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

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