September 19th through September 25th

September 19th through September 25th:

Monday:  We went to the temple with the temple presidency and reviewed the training films and the temple president's handbook that would make up the training sessions for this coming week.  There are over 300 volunteer workers, men and women, who are coming in assigned shifts to learn how to administer ordinances, work in the office or clothing area, and run the temple.  It is inspiring to be with these members and to see their desire to serve.  All have been to the temple, but very few have been temple workers, so there is a lot to learn about how the temple should operate. We then had a "picnic" with the temple presidency in the cafeteria in the patron housing building. Tuesday through Saturday: We sat in on 2 training sessions each day, each between 3 and 4 hours long.  We also came early to help at the recommend desk and to answer questions.  Between the training sessions on Tuesday we had our weeking zoom meeting with the start up committee. (Long days)  Thursday the Church News published an article on the visit of Elder Neil Anderson to the 5 countries making up the South American Northwest Area: Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezula. It pointed out that 52 years ago there was 1 stake in the area (it was in Peru) and today there are 250 stakes and 46 districts.  

 These are the stake presidents, mission presidents, district presidents, temple presidents, (from Ecuador) area seventies, area presidency and brethren from Salt Lake that came with Elder Anderson.  President Aguirre is standing directly behind Elder Anderson who is in the front row, in the middle.  We can't stop thinking about the miracle of the growth of the church here in Ecuador.  When we were missionaries here in Ecuador in 1971 there were no chapels, no wards or stakes, and only a few members.  As you can see in the chart above, Ecuador didn't have enough members or priesthood holders to have a stake until 1978.  But now it has 42 stakes.  The numbers are interesting, but to see so many faithful people come for training is very inspirational. We have especially been touched to see so many indigenous members from Otavalo come for training.  It is a four hour round trip for them.  They have maintained a very distinct culture and way of dressing.  The first Otavalo member to join the Church was Rafael Tobango in 1968.  I met him when I was a missionary. 

Chruch News from March 4th 1972 Rafael Tabango and his wife and daughter.

There are now 3 stakes in Otavalo (about 3,000 member each) and they are close to forming a third stake.  We never could have imagined how the church would grow in our lifetime.

 I thought I would share some more pictures of our first mission to Ecuador since this week we were busy in the temple and did not get many photos.  

Plaza Grande Quito-1971

Rama 1 Guayaquil

Some of the missionaries at a street meeting.  Sister Irvine is the one in them middle with the big grin.  She is coming to visit us on the 14th of next month.

District conference Quito.  Some of the girls in the traditional Otavalo dress that the women still wear today.

Rama 1 Guayaquil-a branch in a rented building.

Saturday we finally had a good rainstorm.

Sunday we went to church.  These are the sister missionaries assigned to our ward. One is from Georgia, USA and the other is from Cusco, Peru.

September 5th through September 11th, Part 3 and September 12th through September 18th:

 

September 5th through September 11th, Part 3 and September 12th through September 18th: 

Saturday: We were picked up by Wilson, our guide, to go to the waterfalls in Giron at 8:30am.  We stopped for what we thought was gas, but it ended up he needed radiator fluid.  Wilson then decided his radiator had a hole and he wanted to go to a shop and see if they could fix it.  Well, the shop could fix it, but it would take the rest of the day.  We took a taxi to his brother-in-law's house and he borrowed his car.  We finally got on the road at 10:00am.  We first stopped at a monument to celebrate the victory of the Grand Colombia Army, (Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador) which defeated the Peruvian Army at the battle of Tarqui just outside of Cuenca in 1829. 

 

View from the top of the monument looking down on the town of Giron.

We next stopped at the building in Giron where they signed the treaty ending the war.

We then drove to the waterfalls.

There are 3 waterfalls one above the other and the total drop is about 1400 feet.

 The one at the bottom is 270 feet tall.

Looking back down the valley from the waterfall.

We then drove to Busa lake and had a late lunch.

We then drove back to Cuenca, arriving about 3:30pm.  Sabastian, our guide on Friday, had told us about a famous restaurant in Cuenca.  He said that the chef was one of the best five chefs in South America.  So we called up Tiestos Restaurant and got a reservation for 6:00pm.  Juan Carlos Solano, the owner and chef, greeted us and was so engaging and fun.  He ordered for us and while we waited for our first course he painted a desert plate.  Dinner was amazing and we loved the whole experience. 

Video of Juan Carlos painting our dessert plate.

 

All the different salsas for the soup.

Our waiter would ask us to take a spoonful of shrimp and then he would add one of the salsas and it was like, "wow". Then he would ask us to take just the soup and put a different salsa and it would be a completely new experience.

Second course was sea bass in a sweet glazed orange sauce and eggplant in a creamy blue cheese sauce.  To die for!

This is how the food came to the table.

Third course jumbo shrimp in a butter sauce.

The waiter mashed our potatoes on the plate with the butter sauce.  It was so good.

Dessert was a chocolate moose cake with mango ice cream.  Perfect ending.

Sunday: We went to two different sacrament meetings, one at 9:00am and then one in a different chapel at 11:00am.  We wanted to see the great growth of the church.  I remember that there were only a few members in the branch when I served in Cuenca in 1971 and now it is a stake with 5 buildings and 7 wards in the city.  

