Serving in Quito North

 I love having time for activities with the Branches in Oriente. And they love to celebrate.  We enjoyed a talent show with a variety of acts and music. Since it was near Easter, the Relief Society sang "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." The DJ was hilarious, and had tricks to keep all the kids enthralled. Later in the week we had a Relief Society celebration where some performed and some brought items they had made. I brought a Texas sheet cake. It was delicious!

 I love exploring cemeteries. We've found that most cemeteries in Ecuador are not open regularly during the week. This particular location is on our walk everyday and is never open. But with the holiday this week, the gates were open and family members were tending the gravesites. The nature of burial here is a mix of above-ground and in-ground.

 We were surprised to see lychee here in Coca, but shouldn't have been, since it is a tropical fruit. Before we saw them for sale, we began to see the peels littering the sidewalks. You can peel them open with your fingernail. Inside is a white fruit the size of a green grape and inside that is a large black seed. We have started to see these trees in bloom along the roads. The pink blossoms aren't what you think. This is the form of the "flower." If ever there were pink pine needles, they would qualify. Some parts of the street are covered in pink. English class in Shushufindi has been growing lately. There's Elder Brown who substitutes for me when we are gone. I have never heard him complain about a single thing. Definitely one of my favorite missionaries. Driving home I saw this scene straight out of a movie. I know this is a tough ride because the roads are quite bumpy. This is how I tore my shoulder in Hong Kong while I was riding a packed bus.

 It's true. Creativity is more likely to give me a dopamine rush more than a cold shower. I've read Dopamine Nation and understand hard things can increase dopamine response, but sometimes I need to just feel fabric. I need some names for these girls. Plessy Pointy-Tail? Jenny Ginger? Polly Molly Blue? Flit Wit Twit?

 We returned to the Quito Temple for a week of worshiping and recharging. The temple has a split schedule (or a siesta schedule) so they open in the morning, close for the afternoon, and then reopen for the evening. This means we can attend an endowment session and then an extra ordinance before leaving for lunch.  On Monday we arrived about 4pm and went to the Scala Mall for dinner. They are adding a 4th floor, so in the 6 weeks we have been gone, they opened the new food court up there. It is an exact replica of the 3rd floor. As you look across the open area of the mall (with its tarp roof), you can see where the 3rd floor was open. We would eat KFC there by the windows. Today we are enjoying McDonalds for the first time in over 2 years. On Tuesday-Friday we walk up from the Scala Mall on this wonderful ciclovia. Some of its largest trees were blooming with huge yellow flowers. One of the most popular restaurants in Cumbaya, El Palacio de la Fritada, is always busy. I ordered the ve