February 2009

Carnaval (called Mardi Gras New Orleans) is a festive time of year in Ecuador and throughout all of Latin America. There are parades, parties and lots of water balloon throwing. Natalie and Stephanie with Osamani decided to take time out and spray "silly foam" on each other in the play ground behind our apartment complex.

On a Preparation Day the girls had no school so we all went to the bowling to have some fun with the office missionaries and zone leaders.

After we enjoyed our time bowling, we ate a quick lunch and then played some ping pong. L to R, Elder Scott, Elder Grange, Elder Mata, Elder Padilla, Tim, Elder Bentacourth and Elder Katzenbach.

In Zone Conferences we typically practice what we've learned from Preach My Gospel. Here is a "pretend" ward council meeting with two missionaries who are reviewing the "Informe de Progreso" with ward leaders. Standing is President Cando (stake president of the Esmeraldas stake), one of his bishops and branch presidents. Sister Cando (in blue) is also representing the Relief Society. We always have fun putting into practice what we learn.

It's Sunday morning, we are in Puyo (Amazon area) and we are enjoying the hot humidity on a porch at the hostel where we stayed the night before. A half hour later we were in church, enjoying the conference in the Puyo Branch. Some 70 members were in attendance. It was the first time they had a branch conference in three years.

We were privileged to be in Puyo to attend a branch conference, the first held in over three years! The Puyo branch is an "independent" branch under the direction of the mission presidency. Puyo is located on the Amazonian region of the country. What a wonderful conference it was. This little primary choir melted our hearts.

Natalie is standing in the main plaza of her school, Cotopaxi Academy. Natalie loves her school and her teacher. Below, Natalie was selected as the student of the month for her class. She was nervous to receive her award.

As a "Real Cool Kid" Natalie was honored along with a few other children for their contributions in the classroom. We are very proud of Natalie.

The rainforest part of the country has been inundated with torrential rainfall in January and February. This waterfall wasn't there before the rains fell. The road where the bus later eroded and this main highway between Quito and Santo Domingo was blocked off.

Driving to the tropical coast can be unpredictable. Our trip to Esmeraldas was thrown a curve ball by this huge hole in the road caused by torrential rains that have created landslides and erosion all through the rainforest on the western slope of the Andes. We had just passed through a small town named Nanegalito when we approached this hole in the road. We had two options, we could return to Quito and drive further south through Aloag and Santo Domingo or opt to take the detour that we newly created. We were told that the detour around this hole would be a simple and quick delay. It was anything but that.

Once we were on the detour, we were "off-roading," climbing steep embankments, sludging our way through the rainforest, and managing our way through rough terrain. Leaving the safe road behind us there was no turning back nor the assurance that we could navigate the path that was cut out of the jungle. In some parts the mud was so thick with wet clay that we sank six to eight inches deep. The four-wheel drive on the Explorer was hardly a match for the challenge. The tires were pasted with about an inch thick of mud that stuck on like glue. But we were having fun slipping and sliding through the underbrush. We finally came to place where some heavy equipment had cleared a wider swath through the forest down a hill that eventually linked to a paved road.

Here we are with the two Assistants guiding the car down a grade. At this point we're moving quite well and we knew we could make to the otherside of the big hole.

We're lucky it wasn't raining when we descended the slope.

We climbed up, traversed through a jungle and then descended down this road that was cleared nicely for us, allowing us to reach the main road. Cindy and Sister Griesemer took a leisurely walk down the hill without biffing or really getting dirty. Amazing! The road was really steeper than it looks. After driving the Explorer to the paved road, we took a moment to clean our shoes and scrape off the clay stuck to the tires. We felt relieved that this little adventure was behind us. What fun we had! Elder Padilla to our left and Elder Katzenbach to our right.

We eventually arrived to Esmeraldas, a city on the northern coast of Ecuador. After an afternoon of interviews, we sat down for a delicious seafood dinner with President Cando (stake president) and his wife along with our Assistants and the Zone Leaders.

After our zone conference in Esmeraldas we took this picture of one of the districts. L to R, Elder Robles (Bolivia), Elder Tripp (USA), Hermana Merida (Guatemala), Cindy and Tim, Hermana Maidana (Bolivia), Elder Cruz (Bolivia) and Elder Solorzano (Peru).

A newly arrived group of missionaries at the airport! It's an exciting day when the missionaries come. These missionaries came from Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala and one came from the United States. We love them all!

We are enjoying a wonderful dinner with the stake presidency of Santo Domingo, a city in the tropical rainforest. Presidente and Sister Figueroa are sitting next to us. This restaurant is located in the Hotel Grand Santo Domingo, where we usually stay when we visit every six weeks.

We are standing next to our Assistants, Elder Padilla (L) from Guatemala and Elder Rivera from Nicaragua. They are wonderful Assistants. Elder Rivera was recently called as my newest Assistant. The background is the city of Quito, looking northward.

