Serving in Quito North

 I love walking around the city and taking pictures of the culture. I caught sight of new sewing machine shops every time I walk down a different street. Men are hand making suits, just like in Hong Kong. Their shops are full of bolts of beautiful fabric. Although I saw lots of suit fabric, no cottons are available. I may have to wait to get to Otavalo for some fabric. Maybe I can find some wool. When I finally settle down, I'll buy a Juki just like this one. Although there are no fancy stitches, it sews straight 90 mph and look at the size of that throat. Some birds are for raising and some for quick eating. Snack wagon.

 We decided to head out between General Conference sessions to have a birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant. It wasn't very Mexican, but at least I didn't have to cook. The best thing about my chimichanga was that it had a tortilla. Paul liked his enchiladas but they used empanada wrappers. Instead of cake, we had cinnamon rolls. I asked Marnie for her best recipe recommendation because she is a serious baker and she said to use this one: Ambitious Kitchen They were fantastic! Highly recommended. I rose them overnight in the fridge so they were ready to go in the morning. This is a mystery to me. No one in this city has heard of a windshield sun shade. Everything that is sold here comes from China, so you would think a $5 piece of synthetic material and plastic tubing would be available. No. A parking attendant slaps one of these on your car after you leave and then wants $.25 to take it off when you return. This would not go over well in the States.

 Saturday was a special day down at the Aguarico River in Lago Agrio. Six new members entered the waters of baptism. Our font was being reworked so the nearby river was approved. We were so blessed to join with them in this wonderful event. Elder Lower is such a great missionary. I was mildly concerned about the strength of the current, but everyone stayed on their feet. This little 8-year-old was ready for his father to baptize him. Wilson, the furthest on the back right, was baptized just 2 weeks ago and was able to perform one of the baptisms on this day.

 Right in the middle of the town is a delightful little park that is perfect for getting into the jungle. Look at those red bananas! The diversity in the plants is astounding. Vines are climbing up bushes, into the tallest trees I've ever seen, and incredibly bright flowers and fruit entice monkeys and birds. I love the sounds of the jungle and the height of trees is really astounding. An incredibly thick boa constrictor is awake and on the move in the herpetarium. An anaconda is sleeping in the corner while his dinner wonders what to do. This wonderful island isn't quite what you think. There are monkeys on the top of this structure and alligators on the lake's edge. This monkey is stuck on the island! Do you see the caiman on the bottom right?

 It's nice to be near an outdoor market in Lago. The common varieties bananas in Ecuador include Bungulan, Cavendish, Lakatan, Latundan, Morado and Señorita. Mixed in are plantains. I have to go to the grocery store to find out the names of a lot of the produce. I absolutely love Guanabana!

 We enjoyed attending a baptism in Lago Agrio this weekend. Wilson is a 25-year-old from Guayaquil who knows quite a bit of English. This means when we get together, he has a lot of language questions. Elder Fransen is to Wilson's left and Elder Zubiaga is on his right. These two missionaries are fantastic! On the far right is Elder Ekins who is now an assistant to the mission leaders. Almost the entire Branch attended. I should have taken a picture of the exterior baptistry font because it was very interesting. One of the members gave us an umbrella for the sun since it was in the 90s. The rented building is small, but has a strong air conditioner. Above is a second floor with two classrooms and a branch president's office.

 We started early on Friday to drive the 7 hours east to Lago Agrio. It is a twisty, turning road out of 13,000' high elevation. There were many times I could not look over the edge of the road because it was so steep. The temperature went from 6 degrees C to 34 C when we arrived. We hugged the mountains and saw plenty of waterfalls. Trucks, bikes, cars, and cows. Plus, there were goats and chickens in the road. We had to move slowly due to water washing out bridge areas. Some were pretending to fix the road as you drove by and asked for money. We finally arrived in Lago Agrio and to this enormous bridge that crosses the Aguarico River. The apartment had been set up with the newly arrived furniture by our wonderful branch president, President Osorio, plus young elders who volunteered to help.