President & Sister Winters Arrive!

   President & Sister Winters, and two of their 6 children arrived yesterday.  Today we had an introductory Zoom meeting  to welcome the Winters and to say farewell to President & Sister Baquerizo.  We are glad the Winters are here and we look forward to working and serving with them.  We are also grateful for President & Sister Baquerizo. Their 3+ weeks of service have been amazing!  

   At the close of our Zoom meeting, the missionaries unrolled the welcome banner that the mission had made for the Winters.  Both President & Sister Winters were moved to tears by that small gesture.  The power of love and acceptance was felt through technology.  

   I'm sure the past 3+ week have been challenging for them as they have managed Visa delays and additional Covid requirements for foreign travel. The Winters will be in quarantine for the next two weeks. President Winters will be presiding over the mission and managing mission affairs through technology.  

   We have had a great week!  The mission held 3 zone conferences via Zoom.  This is the first, somewhat normal, zone conference we've had since last September.  Zone conferences were canceled in October - November because of the transportation strike.  In December, Elder Held visited the mission and there was a mission-wide conference.  In January, Elder Holland visited the area and held a combined meeting of the Ecuador Quito and the Ecuador Quito North Missions.  In March, the mission went into quarantine. There has been one Zoom zone conference since March.

   The big change with the zone conferences this past week was that missionaries could meet as districts in a chapel near them and enjoy a pizza lunch together after the conference.  It was nice to see them together and to feel of their camaraderie. 

La Colon Zone Conference on Tuesday, July 21.  Starting left around the table - Elder Duran (AP), Elder Fueres (AP), Hermana Quena, Herman Cabrera, Hermana Vargas, Elder Sarango, Elder Caicedo, Elder Chepe (office),
Elder Ramirez (office).

L-R:  Elder Ramirez, Elder Piraquive, Elder Lewis, and Elder Chepe.  Elder Piraquive finished his mission in June, but due to COVID he could not return to his home country of Columbia until this last Thursday.  

This week a missionary came in and said that the taxi driver would not accept his $10 bill because it was counterfeit. Can you tell which bill is real and which one is counterfeit?  (See the answer at the end of this post.)

   On Monday, I took an Uber out to the mall to pick up some more rubber chair tips for the repurposed chairs that we got from the old office.  I was also going to buy a shelf stand as well.  But when I realized how heavy it was and that the box it came in when unassembled would be 6 feet long, I decided to wait until Max was able to help me.  

   So, after the mall I walked to Megamaxi to pick up a few items that we’d missed on Saturday.  When the Uber driver came to pick me up, he was driving a pick-up truck!  I almost asked him to take me back to the mall to buy the shelf, but decided against it. 

   On Tuesday, Max and I did go back out to the mall and we bought the shelf.  When the Uber came to pick us up, he was driving a little, and I mean little, Chevrolet Spark.  I climbed in the back seat, Max slid the heavy box in through the window where it sat on my lap.  He climbed in and shut the car door leaving 2 feet of the box sticking out the window as we drove back to the apartment.  Max held his end up the entire ride so that the weight of the box wouldn’t rest on the window glass and cause problems. 

Elder Lewis holding up his end of the shelf as we drive through
5 PM traffic in Quito.

   When we got back to the apartment, we assembled the shelf and put it on the wall that you see when you walk into the apartment.  It looks really nice and gives us a little more shelf space.

   On Wednesday morning I went to the old office to pick up some missionaries materials that we are still storing there.  While walking back to the new office, I passed an elderly woman who was pushing a cart and collecting "valuable" trash.  As I passed her I said, "Hola, buenos dias."  She responded with with, "Buenos dias, usted es que bonita!"  With a compliment like that I couldn't just walk on.  So, I stopped and said, "Gracias."  I then asked her if she believed in Jesus Christ.  She said that she did and I gave her a pass-along card with information about the Church.  She was appreciative and then in perfect English, with a slight accent, asked if I had any spare change.  We talked about the pass along card and I asked how she'd learned to speak such good English.  After our brief conversation, I dug in my small purse and found a $1 coin that I gave her as I wished her well.  

