Two Christmas Events

We enjoyed our Christmas Devotional with all the temple workers. It is the one time a year that the temple can pull everyone who serves in the temple into a single meeting. We were pleasantly surprised by how lovely and enjoyable it was. The head gardener at the temple was responsible for decorating the chapel of a nearby stake. It was very different from anything I have seen in the states. He had the whole temple lot to pull from and there were many, many flowers and greens in the front of the chapel and at the back on the stage in the cultural hall. I do not have any photos, of course, but it was impressive and made the chapel feel very festive. They also had a choir that obviously had some professional talent. They did several numbers and there were solos as well. It was wonderful. My favorite part was the talks. I was surprised that each one was concise and I gleaned some important concepts. I was taking notes. I should do that more. It helps me concentrate. What I wrote down may not be exactly what was said. I will share some of the ideas I wrote down:

1. If we understand the temple we will live what we learn there.
2. We need to adopt the culture of the temple.
3. One worker (Eme Vera) explained that when the temple was built here, she and her husband wanted to return to Guayaquil where they had been born. They made it happen, found a small house very near the temple and made attending and serving in the temple an important focus of their family life. She said it has helped her family feel peace, find additional strength and understand the atonement more clearly. She said we should learn from our Heavenly Parents in the temple just as children learn from their parents in the home.
4. President Groberg talked of his childhood home. He said he was the 7th child with lots of brothers and sisters older than he was and also lots that were younger. John H. Groberg (The Other Side of Heaven) is one of his older brothers. He said it was the tradition in their home that his mother read the Christmas story from the book of Luke. He said many years later in his own home he invited his mother to read again and worried that she would not be able to see the words. He found that she had the entire chapter memorized.

It was a meeting we were very glad we attended. Unfortunately, we do not feel that way after every meeting we attend. (Probably more a reflection on us than on the meetings.)

Last Monday was our turn to present a Family Home Evening for the Senior Temple Missionaries, President and Sister Groberg and the family that manages our building. We were determined not to have a lecture type lesson. So, Grandpa wanted to show the PEF movie and I wanted to do a craft. We made Nativity scenes with some printed figures and watched the videos while coloring and cutting and pasting.  I think most enjoyed the diversion and they did like the refreshments. We had hot chocolate, cornflake cookies, toffee bars and cinnamon sugared almonds.

Christmas is coming very quickly. Enjoy, appreciate your loved ones, and remember the wonderful gifts for us from our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ.

Love, Lewis and Jeri

Plant Parts

I took photos of amazing seed pods and natural things that the Grobergs have picked up on their walks in Ecuador. They are avid walkers and have found some cool things. I took the photos below during the birthday party and didn't get a chance to ask questions. Someday I hope I can learn more. I do know that the fluffy white stuff (kapok) and some of the pods are from the Ceibo (Spanish name) trees. There are several different species. Here is some info I found about these special trees:


"The flowers open during the nighttime and are pollinated by bats.  Usually, the trees flower every five years and only when the tree is leafless. This generally occurs during the dry season.  Fruits and seeds from the tree contain lightweight fibers that are water-repellent.

The ancient Maya of Central America believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth, connecting the terrestrial world to the spirit-world above.  The long thick vines hanging down from its spreading limbs provided a connection to the heavens for the souls that ascended them.  Even today, these grand trees are regularly spared when forests are cut — it is a common event to see lone, isolated Ceiba trees proudly spreading their shady branches high above a pasture or agricultural field, a relict of the great forests that once were there.

Ceibas have had a long commercial history.  During the 1940s the fluff, or kapok, that surrounds the seeds was harvested commercially for stuffing life preservers, seat cushions, mattresses and saddles. Being lighter than cotton, buoyant and resistant to saturation by water, it made an excellent filler for life preservers.  Until the middle of the 1900′s, nearly every stuffed life preserver and upholstered automobile seat was filled with kapok fibers.  As modern materials fell more in favor, demand for kapok fluff has fallen, and the Ceiba fruits are no longer harvested commercially. This is a blessing in disguise as deforestation of these trees has greatly diminished.

The trunks have been adapted for use as canoes.  Indigenous peoples traditionally prized the Ceiba for constructing enormous dugout canoes out of the tree’s large and cylindrical trunk.  The construction process normally takes months to complete, and may involve over a dozen men’s labor.  For many villages nestled in the forests of the tropical lowlands, these giant canoes provide the only connection to their neighbors and the rest of the world, as they are plied on the winding waterways of the rain forest.

