Serving in Quito North

 Papo's is our new favorite spot to eat. They always give you lots of food and it's delicious. I was starting to feel a cold coming on, but it was still nice to go out and eat. We picked up some of these fried bananas on the way out of Quito and they were the most delicious snack I've had. I should have bought more. They were only $1. Crunchy, sweet, and delicious. In the middle of our trip, we hit a pothole and got a flat tire. Right in the middle of the Andes. Luckily, Paul found a bus stop to pull over into because there are no shoulders on the road. He put the spare on and we drove the 100 miles home on it. And it wasn't raining. What a blessing!

 We were happy to spend another week in Cumbayá at the Quito Temple. We met a few Westerners, too. One couple was from Sandy, Utah, and touring South American temples. They said Quito was their 99th temple to attend. I was impressed that they were able to travel freely as he was blind and using a cane. The second couple we met were from Sidney and had recently settled in Quito as ex-pats. I wonder where we will settle when we retire.  Each afternoon after a temple session, we would drive to the Scala Mall, then walk into town and find someplace to eat lunch. Then we walked back. It was a great way to get in 5 miles and still eat a wonderful lunch. We had barbecue, Columbian arepas, encebollado, and pizza. On the way back home, we noticed that a ton of people had stopped at the Papallacta pass. Then we realized it was sunny. That was the first time we'd seen one of the volcanos, Antisana, at 18,870'. Every time we drive through, it is overcast and windy, so this was a nice surpr

 It has finally happened! The Nueva Loja Branch has been split into two. The new branch is called Lago Agrio and will meet in the same rental space. It was a packed house, with President Román and President Galán in attendance. I finally grabbed a picture with President Osorio, who will continue as branch president with the Nueva Loga Branch.

 We enjoyed another zone conference in Lago Agrio on Friday. It's always fun to get together with the young missionaries. The Románs always feed us well and treat us special. We enjoyed KFC fried chicken and a big birthday cake. I love these women! From Left: Hermana Pinto, Hermana Rodriguez, me, Hermana Meyers, and Hermana Delgadillo. I absolutely admire their love for the Savior. They radiate beauty and virtue. Celebrating my birthday a day early? Sounds great! Making friends.

 I was completely surprised by my Shushufindi English class. Joanne, the Relief Society president, found out that it was my birthday coming up. They brought sandwiches and cookies and a little personal cake, just for me! I love my Shushufindi friends.

 Ecuador has been in the international news recently because a drug lord escaped prison. The jails here aren't very secure. And many judges are on the take, so this drug lord was supposed to be moved and a judge made sure he was able to get out. Now the government has declared a 60-day state of emergency and a curfew from 11pm-5am.  I didn't know there was a bombing a few blocks from our apartment until I saw it on Twitter.  Unfortunately, Paul was in Quito helping a missionary get home so I was locked inside for a few days. I was actually nervous about driving him to the airport and it is only a few blocks away. When he returned we went walking and took a picture of the aftermath. Video from the scene showed all the neighboring businesses were throwing everything out onto the street. From what I hear, gangs are threatening business for their regular shake-down and because of the curfew, restaurants and clubs aren't making their regular income. Paul sent me this lovely brea

 Just south of Lago Agrio there was a traffic accident in front of private tilapia ponds. Unfortunately, an oil pipeline goes right through one of the ponds. Two trucks crashed, pushing one into the pipeline, breaking it open. One of the drivers ran off. His truck still sits on the shoulder. Those poor fish. I don't think they'll make it. For years. I feel bad for this family as this is a new venture for them. I watched them dig these ponds about 6 months ago. 

 Traditionally, New Year's Eve is for setting things on fire in Ecuador. Muñecas are made from paper mâché and here they can be of any person or character. We see a lot of Disney characters, but our favorite is the missionary in Shushufindi. When it's dark, they set it on fire. The next morning on our regular walk, we found some evidence of celebrating. Fireworks kept us up four years ago in Guayaquil, so we prepared with ear plugs and stayed up late. But the fireworks here began about 11:45pm and ended about 12:05am. Not too bad.