November 21st through November 27th

November 21st through November 27th:

Monday:  We cleaned and did our grocery shopping.  In the evening, Orlando Hando came to our apartment and interviewed us for 3 hours about our experiences as missionaries here in the early days of the Ecuador mission.  He is from the area offices in Lima and was here to interview people about the temple dedication.  The area History Department is trying to write a history of all the missions and the church in each country.  He also asked us about our service in Guatemala. 

Orlando Honda, Chris and Me

Tuesday through Friday:  We worked the morning shift from 7:00am  till noon or 1:00pm then we would go home for lunch and go back at 4:00 until we were done sometime between 7:30 and 8:00pm.  We  mostly trained in initiatory and the veil.  I did officiate one session in the evening when there were not enough workers. I think the last time I officiated a session was in Cochabamba more than 10 years ago.  I only made one small mistake.  Thursday, after the morning shift we grabbed an Uber and went to the Mission Home for Thanksgiving Dinner with the President and Sister Winters of the Quito North mission and 3 other senior couples.  It was a nice get together.  We had to leave early to get back to the evening shift. 

Left to Right:  The Ray's, The Cameron's, The Playa's, The Winters, and Chris.

Saturday:  We went to the temple again at 7:00am and we got done at at 1:30pm.  There were only 2 sessions.  The 11:00am session was for the area seventy and the stake presidents and there wives.  I officiated the session.  Again, I made one small mistake, but it was a different mistake than the one earlier in the week.  One of the members of the start up committee, Corinne Thornton, arrived and is helping train the laundry workers.  We invited her to dinner on Sunday.  Sunday:  Janet, who is in charge of the laundry at the temple, picked us up for church.  Her son, David, is waiting for his mission call.  

Left to Right; Chris, David, Janet, her husband, her daughter, her mom, and Corinne.

Sister Aguirre invited us to dinner along with Corinne.  So after church, we stopped by the temple and took the pork roast we had in the oven, a bag of potatoes, and our head of broccoli to the Aguirre's home to add to their meal.  It was a great dinner with their three children, their spouses, and 8 grandchildren.  Afterwards I played Rumikub with Gabrielito, his father, and Ashley, one of the Aguirre's granddaughter's from Utah who came with her family for the temple dedication.  Their daughter, Gabriella, married a missionary, Spencer Caldwell,  from Vernal and that is where they now live.  Spencer shared with me some drone video that he had taken of the temple and downtown Quito.  I have included these in the links below.

 

Flying through the towers.

Quito from Panecillo.

Flying around the temple.

These make me want to buy a drone.

President Aguirre told me that in his coordinating council meeting that morning the area seventy said that he had learned from me how to show one's love for the Savior by the way you officiate the session.  I think this was the nicest compliment I have ever received.  This week was challenging and we have a lot of opportunities to do things better than we did this past week.  But in the end, it is the Lord's work and He can do His work.  We have had a number of tender mercies this week and these really make this all worth it.