Serving in Quito North

 Before the Caldwells left Quito in February, they left us a Christmas tree with ornaments. We've moved it to Lago Agrio, then Coca, and now we can actually assemble it. We invited the missionaries over for dinner and they had fun putting it together. Sister Rodriguez says that her family doesn't celebrate Christmas, so she was excited to do something fun. Here is Elder Grimmer, Elder Ardaya, Hermana Rodriguez, and Hermana Meyers. They are all hardworking missionaries! We were able to get our tire fixed at a local shop. It cost all of $3.25. Although Ecuador uses the US Dollar, they have specific coins minted for them. The most common coin is the $1. It has a golden color. However, we have come across Sacagawea $1 coins as well.  On the top left is a regular US quarter next to the Ecuadorian quarter. They use a softer metal which is not as hard-wearing. George Washington is on the left and Jose Joaquin de Olmedo is on the right. The dollar coin with Washington's image is in

 We were pleased to be invited to have Thanksgiving with a couple new to the area. The Porters moved here with their five boys to help at a nature preserve in the Amazon rainforest. It is about 2 hours south of our new apartment in Coca. We picked up the Loreto missionaries who had just been transferred.  The drive was uneventful, but many miles on gravel roads in pouring rain. We were happy that the sun came out when we arrived at Yachana . Yachana partners with universities to bring students here to teach them about the rainforest. They will soon be hosting more teaching classes to locals to help them with self-sufficiency. The Porters cooked a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner. Every bit was delicious, including blackberry pie and lemon meringue pie. I was able to talk with the founder who came here to Ecuador 36 years ago from Kentucky. We were so impressed with the Porters. I couldn't imagine bringing my five children to the Amazon and living off the land. The boys are so happy ro

 It has taken us 9 months to enjoy some delicious encebollado. We found a manabita shop not far away and ordered two bowls of the onion and fish soup. It was delightful and we have returned already. On top we add lime juice and chifles--fried plantain chips. With a liter of soda, the total is only $8. Although our soup has tuna, tilapia is very common here and can be purchased on nearly every busy street. Chickens are ubiquitous. I don't how these roosters aren't tearing each other apart. I've seen a bicycle riding by with one of these cages attached to the front. The chickens seemed very happy to be going for a ride. Finally plantains are the daily food ingredient to those in the Oriente. These fruits are seen being transported around the city in all conveyances.

I was recently reading Enos when I was surprised by these verses: 13  And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation— 14  For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers. When I think of Enos, I remember his powerful description of repentance. I don't recall that he asked that the historic record would be saved for the latter days. He seems to have little hope for the people in his current time period, even

 Following palm fruit gathering trucks is common for us. Although it is the most used product in the world and you have it in your house right now. Palm oil is in almost everything. It's incredibly versatile, which means it is used in more than half of all packaged goods people in the United States eat, including pizza, doughnuts, ice cream, instant ramen, and chocolate. Nutella even has palm oil in it as the second listed ingredient on the label. Those red fruits you see are the fruits which are processed into two products. Palm oil comes from the palm fruit, while palm kernel oil is extracted from the palm seed. Palm kernel oil is also used in makeup, detergents and soaps. That's why palm oil is red and palm kernel oil is white. Think of Skittles' ingredients; sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil make up 98% of the product. Palm fruit can only grow in the 10 degree band north or south of the equator. The variety of short trees means local farmers can harvest by

 Coca has a great walking/cycling path right next to the airport. Although it is dead flat, we appreciate its safety from cars and the opportunity to see other exercisers. We go walking everyday whether it is raining or not. I love walking in the rain! I also love to see hummingbirds. The wall separating the walkway from the airport runway has a few lines of barbed wire on top and we see hummingbirds everyday. A large part of the wall is painted with scripture. I love trying to translate them quickly as I walk by. I know this one. It's because I recognize Romans 1:16. You can sing this scripture to the tune of  "For the Beauty of the Earth" as my seminary students know. Also along the walkway is a local cemetery. Everyone is buried above ground. Here is a small grouping, each decorated by remaining family members who loved them. We've run across some cacao beans drying, but this is the first time I've seen maize also spread out to dry. When walking back to our apa

