Quito, Ecuador Temple

Quito, Ecuador Temple
Here is where we will be working until Feb. 2023

Welcome

Dear Readers,

We hope as you read this blog of our mission to the Quito, Ecuador temple you will feel the joy and happiness we are experiencing by being in the service of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We hope you can experience some of what we feel. Christine and I met in Quito, Ecuador 51 years ago while serving as missionaries. We are going home.


John and Christine

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Monday, August 27, 2012

District Conference in Llallagua Bolivia

August 22nd:  Today was spent finishing blogging about our trip and working on new talks.   We got together with everyone that went on the trip and had a Mexican dinner at the Cardon’s to watch pictures that Bob had taken.  Afterward Pres. Crayk informed mom that he would not be able to go with us to the Llallagua District Conference this weekend and that we would be on our own. 
August 23rd:  With the pressure of having to give 3- 20 to 30 minute talks this coming weekend, I spent most of the day working on a talk about our experiences in China and how God is in control and can do His own work.  This District is in the La Paz Mission, Pres. Quintanilla will be presiding and we will have to leave at 6:00am on Saturday.  Someone from the Security Department of the Temple will drive us in Pres. Crayk’s car.
August 24th:  I finished my talks for this weekend at about 5:00pm today.  I have been nervous that I won’t have the right type of talks for a group of people who can’t come to the temple all that often because of the cost of traveling.  We watched that last episode of Downton Abby but half way through mom’s computer overheated and died.  Que lastima.  We will have to wait till we get back to see how it ends. 
August 25th:  I woke up at 4:00am even though the alarm was set for 5:00am.  We left on time, 6:00am with Samuel Ramos as our driver. 
Much of the landscape looks like it could be Utah.
This could be southern Utah red rocks and all.
On top of the world.
The drive to Llallagua means we have to first drive to Oruro 12,179 feet above sea level which is about half way to La Paz and sits on the altiplano. 
The Altiplano 12,000+ feet above sea level.
It is 2 ½ hours of switch backs and we had to cross a mountain range with the highest pass at 15,111 feet above sea level.  That’s 3500 feet higher than the top of Mt. Timpanogos.  My ears did pop a few times. Cochabamba is 9300 feet above sea level.  Lhasa, Tibet is 11,450 feet above sea level and Llallagua is 12,779 feet above sea level. 
A mining town on the way to Llallagua.
The pigs were having a feast.
We arrived about noon.  It took us awhile to find our hotel.  Pres. Crayk said we would be staying at the Llallagua Hilton.  Not quite a Hilton, maybe only a 2 star hotel.  But Hotel Llallagua was clean and had 4 or 5 blankets on the bed and we would need them all. 
Llallagua Hilton.
Front desk at the hotel.
The Hotel courtyard this doubles as the laundry room.
Our room.
The heater / shower head that I could not get to work.
We went and had chicken for lunch in a place that most would question whether it was sanitary enough.  We then went and found the church.  The streets in Llallaqua are small and sometimes blocked with people selling everything. 
Llallagua's narrow streets.
Catholic church and crowed streets.
More crowed streets.
More crowed streets in Llallagua.
Lots and lots of Cholitas.
Natives in native dress.
We changed our clothes and got to the church about 3:30pm.  Pres. Quintanilla was already there and said he wanted me to speak for 30 minutes in the priesthood meeting and that mom and I could split 30 minutes in the Adult meeting.  He did not know yet how long we should talk in the general session on Sunday.  The priesthood meeting started with 4 men in the audience. By the end there were maybe 25.  I spoke on sacrifice in the priesthood session and I feel good about the talk.  Pres. Quintanilla followed me and said that obedience is better than sacrifice.  I’m not sure he understood the point I was trying to make.  Mom spent the time with Sister Marie Telles, the district relief society president,  in the kitchen with 2 heaters. 
Mom and her new friend Sister Telles.
I on the other hand had put on my blue sweat shirt that is my pajama top over my shirt and under my suit coat. 
This is just to show you my pajama top under my suit coat.
It had started to rain during lunch and it was very cold.  For the adult session they brought the 2 heaters to the stand and they helped, but Pres. Quintanilla and his wife never took off their winter coats.  There were about 50 to 60 members in assistance.  Mom spoke about being a covenant people and had her new friend, Sister Telles, help her by reading the quotes she had in her talk.  I used my new talk about some of our experiences in China.  I feel good about it and I could see a few people drying their eyes as I explained why I thought Mormons are always happy.  We got back to the hotel about 9:30pm and had a hot chocolate and a piece of bread, so much for dinner.  It was so cold, mom wore her fleece to bed and I put on an extra pair of socks.  We couldn’t see our breath but it had to be close.
August 26th:  We didn’t want to get out of bed it was the only place that we could stay warm.  Mom wanted me to figure out the eclectic heater for the water that is part of the shower head, but alas I couldn’t make it work.  Needless to say we didn’t shower; in fact I didn’t even shave.  We went to breakfast and had a cup of hot chocolate and a piece of bread same as our dinner last night. 
We are ready for breakfast.
We walked to the church and we were told we had 15 minutes to split between us. 
Mom really liked the flowers.  Sunday morning.