We have a tradition of taking the new missionaries to a landmark of the city called El Panecillo, where President Kimball dedicated the country of Ecuador in 1966. As a tradition, we read a portion of the dedicatory prayer to the missionaries to remind them of the privilege it is to serve in Ecuador.

With every new arrival of missionaries we also have a farewell of missionaries. The two Assistants, Elders Katzenbach and Padilla are standing in the center and the rest of the Elders are outgoing missionaries who left for home the following day.

After an adventerous trip, descending the Andes through the rainforest, we arrived at Esmeraldas which is located on the ocean in the Northeast part of Ecuador. This picture is taken with the Esmeraldas zone.

We are here in the mission home surrounded by our two wonderful Assistants (L) Elder Padilla from Guatemala and (R) Elder Katzenbach from Arizona. We have had many experiences together that we will always cherish.

In Ambato, we are surrounded by our wonderful missionaries from the Zona Sur. These missionaries serve in the mountains, Riobamba and Ambato, and in the jungles of the Amazon, Tena and Puyo where we have "independent branches."

Cindy is teaching a group of missionaries from the Esmeraldas Zone during Zone Conference. All the missionaries love Cindy who is an excellent teacher! Her fluency in Spanish is like a native.

We are standing with our wonderful missionaries from the Ofelia/Calderon Zone in the Iñaquito chapel in Quito after having a very uplifting zone conference.

January 2009

New missionaries arriving from the MTC in Bogotá, Colombia. Currently, we have missionaries from 13 countries.

The members in the Imbabura Stake in Otavalo enjoy a beautiful sunny day after a wonderful stake conference.

After the Imbabura stake conference in Otavalo, we had a pleasant visit with some members. Brother and Sister Farninango, with whom we're standing are the Aunt and Uncle to a missionary who is serving in our mission.

Cindy and Natalie taking a break in their shopping at the world-famous Otavalo market.

Two new Otavaleño friends at the market in Otavalo.

The voices of about 60 members singing in the choir for the Imbabura stake conference was angelic. To amplify the beauty of the music, they had a flute and three violins, all very uplifting, to make the hymns never sounding better.

Another picture of the wonderful choir we were privileged to hear in the Imbabura Stake Conference in Otavalo

The choir in the Imbabura Stake Conference. What a privilege it was to hear this choir!

We enjoyed our time visiting with some members after an uplifitng stake conference in Otavalo.

Members relaxing in the sun after the stake conference in Otavalo.

Our family is standing next to the stake presidency and their young families after the Imbabura stake conference in Otavalo. President Arellana is standing next to Tim. Our three girls, Jessica, Stephanie and Natalie are to our right.

After the stake conference, Tim interviewed the woman standing to his right prior to her baptism. Her daughter is already a member of the Church and is standing to Cindy's left. The missionary to our far left is Sister Castillo from Guatemala, a wonderful missionary whom we love dearly.

Making more friends with members after the Imbabura stake conference in Otavalo.

A member of the stake presidency and his family standing with our family and our two wonderful zone leades, Elder Montgomery and Elder Otero. (Otavalo)

December 2008 Festivities

It was a real treat to bring Jessica to Ecuador for the holidays. She made Christmas special for the whole family. She is surrounded by Stephanie and Natalie.

Early in December, we were invited to attend a stake conference in Esmeraldas, located on the northern coast of Ecuador. After the Sunday session of stake conference, we had a delicious lunch at President and Sister Cando's house. We had rice with shrimp and the best fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Standing in front of the Cando's house are L to R: Temple President Jorge Rojas and his wife, Elder Dávila of the Seventy, President and Sister Cando, his first counselor in the stake presidency, his three children and Cindy and Tim.

We stayed at a beautiful, but inexpensive resort called PortoLago on a beautiful lake at the foot of the Imbabura volcano. We were here for zone conference in Otavalo. We had a wonderful time. L to R are Stephanie, Natalie, Jessica and Cindy.

On a Saturday afternoon, we decided to visit the Parque Carolina in downtown Quito, just a few minutes from our apartment. We had fun on this giant catepillar ride that circled the park. L to R are Stephanie, Jessica, Natalie and Tim in the back.

The Parque Carolina is similar to New York City's Central Park, only not as big. There's lots to do and see. Here we are riding the paddle boats in the park's lake. Jessica, Natalie and Stephanie navigated quite nicely without crashing into other boats.

Here are the hostesses with the mostess, preparing and feeding some 80+ missionaries from the Quito area on Christmas Eve afternoon. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was wonderful having so many missionaries in our home. Standing from L to R: Stephanie, Sister Ottosen, Natalie, Cindy, Elder Ward, Jessica, Osmani and Sister Griesemer.

