Serving in Quito North

 When I was a pre-teen, my siblings and I would pick oranges and avocados from the backyard and sell them on a nearby corner. Before the mall was built, or any of the housing on the east, we would camp out on the side of the road with our filled brown bags. Right there on the curve on Bear Valley Parkway, halfway between the high school and I-15: Eight oranges for $1 or four avocados for $1. I don't remember how much my share was, but I'm certain it all went to candy. Here in Lago Agrio, the oranges are sold out of the back of a pickup just down the road from our apartment. The oranges here are pretty green, but taste OK on the inside. They use plastic bags and sell 25 oranges for $1. I can't tell how much the avocados are, but I'm sure they just as cheap. I still can't stand the texture of avocados. I peeked in the back of this truck to see the three major sellers: plantains, oranges, and wrapping leaves. We had a mini-MTC with the missionaries and branch leaders t...

 While the US is dealing with hot weather, we are too. It's not more than 90 degrees, but the humidity is vicious. The sweat accumulates on the edges of my ridiculously large glasses, then drips down like tears. Suddenly I feel sad. Then I have to remind myself that I am not crying. I need an Olivia Newton-John pink headband. We went with Elders Bayless and Hall to meet a cute family last night. They loved singing hymns and reading their own copies of The Book of Mormon. I can't believe how much better they read in Spanish than I do. My goal is an hour per day before my brain turns to mush. I can say I'm improving. What I lack is someone to correct me when I'm wrong. The people here are too nice!

 Along our daily walk we saw some needles strewn across the path. It wasn't until the next day that we realized it was a porcupine on the side of the road. That tail helped Paul identify it as a prehensile-tail porcupine  (genus  Coendou ). Talk about sharp! My sewing needle was blunt compared to this needle. Then we saw this little guy. I think he was attracted by the smell. He was just a few weeks old and was eager to see us. I wanted to take him home. After we passed him, we saw his mom coming up the hill, looking for him. I was so relieved.

 Lago Agrio was the location of July's Zone Conference. That made it very easy for us to attend. I loe to see all the missionaries together. Their energy is contagious and they love to spend time with each other. With Sister Skousen wrapping up her mission soon, she decided to eat a giant beetle grub (Rhynchophorus palmarum). I've seen them roasted, but never have I wanted to eat a squirming live grub. Palm trees provide palm tree oil here and these grubs develop into harmful beetles, so this is really a service. Their heads are the little black part. This vegetable bedding material is from the palm tree. President and Sister Román taught and inspired all of us and fed us so well. Later we were able to meet with them for parrilladas (barbecue) and chat about the area. They are wonderful to work with!

 I was lucky enough to be able to teach my regular Wednesday and Thursday English classes. I hope I can recover soon. The weight loss is the only upside of norovirus. On our daily walk, we see the most amazing things. A friend online helped me identify this beauty as a Sphinx Hummingbird Moth called the Gudy Sphinx. It's fast, chunky, and green for camouflage. She's about 3" wide. Every telephone pole looks like this.

 After a day's delay due to a wicked norovirus, we are back on the road. A picture of Papallacta would be great here, but it was too cloudy. The pass back to the Orient is 13,300' and there is a great hike there, but it's always covered in clouds. With Rainier sitting at 14,400' it's shockingly green and lush here. In the mountains, some drains have been installed for fresh water runoff. For some reason there was a semi-parade group of people on the road back. Fence work is constantly needed to keep cows in. I'm surprised at the ability of these cows to graze on steep slopes. My favorite fence material is the cut limb that sprouts into a tree during the year.

 The closest church meetinghouse to use is Cumbayá. When we arrived, we were greeted by two companionships of sister missionaries from the Quito Mission (we are technically outside the boundaries of the North Mission). The building is similar to the one in Coca, with high ceilings and lots of windows. The chapel is separated from the classroom building. We were pleased to meet the new mission leaders in Quito, the Weltons, from Lake Oswego, Oregon. Two of their children are with them and are delightful, excited to school to start. Sister Welton told me that they have been so pleased with everything they have seen, from their accommodations to their missionaries. I would be scared out of my mind after being here only 8 days. But she was bearing her testimony in Spanish and interacting with everyone in the ward.   I have no doubt they will be wonderful mission leaders in Quito. We were also lucky to meet a family from Oman who was traveling through Quito before heading to the Ga...

 On Friday morning we woke up expecting the Nueva Loja Branch to be filing the hospidaje, but it was empty. Worrying that the bus had crashed on its 9-hour journey, we found the manager. She announced that they had called on Thursday night and canceled their trip due to the "paro." We didn't know what that was. So we texted the branch president who sent us this: The three provinces in the Orient decided to join in a strike because a foreign contract was being delayed. Instead, the local news propaganda announced it was for improved roads. Since the petroleum comes from the east, they have incredible leverage over the country. Some strikes last for a few days and some for months so we didn't know what to do. The roads into Nueva Loja were blocked. We didn't want to drive for 7 hours only to find this. We were thrilled that the manager of the hospidaje let us stay indefinitely. Naturally, we continued enjoying the temple. I was finally getting over a head cold and f...

 One afternoon we returned from shopping to see two men taking pictures in front of the temple. Since the temple closes after the morning sessions, the rest of the temple parking lot was empty. As we passed the men, I recognized one of them. I nearly jumped out of the moving car and ran over to him while Paul parked. "Hermano Pino!" He didn't recognize me. But I hugged him anyway. Then Paul got out of the car and headed our direction and his face lit up.  Brother Pino was Paul's Wednesday shift coordinator at the Guayaquil Temple in 2019. He was a joy to work with and enjoyed working with Paul. Since we were evacuated out without being able to say goodbye, we thought we would never see him again. He announced that he was on his way to the Quito airport to fly back to Guayaquil. What a wonderful tender mercy!

 Since we are in the city of Quito (2 mil population) we can gather items that we still need in the jungle. After enjoying the temple in the morning, we ventured out to Cumbayá, which is a lovely suburb. The weather is lovely, around 70 degrees, and there is everything from Papa Johns to TGIFridays. The nearby Scala Mall has a salon that gave me a quick haircut for just $13. Not bad! I was able to chat in Spanish with my stylist about my mission and the great places we've visited in Ecuador. We found a delicious burger restaurant in town and ate on the patio. I've never felt more like I was in Escondido. A slight breeze, the rustling of nearby trees, and the smell of oleander put me in a great mood.

 How I miss Mexican tacos and fajitas. Since Cumbayá has a few Mexican restaurants we hoofed it over when we had time and were not disappointed. It feels like San Diego here, but that doesn't mean we get chips and salsa. These enchiladas were kinda strange and the mole was weird, but still tasty. The next day we found another location that was a little closer to traditional. That is one happy Elder!

 We are excited to return to the Quito Temple in preparation for meeting the Nueva Loja Branch. They will travel by bus on Thursday night for 9 hours and stay Friday and Saturday. We can check in on Monday night at the hospidaje on the temple grounds and enjoy attending the temple every morning and evening. How about that for an apartment view? I absolutely wish I could be here 24/7. Incredible finishes and the weather is to die for in Quito.