Service and "Stuff"!

Due to Carnival, Monday and Tuesday were VERY quiet days in the mission office.  For Family Home Evening on Monday, we invited the two sister missionaries who live in our same apartment complex to join us. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of pulled pork, roasted potatoes, lentil salad, vegetables, chocolate cookies, and ice cream followed by a FHE lesson and games.

Thursday morning when we arrived at the mission office, there was a young family waiting at the door and talking to the two Assistants from the Quito North Mission.  The family had traveled from Columbia, had been robbed, and was seeking help to get to Peru.  The Assistants and office Elders from our mission were not in the office on Thursday, so we had the Quito North Elders contact the Bishop of our Colon Ward, explain the situation, and ask if the Bishop could possibly meet with the family sometime that day.

Bishop Sigcha was very helpful and said that he would meet them at the Colon Chapel at 11:30 AM.  We brought them into the foyer of the mission office building and had them wait for about 15 minutes while we went up and opened the office.  We decided that I should take them for a quick breakfast, and then walk with them to the chapel, which was about 3/4 of a mile north.

Yesid, Yiyangley & Joshua

They spoke Spanish, but no English.  I used my very limited Spanish skills and asked them when they had last eaten.  It appeared that they hadn't had anything to eat since the previous morning, so I took them to the little restaurant (La Casona) that we usually eat lunch at and invited them to order some breakfast.  The restaurant personnel seemed to understand what was happening.  The family ordered some hot milk and a cheese like croissant. but the parents were also served orange juice, hard boiled eggs, and a banana for their 18 month old son.

Once they had finished their breakfast, we headed for the chapel and arrived 5 minutes before the Bishop.  I introduced Bishop Sigcha to Yesid, Yiyangley, and Joshua and then waited while he talked to them and assessed their needs.  When he finished, he said that he would make arrangements for them to get to Peru, and that I could return to the mission office.

I said 'farewell" to the family, thanked the Bishop, and walked back to the mission office.  I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to serve, for a caring and responsive Bishop, and for an organization structure in our faith that can be quickly mobilized to help those in need.

That afternoon, Elder Lewis and I returned to La Casona for lunch.  While there, the staff offered us a sweet drink that was made from the leaves of a plant combined with water.  I'm not going to lie, the leaves looked a little "suspicious," so before we drank it we clarified that it wasn't a tea, coffee, or illegal substance.  It was good and the owners said we could buy a small packet of the leaves for $1.

"Stuff"

I then asked how to make the drink.  When they tried to explain how to make the drink in Spanish, they could tell we needed a translation, so they invited another customer to explain.  He was probably 45 years old and was seated in the outdoor section of the restaurant with his two friends.  All three came inside, the translator stood by us at the cash register and the other two seated themselves at a nearby table.  One of the men who was seated, pulled out his phone, and was ready to use Google Translate if necessary.

The man who was translating listened to the instructions from the staff, and then began his translation with, ".....you take one spoonful of this sh__ (pointing to the bag of leaves) and put it with 2-liters of water. "  He then went on to say, "You boil the sh__ and then strain the ___ from the water."  I may be giving him some leniency, but I think he thought he was saying "stuff" in English.  Either way, the whole scene was hilarious.  From the man trying to translate, to his friend frantically trying to keep up on Google Translate while the other friend was leaning back in his chair repeating everything in Spanish, to the crowd of 10 that had gathered to see what was going on, and to Elder Lewis and I trying to keep our laughter in check.  All over a bag of ????

We paid the $1 and left La Casona with a bag of "whatever!"  Truth be told, we'll have to muster up some courage to give it a try!

Today, we went with the Elders to teach Monica, a friend of the family who'd lost a young man to suicide a few weeks ago.  We had a good visit and we were grateful to be included. The missionaries taught a lesson, Elder Lewis was invited to leave a priesthood blessing on the home, and we all shared our testimonies of the Book of Mormon - a second witness of Jesus Christ.

We continue to see the hand of the Lord in our lives and in the lives of others.  We know He loves us and desires to bless us.  We are grateful for that knowledge.

Love and blessings to all!
Elder & Sister Lewis