While the wood of Ceiba is soft and light, and thus not suitable for furniture, it has been used commercially for pulpwood and plywood.   The low desirability of the wood however, may have been the Ceiba’s saving grace and one of the reason one still sees these giant trees gracing the tropical agricultural landscape."

These seeds have a very large wing attached to them:

The large dark oval below is what chocolate comes from...

I'll bet you recognize these if you have lived in Camarillo:

Remember the helicopters that would fall out of the trees in front of Christie's house on Boise Street? This is a much larger version:

Here is a side view and a top view of the same thing. Any idea what it is? Ni yo tampoco.

These are beautiful.

Alyssa, Rachel and Lydia: Do you remember the very large pods we found in the park in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. These pods (below) are much smaller but in our last Family Home Evening Sister Groberg brought a pod that was even larger than the ones we found. She broke it open (that wasn't easy) and there were large black seeds covered in a cottony white stuff. She explained that we were supposed to dig one out and pop it into our mouths and chew off the white part. I was courageous and tried it. The texture was strange but the taste was very mild and somewhat sweet. They call it guava here. It is not the same as the guava that is available in the USA.

Isn't it amazing how many different kinds of plants there are? We live in a wonderful world that has been created for us to take care of and enjoy.

Enjoy whatever nature you have around you. I've heard it is mostly ice and snow in many places this month.

 Love, Los Pettingill

Birthday Party for the President

President Groberg's birthday is the same as Cary's on November 30th. The Tuesday morning shift arranged a surprise party with Sister Groberg. I snapped some photos and thought I would share the little bit I know about some of these wonderful people. We are in the apartment of President and Sister Groberg. It is on the ground floor of the alojamiento where we also live. This first woman is Sister Landetta. She is not young and she is always beautifully dressed. She wears the most amazing shoes and carries herself like a moviestar. (See all that cool stuff on the low table. I took photos and will make another blog post with those.)

This woman below recently came back from a long vacation in the United States. She had with her an old expired recommend instead of the new recommend she had received in the USA. Lewis and I were at the recommend desk that morning. She did not know the name of the new bishop in her ward in Ecuador. She had to wait until the preparation meeting was over and then the counselor in the temple presidency came to talk with her. They discovered that her new bishop is the counselor's son.

Sister Pino in the blue dress is the coordinator for the women on Tuesday mornings. Her husband is beside her. Brother Pino is the coordinator of the men on Wednesday mornings. I don't know the story but there is a big difference in their ages. I suppose his first wife passed away. They spend lots of time and energy serving in the temple. They are always ready outside the temple long before the presidency member is there to open the door on Tuesday mornings at 6:00 AM.

The man speaking is President Paralles. He is giving a lovely tribute to President Groberg. He and his wife were called to serve as temple missionaries and they were asked to serve in the presidency. He does the funniest thing sometimes when we open and he is the member of the presidency serving on that shift. It is their job to open the door and stay at the desk until the missionary has changed his clothes and is ready to accept responsibility for the recommend desk. President Paralles scans his own recommend, verifies that the screen flashes green and then shakes each of his own hands, gives himself two hugs and then kisses his fingers and touches his own cheeks. Then he threatens to give his wife a very special welcome kiss to the temple. I love it because he is both confirming and making fun of the customs here that North Americans find less than efficient. Then he scans the recommends of the workers waiting to enter. In Ecuador the person at the desk usually shakes the hand of each person who enters.

This is Brother Munoz. He is the coordinator for the men on Tuesday mornings. He was asked to sing and he did and I was impressed. He sang two lively and fun songs very well indeed. 

Below Sister Pacheco is reading the lovely card that she made for President Groberg. It is made from the thin shapes of foam that are sold in craft stores but she makes amazing folk art with it. She also wrote a beautiful tribute to President Groberg mentioning his strengths and expressing appreciation for his service.

 This is President Groberg.

Sister Groberg had commissioned Sister Pacheco to make a piece of art that they will take with them and hang on the wall of their home. She made this and said it represented the tree of life with an indigenous Ecuadorian Adam and Eve.  

There was also a gift box containing the hammock you can see below. They are laughing about where they could hang it on the temple grounds. They also got wool scarves because everyone knows that they must return to snowy Idaho Falls when they leave Ecuador. 