 After traveling to Lago Agrio for more deep cleaning, we beat feet to Coca for a 7pm baptism. As is usual, a lightning storm began as the sun went down. We were standing outside the chapel taking pictures, when the power went out. A huge lightning strike lit up the city and then everything went dark. Our cellphone flashlights provided plenty of light, but just as we were getting started, the power came back on. We enjoyed the talks about baptism and the Holy Ghost by members of the branch. Some of the students from English class were excited to see us outside class.

 My only immediate need is to fix the curtains in the kitchen. I have a set from Lago that will work, but it needs to be shortened. I just needed some Clover Clips, needle and thread. Now I can pull them closed at night and gain some privacy from people peeking inside.

 The citizens elected Daniel Noboa last month as president and he will take the reins in a few weeks. We found a picture of him by Troncal, where we like to get chicken and fries for $2.50. Papi Pollo! The 35-year-old candidate is the son of a banana magnate, but ran as an everyman. The more socialist candidate, Louisa Gonzalez, was an acolyte of previous present Rafael Correa. That didn't help her much.

 President Román asked us to move to Coca, about 90 minutes south of Lago Agrio, for the last half of our mission. It is very similar in size, but everyone in Coca says it is much safer than Lago. I've seen some videos of crime in Lago, but never saw it up close, and feel that we have been protected in many ways. I was not prepared for how heavy everything is and I've not been lifting weights. I should have called the elders to help us. The weather was its regular oppressive heat, so we were just dripping sweat continually. We had a box truck to be loaded, but the driver was uninterested in helping us load. When I realized we couldn't carry the fridge and washing machine down the stairs, I walked down the road and asked some men to help us. They saved us. Our clothes were soaked through. The power went out at its regular 7-9am shift. The truck arrived at 10am and we arrived in Coca at 12:30pm. Opening the gate for the last time. The power went out from 1-3pm, so as soon as

 We enjoyed a day in Coca for the El Oriente zone conference. It's always a blessing to meet with President and Sister Román and the young missionaries. They inspire us, feed us well, and send us out to work. When you spend time near mission leaders, you realize how much time they spend working everyday. These missionaries are serving in the hottest area in the mission. They have to find that extra bit of energy to walk out their doors. A few are new, but most are the best, most seasoned missionaries you've ever met. They work in incredibly humble conditions. Learning balance and supporting each other are goals of each missionary. Hopefully these missionaries can rely on us, too. Their testimonies of Jesus Christ are uplifting, but I know some lack confidence. Part of the opportunity to serve a mission is gaining that strength to testify with confidence in every moment. Our drive is about 1.5 hours back, but the rain caught us. It was pouring sheets of rain. In some ways this i

 I was in complete shock at the number of families at the Shushufindi Cemetery. The city is a tiny one as is the cemetery. How was it possible that cars and bikes were parked in the blocks surrounding it? Every grave had family members gathered around, celebrating. I wish I could have gathered more pictures, but the policeman was waving us through. On our return home, Joaquin greeted us with his painted face and his mother gifted us a huge bag of oranges, mangos, and plantains. They enjoyed family and friends visiting. Our English students told us that the holiday was more sacred than having a party. One of the great blessings of the holiday on Thursday (and Independence Day for Cuenca on Friday) is that the government announced no power outages from Thursday-Sunday.

 About four years ago, this road washed away. They have been trying to fix it piecemeal during that time. But it looks like they are serious about wire cages full of rocks and concrete. Everyday we walk along this route and I'm fascinated by the style of construction. On the other side of the street, the work begins. Here is what was holding up the road before. Not much. Now the wire cages are created so concrete can be poured inside. Much better! Now they need to recreate the cyclovia and the walking path. So there is a 3-month project that will hopefully live for many years. This gentleman was excited that I was taking pictures of the project. Many workers have been out here in the blistering heat for weeks. He wanted to take a picture with us.