   There were several times this week that I didn’t have access to my computer.  The Assistants used my computer for 3 zone conferences and then again to do some transfer work.  When that happens, I have to find other things to keep me busy.  This week, I was successful finding “other things” to keep me busy. One of which was passing off English language modules with missionaries.  I think I passed off 15+ modules this week with 8 different missionaries.  It’s exciting to see them make progress and I enjoy the association.  It’s also time consuming.  Passing off one module takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending on the difficulty of the module and the preparation of the missionary.

   I also started working on arrival and departure packets for this next transfer.  In August, we’re expecting 6 missionaries to depart and 6 new missionaries to arrive.  .  

   Yesterday we went on a hiking excursion with the office missionaries, Ruben (mission apartment repair man), and his wife Tatiana.  We were exhausted when we returned, but the weather was beautiful, we enjoyed the association, and we were able to see more of the beautiful country of Ecuador.

   We left our apartment at 7:15 AM to take an Uber to Sangolqui, which was a 20 minute ride.  Once we were there, we waited for the missionaries, Ruben, and Tatiana to arrive.  We were expecting them at 8 AM, but everyone finally arrived at 8:45 AM.  

While we were waiting for an Uber, we heard something hit about one foot behind us.
We turned around and this is what we found, a pigeon had flown or fallen to its death. 
It felt just a little too close for us.

   We know that promptness is not as important here in Ecuador as it is in the States, but we were still surprised that everyone arrived 45 minutes late.  Especially because the missionaries has told us before we left the office on Friday, that it was important for us to be at our Sangolqui meeting spot by 8 AM.  I guess it was important for US to be there;)!

Speaking of birds....this was our meeting place in Sangolqui - El Colibrí.
The hummingbird mosaic. 

We've been in Quito for almost a year and we've never had a clear view of the volcano Cotopaxi until Saturday.
It is impressive!

   After everyone arrived in Sangolqui, we boarded a yellow and black van with school information on the side....basically a school bus that is also used to transport  paying customers when not transporting students, and drove about 1 hour to La Gran Cascada del Pita.  It’s a  conservation park with hiking trails, zip-lines, swinging bridges, camping, and water falls. 

   We were dropped off at the base of a trail where we hiked 1 mile uphill to the entrance.  At the entrance, we were given some brief instructions by a guide, one of which was to wear your mask, and then we hiked further up the trail and met another guide who explained (in Spanish) some of the features of the park.  We also made our lunch choice and paid for it.  The guide then escorted us to an air trolley that we boarded and rode through the trees to the head of the hiking path that would take us to the falls.

Air trolley to begin our hike to La Gran Cascada Del Pita.

   I’m estimating, but I think the hike to the falls was about 5 miles in through heavy foliage, on an up and down narrow rocky path, that required you to ford streams on rocks, and cross old rickety bridges.   We stopped along the way to take photos and enjoy the beauty of the area.  I would classify it as a moderately strenuous hike.

Elder & Sister Lewis at the small Cascada Falls.

Proceed with caution on one of the rickety bridges.

"Drinking water gives us life, but becoming aware will give us water."

Elder & Sister Lewis arrived at the La Gran Cascada del Pita.

   Lunch was good and we were hungry.  Max and I realize that cleanliness standards are a little different here.  We wear masks all the time to prevent spreading coronavirus.  Masks were even deemed obligatory in the park.  However, when it came to refilling our drink, the man waiting on us took three of the missionaries glasses to the kitchen, refilled them, and passed them out again.  No one knew whose cup was whose, and it didn’t seem to matter to anyone, except for Max and I. 