Well, after the meeting started, the Mission Pres.’s wife leaned over and told mom to talk as much time as we wanted.  The first speaker had not showed up, so mom talked for 15 min. and I talked about 25 minutes.  I said that I love following mom because she always has the ability to bring the Spirit.  Mom talked about the growth of the church and I spoke about the temple and how to prepare to have a better experience in the temple. The chapel was filled with over 200 saints.  I felt like we both spoke with the Spirit and did a good job. 
Right after the closing prayer Sunday morning  session.
We went back to the hotel and had lunch and then got in the car and never stopped until we were back at the temple at 6:30pm.  Just over 5 hours.  We went to bed at 9:00pm.
Llama crossing.
Larry the llama.



Thursday, August 23, 2012

August 19th Back from our trip to La Paz and Lake Titicaca



August 19th:  Pres. Crayk had suggested we pick a ward in either the Cobija or Jayjuaico stake to visit.  We decided to go to the Cobija stake building and attend whatever ward started at 10:00am.  He told me to tell the Bishop that I needed a few minutes at the end of the meeting to say a few words to the ward. It just so happened, if you want to believe that, that the theme of the sacrament meeting was temples. Well, the last speaker didn’t show up, so I had more than a few minutes to speak and I felt like the Spirit was strong and had helped me a lot.  It is always a good feeling when you are talking and you see people wiping their eyes and you can see that they feel the Spirit.  We came home and had left over frozen burritos that I had made weeks ago and were in the freezer. 
August 20th:  Today I woke up and said to myself, I want chicken wings today.  So we went to the store as soon as we were up and at it and spent over $100 on groceries.  We were out of just about everything.  I came home and started cooking.  We invited Pres. Crayk for lunch.  His wife is in Utah and it is his birthday.  We had a party for him in the evening with all the temple missionaries. 
Dad conducted the Birthday Party for Pres. Crayk.
We always seem to eat well.
Mom, Pres. Crayk and the Winkfields.
Here is the group.
Too bad Connie could not have been with us.
Sister Cortez made the cake.  It was the first cake she had ever made and Sister Ahlstrom had helped her.  She taught her how to turn on the hand beater and the oven.  She had never used either before.  She was so happy and excited about having made it.  Everyone had a great time and Pres. Crayk was a good sport to endure it.
She was so tickled to have made the cake.  (With a lot of help)
August 21st:  We mopped the floors in the kitchen and bath today.  Mom did more washing.  I blogged for hours and worked on a new talk about the difference between the Laws of Men and the Laws of God.  We all went to lunch together to catch up.  11 of us went on the trip and 6 others went to Sucre and 2 just stayed home.  Now we are all back together.

Day 6 Tiwanaku



August 18th:  We had a leisurely morning and left at 10:00am to go to Tiwanaku.  On the way we stopped at a look out and came upon a native ritual of thanks to Pachamama, Mother Earth. 
We stopped at a look out on our way to Tiwanaku.
The Girls.
We happened on a ritual of an offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth).
We happened on a ritual of an offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth).
These ruins date from about 500BC to 1200AD.  It was a very advanced civilization that just disappeared.  The Incas borrowed many of their inventions and ideas.  They were the most interesting ruins of the entire trip.  They have not to this day been able to figure out how they moved and cut these stones.  One stone weighed an estimated 130 tons. We had lunch and spent until closing in the museums and wandering around the ruins. 
The Group Pres. Caryk is at a Stake Conference in La Paz.


Dad admiring the stone work.
Dad finding a shady spot.
The vertical stone weigh about 20 tons.
This joints would have been filled with metal (gold).  The Spanhish took everything apart to get the Gold.
Mom and the sun gate.
The Sun Gate.
A Priest that greeted the people entering the temple.
Another High Priest.
Maybe a baptismal font?
The subterranean temple.
Catholic church made from the stones from Tiwanaku.
Mom at Pumapunku another ruin in the area.
Dad at Pumapunku another ruin in the area.
Dad at Pumapunku another ruin in the area.
Dad at Pumapunku another ruin in the area.
On the way back we came upon a group of locals dancing on the highway.  We arrived at the airport at about 6:30pm.  We had dinner at Subway.  Someone in the group suggested it was the best meal of the trip.  Our plane was late and we arrived back at our apartments in Cochabamba at 11:30pm
Some of the locals dancing on the highway.
One of the locals dancing on the highway.
Some of the locals dancing on the highway.
Some of the locals dancing on the highway.