Farewell to President and Sister Sloan

President and Sister Sloan finished their mission at the end of June. They have accomplished much. The mission had many problems when they began 3 years ago. They worked very hard to gain the confidence of the priesthood leaders and build the missionaries into a dedicated team devoted to their Savior and willing to work and serve. Both the statistics and the love they have both given and received are evidence of their success. They are wise and wonderful people who have given their all in this special time of their lives. I hope they have a chance to rest a bit and catch up with their family before they dive back in to work and serve in the future. President Sloan said one of his first goals was to buy a barbeque and invite all of their family and friends to come over. The Yosts purchased two aprons as parting gifts. Many of us had a chance to write on them. On the bib, Sister Yost wrote, "Called to Serve--Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner". They certainly won the hearts of the missionaries (and many, many Ecuadorians) through love, teaching, testimony and lots of good food.

We wished the Sloans a fond farewell at the Vista Hermosa Restaurant. It does indeed have a beautiful view. It was a lovely experience to be on that rooftop as the sun set over the beautiful city of Quito. The food was delicious. These good people in the photo above have their hearts set on loving and serving and doing their best to contribute to the good in the world by building up the Kingdom of God. The Sloans honored all of us for our service with this dinner and it is indeed a privilege to be here and make a bit of a contribution.


This is an amazing cathedral close by. The skyline is filled with towers and beautiful architecture as well as the more ordinary rooftops.


This is the Panecillo. It is a huge statue made of 7,000 pieces of aluminum and stands on a tall hill in a city made up of hills at the top of the mountains. The Panecillo is visible for many miles. It was created in 1976. This is a closeup. The statue is a mile or two in the distance.

After dinner we enjoyed traditional dancing by a local youth group. They danced to live music (with pan pipes as well as guitars and percussion) and performed dances from several regions of the country in traditional dress. This took place in an interior courtyard of what used to be the palace of the archbishop. We all were seated on the stone steps around the courtyard. Wonderful evening.