   When I wanted to refill my glass, I went directly to the kitchen.  The waiter took my glass, filled it, and started to bring it back to me.  He must have thought he’d overfilled it because he stopped, returned to the pitcher with the drink in it, and poured about 1/3 of my drink back into the pitcher.  I was a little reluctant to drink my refill after that because I was wondering how many times he’d done that before and whose germs I was getting.  Life in Ecuador!  You have to take the normal with the abnormal, and the good with the bad.

   After lunch, Max and I just sat and talked while the missionaries played some soccer.  A little while later we went over and joined the soccer game until it was time to leave around 2:45 PM.  

   We had to walk about a mile back to the drop off point.  The transport picked us up and we drove the hour back to Sangolqui where we said goodbye to the missionaries, Ruben, and Tatiana.  We caught an Uber back to our apartment and were home before 5 PM.  

   This week, I was invited by the Research Division of the Church's Correlation Executive Committee to complete an online survey.  The survey was asking about home church and worship during this pandemic season of COVID.  Perhaps some of you were also invited to participate in the survey.  Completing the survey gave me an opportunity to reflect again on our home church experience since being quarantined in March.  My reflections included how much I miss the association and interaction that comes with church meetings.  I also miss the comments and insights of others when discussing a gospel topic. I miss playing the organ and participating in congregational singing.  However, I have LOVED home church, whether its a meeting with just Max and I, or a meeting with us and the sister missionaries who live in the apartment upstairs.  I love the small group interaction and the spirit that comes into our apartment when holding a sacrament service.  I also love the in depth and uninterrupted discussions we have from our study of Come, Follow Me.  Home church has given us the opportunity to shared thoughts, feelings, experiences, and testimony in ways that we would never share in a more public setting.  For me, home church has been a great blessing.  

   The COVID pandemic has reminded me that individually and globally speaking, life can unravel very quickly.  When it does, there are great blessings coupled with a sense of peace that comes when our foundation is built on the "rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God."   We share our testimonies that He lives and that He is the Savior of the world.

Blessings to all,

Elder & Sister Lewis

ANSWER to which $10 bill is real......Both bills are real.  The top bill was not accepted by the taxi driver, because it thought it was counterfeit.  However, to a collector it is worth $23 or more. 

Returning to Missionary Work......Slowly!

The week before last was quiet and slow in the mission office.  This last week was busier.  Missionaries have been given permission to teach 30 minute discussions in a chapel, with small groups of 8 people or less.  Right now, many of their teaching appointments are with people they have met through the use of their Smartphones and social technology platforms.

While reviewing and comparing mission statistics between the month of March and the month of June, it appears that the missionaries are finding and baptizing just as many people through the use of technology as they were with tracting.  Smartphones have been a blessing!

This past week, the Charity Anywhere Foundation hosted an event at the Colon Chapel, the meetinghouse where our new mission office is located.  Charity Anywhere is a non-profit organization centered in Utah that is dedicated to giving service to anyone, anywhere in the world. They have organized service projects as close to Utah as Twin Falls, Idaho and as far away as Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Mexico. They organize Dental and Medical expeditions as well as construction and re-construction projects. They have an office in Quito Ecuador which organizes Free Dental and Medical Clinics throughout Ecuador.  (https://www.charityanywhere.org/index.php/about/)

At Wednesday's event, Charity Anywhere worked with the Church to donate wheelchairs, food, medical supplies, and other equipment to local organizations, including the Red Cross.   

Food stuffs being loaded into the back of a truck as Red Cross personnel look on.

We estimate that over 100 wheelchairs were donated at this event by Charity Anywhere to local organizations.

The mission statement of Charity Anywhere is "to give 'ordinary people' the life changing opportunity to provide needed medical care, dental services, and basic shelter to less developed countries; while concurrently forever changing the mind and heart of the volunteer for good."

Pictured below is a man who was fitted for, and received, a prothesis for his lower right leg.

It was an impressive event and we were excited to see how the Church works hand in hand with other organizations in Ecuador to bless those in need.

