Hummingbirds, Butterflies, and Chocolate!

On Saturday, August 22, we traveled to a popular tourist area in Ecuador - MINDO, also know as the Mindo Valley.  This area is a mountainous watershed in the western slopes of the Andes, where two of the most biologically diverse eco-regions in the world meet - the Chocoan Lowlands and the Tropical Andes.  In this transitional area - which covers 103 square miles and ranges from 3,150 - 11,290 feet about sea level - three rivers and hundreds of streams irrigate the beautiful patchwork landscape of rainforests, secondary forests, agricultural land, and human settlements.  (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindo,_Ecuador).

Hummingbirds, Butterflies, and Chocolate!  Our trip to Mindo, Ecuador.

Our first stop was at a hummingbird farm in the Alambi Reserve.  Early morning is the best time to watch  hummingbirds.  By nature, they are loners and very territorial.  However, the first early morning feeding is congenial, full of activity, and exciting to watch.

Can you find the hummingbird?  Look to the left of the feeder.

Feeding on the right edge of the feeder.

Hummingbird activity in the garden.

A hike to the river.

After a short hike through the rainforest and down to the river, we drove on to the community of Mindo.  First stop, the chocolate factory.  Last fall, the Guerrera family took us for an overnight trip to their cacao farm.  A few weeks later we went to their home and made chocolate.  So this chocolate tour was not our first "farm-to-table" chocolate experience.  However, it was very interesting and we learned that "chocolate" can trace its history to Ecuador where the cacao bean was first used as a means of currency.  

The history of chocolate!

After the chocolate tour, which included a chocolate tasting excursion like no other, we purchased some chocolate and left for our next Mindo experience.  I have to say, I don't think I've ever eaten so much strong chocolate in such a short time.  We started with a small cup of hot chocolate that was 100% chocolate.  The tour guide then invited us to add small amounts of sugar until it suited our tastes.  I needed less than 1/4 teaspoon to remove the bitterness and make the drink delicious.  Elder Lewis needed at least 2 spoonfuls and the tour guide added 3+ spoonfuls.  We then tasted chocolate that was 100% pure, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, and flavored in other ways - ginger, orange, chili, etc.  

At the end of the tour, we were treated to a salad-sized plate of fresh fruit with a small 1" x 1" x 1" scrumptious brownie.  I left the premises with my heart racing and my head buzzing.  It was WAY too much chocolate for me!  

Following the chocolate tour, we rode the teleferico (chairlift/cableway) through, well....really above, the Mindo rainforest.  It was beautiful! 

Waiting for our chair to arrive.

Heading to the top.

A view of the beautiful Mindo Valley landscape on the return ride.  

After the teleferico ride, we went to the butterfly biosphere and enjoyed seeing the butterflies in their different stages of development.  As you can see from the photos below, Elder Lewis was a hit with the butterflies.  

The butterflies seemed to love Elder Lewis. Was it his sweet smell, the fleece vest, 

or chocolate that may have accidentally dripped on him during the chocolate taste and tell?

The butterfly was feeding on the mashed banana I had on my finger.

We also enjoyed exploring some rather elaborate treehouses.  Again, we were impressed with the beauty of Ecuador.  

If you ever wanted to shop "treehouse" real estate, Mindo rainforest would be a great place to start.

A view of the front entrance.

Take a look at the "rustic" reclaimed wood flooring.  Seriously, you could live 

in one of these treehouses.  Privacy might be an issue, but the view would be magnificent!

Just when we thought the "missionary shuffle" was over, borders opened up in some South American countries, and with consulate approval and a Church chartered flight, we sent 14 missionaries back to the countries of Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia.  As of Friday, we now have 125 young missionaries serving in the Ecuador Quito Mission.

As I was preparing departure packets (Paquetes de Salida) for the missionaries, I discovered that Sister Montero's passport was missing.  She was originally scheduled to return to Bolivia the end of June, but tested positive for COVID and remained in Quito.  I had prepared a departure packet for her at that time, which contained her passport.  However, when I called do see if she had her passport, she said she didn't. 

That was not good news!  I started searching the office, thinking that maybe her 1st departure packet had been tucked away somewhere when we made the office move on June 30 and July 1.  The packet or passport was no where to be found.  I then walked back to the old office and started going through some boxes that we hadn't moved yet.  Still, no passport!  I worried for a moment that maybe I had thrown it away with the sacks and boxes of old materials that we trashed in the move.  

THEN, I realized that Sister Montero needed to search her belongings for the original Paquete de Salida.  I described, in detail, what she needed to look for.  Within 30 minutes she called back to say that she'd found her Paquete de Salida and her passport.  Elder Lewis suggested that she take a picture of the passport and send it to me so that we knew that she knew where her passport was.  Her passport photo, brought a surge of relief!

Missing passport is found!!

Yesterday, the mission enjoyed hearing (via Zoom) from Elder Mathias Held and Sister Held.  Elder and Sister Held visited the Ecuador Quito Mission in person last December.  They reminded us of the power, purpose, and blessings of prayer.  We know, through person experience, that God does hear and answer our prayers.   We are grateful for that knowledge and the peace and assurance that prayer has brought into our lives. 

Elder & Sister Held. 

Love and blessings to all!

Elder & Sister Lewis

Our Anniversary Trip to Quilotoa Laguna! A Hike to Remember.....

President Winters and family were released from quarantine last Saturday.  On Tuesday, following a Zoom mission leadership council meeting, they were off on a mission tour with the Assistants - Elder Duran and Elder Fueres.  Their objectives were to see the geography of the mission; meet face to face with missionary companionships; and gain a first-hand perspective of missionary health, missionary apartments, and missionary living conditions.   

The week following transfers is always a little slow in the mission office.  This past week was no exception.   We worked through Thursday and then Elder Lewis and I took Friday off to celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary.  We traveled to Quilotoa Laguna for a day of hiking and sightseeing.  

It was a wonderful trip and we loved seeing more of Ecuador.  Our first stop was Canon del Rio Toachi........

Canyon entrance.

You read about tragic accidents when someone falls to their death while taking a selfie.  It's easy to see how something like that could happen.  In this photo, notice at the end of the path the small rod sticking out of the sand.  At this point, the path was barely 18 inches wide and all 3 sides were shear rock cliffs that dropped to the canyon floor.  Venturing out to that point would have been extremely dangerous.  One misstep and you would be over the edge.

We maintained our safety by holding onto the wooden fence and staying a safe distance away 

from the end of the path and the edge of the cliffs.  A great analogy here.  We thought 

of Lehi's dream of the Tree of Life and his admonition to hold onto the iron rod or 

the word of God (1 Nephi 8).  We, too, can maintain our safety by holding securing to the word of God and staying a safe distance from the temptations of the adversary.

Our next and final destination was Quilotoa Laguna.  Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera and the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. As you stand at the top of the volcano the view is incredible.  The hike to the bottom and back is 10 km/6.2 miles.  You begin at an elevation of 12,841 ft. and descend 1000 ft. to the water's edge.  

A view from near the top of the volcano.

Early in the day it was windy and cool at the top of Quilotoa.

A panoramic view of Quilotoa at the half-way point.

The walk down is on a 5-6 foot wide, sandy, well-charted, and maintained path.  It takes about 30 minutes to walk down into the volcano and 1-2 hours to hike back out.  We managed the 30 minutes down and hiked back out in 53 minutes.  It was a pretty steep ascent.  When we would stop for photos or a drink on our way down, I could feel my legs quivering because of the steepness of the trail.  You also had to be careful not to slip when the sand was just a light dusting on the rocky face of the path.  

The Quilotoa hiking trail. 

The descent was steep.  

