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, September 3, 2013

August 27th thru September 2nd: First week home.





August 27th thru September 2nd
First week home.  It is hard to explain how strange it is not to be in Bolivia.  It is surreal.  It is an odd combination of feelings.  We miss some things and are so happy to be back with our family.  We spent the week working on cleaning out and going through the “black hole” (storage unit).  We have been so impressed with the job our kids did in packing and emptying our house.  What an enormous undertaking and they boxed and labeled everything.  But now we have pulled out everything to review what to continue to store and what to get rid of.  Every muscle in my body hurts.  I have lifted and moved every piece of furniture and every box at least twice.  We had to rent two extra units in order to have space to sort through our stuff.  This is what is left after our children took things they wanted and could use.  It has been a challenge to decide what has meaning and what we can live without.  Chris had a beaded purse she had taken to a formal dance in high school.  She had put it in the keep pile and then she started laughing.  Why would she keep it? So she took a picture of it and gave it to our 5 year old grand-daughter, Ellie, who thought it was beautiful.
  
The beaded purse.

One of our friends said she wished she had the courage to do what we are doing.  It is a little unnerving to let go of many things, but it is also incredibly liberating.   On Saturday, we had a garage sale.  What didn’t sell went to Deseret Industries that very day.  No second thoughts.  I was able to repack what we didn’t want to get rid of into a smaller unit.  We went from a 10 X 25 foot unit to a 10 X 10 foot unit.  It was a lot of work but I am glad it is done.  Chris spent Wednesday and Thursday tending James and Kirstin’s two little one while they had a 5th year anniversary getaway.  Genevieve and Sam with their two little girls arrived.  All our kids and grandkids are now close and we will be getting together for fun and games.  We let Ginny’s family stay with Charlotte where we were staying and we went to John’s home.  He also lives in Bountiful so we are close.   Sunday we met with our new Bishop and asked him to start a new set of mission papers for us.  We have appointments with our doctors and dentist in Ephraim on Sept. 9th and 10th, so we needed to be able to take the medical forms with us Monday, Labor Day, we had a mini family reunion at Lagoon.  For those of you who are not from Utah, Lagoon is a mini Disneyland.   James and his family did not make it because he had taken time off for his anniversary the week before and he had to work.  His oldest is only 3 and really the older kids are the ones that enjoy Lagoon.  But we had a ball floating in the Lazy River at Lagoona Beach and going on all the rides.
  
Papa and Willa one of the 3 grand daughters who were born while we were in Bolivia.


Luke and Jake 3 year old cousins.


Evan and Moose (James) 8 year old cousins.

I'm not sure I am ready for what comes next.

I made it!
 
Our oldest Grandson Badger (John Badger Norman III)


Our son-in-law, Sam, and his daughter Xela.


A pile on.

Mom and Xela.
 
Jake, Luke and Xela enjoying the kiddie rides.
 
We miss all of our friends in Bolivia.  We are going to get together with the Jackmans and the Winkfields and whoever else can make it this Wednesday.  I hope to remember to take our camera so I can share with everyone in Bolivia.




 

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