On Wednesday, we also received permission from the operation and maintenance manager - Brother Torres, to have 6 of the old desk chairs from the old office to replace the kitchen/dining chairs in our apartment. The chairs have silver metal frames and black leather back and seat cushions.  They look kind of retro, but are a nice fit for our apartment.  AND, we don't have to worry about falling through the broken cushions on the old chairs.

Old office chairs give our apartment a new look.

Thursday morning, Max went to the new office and I stopped at the old office to confirm that the chairs were available and not locked away.  They were sitting in our old office and the custodian was wiping them down for me.  That was really kind.  I told them that we’d pick them up later in the day.

From the old office I walked to the new office.  It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the mile walk.  As I was approaching the Colon Chapel, I walked past a young man in a red shirt and jeans.  When I got to the gate and rang the buzzer for the missionaries to let me in,  the young man whom I’d just passed had turned around and was just a few steps away from me.  He said, “I want to be a Mormon, and I want to learn English.”  I asked his name (which was Carlos), and a few other questions.  We talked for a few minutes and then I asked him to wait while I went inside to get the missionaries. 

   

I walked into the office and found Elder Chepe at his desk.  Elder Fueres was out in the parking lot on a phone call.  I told him that there was a young man at the front gate who wanted to be a Mormon, and invited the missionaries to come with me so I could introduce them to Carlos.

Elder Fueres and Elder Chepe meet Carlos at the entrance to the Colon meetinghouse.

We made the introductions and I left the missionaries to do their work.  When they returned to the office, they said that they’d arranged for a teaching appointment later that evening.   

Thursday after work, we stopped at the old office on our way back to the apartment, and brought 4 of the 6 chairs home with us.  We only took 4 chairs, because it was kind of tricky to carry them to our apartment.  Max carried two chairs and I carried two.  It’s a 5 block walk from the old office to our apartment and we made it with a few struggles.  The chairs were not heavy, well not at first.  They started to feel heavy around block #3, but mostly they were just awkward to maneuver. 

After getting the chairs to our apartment, I took a walk to look for some rubber chair tips to put on the bottom of the chair legs so that they would not scratch the laminate flooring.  I found some sticky pads at a hardware store across the street from some plant stores.  I also bought a new plant for $2. 

Friday morning when I arrived at the office, I asked the missionaries how the appointment went with Carlos.  They said that it fell through, but they were going to try again over the weekend.

Saturday, we took an Uber to Cumbaya, rented mountain bikes, and took a 20 km bike ride on the 

Ruta Ecologica El Chaquinan trail.  It’s a 6 - 8 foot wide path made of dirt and cobblestone roads, grass, and some old train tracks.  It snakes through Cumbaya for 66 km connecting it to other communities in the area.  

When we started on the path, it felt pretty easy because the first 2 km we were going down a gentle decline.   BUT, that didn't last long, it was up and down for the next 8 km. The trail was curvy and rocky, so you had to keep a tight grip on your handlebars so that your bike wouldn’t be thrown off center.  It was also busy with hikers and bikers, so you needed to pay close attention to what was in front of you and behind you.  I was not interested in having a collision with another biker or a hiker.  There were a few times when my encounters felt a little too close, especially with bikers who were descending the trail when we were ascending.

Bike rentals in Cumbaya were $5/bike for 3 hours of use.

Elder Lewis waits for me on the bike trail.  

We finished the 20 km’s in about 2.75 hours.  We were satisfied, sweaty, thirsty, and hungry.  We returned our rented bikes and then decided to look for a place to eat.  We found a BBCO. around the corner from the bike shop where we enjoyed a late lunch of delicious hamburgers, french fries, and COLD water.

Lunch at BBCO. was a treat!  They literally had the best fries we've tasted in Ecuador.

After lunch, we took an Uber to the mall and purchased some rubber chair tips to put on the legs of the new chairs, a couple of chair cushions to try, and a few other items.  From there, we walked to Megamaxi and did our weekly grocery shopping.  