The young woman on the couch at the left is the coordinator on Saturday mornings which is the busiest and most demanding time of the week. Her husband is in Atlanta working and in the process of getting his citizenship and she expects that she can join him in one more year. It will be three years of living apart to fulfill their dreams. She says she has a cat to keep her company. She has photos of her husband on the inside of the door of her temple locker. The woman on the right is Sister Paralles.

December is a wonderful month. Enjoy, and remember what is most important.
Love, Los Pettingill

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving,

We celebrated on Monday because that is our day off. It would be too rushed to try to have dinner ready and eat between shifts today. We enjoyed our lovely dinner that Sister Bottorff planned. She made the turkey and dressing and gravy and coordinated our fun feast. Everyone contributed and we were grateful for the food, our families and the chance to serve together in the Guayaquil Temple. Everyone wrote a favorite blessing they were grateful for. Grandpa wrote "eyes". In Spanish it looks like this: OjOs. Imagine a dot inside the center of each O and it looks like eyes separated by a nose. I wrote that I am thankful for the many patient Spanish speakers who take the time to communicate with me each day.

Sister Johnson made this cute turkey on her relish tray. 

This is the kitchen/dining room available for all the people who stay here while they are attending the temple. On Saturdays they also sell food here because the cafeteria is always overcrowded with the many faithful people who come. Grandpa wanted an ice cream bar out of the blue freezer you can see. Good thing none of us has a key. This is the table before the turkey was added.

We had lots of good food and there was another table full of desserts that I failed to get a photo of.

President Groberg is looking down at his hymnbook. Sister Groberg is leading our song.

The first couple is the Ripples from Nova Scotia, Canada. They served as temple missionaries here a couple of years ago and have returned for two months to serve as patrons in the temple and continue the remodel of the Valeros' home. The Ripples believe that the Valeros prayed them to Ecuador. Neither of the Ripples speak Spanish but Brother Ripple is an amazing builder with indefatigable energy. We wish they could stay for years but their family is happy that they will be returning.The Valerios are an amazing family. The father serves as a counselor in the bishopric currently and for many years he and his wife have come every Saturday to work in the baptistry. They both work out of town and sacrifice an incredible amount of time serving others. They are the only reason we survive Saturdays in the baptistry. They have it down to a science and can provide a wonderful experience for the hundreds of young people who are able to come every Saturday from all over Ecuador. We also have a couple of stakes in Peru and Columbia who attend our temple because it is closer to their homes than the temple located in their own countries. Yesterday we talked with two young adult sisters who live in Columbia. The older one just returned from her mission in Paraguay a week ago. They are delighted to come to Guayaquil because it is only a 14 hour bus ride. It takes 24 hours for them to get to the temple in Columbia.

Today seems like a just normal day here in Guayaquil. We hope that each of you is enjoying a special meal with people you love. It is good for us to remember that we have much to be grateful for. Know that you as individuals are on the top of our list of favorite blessings. Thank you for your good lives and the contributions you are making to improve this old world of ours. There are lots of problems but each of our children and grandchildren are bright spots of hope for the future.

Love, Grandma/Mom/Jeri

Happy Anniversary to Us

I promised a picture of the beautiful flowers here with Grandpa's hand in the photo so you could tell how large the blossoms are. The second flower is even larger. Are you impressed?

Look at what else lives on the temple grounds. These fellas were out for a stroll on our 23rd wedding anniversary, November 20th.

 I took a photo of this smaller guy below out our bedroom window. I was amazed at how long his tail is. It is much longer than you can see. We are on the third floor. Good thing he knows what he is doing. It would be a long drop to the ground. Usually they climb the trees with fruit. I can't imagine that an iguana could manage a coconut. He matched the colors in the tree very well. He was probably up there for the view.

 After working in the temple in the morning we went to lunch at Menestra del Negro to celebrate our anniversary. It is a chain of restaurants and we had seen one near the Malecon on our last bus ride. We often ate lunch at one near our office in Quito. We took Morgan and David to another location downtown on the Gran Plaza. Good traditional food and not expensive. Menestra is the style of the beans or you can choose lentils which is probably even more traditional. They also serve "Christianos y Moros" which is rice (white) and lentils (dark) mixed together. The round thing is a slice of plantain (big green banana) which as been smashed and fried.  I forgot to take a photo until after we had started eating.

Then we took a long walk on the Malecon which is along the Guayas River and finished up with an ice cream cone ($.75) at McDonalds overlooking the water.

