REVISITING THE PATERAS - NEWBORN, BIRTHING KITS

I made 15 kits that we are calling Birthing Kits, there is a towel, a blanket and a hat for use right after the baby is born.

We were able to get some of the newborn kits from the USNS Comfort when it was here. We gave 80 of these kits to the Pateras, they were so excited. Here Elder Yost is showing them the kits.

The old passing on knowledge to the young. They are such beautiful, humble people.


It was so wonderful to visit with these friends again.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 8, 2011

We made a quick day trip back to Ambato to visit with the hospital there and donate some more NRT manuals for them to use in their teaching, and to visit again with some of the pateras. They were so excited to see us and report on how they are doing. We were also able to donate newborn kits, birthing kits, and other materials for their use in training others. They have become very special to us and I hope we get to visit with them again.

WELCOME PRESIDENT AND SISTER GHENT

Passing the mantel. President Sloan took off his plaqua when he went to met President Ghent at the airport. The mission is now in President Ghent´s hands.


One last group picture, FHE at our apartment.

June 30, 2011

President and Sister Ghent arrived today. It was emotional to say good-bye to President and Sister Sloan; there were many tears and lots of hugs. We had one last get together in the office with muffins and hot chocolate then loaded up and all went to the airport. The Sloan’s fly home on Saturday early in the morning. We had a staff meeting on Friday morning to introduce ourselves, the Senior Missionaries invited the new president and his wife to Sunday dinner. They had been serving a mission in Peru when they were called to come here. Their youngest son is serving in Brazil and will be coming "home" to Ecuador at the conclusion of his mission. They will be great to work with! It seems there is nothing as constant as change. We have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people, it is so great to be with people who are willing to go and serve.

FAREWELL TO PRESIDENT AND SISTER SLOAN

Some of the beautiful music of Ecuador, I recorded this at the Folk Dance Show.

Music of Ecuador from Brenda Yost on Vimeo.

The first time we went to this dance performance all my pictures were blurry. I have been doing some reading about using my camera so this time I set the ISO to 800 and my f stop to 4.3 and raised the flash, the pictures were much better, far from perfect but better. There was also a children´s group that performed this time they were so fun to watch.





Elder and Sister Yost over looking Quito.



Senior Missionaries: Pres and Sister Sloan, Sister Naylor, Elder and Sister Pettingill, Elder and Sister Yost, Elder and Sister Geldmacher


President and Sister Sloan.

Friday June 24, 2011

We were finally able to make arrangements to go to dinner with President and Sister Sloan before they leave. We went to Old Town to the restaurant Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View). We had dinner on the roof then went around the cornor to the Folk Dance show that is put on each Friday night. It was a delightful evening. We will really miss The Sloan´s they have been wonderful to serve with. On Monday they came to FHE at our apartment. On Thursday we met in the office for one last get together then went to the airport to greet the new President and his wife.

Father´s Day in Ecuador

Since I didn´t have a picture of Father´s Day thought I would add this one from our trip to Old Town. Dad with another women! (she is actually cardboard)

Sunday June 19, 2011

While Mother´s Day was quite special, Father´s Day was pretty much just another Sunday. The Primary Children did sing "I am a Child of God" in sacrament meeting for the Fathers. They sang the 1st verse in Quichua, the 2nd in Spanish and 3rd in English. It brought tears to my eyes. We had tried to get a sweater for Dad but there wasn´t one he really liked. The stores where we get ties didn´t have any that were appropriate for a missionary. I wanted to get the chess set he wants but he needs to come and bargain and he didn´t want to. We did go to dinner on Saturday; there is a new restaurant close to our apartment called "Adam´s Rib". They had ribs, chicken and stakes and it was surprisingly good. Not much of a celebration but Happy Father´s Day anyway!
(We have since gotten a sweater for him that looks really nice I´ll have to post a picture of it.)

A Wedding and A Baptism

The assistants had taken the key for the water turn on so the Elders were filling the font with a hose, they added some warm water to try and make it more comfortable but it was still pretty cold and not very deep which made it a bit more difficult.
Elder Cox

Elder Vomocil

Elder Hamblin

They had many family members and friends who came to support them, many are not members but were asking about the Church.


They are a beautiful young couple, we wish them the very best.

Just Married!

Saturday June 18, 2011

The Elders phoned us Friday evening and told us they were having a wedding and a baptism on Saturday morning and invited us to come. They have been teaching this young couple, Alisha and Edwin, for awhile and today they will be married so thay can be baptized. It was so nice to be included and they seemed happy to have us there even though they don´t know us. I took several pictures which we printed and gave to them the next day at church. I always pray that the new members will stay active and learn more of the gospel. We actually have an 80% retention rate but there is still that 20%.

La Ronda - Old, Old Town Quito

Taking a rest, Dad and Elder Pettingill finish sightseeing much quicker then Sister Pettingill and I, so they sat on the cornor. Sister Pettingill was taking pictures, and of course I was taking pictures of her taking pictures..


This is the turntable (lathe) that is used in the convent for the nuns to sell the items they make, this way they are never visiable to the public. They make aromatic waters for nervousness and insomnia, honey and bottles of strong sweet wine, also something called "lemons debittered" leche.


Security- reminds me of New York (from what I have seen in the movies), wonder what the inside looks like?


We were in this area on a Friday afternoon, the whole length of the street was set up with games for the children to play and they were enjoying it.