It was a busy and productive week.  We are grateful to see the missionaries back to work, to see the message of the restored gospel moving forward, and to feel God's love resting upon the good people of Ecuador.

Love and Blessings to All!
Elder & Sister Lewis

ACCEPT - ADJUST - ADAPT!

On Monday and Tuesday, we saw the Barlow’s again for some final missionary and mission office business.  We said our final, FINAL farewells on Tuesday, but we had a few phone calls and email exchanges before they officially flew out on Wednesday.

   

When President Barlow finished instructing the office staff on how to manage a normal transfer (since we haven’t had a normal anything since Covid quarantine began on March 17th), he brought out a rack of ties and let the office missionaries choose from his tie collection.  There must have been 50+ ties.  Once the 4 missionaries had made their selections, Elder Lewis was given a left over brown tie that he might actually use.  It was a sweet and memorable gesture by President Barlow! 

President Barlow gifts his tie wardrobe to Elders Chepe, Fueres, Orben, and Ramirez. 

One final photo with the Barlow's.  We are grateful for their love, leadership, and service!  

On Wednesday, we officially moved to the new mission office in the Colon building.  The move went pretty smoothly.  They loaded up computers and designated boxes on Tuesday evening. When we arrived at the new office on Wednesday morning, we decided who was going to take what computer and where I and the two office Elders were going to sit.  

   

I’m pleased with my arrangements.  I have a corner desk with the only computer that has the CDE program on it for recording fichas and creating membership records, two sets of 3-drawer file cabinets, and two other file drawers to store missionary files in.  I also have two printers to my right that are easy to access.   

My new office space!   

My work space is the most visible when you walk into the office, and I do keep it tidy!  The other two missionaries are on the other end of the room.  No one is situated at the front desk, so we told the assistants that they could have that space, but they are usually lingering around the other two Elders' desks.  That works for me, because it gives me ample space to do my work without stumbling over someone else.

   

As financial secretary, Elder Lewis has his own office.  It’s actually bigger than the office he had in the other building. There’s also an office for the Mission President, which is smaller than the previous one, and there is a small storage closet.

Elder Lewis in the new financial office of the Ecuador Quito Mission.

We have not moved all of the mission supplies from the other office.  For now, we are going to store them in the bodega (storage unit) on the premises of the office complex that we were in. We will move and organize the supplies in the bodega sometime this week. 

Wednesday morning, the new temporary mission president - President Baquerizo also came into the office with his wife and teenage daughter.  It was really nice to meet them and he went right to work helping to resolve a medical appointment issue for Elder Sarango.  President Baquerizo is a medical doctor by profession and a former mission president.  He's experienced and has credentials that will be helpful to the mission as we await the arrival of President & Sister Winters.

L-R: President & Sister Baquerizo, Elder Fueres, Elder Orben, Elder Ramirez, Elder Chepe, Elder Lewis, Sister Lewis

While I was helping President Baquerizo with Elder Sarango's medical history, Elder Lewis was zealously discussing the printer situation in the office.  On our way to the new office, we stopped by the old office and picked up the colored printer we'd been using there.  It was a printer that had been recycled from President Barlow’s mission home office this last March when the office printer stopped working.  We were not necessarily partial to that printer, but it did have the functionality that we needed.

Elder Lewis standing curbside with the recycled printer texting the missionaries to
LET US IN the new office.

Well…….the facilities management people DID NOT like that!  For auditing purposes, they are required to keep an inventory of all equipment and where it is located.  That means, that we could not have more than the 3 new printers purchased and designated for the Ecuador Quito Mission. 

Elder Lewis’ tried to adamantly explain why we needed the functionality of the old printer (color, copying, and scanning), but it didn't make any difference.  We still ended up with the 3 designated printers specified for our office.  The discussion created a little bit of tension and a rough start to the morning, but things calmed down and we finished the day on a positive note.  It's unfortunate that they didn’t ask any of us in the office what kind of printers we needed.  Our requests would have been more economical with greater usability than what we were given.  Experiences like this, help us remember three key words for missionaries - ACCEPT, ADJUST, ADAPT!