The bus ride home was very crowded. I was worried we wouldn't be able to get to the front of the bus in order to get off but it worked out just fine. These people know how to squeeze on and let you squeeze off when you need to. We didn't jump off fast enough and the bus driver yelled at us. But I'm glad I do not have his job. We are getting a bit old and slow. But it suites me fine. I'm comfortable old and slow.

President Groberg gave me an assignment to give a 10 minute talk on happiness at a temple missionary training meeting...in Spanish of course. I was stressed preparing it but it made me happy thinking of all the things that improve my happiness. My family is at the top of the list. Thank you for being such wonderful people, every single one of you. You make it easy to feel happy every single day.

Love you lots, Grandma/Mom/Jeri

Two Months

Today marks two months in Guayaquil. We have learned many things and feel comfortable here and glad to be one of the temple missionary couples and among the many workers in the Guayaquil Temple. As full time temple missionaries we have a monthly training session with President and Sister Groberg during the early afternoon when the temple is closed. Training consists of actually performing the ordinances and it is another chance to do family names. Our first one was in the baptistry and President Groberg was the one baptized. Our second was the initiatory ordinances and we participated as patrons and ordinance workers. It is a lovely experience to have together as a group. Next month we will have a special endowment session and the temple employees will be invited to participate as well.

I was working in the baptistry one busy Saturday morning and they needed me upstairs for an English speaking patron. I was nervous because I had not done anything in English as a temple worker for a very long time. But I found that the English was still there, just buried a bit under a lot of Spanish I have been using recently.

Last month I had a chance to go with Sister Chiza to a PEF/Employment event held in our chapel. Ever since we left Quito Sister Chiza has been helping both PEF and Employment as a volunteer. She took a long trip to Argentina after her term as a service missionary was over but when she returned she went back and helped out daily wherever they most needed her. The Segos are the current couple in charge of PEF and Sister Chize knew about the Exposition that was scheduled here in Guayaquil. It was a joint project with Employment and brought together many trade schools as well as PEF and BYU-I to explain their offerings to everyone who was interested. There was a lot of interest in the culinary school that was serving freshly made appetizers and desserts. I enjoyed those as well but was excited to learn that BYU-I has a Pathway program that is functioning both in Guayaquil and Quito (as well as many places in the world) that combines online classes with a weekly class held in a church building with a local teacher.  All students must qualify to take classes in English and have a temple recommend. In Ecuador there are two majors offered: Web Design and Business Marketing. As I understood it, the students earn a BYU-I degree that is respected world wide through this distance learning option and it is very inexpensive. I spoke to a current student who said it is very hard work but he is almost finished and very happy to have been able to participate.

PEF is undergoing major changes. I didn't have time to learn very much but Employment will take additional responsibility and self-reliance is becoming even more prominently the focus. I got a chance to talk with Sister Sego for a few minutes. She came with no Spanish skills and I know that it is a challenge when your ability to communicate is limited. She is doing very well and has learned a lot of Spanish in one year.  I looked on LDS.org and it says: The charter of the Perpetual Education Fund has been broadened into a self-reliance initiative for international members, ages 18 – 65+. The purpose is to teach doctrines and principles and provide tools and services to help lift our members in need move from poverty to spiritual and economic self-reliance and greater conversion. The tools and services include the successful PEF student loan program in 55 countries, in addition to many new resources and training programs targeted at self-employment, employment, and career development.

I am grateful that our current mission involves communication one on one and I do not have any responsibility for making phone calls.  I had difficulty understanding people over the phone and I would often mix up phone numbers when taking messages. My incompetence was painful for me and for others. Phone numbers are longer here and I had to repeat each number individually in order to get it right.

The big news is that we are so proud of all of our family missionaries we could just burst our buttons. 

Colby Snyder is in southern California. He was our first and will return in April of 2014.

Jacey Preisler is in the Dominican Republic assigned to the very same mission that we were assigned to in 2008.

Jacob Pettingill is in the southern part of France where his mother, Khristine, served her mission. 

 Katie Pettingill, is in northern France.

Troy Snyder is in Accra, Ghana and wins the prize for the best attitude under the most severe cultural shock. If you do not have access to their letters and would like to read them, contact their parents. Two more grandchildren are waiting in the wings with plans to send in papers soon.

We love our family and hope to set a good example for them. This mortal life is not the easiest thing we have ever had to do, but it is joyful and so very important. Be good and serve others.

We love you, Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill