Serving in Quito North

Ibarra is an area of Imbabura, whose capitol is Ibarra. I hope you got that. We visited missionaries in Punyaro and took a few photos of the city from their balcony. Elder Cragun and Elder Mills were curious about this Venezuelan bolivar taped to their door. We looked up the value and it is currently $.025 or two and half cents.

 Oh my goodness, I may have found my favorite place in Ecuador. If you travel south from Ibarra, but go the eastern route to Cayambe, you might feel like you're in the Garden of Eden. When we asked about visiting the Cayambe missionaries, they said they were visiting some waterfalls nearby. Then they asked us to come along! We ran into them before we reached the waterfalls, but we didn't care. It was just so beautiful, even without cascadas. The name of the park is "Cascadas de Cariacu." It was about 68 degrees and smelled like eucalyptus. All the greenhouses are growing flowers which are sold around the world. The missionaries were so funny. They announced that "some" of them had tried to swing on the vines, but that they broke. It was pretty clear to us who had tried to play Tarzan as they were covered in mud. A pair of sisters were the voice of reason. We walked back to the car and then drove one set to their apartment for a quick inspection. Thanks Elder

 After meeting missionaries from Otavalo 4+ years ago in Guayaquil, I have wanted to visit. Members call it Utahvalo because there are so many members. They are known for crafting in alpaca and llama wool. When I found this little family, they were sweeping up the classroom after Primary. After I asked for a picture, the girls lined up to show me their dresses. Fabulous! About 30 minutes away was another building, but the same gorgeous women. When you see them, you will agree that they have, "Virtue emanating from their countenances." Elder Steck from Shushufindi was now in this area, just across the street from the above scene. President Román allows them to dress traditionally for sacrament meetings. On the driveway to their apartment was this little guy. In Peguche, we were waiting for the missionaries and found a craft shop. I couldn't believe how beautiful everything was. The proprietor showed me the techniques they use and how they keep patterns in their heads. She

We stayed in Ibarra for five days, trying to get inspections done for the following zones: Ibarra, Imbaya, Imbabura, and Otavalo. Just keeping the names straight is tough. But this is the area we have most wanted to visit. Missionaries from Atuntaqui lead us down the alley to their apartment. It is important to drop a pin at each apartment because addresses don't exist here. A picture helps future couples trying to find the right place. While in Cotacachi we stopped by a Mexican restaurant, hoping for the best. My fajitas were fantastic, but Paul's enchiladas were only a soupy bowl of tortillas and beef. Oh well. Cotacachi is the Park City of Ecuador. We saw incredible high-end shops with clothing and leather goods. Lots of expats gather here. While driving from city to city we saw a lot of this crop, but don't know what it is. These bundles are about 8 feet tall. One night we had quite a downpour and the streets were completely flooded. Ibarra sits in a valley surrounded b

 When we were serving in the Guayaquil Temple, we enjoyed associating with the young pre-missionaries who served for two weeks prior to their assignments. I did secretly hope I would find some of these special friends on our return trip to Ecuador. Today that prayer was answered. Carla saw me after church and ran up and asked, "Do you remember me?" Of course! I ran to grab my phone for a quick photo. Since those two weeks in January 2020, she has served a mission, lived through the pandemic, and gotten married. The Ibarra Ward is blessed to have her and her husband. I felt a little like Ammon and Alma the Younger, meeting up on the road out of town.

The Chota valley people are of African descent. Most were brought here as slaves during the colonial period, particularly when many of the great sugar estates were owned and organized by the Jesuits. Esmeraldas, to the west, is the main African descendant area in the country. These people are supposedly descendants of slaves escaping from wrecked slave ships, just as is the African descendant population of the Choco in Colombia.   The valley and the surrounding mountains are shockingly beautiful. Large greenhouses dot the 3000 meter tall mountains. The peace and serenity here are other-worldly. Out the back of the elders' apartment is this view:

 Our first view of Otavalo was driving past to find our hotel in Ibarra. On Thursday we had a chance to get inside and around the lake. We visited Elder Grimmer in San Pablo on the far side of the lake. Their apartment was not so great. It was at the top of a building and was really a built-out shack. But the view was delightful. We drove around to the next apartment, not too far away. As we were standing waiting for our missionaries, a woman came walking down the street. She greeted us with, "I was just ministering with my companion." It was such a pleasant surprise. Then she saw our tags and announced, "I have to feed the missionaries lunch today!" and ran away. Also on this street the doors seem to be a little small. I just think the roads and sidewalks were built after the structures. In any case, it is a bit of Gulliver's Travels for me. We finally made it to the Plaza de los Ponchos! It was rainy, but I still loved everything I saw. Most booths have been i

 We left the hotel and went into Quito to pick up the assistants, Elder Keogh and Elder Bayless. Elder Keogh is from Dundee, Scotland and has the coolest accent. You can only imagine Spanish with a Scottish accent. While we were driving to Ibarra, I pulled up Katie's missionary emails and found what I was looking for. "Sister Keogh's from Dundee, and she's undergone quite a few medical challenges in the past, culminating in this mission. She's a fantastic person and we can't wait to be companions. Will I have a bit of Scottish accent? Maybe..." So Elder Keogh's sister served with Katie in the London South Mission in 2011. In fact, that letter was from April 27th, so we're looking at exactly 23 years ago. Tabacundo is full of flowers. The climate is perfect for growing tall, straight roses that are shipped throughout the world. The elders tell us that the richest of these companies are owned by Otavalans who live elsewhere after making it big.

 We enjoyed staying at the Wyndham Airport hotel in Quito. They have a great gym which I had to myself. We left into the morning and hit 6 apartments before getting back to Guayllabamba. Look! It's Elder Mattson and Elder Draper hanging out in Llano Grande. These elders are hard-working and happy every time I see them. We knocked out a few more inspections and then drove out to Guayllabamba since it's by the airport. Sisters Orellana and Camblin were waiting for us in their cute apartment development. The apartment was darling and they had flowers in vases in the kitchen. We took them out to a Chifa restaurant, but the food took so long, that we had to take it to go. They had interviews with the President. So we drove them back to Quito while we ate. We stopped by the Calderon building which is adding a mission office for Quito Norte. It is nearly done. But the remodeling is also going on in the chapel and exterior. Hopefully, the building will be done before Elder Renlund come

 We left in the morning to get started on another trip to Quito. It had been raining for a few hours and continued into the Sierras. When we got to Loreto, we stopped and visited with the missionaries there. Loreto is an outlying city with a small number of members. We stopped off at the hotel near the airport and then continued into Quito to catch a few inspections in the dark. The craziest one was Comite del Pueblo. Google tried to kill us again. The angles we were driving up made me cover my eyes. Here are Hermanas Sarango and Shultz, welcoming us to their little place. It's starting to dark! And look, there is Elder Nixon! His companion, Elder Gilbert, is from New Zealand. They are both super tall and the short ceilings in their apartment make them look enormous. Well, it's after 8pm so we better get going back to the airport hotel.