Hamburgers, Hot Water, & Elder Holland

Our week started off with a trip to Top Ten Burgers & Fries to celebrate Elder Lewis reaching his 4-month mark since breaking off his tooth and getting an implant.  Once the implant was solidified, Elder Lewis told the office missionaries he wanted to celebrate by eating a hearty hamburger.  The Elders were waiting for the day to arrive and had Top Ten specked out for the occasion.  After arriving at Top Ten we discovered that on Mondays all hamburgers and wings were $8.99 with unlimited fries and drinks.  It was a fun celebration. Elder Lewis did well with his double burger, but couldn't match the missionaries eating their triples.

Missionaries awaiting our arrival at Top Ten Burgers & Fries on Monday, January 21, 2020.

Lunch at Top Ten Burgers & Fries with the Assistants and office missionaries on Monday, January 20, 2020.

Starting from the left:  Elder Lewis, Elder Wilkinson (traveling Assistant),  Elder Felix (office/housing trainee), 
Elder Fueres (office/housing trainer), Elder Tolman (office/general trainee), Elder Martinez (Assistant), Elder Wright (Assistant), Elder Henrichson (office/general trainer), Elder Flint (traveling Assistant).

Monday, the owner of the apartment finally had 2 repairmen come to replace the leaking hot water tank.  They arrived first thing in the morning with plans to removed the old tank and installed the new tank.  We were hopeful that all would go well and that they would have everything done by the time we returned in the evening.

After lunch at Top Ten, we stopped by our apartment to see how the repairs were progressing. When we arrived, the new efficiency, heat on demand tank was installed and the repairmen were ready to test the system.  Well.....they quickly discovered that the new tank was not going to work.   So,  they turned the water OFF, pulled the small tank off the wall, and left us with two hoses dangling from the piping, a leak, and a promise that they would be back the next morning.

Not only did we not have hot water, we didn't have any water!  We figured we could manage for a day by using water we'd stored during the strike in October and taking advantage of the restrooms on the 11th floor where the exercise facilities were.

Tuesday arrived and the repairmen called to say that the tank they had brought was from Columbia and in order for the warranty to be valid they would have to wait for a new tank to arrive -- maybe 6 to 8 hours.  We quickly concluded that we would probably be without water for another day.  Elder Lewis decided he could buy a small fitting, join the dangling hoses together, and at least restore water to the apartment.  We wouldn't have hot water, but we would have water!

Joining the hoses for running water and a small trash can to catch the leak!

There is a small hardware store near the mission office that we've used before, so we went there and found the fitting, returned to the apartment, and made the repairs.  After a day of no water, it was wonderful to just have water!  With running water, we could manage the inconvenience of no hot water.  We didn't know how long that would be, but we concluded that we'd probably be without hot water until Friday.

We were pleasantly surprised when a different set of repairmen returned on Thursday, replaced the electrical breaker to manage the required voltage for the small efficiency tank, replaced the tank, and restored our hot water.  On Friday, the first two repairmen returned to pick-up the old tank and their tools.

Old tank, propane tank for soldering the copper piping, and tools.  Thank goodness the walls are
cinderblock! They left a bull's eye burn mark on the wall when attaching a fitting to the copper piping.

One thing we're learning in Ecuador is patience.  We were hopeful that the water tank would be replaced in a day, but we weren't surprised when it became a week long experience.  It's just how things work here.

This past week Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of the 12 Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was here for leadership training and to tour the Quito and Quito North Missions.  On Wednesday evening, we were privileged to hear him speak, via broadcast from Lima, Peru, to the women in this area.

At one point in his talk he mentioned that sometimes we feel broken or our lives appear to be broken.  I think we can all relate to that.  I know I can.  Then,  Elder Holland went on to remind us that God knows, understands, and can fix "broken!"  Turn to Him, trust in Him.  In His time and in His way, He will fix all that is "broken."  It was a beautiful message!

