to find the essentials.

Wednesday morning, President and Sister Barlow hosted breakfast and mission training at the mission home.  Those who attended the training included us, 3 new Elders, 3 trainers for the new Elders, and the assistants to the President ( AP's).   President also had several family members visiting from Utah and Idaho who joined us for the training.  

Following our morning training we went back to the office and the AP's did more training for the new Elders.  We participated in that and then enjoyed a pizza lunch with the Elders.

Wednesday evening we went to bed expecting another restful night, but soon discovered that our apartment neighbor was hosting a celebration of some sorts. The music and noise lasted ALL night long.  We maybe got 2 hours of sleep.  It was miserable!  Thursday after returning to the apartment, we decided it was time to set up the ECHO and have some white noise play throughout the night to drowned out neighbor and street noises.  It worked!  We slept much better Thursday night.  White noise is now a staple in this apartment.   

Friday morning we left for the office rested and ready for another day.  It was really quiet outside our apartment and I surmised that it must be an Ecuadorian holiday.  When we got to the office we looked it up and  learned that Ecuador celebrates its independence on August 8, 9 and 10; thus, the party at the neighbors on Wednesday night and the quiet streets on Friday.  Ecuador gained its Independence from Spain nearly 200 years ago.  Besides the party next door, empty streets, and closed markets, we haven't seen much else that would indicate a national holiday.

Today (Saturday) we figured out how to ride the bus and went to a large mall called El Recreo.  Mall shopping was interesting.  We were looking for a few specific things and actually found all that we needed - dryer sheets, a phone for our magicJack, a new battery for Max's old iPhone, and a few sundry items.   We didn't make any major purchases because we didn't want to carry very much back with us on the bus, tram, or taxi.  We took the bus to the mall and it cost us a grand total of 50 cents.  We thought we would take the tram back to our apartment so that we would understand the different modes of transportation.  However, that didn't work out because when we found the pick-up location for the tram we had just missed the tram we needed and would have to wait another 20+ minutes for the next one.  We opted for travel Plan B and hailed a taxi.  That was easy and we were home in 15 minutes.  The taxi was $4!  Elder Lewis was quick to note the price difference........ Bus = 50 cents vs. Taxi = $4!  I'll admit that the bus was interesting, but I'll take the convenience and price of a taxi any day.

Tomorrow we will be going to church and meeting members of our Ward.  We are looking forward to that.  The Colon Ward is about .75 miles from our apartment and will probably be a 12-15 minute walk.  In case anyone is wondering I will not be wearing heels to church!  

We are almost through our first week and it has been a great week!  Despite our limited language skills we are getting comfortable with our surroundings and optimistic about navigating the culture.  Whenever we try something new, Elder Lewis will prepare a full sentence or two that we can use to ask for things or find things.  I take the friendly approach and with 3 - 5 Spanish words from his sentences, along with some hand motions and facial expressions, I will ask a question or make a request.  Today at the mall we were looking for a power strip.  It's too bad we didn't video tape how I described a power strip to the store clerk.  It probably would have gone viral!

Life is good!  We are here in Ecuador to invite others to come unto Christ and we're grateful for this opportunity to share our testimonies of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.   We hope that in some small way this blog will invite you to draw nearer to Jesus Christ and strengthen your testimony of His living reality.  Love to all!

Wedding Day for Natalie - 12 July 2019!

Our Family at the Provo City Center Temple!  All 45 of Us!

Elder & Sister Lewis..... leaving Utah on August 5th as missionaries for 
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A morning of training with President & Sister Barlow.  

Quito = 
Querer (love) 
Unidad (unity)
Inspiracion (inspiration)
Trabajar (work)
 Obediencia (obedience)

A view of Quito from the Mission Home.  City of Eternal Spring!