When we arrived at the lake, I decided to test the temperature of the water with my feet.  I pulled off my dusty shoes and socks and waded along the bank of the laguna.  While doing so, I happened to step into an undetected sink hole.  Within a fraction of a second, my left leg was engulfed in the grasp of gooey black sludge.  l instinctively reached for a nearby rock to maintain my balance as I pulled my leg out of the sticky sludge.  As my foot came to the surface, you could hear the sucking sound of the release, and smell the sulfureous stench of the mud.  

Enjoying the cool water after a steep and dusty hike down.

A view across the lake.

In the course of my relaxing exploration, I found a sink hole that seemed just the right size for me.  

That sink hole was a gentle reminder that sometimes in life we step into a place, intentionally or accidentally, that seems just the "right size" for us, only to discover that it's sticky and smelly, and we sink quickly.  What a blessing it is to have a stable rock nearby to steady and support us as we move to safer ground.  

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Helaman teaches his two sons Nephi & Lehi, and us, to "Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery [or a sink hole] and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."  (Helaman 5:12)

As missionaries it is a privilege to testify of the blessings that come when we build our lives upon the rock of our Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

I would consider this to be my first, and hopefully only, experience with something like quicksand.  With further investigation, the sink hole was just the right fit for my size 6.5 foot.  Checking beneath the water's surface, the sandy beach around the sink hole was solid ground. 

After scrubbing away the sludge, I climbed onto a nearby dock to visit and enjoy the scenery.  Elder Lewis, myself, and our father/son tour guides then took a small motorboat ride around the lake.  Along the shoreline you could see places where the water was bubbling as the gases from the ground were being released.

On our hike back, we had the option to take a horse or mule taxi to the top.  But, for a cost of $10 per person, we opted to walk.  We stopped several times to catch our breath and drink some water, but we made it back in good time....53 minutes.  For a couple of seniors at 12,000+ feet elevation, we impressed ourselves! 

A final view of Quilotoa Laguna - 14 August 2020.

An anniversary kiss to celebrate our hike to remember! 

After our hike, we stopped to eat and then headed back to Quito.  We were fortunate to have a father and his son as both our drivers and tour guides.  It was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed our time together.

How grateful we are for this beautiful world that was created for us by our loving Heavenly Father, and the opportunity to explore parts of it in Ecuador.    

Blessings to all!

Elder & Sister Lewis

Anniversaries!

 This past week, Wednesday, August 5th,  we celebrated our 1 year mark in Quito.  This week on Friday, August 14th we will celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary.  Amazing!

To begin with, the last year has raced by!  It's hard to believe that we have been here for an entire year.  We have learned a lot.  We've lost a few things - a tooth, weight, hair, and an iPhone.  We've experienced two quarantines.  Ten days in October 2019 for the Ecuadorean transportation strike and 100+ days from March - June for the COVID pandemic.  We've had the opportunity to work with 3 mission presidents and their wives - President & Sister Barlow, President & Sister Baquerizo, and now President & Sister Winters.  We've seen 200+ missionaries come and go.  And, we've started to understand and speak a little Spanish.  It has been a wonderful year!

On a daily basis it seems like our work is rather routine, but before we know it, the week has come and gone, and we are moving into another month.  We don't know what the next 6 months will bring, but we are grateful to be here serving in Quito, and we're looking forward to the days, weeks, and months ahead.

If our year in Quito has been a whirlwind, the past 44 years of marriage have been ...... indescribable!  We began our lives together with a list of dreams, aspirations, goals, expectations, excitement, love, and confidence that life would be good to us if we worked together and kept God as our focus.  We have been blessed!  The greatest blessing has been our family.  We love our amazing children, their wonderful spouses, and our 29 beautiful grandchildren.  

We are grateful for all the opportunities and associations we've experienced.  Beginning with our early days as students at BYU to our first job with Conoco Chemicals in Ponca City, OK where we lived for 8 years.  From there to Waverly, TN, with DuPont, then on to Delaware and Pennsylvania for a total of 9 years; before our final career stop in Ohio with Sherwin-Williams.  It has been quite the journey for two young adults from farming backgrounds in Northern Wyoming who set out together to create a life for themselves.  The life we found included.....family, friends, work, school, church service, community service, travel, and more.  We look back on our 44 years with fond memories and we look ahead with excitement and expectations for the future.  