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

On Saturday morning, Elder Holland was here in person to speak to the missionaries from both missions.  Saturday afternoon he conducted a leadership training session.   We were grateful to be a part of the Saturday morning experience.  The missionaries gathered in the chapel an hour in advance.  We were then moved to the cultural hall where we were seated and arranged for a photo with Elder Holland.  The Quito Mission was on one side of the cultural hall and the Quito North Mission was on the other side.  In total there were about 400 missionaries!

Ecuador Quito Mission with empty seats for Elder Lewis, President & Sister Barlow
 and their teenage son Eli, and Elder Holland.  

At 9:30 AM, Elder Holland arrived.  He sat with the Quito North Mission for a photo and then walked across the floor and sat with the Quito Mission for a photo.  Following the photo session, Elder Holland left for the chapel where he stood outside the door to personally shake every missionary's hand.

As I approached Elder Holland he looked me directly in the eyes, grasped my right hand in both of his hands, and with sincerity and enthusiasm said, "Thank you for your service!"  As the line continued to move I responded with, "Thank you!"

We then went into the chapel and found our seats, waiting until Elder Holland finished shaking everyone's hand.  The meeting began with 400 missionaries standing and singing in their youthful and enthusiastic voices - "Called to Serve!"

1. Called to serve Him, heav'nly King of glory,
   Chosen e'er to witness for his name,
   Far and wide we tell the Father's story,
   Far and wide his love proclaim.
2. (Chorus)
   Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;
   Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;
   Forward, pressing forward, as a triumph song we sing.
   God our strength will be; press forward ever,
   Called to serve our King.
3. Called to know the richness of his blessing--
   Sons and daughters, children of a King--
   Glad of heart, his holy name confessing,
   Praises unto him we bring.
4. Text: Grace Gordon, alt.
   Music: Adam Geibel, 1855-1933

The spirit of that informal missionary chorus was powerful and overwhelming!

Elder Holland talked about what is expected of missionaries when they are released and return to their homes after two years of service for young men and 18 months of service for young women.  He reminded the missionaries that missionary service is not a box they check and then move on to something else in their lives, but that their mission experience is a matter of eternity and they are to continue faithful forever!  According to Elder Holland, there are "no U-turns in the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is one direction and that is eternal progression."  

Elder Holland spoke powerfully!  His message was clear - "Never, ever, EVER, walk away from this faith! This is REAL life!  A missionary can never go back to what [they] had before. God wants whole-hearted devotion for life!"  

Following the meeting, Elder Lewis and I spent another two hours visiting and having lunch with the other senior missionary couples - Elder & Sister Peterson who are documenting the construction of the Ecuador Quito Temple; and Elder & Sister Oyston who are member leadership support missionaries for the Quito North Mission and serving in Tulcan on the Ecuador/Columbia border.  We are small in number, there are only six of us, but mighty in spirit!

Today, Elder Lewis spoke in sacrament meeting.   He gave a wonderful talk, and with lots of practice and the help of Google Translate, he delivered his remarks in SPANISH!  It was impressive!  We're making progress.

It has been an exciting week for us.  We are so grateful for our mission experiences.  We feel the hand of the Lord in our lives and in the lives of those we work with.  We know that this is His work and we are humbled to be a part of it.

Love and blessings to all!

Elder & Sister Lewis

1. 
   

Working Vacation!

This past week the weather in Quito was gorgeous -- cloudless skies, constant sun, gentle breezes,  and temperatures in the upper 60's and low 70's.  Elder Lewis and I have concluded that we are on a working vacation!

Our working vacation includes:  living in a beautiful city with consistently amazing weather; daily companionship; lunch out at new restaurants or revisiting a restaurant we've tried before; unhurried time to exercise, read, study, serve, travel, and explore; no home, no car, and no yard maintenance; and daily association with some of the finest young people in the world -- the missionaries.  Mission life is spoiling us!

This past week our tour guide had a change of plans and so we postponed our trip to the Cotopaxi volcano until February 8th.   That opened up our Saturday and we quickly filled it with a trip to the area of Cumbaya to see the Quito Temple construction site.

When we arrived in Quito on the night of August 5, 2019, President & Sister Barlow picked us up at the airport and drove us to our apartment.  About 20 minutes from the airport we passed the Temple construction site.  At that time, it was a large parcel of fenced property with a few construction trailers and some equipment scattered around.

Now, 5 1/2 months later, the property houses 3 cement structures that include the Temple; an accompanying maintenance building; and a 2 story patron housing complex that will have 15 bath/bedroom apartments, 2 kitchens, and a full apartment for the temple president.  It's truly amazing to see what has transpired in such a short time.

Elder & Sister Peterson hosted our tour of the temple site.  They are the missionary couple assigned to document construction.  They have been here since April 2019, and they are planning to be here until the Temple is finished and dedicated in late 2021.  They have a hard hat and safety vest assignment😉!

Elder Bryant and Sister Teri Peterson.  As a young man, Elder Peterson served a mission in Argentina. With his Spanish speaking skills and civil engineering background he is well-suited for this assignment

Church construction site trailers.

The Church has two on-site construction trailers - the small trailer on the left is an office for Elder & Sister Peterson.  The large 2-story trailer on the right houses a few offices for Church construction employees and a gathering room.  As many as 250 construction workers attend a weekly meeting in front of this trailer to learn about the significance of Temples for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the blessings that Temples bring to families.  

Near the Church's two trailers there is a temporary building where meals are prepared and served 2x/day for workers. 

Construction firms working at the Temple site also have their own trailers.   Currently, there are 10 construction companies working simultaneously.  When we arrived at 1 PM on Saturday it was abuzz with activity, but within a short amount of time the area cleared as workers went home for the weekend.  

Elder and Sister Lewis standing at the front entrance of the Temple.

Elder Lewis pointing to the sticker on his hard hat that has a rendering of the completed Quito Temple.

Elder Peterson and Elder Lewis discussing 255,484 hours of safety at the construction site.

Throughout our tour of the site we could feel the "spirit" associated with the Temple and we know that when complete, the Quito Temple will be a great blessing to all - both members and non-members of our faith.

After our tour, we walked about a mile to the Peterson's neighborhood and enjoyed some delicious pizza at a nearby pizzeria.  It was fun to relax and visit!

This past week, I spent a few days working to finalize the 2019 Quito Mission History.  I added some "mission miracles" that President Barlow sent from weekly missionary letters.  Here's one that I thought was especially inspiring and cute:

The fire department came and  helped us fill the baptismal font” April 2019

We had a great baptism this week for our investigator named Estefania! Heavenly Father blessed us with a miracle and helped us provide a way for this baptism to happen. When we arrived at  the chapel to fill the baptismal font, we unfortunately found that there was no water in the chapel.  We quickly decided to start hauling buckets of water from the nearby Elder's house.  But that was taking so much time and energy, we began to feel uneasy. As a district, we said a prayer and I could feel, in that moment, that we were going to be able to fill the font in one way or another. We had a hard time getting in contact with any of the leaders or members to help us, but a wonderful Sister from the Branch came to clean the church and we told her about our problem. Her son suggested calling the firefighters.  The Sister knew one of the firefighters and called them to come and help. The firefighters arrived at the chapel, put the huge hose in through the window, and filled the font. 

That experience taught me a good lesson about prayer. I felt the spirit so strongly tell me that if we offered a prayer together, we would be able to fill the font.  Prayer is much more than a 911 emergency call in our times of distress. It is a way for us to humble ourselves and speak with our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for prayer and I know that He hears and answers our prayers when we ask humbly and sincerely.  [by Elder Tyler Smith]

Blessings to all!

Elder & Sister Lewis 

Lentamente Por Favor!

"Lentamente por favor!" I can't tell you how many times this past week I have used that phrase - in the office, on the phone, in a store, at church! Translation......."Slowly, PLEASE!"  I don't think we realize how rapidly we talk, until we're trying to learn another language.  I'm sure English sounds fast to the ears of someone who doesn't speak English.  But, Ecuadoreans speak Spanish at break-neck speeds, sometimes running the words together in such a fashion that it's impossible for a Gringo like myself to make any sense of them.  When I make a "Lentamente por favor" request I'm hoping for a word for word response, but that seldom happens.  I feel lucky if I can  pick up a few key words that make communication possible.

Despite our limited language skills, we are making some progress.  Everyone keeps reassuring us that "we'll get it," but for two people who think they're reasonably "inteligente," we are humbled by our language inadequacies!

We had 6 + 6 + 1 missionaries arrive this week.  Six of the missionaries are Latinos and four of those are here temporarily - at least for six weeks.  The temporary missionaries' visas should be approved this coming week and they will be going to their originally assigned mission at the next transfer in mid-February.  Seven North American missionaries arrived this week as well.  As mentioned in last week's blog, their arrival was uncertain because of visa issues, but the visas came through at the last minute and 6 of them were only delayed in the MTC for one day.  The 7th was delayed 3 days and arrived late Friday night.  Between missionaries coming and going, with delays and unexpected circumstances, the office can be a busy place.  We appreciate President & Sister Barlow's example -maintain a state of readiness while being prepared and flexible at ALL times.

The new Mission President  for the Ecuador Quito Mission has been announced - President David A. & Sister Pamela Winters from Atlanta, Georgia.  President & Sister Barlow will complete their 3 year assignment in June.  At that time, we will welcome a new mission president and his family.

President David A. & Pamela Winters
New Mission President for Ecuador Quito Mission
July 2020

This past week in the orientation meeting for the new missionaries, President Barlow told the missionaries that when he was set apart by President Henry B. Eyring, President Eyring told him to remember that missionaries are call to serve with mission presidents, not to missions.

As Elder Lewis and I have considered the Lord's plan for us in Quito Ecuador, we found that counsel to be enlightening.  Within a few short weeks of our arrival, we realized that our work in the office was important, but not critical.  The young Elders were managing what we are doing before we arrived, and they could easily resume those responsibilities if we were not here.  BUT, we also know that the Lord's purpose for us being here goes far beyond office work.  It would be nice to have a crystal ball to know exactly what that "purpose" is, but that's not how inspiration and revelation work.  For now, we are very content with our assignment and we are striving diligently to magnify our efforts as we serve.  We are grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from President & Sister Barlow and we appreciate their incredible examples!

Yesterday, we attended the baptism of Carolina, the young woman who has been investigating the Church for a long time.  The baptism was scheduled to begin at 5 PM.  We arrived 15 minutes early only to discover that the baptism had been postponed until 6 PM.  We went back to our apartment and returned to the San Blas chapel a few minutes before 6.  Upon our second arrival, we learned that Carolina had not arrived, but she was on her way.  We spent the next hour visiting and I practiced the piano.  Carolina arrived shortly after 7 PM and the baptism got underway.

Despite the delays, it was a very nice service.  After Carolina's baptism, she shared her testimony.  She said that she had put off being baptized for a long time, because her family was so opposed to her joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  However, a few weeks ago, a dear friend of hers unexpectedly passed away. Carolina begin wondering if she was prepared to die.  She felt that part of preparation for life and death required the redeeming and sanctifying power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Those feelings prompted her to move ahead and enter the waters of baptism. She is a lovely and committed young single adult.  We are grateful for her example!

Today, I played the keyboard in Church.  While the chapel is undergoing some renovations, the Colon Ward we attend is meeting in the institute building next to the chapel.  For sacrament meeting, we meet in a large assembly room on the bottom floor.  There is no piano in that room, so we improvise with a 4 octave, portable, electronic keyboard that is placed insecurely on a small wooden stand with a chair pulled up for the pianist to sit on.  Except for the small speakers on the keyboard, there is no other way to amplify the sound.  When 100+ people began to sing, I am pretty sure that the only ones who can hear the keyboard are the accompanist and maybe a few folks sitting nearby.

Today, before the meeting started, I sat down and began playing prelude music.  After a few chords, there was no sound coming from the small speakers. I quickly discovered that the adaptor cord had come loose from the back of the keyboard and needed to be pushed in more tightly. I got up out of my slide-in chair and pushed the adaptor cord back in so I could continue playing.

All was well until the opening song - "Called to Serve," a vigorous and robust song that, when played, caused the keyboard to shimmy and shake.  About half way through the first verse, the sound from the keyboard suddenly stopped.  The adaptor cord had fallen out and was laying on the floor.  The congregation continued to sing, I slide out of my chair, plugged the adaptor back into the keyboard, and picked up the accompaniment for the last few phrases of the chorus.  We started verse two, and when we reached the chorus and I started playing the triplet notes in the accompaniment, the adaptor fell out again!  The congregation continued to sing and I slide out of my chair, plugged the adaptor back into the keyboard, and picked up the accompaniment on the beat of the final few phrases of the chorus.  This happened during the third and fourth verses as well.  When it happened on the chorus of the fourth verse, I just smiled, sat back in my chair, and listen to the congregation finish the song acapella.

Before we began to sing the second hymn, Elder Lewis, who was sitting on the front row, came to my rescue.  He plugged the adaptor in, securely rearranged how the cord ran along the keyboard, and went back to his pew.  No more incidents for the rest of the meeting!

We send our love to all!  We understand that there are storms throughout the US and we pray that you all are safe and secure.

Elder & Sister Lewis

5 Months in Ecuador and 2020 Arrives!

Today, marks our 5th month in Ecuador.  It doesn't seem possible.  The days and weeks have passed so quickly.  Even when we think the week is going to be slow, its over before we know it. And now, we've just celebrated our first Christmas and New Year's in Ecuador.  Its crazy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!  We hope that 2020 brings desired blessings and opportunities to all. We started our New Year's celebration last Sunday evening with an invitation from the Paez Family to participate in their family home evening.  Brother and Sister Paez have two teenage children - Samuel and Daniella.  Brother Paez's mother also lives with his family, and his widowed sister and nephew were visiting from Peru for the holidays.  Elder Flint and Elder Martinez (assistants to the mission president) were also there.

We had a wonderful lesson!  Elder Lewis and I were asked to share our testimonies.  My thoughts included testifying that the atonement of Jesus Christ makes eternal families possible.  A blessing I truly cherish.  Elder Lewis expressed a desire to be true to his witness of Christ.  We also played a musical charades game and then enjoyed a light supper of baked chicken wraps, fresh fruit, and dessert.

After the evening was over, Brother Paez drove us back to our apartment.  On the way home, he explained to us three of Ecuador's New Year's traditions. One, is the building of a life-sized, or larger than life-size (2-3 stories), paper mache Disney or Superhero character prior to New Year's Day.  When finished, the paper mache character is placed in a visible area, ignited, and burned.  It represents saying good-bye to the old and welcoming in the new.

Another interesting tradition is for men to dress up in drag.  In garb, men will stand on street corners and approach pedestrians, or call out and stop vehicles at intersections. Apparently, this tradition is poking fun at a tradition that goes back to a time when women, who had been widowed in the past year, would dress up and stand in high traffics areas, flaunting their beauty in hopes of finding another spouse to care for them.  Brother Paez assured us that what we were seeing was all in fun; but we thought it was strange, and at times, downright uncomfortable!

The final tradition .... FIREWORKS!  Now fireworks are something we can relate to.  At midnight, the City of Quito EXPLODES!  There are fireworks going off everywhere.  We went to the open air plaza on the top floor of our apartment complex to take in the scene.  However, it had been raining and cloudy all day and we couldn't see as much as we had hoped too.  The audio was there, but the visuals were missing.  On a clear night it would have been spectacular!  Maybe next year......

Searching for fireworks in the cloudy sky of Quito Ecuador at midnight on January 1, 2020.