The first house in Quito. Sorry you can´t really see much of the house.


Historical sign for La Ronda area, narrow streets and alleys mark the area. This is actually a natural gully from lava flows of Pichuncha Volcano.



Doors on the Quito Cathedral, on the left is Peter and on the right is Matthew.


Trying some new photo techniques! Saints on the Quito Cathedral.

The casa (home) of Ecuador´s Patron Saint Sister Mariána de Jusús. She must have not been very tall.



In all of the really old pictures of Quito this gate is shown. This marks La Ronda, the oldest area in Quito. The gate is called Arco de la Reina and was built in the 18th century to give shelter to churchgoers, it is over the street García Moreno.

Friday June 17, 2011

We had made reservations to have dinner with President and Sister Sloan in Old Town and then attend the Friday evening dance preformance. The Area President came to visit with President Sloan and so things did not work out. Elder and Sister Pettingill had arranged to get some time off and asked if we could still go and do some sightseeing. So we left the office at two, took the Trolly and walked around for about 3 hours. We explored some areas Dad and I had not been to yet. We found a museum we are going to go back to and visited an area called La Ronda, the oldest part of Old Town. It was so fun and interesting. We also visited the home of Sister Mariána de Jesús, she is the patron saint of Ecuador. I have done some reading on her and she had some very interesting visions of our day. This is still a working convent and the nuns make homemade creams and natural remedies that can be purchased. They use a turn table type of device so that you never see the nuns. They also only have one hour a day that they can speak to each other or watch TV, the rest of the time they are silent.

Steven a special story

The following day we sat with his grandmother until his surgery was done, later that day we visited with them in the hospital area of the ship. He stayed overnight and left the next day. I hope he is doing well, maybe we will see him again, I can only hope.

Going onboard the ship, he was so frightened as you can imagine.

Steven and his Grandmother, they were members of the church and seemed happy to see and talk with us.


Giving hugs! Steven gave the sailor and Elder Yost big hugs, kind of around the knees, and said thank you!


Arriving at the ship. Patients and their excorts would arrive the day before their surgery. Pre-op screenings including bloodwork were done and then they spent the night at the "Comfort Inn".


On one of our first days at the ship as were preparing to leave we met Steven and his Grandmother arriving for his turn to have surgery. They seemed so happy to see missionaries and identified themselves at members of the Church. Steven was so excited until the sailors from the ship came to excort him onboard, then he began to cry. It would be a little bit scary to see these big Navy guys, although one was a girl, coming to get you, and then going up the ramp into this hugh ship. We stayed with his Grandmother the next day while he was having surgery. Later that day we visited with them in the hospital area. We were not onboard when they left the next day. I hope he is doing well!

Rio Pita

Elder Eliason at the base of La Gran Cascada.


Last bridge to cross at foot of La Gran Cascada.


La Gran Cascada from below. Elder Vomocil.

The Elders desended a few more ladders and crossed another bridge to view the falls from below. Dad and I were to tired so we hiked a mile back up the road to get the taxi, then we came back and met the Elders and headed for home. We were sore and tired but had enjoyed the day so much. It was so nice to be out of the city and in the mountains.



We followed the left arrow and viewed the falls from the top.


Here the trail became a little confusing.


When we passed by this area the Elders commented that it would be a great place for a baptism.

There were 3 small springs that came right out of the rock, we crossed in front of them on some very slippery rocks and a very small wooden walk that was also very slippery, it was a ways down the cliff to the river.



There were some small but tall beautiful waterfalls along the way.

El Manantial.

Elders Vergara, Eliason, Cox and Vomocil by Cascada Molinuco

Cascada Molinuco it appeared from the picture on the map that people jump from this waterfall and swim in this area.


Elder and Sister Yost by the Rio Pita.

The trail was steep with steps and ladders and many bridges.




Starting down the trail.


This is where the taxi dropped us off, a kind of resort area called Molinucom named after one of the waterfalls. There are zip lines, a place to buy food and here is where you pay to hike into the forest.

La Choclo, the corn statue.


Preparing to leave, we had put together some snacks for the hike but I didn´t make sandwiches since I didn´t know what the missionaries might bring. Before leaving our apartment they made a sandwich to eat now and one to eat later.

Saturday June 11, 2011

Today marks 8 months on the mission. We took the day and traveled to Los Chillos with the office Elders (secretaries and assistants). This is an interesting trip, we start in the front of our building by boarding the Ecovia (bus) and riding it to the end of the line. Here we board another bus and travel to the choclo(corn stock statue). Then we hired a pickup truck for the last 45 minute leg of our journey into the Rio Pita Bosque (forest). There is a beautiful waterfall here that I had seen pictures of and wanted to see, so the Elders said they would take us. Trouble was when we got there they weren´t sure of the trail to take. We asked directions and got a map then started out on a very adventurous hike. We went up and down ladders over the river several times on interesting rickity bridges, took the wrong trail twice, saw beautiful scenery and a few waterfalls but never did get the one we had come to see. I had been told the trail to La Gran Pita Falls was pretty flat, took about 30 to 40 minutes and that there would not be a problem for the Senior Missionaries to make the trip. The trail we went on was almost 2 hours, very steep and rugged, even slippery in a few places. The Elders had a great time and really enjoyed seeing more of the area. We are going to go back and find the right trail because I still want to see La Gran Cascada del Pita.