Let's Go Back to Quito!

 The Lago Agrio Branch had a reservation for a bus to take them to the Quito Temple on the last two days before closure, so we decided to go with the members. Temples usually close every 6 months for 2 weeks of deep cleaning and repair work. On those last two days, everyone wants to attend. Seattle Temple President Wiser told me one time about 10 years ago that we should have a closure every month so more people would attend. 

We boarded a bus in Lago Agrio at 9pm and we left about 10pm. The whole Latin America idea of timeliness is so difficult for me to adjust to. We were told to be there promptly at 8pm and we were still picking up people in the town after 10pm. I follow the phrase, "Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable!" Hopefully, I can change my perspective while I live here.

We arrived at 6am but it was still a bit dark. Thank goodness we had Dramamine for the 8-hour trip. But my neck was incredibly stiff. The entire busload emptied into the hospedaje adjacent to the temple and we started registering for rooms. We each paid $25 for the bus ride, a bed for the night, and lunch.

This is a good shot of the hospedaje and the bus arriving. Our apartment is the first window to the right of the front door on the bottom floor.

This is Wilson's first trip to the temple since he was just baptized 6 days before. He so enjoyed the trip and the opportunity to perform baptisms for the dead.

As was the case in Guayaquil, temple trips are a family affair. There were quite a few children on the bus trip and they loved being on the temple grounds.

I love to see the families from Otavalo. Even the little children are dressed in traditional clothing. So cute!

We enjoyed a few temple sessions and performed sealings for many of our ancestors. By Saturday, many buses had arrived and the temple was full. We took a cab into the Quito Mission Office to pick up a new debit card since ours was compromised within 3 days of getting to Lago Agrio.

Most of the members were in the upstairs group rooms with bunkbeds. But they gave us a missionary apartment like we had at the Guayaquil Temple. It was so gorgeous; it made me want to be a temple missionary again. We ran into Elder and Sister Norman who are in charge of the opening of this temple. They are friends of our friend Elder John Hansen who we served with in Hong Kong. Elder Norman has served many missions and was given this assignment to train ordinance workers. They are going home soon and wish these apartments were full of senior missionaries.

It felt so comfortable and quiet, especially overnight, as our place is full of roosters and dogs. Since the Church removed most temple missions from the senior mission opportunities, these apartments are offered to country locals who would like to move here and work in the temple.

So comfortable and clean! In Guayaquil, the rent was $450 so I imagine this is similar. The temple is in the suburb of Cumbayá, which is a popular upper-class neighborhood with a large ex-pat community.

At noon on Saturday we loaded the bus again and sat waiting. Apparently, there were some people who were still in the temple. So we waited. The kids were screaming. Eventually people started leaving the bus. By 1:45pm we started going. Why we loaded at noon is still a mystery to me. We stopped at a restaurant on the side of the road at 2:30pm to get lunch. It was freezing cold, but the 45 of us packed in, got traditional chicken and rice, and went back to the bus. By 10:30pm we arrived in Lago Agrio and a member gave us a ride home. I think next time we'll take our car.