The work at the mission office was very slow this week.  For safety reasons, all missionaries were instructed to stay inside their apartments on New Year's Eve.  We invited the 3 sisters missionaries who live in the upstairs apartment to join us for dinner and games.  We had a wonderful afternoon  enjoying their company, celebrating the past year, playing games, and making plans for 2020.

New Year's Day, we were back in the office.  All businesses were closed, except for a few restaurants.  We kept busy in the office preparing for this coming week of transfers.  We will have 4 missionaries leaving and possibly 16 missionaries arriving.  I say "possibly," because the number of arriving missionaries is continuously fluctuating, due to visas delays and reassignments.  Visa delays affect both Latino and North American missionaries.  Last transfer, we had 6 or 7 North American missionaries who were reassigned to state-side missions the week before they were scheduled to come to Quito.  However, their visas came through at the last minute and they arrived as expected.
Missionaries coming and going keep us on our toes.  We welcome them all and we are so grateful for their sacrifice and service.

Quiet streets in Quito on New Year's Day.

This past week we had the opportunity to help teach a missionary discussion to Carolina.  Carolina is a young woman in her 20's who has been investigating the church for years.  She has been taught by multiple missionary companionships, the mission president, an area authority, and others.  She has finally made the commitment to be baptized this Saturday, January 11th.  We are thrilled for her!

We are still shopping for a cell phone to replace my stolen 6s Plus iPhone. We discovered that a brand new phone at MundoMac (the Ecuadorean version of an Apple Store) would cost over $1000.  We're definitely not spending that  kind of money on a phone that could be stolen again.

We also checked into buying a used phone at a place called Dr. Celular.  That was interesting.  I could buy a used phone like the one I had for about $300.   However, they didn't have a 6s Plus iPhone in stock. They took our phone number and said they would call us when one came in.  Forgive me for saying, but all the store personnel looked a little sketchy.  My first thought was that they are buying stolen used phones on the black market, retooling them, and selling them.  Hey, I could possibly buy back my own phone.

On one of our adventures to shop for a cell phone, we took the bus out to Quicentro, a nice upscale mall to the north.  We boarded the bus, found a seat two-thirds of the way back, and sat down to relax until we arrived at our destination.  As the bus started to move forward, it appeared that our bus driver was trying to drag race with another bus that had pulled out in front of him.  He stepped on the accelerator, zoomed forward, and followed the "competing" bus until it came to a stop.  Whereupon our bus screeched to a halt right behind the other bus.  Honestly, there may have been 18" inches between the flat nose front of our bus and the rear-end of the "competing" bus.  While the other bus was waiting for passengers to de-board and board, our bus driver decided to go around him.  As we pulled to the left on the narrow one way street, we heard this crashing noise.  The angle of our bus put the bus's back right window into the trunk of a tree on the street.  The window was shattered, but still intact, except for a small hole where it connected with the tree.  The passengers in the back seat shared a few expletives, jumped up, and moved to another seat.

Shattered bus window.

We were startled when we heard the crash and realized that the tree trunk was stuck in the back window.  The driver finally maneuvered the bus forward, leaving the tree and some shattered glass behind.  A few seconds later, the man taking tickets came running to the back of the bus with a broom.  I thought he was planning to clean up what glass had fallen out.  Not so!  The bus continued on its route for a short distance and then pulled up to a closed road-side dumpster.  When the bus stopped along side the dumpster, the man with the broom began punching out what remained of the window, spreading shattered glass all over the top of the closed dumpster and the street.  Once the window was out, the broom was used to sweep the glass that had fallen on the floor out the side doors of the bus and onto the street near the dumpster, not in the dumpster, but near the dumpster.  I guess that was close enough.

Without a second thought for the mess that we'd just left at the side of the dumpster and on the street, our bus ride continued.  At the next stop, another passenger boarded the bus, took the back seat where the window had just been shattered, and settled in for the ride.  He was none the wiser about what had just happened. Bus fees are $0.25 per person and in this case we got far more entertainment than we planned for😉!

Oh Quito, Quito, what shall we plan for next?

Love and blessings to all!
Elder & Sister Lewis