Los Hermanos Andrade

I cleaned over 300 fish this week

Vagre de pluma, gaviotas

Walker and Margarita Andrade hosted us at their home in Las Playas at the beach for five nights.  We had exciting adventures exploring the fishing culture of the Ecuadorian coast.  We were joined by other friends from Guayaquil: José Vera and family.

Margarita and Walker Andrade

Everyone relaxed in the cool ocean breezes

Everyone went fishing

We found a great spot on the river in the shade

More fishing photos at http://fishitah.blogspot.com/

While we fished and talked to fishermen, Sister Howard did missionary work with people who were very glad to talk to her and needed a Gospel message or a challenge to return to activity in the church.

Las Playas

Sand Dollar= Estrella del Mar

Andrade beach house

We have relocated to a beach house on the coast, as the construction continues at the temple.  We will be gone and out of touch all the rest of the week.

Walker Andrade y sus papayas

Margarita Andrade con Janeen

Fishing

Brown trout

I had planned this trip for a long time, and finally got to go fishing for trout in Ecuador.  Details at: http://fishitah.blogger.com/

El Camino de los Inca

Laguna La Luspa is 12,362 feet, but you have to hike a long ways at over 13,000 to get there.

The high altitude vegetation is beautiful

Laguna La Luspa

I also took time for stream fishing

We only had time to stop at one of the 240 lakes at El Cajas National Park.
More fishing photos at http://fishitah.blogspot.com/

Keeping busy on the break

Performing at a baptism

Skyping with the iPad

Skyping with the MacMini

Scrubbies by Janeen

Temple Gardens need lots of gardners

Blue Skies in Guayaquil

Meeting People

low temperature with colds and chills.

The temple is closed this week and next for regular maintenance.  As per custom, all the temple missionaries have gone traveling, except us.  Since Janeen is not feeling well, we have the extra pleasure of not having to go anywhere.  Besides, Guayaquil is the largest and most interesting city in the country, and people come here from all over Ecuador, Perú, and Colombia. We don't miss anything by staying here.

We are really the only missionaries left, except Presidente Rojas.  His wife has gone to México, and he is here alone.  Janeen stays home alone to rest and sends me off on errands.  Of course, I keep finding interesting people, and it takes me a while to get back.

For example, while shopping for oritos (small bananas) I discovered an artist who has an LDS items store near the temple.  Xavier makes his own website, records, paints, sculpts, designs all kinds of interesting things for the LDS visitors: http://xalapa.ucoz.com/

While dropping off my dry cleaning I discovered http://www.musicaypapeles.com/ a music store run by Tania Sempértegui Zambrano, a concert pianist who signed me up to tune her piano on Monday.

While looking for a movie rental store so Janeen can have options while resting at home, I discovered "la Funación Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil del Ecuador" 

http://www.fosje.org.ec/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=70&Itemid=70

Then I got permission to videotape the rehearsal, so I was there until practically 6pm.  I will interview the main people next week for my Ecuador music project:

http://www.cantos.org/music/ecuador

When I left the rehearsal I discovered the arranger.  Luis Izurieta was the director of the Ecuador National Band of the Army for 40 years.  Now he does a lot of interesting projects for the symphonies in Guayaquil.  I will tune two pianos at his home tomorrow.

I actually met more interesting people than I have time to tell you.

This morning we were awakened by the Serenata of a mockingbird singing loud and clear outside the window of our apartment.  A great birthday gift.

Baptisms

Several of the new members come regularly, every week, or even more often to do baptisms. There is one couple in their late 50s who bring a grand daughter, and take turns watching her in the lobby.  Each of them in turn goes down to the baptismal to do as much work as possible.  They are planning their sealing in September to celebrate one year as members.

This week we are swamped with youth from all over the country here to do baptisms before the two week temple closing.  We are working long hours in the weeks before closing because they request extra sessions beyond our regular work day.  This week we have been doing 9 hour shifts so far.

A Piercing Drama

Pinos

We meet a lot of interesting people, more than we have time to tell about.  For example, the Pino family.  He is about my age.  They were baptized four months ago.  They attend the temple two or three times per week to do baptisms and confirmations.  He likes to do 100 at a time if possible.  They attended church regularly, never missing one week, for six years before finishing all the details to divorce his first wife and qualify for the temple. Now they are looking forward to being sealed next year.

P.S.  The temple grounds does have interesting flora AND fauna.

The Poor

In previous blog postings we told of Hermano Sánchez, and his great poverty caused by not being able to work, due to an on the job accident 4 years ago.  He told us that his bishop could not do much for him, as most of the families in Machala are worse off than he is.  

