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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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

April 22nd, Elder Christensen's visit.

April 15th to April 22nd:  Last Monday, for family home evening, we had an activity--a Special Olympics.  I say Special Olympics because we were all so bad at the events (egg and water balloon toss, ping pong and basketball)  that you would have thought we were all handicapped. Maybe we are by our age.

The Perez
Watching the basketball competition.
Everyone had a good time.  Pres. Crayk must have paid off the judges because they won almost every event and came away with the trophy.  Each couple had to dress so they could be recognized as a team.  Some of the outfits were unique. 

Diana and Lynn Crayk
The Harrison's
The Hurst's
The Eames Eagles
The Cardon's
The Vallenas
Pres. and Sister Dyer
Mom and I cut up a pair of old pajama bottoms.  She wore the left leg and I wore the right one. 

My old pajama bottoms went to a good cause.
We sang a good-bye song to the Delgado’s and the Bradshaw’s.  Both of whom leave on Tuesday.   
 
 The good-bye song to the Bradshaw's.
There have been few patrons this week, no groups from out of town, just a few families and the new missionaries that seem to show up almost every day. 

Saturday, March 20th:  We left to drive to Oruro about 9:00am with Samuel, one of the security guards, who was to be our chauffeur for the weekend.  The trip up and over the mountains to the west of Cochabamba is about 3 hours of switchbacks.  It is a one lane road in each direction with a lot of trucks and buses that are sometimes traveling very slowly.  Mom has wanted to visit Oruro during Carnival to see the famous native dancers.  We did get to see some metal statues representing the different dancers and then we saw a group dancing on the side of the road on our way home. 

Metal dancers on the way in to Oruro.
Metal dancers on the way in to Oruro.
Metal dancers on the way in to Oruro.
We arrived about 2:00 pm and checked into the hotel and had lunch.  I got ready and arrived at the chapel about 3:40 pm.  I had a short meeting with Pres. Lobaton.  Mom stayed at the hotel rather than wait in the chapel during  the Priesthood Leadership meeting.  I talked for maybe 25 minutes.  Samuel went and picked up mom for the adult session that started at 7:00 pm.  Mom’s Spanish has really improved with all the talks she has been giving.  We each spoke for about 15 minutes. 

The Stake Choir Saturday night in Oruro.
Left to Right, Counselor Aquino, Pres. Lobaton, Counselor Encinas, Mom and I.
When we arrived back to the hotel there was loud music from one of the floors, which traveled up the atrium in the center of the hotel.  It was really loud.  At 11:30 pm I called down to the desk and told them we could not sleep and they had to do something about the music.  They turned it down and I fell asleep.  About 12:30 am mom woke up to the loud music again.  I was sleeping so she thought if I could sleep she should be able to.  Well, she did go back to sleep, only she had a dream that there was someone in the room and she started yelling in her sleep, which woke me up at 3:00 am.  The music was still pounding away so I called the front desk again and by this time I was quite upset.  I had a bad headache from the altitude.  Remember Oruro sits on the altiplano, 10,000 feet higher than Salt Lake City.  We had a miserable night and finally about 6:00 am it was better to just get up. 

Oruro from our hotel looking southeast.
The virgin of Oruro.
Oruro
Oruro on the way to the Chapel.
Local flavor.
We had a 9:00 am special session with youth of the stake.  At 9:00am there was only one person in attendance.  We started the meeting about 10 after the hour with maybe 15, but by the time we ended we had maybe 50.  Mom and I were the only speakers.  It was casual and we had a good time talking to them.  Mom spoke about the growth of the Church in many nations and that a loving Heavenly Father has a plan for each of them.  I talked about the new missionary force and how the Lord is “hastening His work.”  I encouraged them to go on missions and to feel good about themselves.  We bore our testimonies about our Heavenly Father’s love for each of his children.  We each spoke for about 15 minutes. 

The Chapel in Oruro.
Before the meeting starts.
The youth meeting, youth and parents.
The general session started late and had a lot of speakers and by the time it was our turn there was only 30 minutes left. So mom bore her testimony and I only spoke for about 7 minutes, leaving the stake president 20 minutes.  Mom had written a new talk about the importance of the light of the gospel and she had been saving it for the general session.  She will just have to try it out next time. 

After the general session.
The stake choir Sunday session.
Mom and three of the speakers in the general session.
We left from the meeting and headed home. 

Dancers on the road on the way home.
Dancers on the road on the way home.
Dancers on the road on the way home.
Dancers on the road on the way home.
Dancers on the road on the way home.
About 30 minutes outside of Oruro we stopped at a restaurant where the buses stop between La Paz and Cochabamba.  It is out in the middle of nowhere.  Mom just ordered soup, but I had a piece of beef and rice and potatoes. 

Where we had lunch.
My lunch.
Lots of red rock on the way back to Cochabamba.
Lots of terracing left over from the Incas.
On top of the world.  The pass is 14,750 feet above sea level.
We got home at 5:00 pm and had a minute to catch our breath before we headed to the stake center for a special meeting with Elder Craig Christensen, one of the presidents of the seventy.  It turned out Elder Pino’s plane didn’t make it, so Sister and Pres. Crayk got to bear their testimonies.  Elder Cabrera also bore his and then we heard from Sister and Elder Christensen.  We were sitting way in the back of the cultural hall in the corner on the last two rows.  I translated for the Cardon’s and Lynn and Diana Crayk.  When you are trying to listen and talk at the same time it is hard to really get much out of the talks.  But it was by everyone else’s account a great meeting.  Elder Christensen spoke of a group of indigenous people in Mexico who joined the Church, but they didn't speak Spanish.  Once their membership reached 300, the Church wanted to translate the temple ceremony into their language.  Some of the members were flown to Salt Lake to record their language.  He spoke of their excitement in sharing the gospel and asked if we had the the same commitment.  He then said that there are three purposes in the temple:  to receive our own ordinances, to receive personal revelation and to do work for the dead.  He said that those who have died are being taught the same gospel as the missionaries teach here: faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost; only the last two are vicarious ordinances,  performed on earth.   He finished by saying that every day we should pray and be taught by the Spirit who we can teach or at least touch their lives as Christians.     

Monday, April 22nd:  We went to a meeting for all the full time missionaries.   Elder Pino (a Seventy and area president) and his wife arrived.  So we got to listen to Elder Pino and Elder Christensen and their wives speak and teach the Elder and Sisters for 3 and ½ hours.  It was great, I didn’t have to translate.  There is a great spirit when a whole chapel is filled with missionaries and you get to listen to general authorities speak and teach in person.  All of the speakers testified of Christ and the power of the atonement.  They taught of the importance of teaching people how to use the atonement to face their doubts and their challenges.   

Missionaries shaking hands with Elder Christensen and Elder Pino and wives.
Temple Missionaries who went to the meeting.
We got home and heated up some enchiladas that we had frozen.  Then we went to the temple where we waited for Elder Pino and Elder Christensen and their wives.  They wanted to see the temple.  It was fun to walk through the temple and show them what a beautiful temple we have here in Cochabamba.  Then we went for ice cream.  Great way to end a great day.


Elder Christensen greeting the temple missionaries.
Left to right, Elder Christensen, Pres. Dyer, Sister Christensen (green), Sister Dyer, Pres. Diaz, Elder Pino, Sister Diaz (pink), Sister Pino, Elder Cabrera, Mom , me, Sister Crayk, Pres. Crayk.
Fountain in front of the temple.
Flowers in front of the temple.

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