Serving in Quito North

Poor Sister Román didn't want us to visit Esmeraldas. She worried about our safety. In retrospect, we were probably too white to visit the city. But all went well. We started the day by trying to get a replacement tire. Then we found that the pothole damaged the wheel, too. Plus, the back wheel now had a bulge in it.  When we drove past, we noticed someone had placed a tire in front of the pothole that had swallowed us. (The next day, the tire was gone.)  Most places were closed due to the holiday. But we found a sweet man in a tiny shop that was able to pound it into a round shape. Paul paid him $40 and he included a used tire.  We began finding the missionary apartments around Esmeraldas, which is kind of two separated areas. We enjoyed participating with the Esmeraldas, Atacames, and Quinindé Zones for Conference. I always love chatting with the missionaries and working on my Spanish.  I found this basketball in the Tolita chapel and was surprised to see Hermana S...

 We left our hotel in Quito and picked up Elders Ocampo and Wallis and headed to Quinindé. We loved hearing about their families and lives up until their missions. It has been 15 months since we've been to Quinindé and checked the apartments. We had never visited Las Golondrinas and we got lost taking the dirt roads. But, it worked out in the end and we didn't suffer to much bumping up and down. I've seen a total of 2 riding lawn mowers in Ecuador. Most of the work is done with weed whackers. Whole soccer fields are done with these beauties. We enjoyed visiting the apartments and missionaries and then we stopped by the meetinghouse for interviews. It began raining and grow stronger with lightning and thunder. We finally left around 5:30pm to get to Esmeraldas. We would probably not make it before dark, but we would just be driving past to get to Atacames. Paul stopped and got some fuel, which was a great idea, because we came to a stop shortly after. For an entire hour we w...

 After finishing the north end, we returned to Quito to rest from our crazy schedule. We stayed at the Wyndham Quito near the Quicentro Mall. I'd love to return there anytime. I even got a personal best on this treadmill. Elder Hansen's High 5 race is on the 18th, so I have to keep in shape. Unfortunately, this sign in the Quicentro Mall says a Krispy Kreme is coming. The view from the other side of the hotel looks out onto the La Carolina Park. We stopped by a barbecue restaurant and ate ribs for the first time in forever.  Zone Conference was a blast, as usual. I love seeing my favorites from the Oriente. Here is Elder Mestanza, Elder Hall, and Elder Vance. They always make me smile. We found the most delightful Korean restaurant. Here is Elder Willard reflecting on the beauty of a spicy sauce and Korean barbecued chicken. It's called Tasty, and they have a little tienda next door with gochujang, hondashi, and other great spices. I spied the coolest office inside the H...

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...