Three "gringa" missionaries serving in the first ward.

The girl in the middle was baptized the day before and confirmed in church.

These are the missionaries in the second ward we visited.

We took a cab back into the historic district and found lunch.

September 12th through September 18th:

Monday: We spent the morning posting the blog and packing.  We then went to a Panama hat factory.  Panama hats are not made in Panama in case you were wondering.

Homero Ortega Hat Factory is a four generation company.

They are called a toquilla straw hat.

A hat can cost from $20.00 to $1,000.00

We then found a place to have lunch and then a stop at an ice cream parlor.

The new cathedral in the background.

Waiting for lunch.

We then took a taxi to the airport for our trip home. We got home about 7:00pm.

Tuesday through Friday: We participated in virtual trainings sessions for the office volunteers.  One session in the morning and one in the evening. Saturday: We only had a training session in the morning. I cooked orange chicken and invited one of the managers of the patron housing building to have lunch with us. Sunday:  We took an Uber to and from church.  We then had Elder and Sister Cameron, who are serving in the Quito Mission office to lunch.  They brought two of the office elders with them. We cooked a roast and had baked veggies, mashed potatoes, and gravy for lunch.  It was nice to have someone else to talk to.  We talked to the kids who were together for their monthly family dinner.

Elder and Sister Cameron

Elders Oman and Rojas

September 5th through September 11th, Part 2

 September 5th through September 11th, Part 2

Thursday:  We started the day with a trip to the Pumapungo Museum. Pumapungo is an archaeological park, located in the historic center of the city of Cuenca.  Pumapungo was part of the city Tomebamba, one of the most beautiful and imposing cities of the Inca empire in the late fifteenth century. Inside the ancient city were the Temple of the Sun and the Convent of the Virgins of the Sun, as well as political and admininstrative buildings.   The city was destroyed by the Inca leaders before the arrival of the Spanish.  In the museum are collections of the money of Ecuador, pottery, and ethnographic collections that include traditional costumes, objects representative of the beliefs and rites of the peoples of Ecuador.

Main plaza of the ruins.

Spanish coins.

When we were missionaries in 1971-1973, the Sucre was the official currency of Ecuador.  In 2000, the country adopted the US dollar as the offical currency of Ecuador.

Old Sucre coins.

Place where the Spainish minted coins.

Colorado people live in the jungle in the east.

Canari from the mountians in the south.

Oatavalians from the mountains in the north.

We next visited one of the main markets, 10 de Augusto, in Cuenca.  I decided to try hornado, a typical pork dish. A whole pig is cooked overnight. The plate includes mote (hominy), potato, salad, pork meat and some skin.  I really liked it. 

Head of the pig.

Back end of the pig.

The skin was especially delicious.

We walked around a bit visiting a cathloic church where they have mass in English for some of the 11,000 expats who have retired in Cuenca.  

This is one of the old market buildings.

This is where Chris had lunch.

We then decided we were tired and needed  some rest and relaxation, so we went to a Spa.

We started of with a red clay wash.

Then a white clay wash.

We then did a hot pool and a really cold pool and then steam boxes.

Then it was realaxing in hot pools. 

We finished up with a massage.

We had some fruit and soup in the restaurant at the spa.  They called us a taxi and we called it a day.  Friday:  We got picked up at 8:00am by Sebastian, our guide to Ingapirca.  He stopped and picked up a young man from Switzerland whose mother was from Ecuador on the way out of town.  Our first stop was a church built on the face of a mountain side in the small town of Biblian.

It is quite amazing that they could build this right on the face of a cliff.

The bottom two floors are crypts.

The inside of the church is only about 30 feet wide on each end.

On either side of the altar is the cliff face as the back of the building.

Chris is looking good today.

Looking down on the town of Biblian.

We then stopped to try some cascaritas.

They cook the pig skin with a blow torch.

The skin is different from hornado and very tasty, Chris even tried it.

We then went to Ingaprica. Ingapirca, which means “Inca wall” in Kichwa, is Ecuador's most important set of pre-Columbian ruins, located 80 kilometers (50 mi) north of Cuenca. The sight of the Inca sun temple standing on a hill with panoramic views over the surrounding countryside is impressive.  The Incas fought with the Canari people, but they became allies.  There are examples of both kinds of their architecture.

Trapezoid inca door and wall.

Canari wall.

These Incan ruins are nothing like Cusco or Machupichu, but they are still impressive.

This was a Canari temple to the moon.

They think this was part of a calendar.

The two square holes were ritual baths.

This is the back side of the oliptical building.

No cement and you can't get a piece of paper between the blocks.

Beautiful views in all directions.

We are enjoying Ingapirca.

Many of the blocks have a greenish blue hue.  They have some copper in them and they came from about 2 miles away.

It is also built on the top of a cliff.

I have never looked better, still quite buff.

We got back to Cuenca about 5:00pm, found dinner, and called it a day.

There are always interesting buildings to check out.

Inside the Judical building from the above picture.

Still smiling after a long day fo walking.

Don't you just love the doors?

So many cool buildings.

This post took 3 hours to do.  I am going to have to post part 3 of our Cuenca visit in a day or two.