Poverty does not diminish their faith.  This past week the Machala Stake filled the temple two full days.  The morning shift had to start at 5 am and work until 2:30 pm to give them the extra sessions they requested.  Machala has one stake with 5 wards and 7 branches.

Yesterday Sister Howard had compassion on another of the poor.  She hired one of the older women who works one shift every week in the temple as a volunteer worker.  The lady not only ironed, did dishes, swept, mopped, and cleaned the house, but stayed late as an honored guest, in conversation until late.  We offered her a ride in the taxi with us, as we had to go to the mall.

The sister was astonished by everything she saw.  She has been living for years with her husband in the "cerro", the poor section of town up in the hills.  Yesterday was the first time that her tiny block house had any running water or a bathroom.  When we took her home and met her husband, and saw the two small rooms of her home, we drove slowly through the wet streets (water from the open sewers), We paid the taxi drive $11 (usually we pay $2 or $3), because the roadways are so poor there, and it is so dangerous at night.  That neighborhood has much crime, and a taxi is likely to get assaulted and the occupants robbed.

First, we took her to the mall.  Hermana Vera had never seen the mall, though she had heard of it.  We walked very slowly, as everything was so amazing to her.  It is a very large mall, and it was full of people shopping, playing, eating, talking.  She was astonished by the food choices, and took home all the leftovers.  The escalator scared her, but so did the elevator.  She was astonished by the automatic features of the water and commode in the bathroom.  She is accustomed to being home in the tiny block house with her husband who does not like to go out and do anything.

Change has come to Ecuador, but there are still many who are poor.  Those who are poor in Spirit are ready to hear the Gospel, have a change of heart, and become blessed of the Lord (See Alma 32).  Hermana Vera has suffered much, and missed much, but she is very devoted to her faith.  She and her husband and step daughter ride a series of buses to work every Wednesday at the temple from 4 to 9 pm.  They pay 25 cents for each bus, and 25 cents to ride the motorcycle taxi on Sunday.
  

"And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do? And now when Alma heard this, he turned him about, his face immediately towards him, and he beheld with great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word."

Speaking of change, here is a story of an older Navajo woman who just wanted to butcher sheep.

Dan and his grandma left early, “before they are fed” she said. Slow, uneventful drive as they headed north into Colorado. Past the Ute casino, the terrain changed to mountainous country.  “This was our land, where we use graze our sheep. Every summer we would take our herd high into the hills. On top of that mesa, Anazazi’s lived” said Grandma with sadness in her voice. “We now have to leave our home and buy sheep to butcher” Dan drove on with little or no interest in what grandma had to say. Cotton wood, cedar and willow zip on by and he turned right at the Truck Stop Café.  That was a good place to eat he thought as the boarded up building faded from view. The café could not compete with the Ute Truck Stop. “There” grandma hollered followed with a whack to Dan’s right cheek.  Up a dirt road and a vast alfalfa field littered with hundreds of walking wool. Dan honked his horn at the main house and waited.   Soon the owner appeared and waved them in. He grabbed a wad of bills from her grandma’s hand and left her sitting in the truck.  “Don’t let him cheat you…..  pay only $80” she said “Don’t get an old sheep.  Make sure the tail is cut and check their teeth” The price was $80 and the owner helped select the sheep and was soon loaded onto the bed.  “Tell grandma, she can butcher your sheep under that cottonwood tree but do it before my herd of pigs return. They don’t like the smell of blood” he said.  Dan parked and with grandma instructing, Dan went to work. Faster than Miss Navajo Nation, Dan soon had the meat processed and packed into coolers. The entrails he placed in a large bowl.  Coolers packed in the back seat with grandma holding the large bowl of entrails…. they headed home. The city of Cortez soon faded from view and the high desert country filled their windshield.  Dan felt a large jolt from the front.  The truck would not slow down and it skidded off into the ravine. Grandma fell forward as the truck started to roll.  They both hit the roof and Dan blacked out. Grandma screamed as the bowl fell from her lap, entrails spill inside her coat, and she blacked out also.  Dan slowly regained consciousness as the siren approached. He rolled over, saw grandma’s entrails through her coat and vomited. He felt hands pulling him out and he started to scream. "NOooooooooooo!" A young medic rushed over to grandma and saw grandma’s intestines.  He gently pushes them back into her coat. Gently….. ever so gently… she was being moved onto a gurney when she regained consciousness and abruptly sat upright. Entrails fell from her coat…. The young medic fainted, his co-worker gasped and held in her vomit.  Grandma got mad and whacked the young lady. “You stupid that was going to be made into achii' ”