We were able to enjoy the Christmas spirit with four zones of 80+ missionaries from the Quito area. We sang Christmas carols and shared inspiring messages on the meaning of the Savior's birth. We kept singing song after song because the missionaries did not want to stop!

The food was great, the atmosphere was warm and spirits were high as we celebrated a Christmas Eve lunch for all of our wonderful missionaries to enjoy.

A quick family photo after the crowds of missionaries had departed back to the field. This was our first of three Christmases in Ecuador. What a wonderful time we had.

Standing with the missionaries from the Ofelia/Calderon zone in front of our Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. We had four groups of this size pass through our home this afternoon.

After the festivities with all the missionaries the afternoon of Christmas Eve, we traveled with the Assistants (Elders Katzenbach and Padilla), the Office Elders (Elders Scott and Alvarado) and the mission secretary, Sister Griesemer to deliver food for single mothers. We delivered food to three mothers with many children in tiny one-room apartments.

We are off for our two-day retreat to Baños, loading the Explorer with enough things to last a week! Natalie and Jessica are seen in the picture. Loading and unloading in our garage below the apartment complex is an almost daily routine. When we leave for four days to zone conferences on the tropical coast or for two days to Otavalo or Ambato/Riobamba (land of volcanoes), we load the car to the brim, with a green duffle filled with bedding and materials.

A view of Banos from the porch of the hostel where we stayed. To the right you can see one of dozens of waterfalls that grace the canyon walls that lead down to the Amazon basin, just 35 miles away.

In Banos, we rode a "chiva" which is an open-air tour truck. We rode the chiva to two trail heads whose paths led to beautiful waterfalls. The hikes were demanding, but fortunately the altitude was less than Quito.

After our busy day of hiking the trails to the waterfalls along the canyon, we met up with President and Sister Mayorga for an early evening dinner. Our little vacation to Baños was made possible because of President Mayorga who consulted with us on what activities we could do as a family. After eating pizza in downtown Baños, we took this picture with their young family. President Mayorga is the branch president in Baños. A wonderful family that provides the backbone of the Church in this little town. President Mayorga is the director of public affairs for the city. As we walked on the streets of the city, it was apparent that he was well known by all. Tourism is the main source of income in the city and he has his hands full putting a positive spin on the safety of the city, despite the constant threat of volcanic eruptions.

This is a view of the volcano Tungaharua that his still active. The town of Baños is at the base of the volcano.

We hiked to several waterfalls and this one was a sight to see. The spray of the falls cooled us off from the tropical heat. L to R are Cindy, Natalie, Stephanie and Jessica.

This picture cannot really convey the beauty of the surroundings within this tropical forest. Standing on a shaky bridge on which only five at a time can be on, we paused to enjoy the river and the falls. Jessica, Stephanie and Tim climbed up to the falls behind us up through narrow and tight caves. It was fun!

Jessica, Stephanie and Tim were brave enough to climb up the narrow, steep path to get behind the falls. They were wet from the spray of the falls when they climbed back down.

This picture was taken just below the cabina where we stayed at the foot of the mountain. L to R are Jessica, Natalie, Stephanie and Tim.

Enjoying the warmth of the sun, Cindy, Stephanie, Jessica and Natalie take a moment to watch people in one of the central plazas in Baños.

A downtown view of Baños. The entire city caters to tourists. There are quaint restaurants of all cuisines and the plazas are some fo the most ornate I have seen in all of Latin America. We noticed that the Otavaleños operate the majority of the tourist shops.

Another view of downtown area of Baños from porch of our cabina at the hostel.

With the families of two stake presidents, Espinoza and Benalcázar, on January 2, 2009 we traveled to the base of Cotopaxi, a majestic, snow-capped volcano south of Quito. We're standing at the parking lot which was 14,625 ft. It was very cold and very windy. To get to this point we had to drive through a river, climb steep, muddy roads with deep ruts and dodge other trucks and cars that were stuck or virtually inpassable.
Here we are, standing on the mountain of Cotopaxi, trying to stay to warm. From the left is Presidente Espinoza and family, President Benalcázar and family and the Sloan family.


We made attempts to climb to the Refugio, which was 15,600 ft. high, but the cold and wind was difficult to endure. Here is Jessica, Stephanie and Natalie, trying to stay warm.

We made an attempt to climb to the "refugio" but the wind and the cold was too much for us to bare. L to R are Sister Griesemer, Stephanie, Natalie, Cindy and Jessica.


Dozens of trucks and cars were stuck in the mud in the accent to the parking lot on Cotopaxi. Since no one ever drove in snow, Tim took the lead in gathering people to push and pull cars out of the way. We couldn't drive down the mountain until these everyone was out of the way. It was onoe big traffic jam on the side of the mountain! The elevation at this point was roughly 14,300 ft.