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, February 26, 2018

February 21st through February 25th



February 21st through February 25th: Wednesday morning went with John B. and Badger to the temple and did baptisms for about 40 members of our family.  It was nice to be together in the temple.  We then ate breakfast and packed the car one more time.  We drove to San Antonio Polopo, a small town on Lake Atitlan.  John B. wanted to buy Jill a piece of the local fired pottery.  This pottery is something we admire too, so we also bought some.  After finding just the right piece, we drove back to Panajachel and had lunch.  
These are the pieces we bought.
After lunch, we did more shopping and then drove to Hotel Atitlan, mom’s favorite place to stay on the lake.  After checking in, we headed for the pool and hot tub.  It is such a beautiful setting.  
Badger and John B enjoying the hot tub.
View from our balcony.
Thursday, John and I got up early and went for a walk and watched the sun rise on the lake.  We then did a walk through the gardens.  Hotel Atitlan has huge beautiful gardens.  
Just before sunrise.
We watched the sun rise on the lake.
Our early morning walk.
One of the rose gardens at the hotel.
The Volcano San Pedro in the back ground.
John took good care of his mom.
We had the breakfast buffet and then headed for Solola.  We visited the market there and then headed to Antigua. 
Market in Solola.
More of the Solola market.
The vegetables are huge. 
On the way, we stopped at a small roadside workshop that makes wooden furniture.  We had stopped a year ago.  Mom found a table and I found two chairs and for $45.00 each, we decided we had to have them.  They just barely fit in the back of the car with the seats down.  
We don't know where we are going to use these, but we love them.
One of the look-outs on the road above lake Atitlan.  The many volcanoes are always impressive.
We then drove to San Felipe, which is right by Antigua.  John wanted something special to surprise Jill and he found a jade necklace and matching earrings.  Again, we were successful in our shopping.  We had lunch in Antigua and did a little more shopping and then drove home.  Mom helped Badger work on a paper for his homework.  John B. and I watched the Olympics.  Friday we went and climbed Pacaya, one of the three active volcanoes in Guatemala.  John hiked and Badger, mom and I rode horses.  
We shared the trail with a lot of hikers.
From Pacaya, we could see three other volcanoes.  Agua is directly across the valley, with Fuego and Acatenango to the left in the clouds.
The view at the top was impressive.
There were a lot of people at the top.
We are on one of the lava flows from the 2014 eruptions.  The active part of the volcano is in the background.
Roasting marshmallows over a steam vent.
The lava flow was very sharp.  Each piece would cut the skin with ease.
Pancho Pacaya was our guide.
The horses would not smile.


Click below to see us horseback riding.

Horseback Riding
We then went to see Black Panther.  We got home about 5:30 pm had dinner and John and Badger got packed to go home.  
We enjoyed the movie.
Saturday we drove to the airport at 5:00 am and said goodbye to our two visitors.  We needed to spend this time with John B. and to feel his acceptance of the cancer diagnosis and his confidence in moving forward with his life.  He is very hopeful that he will live many years and we share his faith.  It was wonderful to be with Badger and to see how he has grown in the last two years.  
It was too early in the morning for Badger to smile.
I came home and got showered and dressed and went over to the temple.  I had a group of primary children from the La Hermosa ward that I had promised to meet and talk to about the temple.   Primary kids are the best.  It was a lot of fun to be with them.  
The primary.
We then took some of the missionaries shopping.  We decided not to drive to Zacapa and stay overnight, but to get up early and drive on Sunday morning.  Sunday we left about 6:30 am and thought we would get there with plenty of time.  We got stopped in construction again and started to panic.  I called the mission president and asked him to tell Elder Cordon that we might be a little late.  We both said silent prayers and after 30 minutes, they opened the road and we made really good time. We arrived at the conference with time to spare.  We knew our prayers had been answered.  We enjoyed the meeting and felt good about our talks.  Elder Cordon, one of the counselors in the area presidency, gave us a nice compliment, saying that we were doing a good job and many more people were coming to the temple.  I don’t believe we can take any credit for this, but it is nice to know that he feels we are doing a good job.  
L to R President Christensen, mission president, and President Salazar, stake president.
On the way home, we had a flat tire.  It took me more time to find the spare than it took to change the tire.  We then got stopped one more time in the construction.  
Changing the flat tire.
Stopped for construction.
We stopped and got the tire repaired-- it had a screw in it.  They have tire repair shops--“pinchazos”—right next to the road.  He took off the spare, repaired the tire and put it back on in about 15 minutes—all for about $2.50!  I gave him a tip.   
Tire repair.
We headed home, arriving at 4:30 pm.  Chris cooked dinner and I started working on the blog.  We were tired and Chris asked teasingly, “Where do you want to drive tomorrow?”  We put a lot of miles on the car this last week and I don’t want to be behind the wheel of the car for awhile.  It was a great week and we so enjoyed the visit of John B. and Badger.  It was good to feel John B.’s optimism and faith that things will be ok with his cancer.  We were worried about how he was doing, but felt relief and gratitude that he is in a good place.  Badger is a good kid and we love him so much.  We feel so blessed and every week brings new experiences and blessings. 

