Brother Armas, the 2 older children, and several of the grandchildren speak some English, so we were able to communicate well. The Armas' had also invited another family from the Quito North Mission to join us, a widow and 2 of her 4 children -- 25 year old twin daughters. One daughter was an optometrist and the other was a psychologist. They, too, had English skills and we were able to learn a lot from them about what it is like to be a young single adult member of the Church in Ecuador.
Christmas Day was quiet. We appreciated Skyping with family and taking an afternoon walk. The missionaries were counseled to stay inside on Christmas Day. We had invited the sister missionaries, who live 7 floors above us in the same apartment complex, for Christmas dinner; but they were delayed in their teaching sector on Tuesday night, and spent Christmas Day there with some other sister missionaries.
Thursday and Friday we were back in the office. It was quiet, but we found things to keep us busy. On Friday, Elder Lewis and I had finished our work at the mission office around 3:30 PM and decided to go to the mall for a few items and then to the MegaMaxi to do our weekly grocery shopping.
We left our apartment around 4 PM and headed towards a bus stop. On the way, we passed the Ecovia stop which is 2 blocks from our apartment. An Ecovia had just left the station and we could see that it had empty seats. So, we decided to take the Ecovia instead of the bus. The cost is the same, but the Ecovia is faster.
As explained in a previous blog post, the Ecovia is a tram-like bus that travels a direct route North or South on main roadways with station stops along the route. It is an inexpensive and quick way to travel. The downside is, that the buses can be really crowded at times, and somewhat unsafe because of pick-pocketing.
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| A stock photo of an Ecovia station. |
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| A stock photo of an Ecovia bus. |
On Friday, we decided to give it another try. When we got to the station, the next Ecovia that arrived was much more crowded than the previous one, so we let it pass and waited 5 more minutes for the next bus to come. When it arrived, it looked like there was plenty of room inside so we stepped aboard and found us a place near the doors to stand until the mall stop - approximately 9 stops and a ride of < 20 minutes.
As we boarded the bus, Elder Lewis and I were standing next to each other. After a few stops, and as the number of passengers changed, I stepped back and leaned against the inside wall of the Ecovia. We traveled to our final stop and when the doors opened Elder Lewis, who was standing next to the doors went to exit. I was right behind him and a woman stepped in between us. She was wearing a red shirt and it appeared that someone bumped her because she started to fall back and then grabbed a handrail. I stepped around her, raised my left hand to touch Elder Lewis on the back so that he would know I was right behind him, when I felt a twist and pull. There were a lot of people entering and exiting the bus at the same time and it was crowded. When I felt the twist and pull, my first thought was that the small messenger bag I had draped securely across my front with my right hand over it, had briefly got caught and twisted in the people squeeze. However, as soon as we were out of the bus and the doors were shut, I realized that I may have been robbed. I opened the flap of my messenger bag and could see that my iPhone, which had been laying horizontally across the bottom of my bag, was missing. I had been strategically and successfully ROBBED!
ANGER washed over me with an intensity I have never felt before! I was angry at myself for not taking even more precautions than I did. I was angry at Elder Lewis and myself for traveling by Ecovia in the first place. And, I was ANGRY at the _____ _____ ____ who stole my phone!!!
Elder Lewis immediately tried to used the phone locator to track my phone, but with no success. We don't know if it had been turned off or if the thief had immediately removed the SIM card to cut the service. Apparently, that is a common practice when phones are stolen.
We quickly returned to our apartment and began the process of changing passwords, deleting or freezing apps, etc. Needless to say, I got very little sleep on Friday night. I kept reliving the experience over and over. It all happened so quickly and I kept wondering what, if anything, I could have done to prevent it. And I was still so ANGRY!
Saturday, I didn't feel much better until late in the afternoon. I had received an email from a friend on Friday afternoon at 3:46 PM. The email shared some memories of our time together in Ohio and opened the door for me to communicate what had just happened. We exchanged emails throughout the day and it helped me process what had occurred. It was heaven sent! I so appreciated her thoughts, her empathy, and the suggestions that she and her husband shared.
Sunday morning I felt much better. It may sound silly to some, but Saturday evening I started praying for the person who stole my phone and I could feel my heart soften and my perspective change. On Sunday, I could go to the sacrament table with a humble heart and a genuine concern for the welfare of the thief. Or should I say my "concern" was a hope that the thief would, at some point in time, be overcome with guilt and feel a desire to change.
Elder Lewis and I are grateful for the enabling and sustaining power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Our experiences this weekend reminded us of how much we need divine assistance everyday to meet the challenges that come.
Sorry for the lack of photos. For now, no phone - no photos! Hopefully I'll have a new phone by the end of the week. Until next week........love to all and Happy New Year!
Elder & Sister Lewis
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