Our new mission president, his wife, and two of their six children arrived two weeks ago.  As of today, they have completed their two week mandatory quarantine.  We have visited with them twice in person over the past two weeks.  Once to meet them and talk about the mission, and a second time to take them groceries.  We're excited to see them in the mission office tomorrow morning!  

This last week was transfer week.  We welcomed 12 new missionaries.  Six are brand new and have just completed their online training.  The other 6 missionaries were reassigned from other missions in Ecuador.   We also said 'good-bye' to 5 returning-home missionaries, and 'farewell' to 4 reassigned missionaries.  It was a busy week.

New missionaries and reassigned missionaries arrive on August 5th.  

Mission "hellos" and "good-byes" are exciting and tender!

As part of the orientation for new missionaries, office secretaries give short presentations that include introducing themselves and explaining their office responsibilities.  Elder Lewis and I both gave our presentations in Spanish.  We are making progress in hearing, understanding, and speaking the Spanish language.

In Elder Lewis' presentation, he made a special effort to teach the missionaries how to withdraw their money from an ATM without getting robbed.  It was entertaining and educational.  Within the last two weeks, we've had two companionships that have been robbed shortly after walking away from an ATM machine.  

Each week, I am passing off English modules with the missionaries who are striving to learn English.  I thoroughly enjoy the association and it gives me a chance to know the missionaries better as they share bits and pieces of their lives, their families, their testimonies, as well as their thoughts and insights about life.  This last week, I was impressed with something that Elder Seijas said.  I asked him to give me a sentence using one of the words in a word web.  He choose the word "kind."  He then said, "Sometimes we can be addicted to a certain kind of sadness."  It was an insightful comment.  

I went to have my teeth cleaned this week.  You would have thought I was having major surgery.  I walked into the office building and had to wait 20 minutes on the first floor until the one and only patient in the dentist's office, on the 6th floor, was finished and had exited.  Then, I was called up to the 6th floor.  

When I stepped into the dentist office, I was immediately sprayed down front and back and asked to put footies over my shoes.  I took a few more steps towards the examination rooms and was stopped again to put on a hairnet, which totally destroyed my good hair day.  The dental assistant then escorted me to the examination room and before I sat down in the chair, I had to put on a protective gown over my clothes.  I sat down in the chair and waited a few minutes for the dentist to come in.  She entered the room in a hazmat suit, googles, face mask, and hairnet.  She pulled on her examination gloves and was sprayed down immediately before sitting down in the dentist's chair.  We talked for a few minutes and then she started cleaning my teeth. 

Attire for dental cleanings during COVID.

After the cleaning, my hairnet and gown were removed, and I was sprayed down again.  While paying for the appointment, I had to sign a paper saying I didn't have COVID.  Walking out the door I took off my footies and was on my way.  It was an experience to remember!

This morning we invited Sister Cabrera and Sister Vargas, the two sister missionaries who live in the apartment upstairs, to join us for sacrament meeting.  We appreciated their company and their testimonies.

Today, the mission was taught live (via Zoom) by Elder Ahmad Corbitt, first counselor in the General Young Men's Presidency.  Brother Corbitt encouraged us to develop Christlike attributes, to be obedient, to share our testimonies of the living Christ, and to rest assured that if we do so, we will see and experience mission miracles.  It was an inspiring meeting.  We were blessed to understand much of it in Spanish. 

Life is interesting......enjoy it!  Let us not allow ourselves to "become addicted to a certain kind of sadness," because of the challenges we face individually and collectively.  Remember, your faith and optimism brightens our day.  Best wishes for a wonderful week.  Blessings to all!

Elder & Sister Lewis