      

Moving to the new office has given us the opportunity to search out some new places to eat lunch.  Our first choice was only a block from the office - Valentina’s.  It’s small and hardly noticeable when you walk by, but they serve a nice almuerzo (lunch) for $3.  It includes fresh juice, soup, entree, 3 sides (rice, potatoes, vegetables/salad), and a small dessert.  We ate there on Wednesday by ourselves and Thursday with the office Elders.  Both times, we left feeling very satisfied.

   

Friday we tried a Panaderia on the next block.  It’s a large bakery that also serves lunch. Our lunch was $5 and nicely presented.  However, the food and service were better at Valentina’s.

   Lunch at the Panaderia.   Nice presentation!

  

Friday evening, we Zoomed into a baptism at the Colon building that was conducted by the Assistants - Elder Fueres and Elder Orben.  The person getting baptized was Mishell Brigith Shiguango.  As we Zoomed in, the video was showing others who had joined the Zoom baptism.  Here’s what we saw…….

Zoom footage of baptismal attendees for the baptism of
Mishell Brigeth Shiguango on 3 July 2020.

I think this was Mishell’s mother.  I must admit that it seemed a little strange to see someone smoking a cigarette at a baptism, because tobacco is not permitted in our church buildings where baptisms are held.  But, I think it's meaningful that her mother wanted to participate.  Maybe someday Mishell will share the restored gospel with her mother, who will accept the doctrine of Christ, and the Lord's law of health revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1843. (See https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89?lang=eng)

Yesterday, was the 4th of July.  That doesn’t mean much in Ecuador, but I did find myself longing to celebrate the US holiday in some way.  We received a notice from the US Embassy of a celebration via Facebook Live hosted by the US Ambassador to Ecuador - Michael J. Fitzpatrick.  We accessed the link last night at 7 PM and realized that the celebration was geared to Ecuadorians who had some connection with the US.  It was all in Spanish and we didn’t even hear any patriotic music.  It was disappointing.

   

I’m disappointed that I didn’t do something more to celebrate.  We spent the day cleaning the apartment after Ruben finished painting on Friday.  We scrubbed paint splatters off the floors, wiped the dust and paint splatters off the baseboards, doorways and cabinets, washed windows, vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned until we were exhausted.  

   

The apartment does look brighter and cleaner with a fresh coat of paint.  I can’t say it was an exceptional paint job, but it is better than what we had, and I feel refreshed!

After we finished cleaning, Max and I cut my hair.  I was going to go have it cut, but I didn't want to deal with masks and trying to explain what I wanted, so I decided we could do it ourselves. It turn out pretty good.  The good news is that I think my hair is growing back in.  I’m seeing all kinds of little hairs coming in at the hairline around my face.  I’m also seeing short hairs throughout my scalp.  Maybe those prenatal vitamins that Dr. Vaclaw (brother-in-law) recommended are working.  I’ve been taking them for 3+ months.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

  

Today is fast Sunday.  We invited the sisters upstairs - Hermanas Cabrera, Quena, and Vargas to join us for sacrament meeting.   We did parts of the meeting in Spanish and parts of it in English. Hermana Quena said the opening prayer in English, we sang the opening/sacrament song in English, Elder Lewis blessed the sacrament in Spanish, Hermanas Quena and Vargas shared their testimonies in English, Elder Lewis and I shared our testimonies in Spanish, we sang the closing song in Spanish, and Hermana Cabrera gave the closing prayer in Spanish. It was great meeting with a nice blend of languages.  Hermanas Quena and Vargas are working on their English and Elder & Sister Lewis are working on their Spanish.

Love & Blessings to all!
Elder & Sister Lewis