Serving in Quito North

Our Christmas began with a walk, like normal. But we got caught in a rain downpour. We hid under a shop awning and waited for it to die down. Then we decided to just go home. We were able to spend time speaking to most of the children on Zoom. They each have their own plans for Christmas, some with in-laws, and some just as a couple. Christmas has changed for us, too. No presents, different food, and 90 degrees. The important part of the holiday is the same. We celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and his life and teachings.  Jesus’s example is one of pure love. He showed us how to love God by striving to do His will above all else. He compassionately healed the sick and disabled, fed the hungry, raised the dead, cared for the poor, welcomed the social outcasts, and ministered to all who faithfully sought Him out.

 It's that time of year again! I made a list of goodies that I can make from local ingredients. Elder Vance told me about a chocolate bar that has a decent flavor that I could use for chocolate chip cookies. And coincidentally, Marnie sent me a great recipe. The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever recipe.  To this I added Frosted Sugar Cookies, Fudge, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Christmas Crack, Peanut Brittle, Dipped Coco Cookies. No pecans exist here so I used walnuts in the wedding cookies and they turned out great. The fudge flopped. I didn't get the temperature right. I couldn't ever find pretzels to dip in chocolate, so I bought these Coco cookies, which were delicious.  A cute little shop around the corner had these little sprinkles I had to buy. Paul carefully placed them on the chocolate. I think I'll hire him! Here's the Nestlé bar that I've been using. It is nowhere near dark chocolate at 42%, but it is still good. I couldn't find pretty containers like

 I made frosted sugar cookies for my Shushufindi English class and promptly left them on the counter before the 1.5 hour drive. So we decided to stop by our favorite Ambato bakery and bought a bunch of treats. Everyone enjoyed something sweet and I didn't have to apologize for being scatter-brained. These treats are 4/$1 and are delicious. I have never purchased peanut butter out in the street, but it is always available. The difference between peanut butter from the States is quite stark. There is no salt, sugar, or oil in this version. When I was a little girl, I would visit Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center and watch their peanut butter machine. They still have it!

Paul was pleased to be asked by the sister missionaries to perform two baptisms this weekend. A young mother and daughter wanted to join the Church. They wanted to have their pictures taken right out of the font. We are blessed to have them in the branch.

 We were invited to the branch's Christmas party this weekend. It's so fun to see the children get excited for Christmas. This little girl reminds me of Cece. She was happy to quietly sit with me for about an hour. These young men danced to some upbeat music and everyone was cheering like crazy. The Primary danced to a Spanish version of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." So cute! When Santa arrived with a big bag of treats, they all went berzerk. We enjoyed seeing this cart full of dinner options. Ducks, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Which is the most delicious?

I'm so sarcastically excited to drive back to Coca. Since we need to get back on Thursday to teach English in Shushufindi, we attended the temple on Wednesday, and left early on Thursday. We decided to drive the long way through the bridge washout, stop by Lago Agrio and then go to Shushufindi. Here I am showing off my Chacos in El Chaco. It is a tiny little town with a population of about 4,000 in the Napo province. Here we go again. As soon as we got through, we ran into a stopped line of traffic. Something had happened ahead, but we couldn't see what it was. It was rainy and foggy. After about 20 minutes the smaller vehicles were allowed to go ahead. A truck had flipped on a corner. Men were unloading whatever had been thrown out of the bed. We snuck by on the narrow road. About 2 hours later we were in Lago Agrio, picking up some apartment fixings and stopping by our old apartment. After teaching in Shushufindi and driving another 1.5 hours, we were home. I think it was 12

 We returned to Quito for a Zone-wide Christmas party and temple trip with the Románs. They are hosting each zone every day for 2 weeks! We are so grateful for their loving support. On Monday we drove back to Quito and checked into the hospidaje. And on Tuesday morning we were able to attend the morning endowment session with all our Oriente missionaries. The weather was wonderful and we enjoyed chatting with everyone. The younger missionaries had traveled overnight on Sunday-Monday and spent the previous day in Quito. Here is Elder Willard with Elder Watkins (who is 6'6") and his companion, Elder Rodas (who is 5'0"), and hiding is Elder Vance. I wandered around while they shopped in the distribution center and enjoyed the beautiful grounds. Then they boarded a shuttle van and we got in our car to travel to the Iñaquito chapel for lunch and training. On the way there, we finally received a text notification that our next mission call was ready to be read! We were so e

 We decided to start getting some pictures with city signs before it's too late. Here is the bridge that leads into the city over the Rio Aguarico. And our current city--Coca, a shortened name for Francisco de Orellana, who traveled down the Amazon out to the other side of Brazil. I watched the Alastair Sim's A Christmas Carol yesterday, on Elder Gong's recommendation. I try to watch my favorite versions every year.  My favorites: 1. A Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Michael Caine 2. Scrooge (1970) Albert Finney 3. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) Dan Stephens 4. A Christmas Carol (1938) Reginald Owen 5. A Christmas Carol (1951) Alastair Sim 6. A Christmas Carol (1999) Patrick Stewart 7. A Christmas Carol (2009) Jim Carey

 We stopped by the reservoir to get some walking in. Cumbayá always seems to have great weather. The view shows how sprawling the city is. Although we are at a high altitude, the main part of the city is even higher. Cumbayá is always a few degrees warmer than Quito temperatures. While we wander around the city during the day, we return to the temple each night. Sometimes it is full of patrons and we get to see many people. Tonight our sealer surprised us by remembering our names. We were shocked by his memory since it has been 6 weeks since our last visit. The family members we were sealing together were Hamiltons from Paul's British side. We had a wonderful evening full of the Spirit. Driving out of the city, we travel past the Virgen del Paramo Papallacta. Each time we think we should take a picture, but it's cloudy and rainy each time. The elevation is 13,330' so it is windy and cold. But no snow. It's just 1,000' shy of Mt. Rainier! This small chapel contains a

 We have been unable to visit the temple for a while due to conferences and the move. So we are excited to spend a week at our favorite place. We took advantage of every minute the temple was open. Their schedule is 2 sessions in the morning and 2 sessions at night. That meant we added other ordinances in and around those times. On our drive into Quito we saw this little beauty. She did fine in the heavy, steep traffic. Then we headed to a nice walk in the middle of the city of Cumbaya. I absolutely love this walk, which reminds me of my home in Escondido. It even smells the same. The walking path is separated by housing by a steep valley. So San Diego. This little guy kept showing off for me. He would fly around a bit and then land on this pile of sticks. You are at 2349m or 7706' elevation. Some have a response to the high altitude, but I haven't experienced any light-headedness or headache. We found a delicious barbecue restaurant called Parrilladas de Manolo. Everything was