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

February 18th through February 20th

 February 18th through February 20th: Sunday we went to the Guatemala City stake conference at the Montufar ward building.  The conference was held in the metal building that is behind the stake center.  It is a huge building and can accommodate a lot of people.   They had a great attendance and the talks were all good.  Mom looked great in her yellow jacket and did a really nice job talking about the light of the gospel in the faces of the believers in Christ.  I talked about the blessings of the temple.  I always feel energized after feeling the Spirit and am walking on clouds for a long time after a great conference. 


Sunday morning reading scriptures.  Badger was just playing that he was asleep.
Stake Conference.
Pano of stake conference.
Good attendance for stake conference.
Good attendance for stake conference.
Good attendance for stake conference.
Good attendance for stake conference.
Me, President Adrian Ochoa, Area President, and President Lang, stake president Guatemala City Stake.
Elder Ellington's arm is healing.

We then went home and made sandwiches and packed up and headed for Rio Dulce.  We made it to our hotel just as the sun was starting to go down.  We walked down to the lake and took a couple of pictures.  

Sunset the first day at the lake.
John B. had Mojara.
Shrimp have eyes.
Badger's shrimp dinner.  Yum Yum.

Monday I got everyone up at 5:00 am and we drove to Tikal.  It took us about 4 hours.  We enjoyed walking around Tikal and we are always amazed at how massive the temples are and can’t help but try and imagine what it must have been like 1500 years ago.  

Starting our adventure at Tikal.

Practicing for the ball game.
The back side of temple I.
Everywhere you look are ruins and amazing views.
Mom sketching.
I waited at the bottom while John B and Badger climbed to the top of the temples.
John B. and Badger.
Badger and John B. on the two people on top of the temple behind me.
I am in the middle of the plaza below.
Stair way to heaven.
On top of temple IV.
Pano from top of temple IV.
Temple III.
We stopped for a drink.
Temple V.
There is a temple in the background.
We are on our way out of the park.
Truck ride out of the park.

Badger and John B. went zip-lining just outside the park. We then drove to a restaurant and had a good meal.  We drove back to Rio Dulce, arriving once again just before dark.   

Ready to rock and roll.
Getting ready to zip through the jungle.

Badger is normal not like his dad.

Click below to see zip lining.

Zipping over the road into Tikal.
Crazy man.
Superman

Click below to see John B.

John B. zip lining.
Sunset at the lake.
Badger always is happy when it is time for food.


Tuesday we got up and visited the San Felipe Castel.


  

Early morning  sunrise at the lake.
View from the dock at our hotel.
John B. was the only one that went swiming in the lake.


Click below to see John B. jump in.


John B. in the lake
View of lake Izabel from the restaurant at our hotel.

Badger looking very happy. San Felipe Castle.
San Felipe Castle.
At the castle.
Somehow he broke out of jail.

Then drove to Quirigua and John B. and Badger walked around the ruins there.  The stelae are the largest in Mesoamerica.  

Picture of one of the carved stones at Quirigua.
Drawing of the stone carving.

We then headed back to Guatemala City.  We got stopped at a checkpoint and they looked at the registration and my license.  One of the policemen asked where we were from and what we were doing in Guatemala.  After we explained that we worked in the Mormon temple in Guatemala, he said he had lived in Virginia for 8 years and had a cousin that is a Mormon and had taken him to visit the Washington DC temple.  We asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and he said that he used to have one.  So we gave him a new B of M and we went on our way.  We got stopped in a construction zone at the bridge at El Rancho for almost 3 hours.  

3 hour stop for construction.

We did not get home until 6:00 pm. We had a great trip to Tikal and are enjoying John B. and Badger’s visit.  I am posting mid-week because we have so many pictures and Wednesday we are headed to Lake Atitlan and we will have lots more pictures for next Monday.