My New Favorite City - Cuenca

Our change from Guayaquil Temple missionaries to Guayaquil South Mission missionaries is experiencing a delay. So, our mission president told us to continue with our temple mission scheduled vacation after our meeting last Monday. UPDATE - The latest information is that we will fly to the Galapagos Islands (Santa Cruz) next Thursday, March 20th.

Monday, March 3rd we joined the Guayaquil South Mission Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders for an all day meeting. We loved spending time with the young missionaries. Whenever I get discouraged about the state of the world I try to remember the faith and energy of the young missionaries and remember we can accomplish whatever the Lord would have us do.

 

President and Sister Hansen (member of the mission presidency)

The next evening the Hansens were returning to Loja and invited us to travel with them as they wanted to stop in Cuenca on the way. The previous week we had been planning to go to Cuenca so we put a few things in our suitcases and went with them on Wednesday. I was happy to find that with a "sea sick pill" I made it without needing my zip lock plastic bags. You can't go very many places in Ecuador without curvy mountain roads. We traveled over the Cajas mountain range to get to Cuenca.

Cuenca is a city that has a great reputation. There are many North Americans who have retired there and others who want to raise their families there. It is also a popular tourist destination. We wanted to go and see what we think.

The Johnsons had recommended a hotel and gave us a few hints on what to see. We went to the hotel Posada Todos Santos and found that every room has a mural painted on the wall and there are murals on the interior patio as well. It is a delightful place. We were well cared for by Soledad and served a lovely breakfast in the mornings. The owners live above and rent out rooms on the ground floor.

With the Hansens, we enjoyed a great day, walking around the city, exploring the older sections, and visiting a large museum. I loved the sign below which says, "The Rumor of the River - old books and marvelous useless things".

Women at the flower market near the new cathedral.

Here we are acting like tourists.

This is the area around El Parque de Calderon across from the new cathedral - Catedral de la Inmaculada. It is in the oldest part of town. The government building above is recent. The building below is very old and painted to resemble marble.

Above is a view of the ceiling of the covered walkway in front of  the building above. The ceiling is made of sticks plastered with adobe and then painted. Below is one of the doors you can see behind the arches.

Parque Calderon across the street is a wonderful place for sitting in the shade and people watching.

 

 

 

The Hansens had to return to Loja the next morning so we continued making discoveries on our own. They will finish their mission on March 20th. So wish we had more time with them. They farm in Washington, raised 10 children and export specially compacted hay to Japan and other Asian countries. He is a great storyteller and shares my dislike of curvy roads and high waves. She is everyone's best friend, I'm sure, so kind and loving. 

The next day we took a tour bus and got an elevated view of several areas of the city and a sunburn.

Turi is on the top of one of the mountains that surround Cuenca.

 This is the church that was constructed in 1951.

This is the view from Turi down to the city below. See the cupolas on the right side of the photo below? They are on the top of the new cathedral next to Parque Calderon.

Below is the entrance to the parking lot of the new mall. Someone told us that Cuenca had everything except McDonalds until recently. Now there is a location at this mall and another near the university. 

Boise, Idaho may have a larger river running through it, but Cuenca has four rivers within the city--not large enough to tube but perfect for biking or running or walking. There are even "subdivisions" of homes along this river and small parks with playground equipment for the children. Seems very family friendly with lots of schools and churches. The city is very clean and well cared for. Our tour guide said there are enough churches in this city to make one for every two blocks. That may be more than near Nancy in American Fork, Utah.

 

Part of the beauty of the city is the red tile roofs and lots of brick and real stone. It must be less expensive here because almost all of the houses have red tile roofs. See the cupolas in the background?

This is the roof of a house in front of a brick wall on the property above. The colors and textures are beautiful. 

Below is the river that runs below the hotel we stayed in. There are walkways on both sides of the river, a big park, lots of bridges and a beautifully restored area of old impressive homes and hotels overlooking the Tomebamba River. 

 

Below is one of two French homes built in the city many years ago. This one is very near the old historic section and now used as an event center.

 Back to Parque Calderon with more indigenous ladies.

 

Sister Chiza was able to come and join us in Cuenca on Friday. We very much enjoyed our time with her as well. She loved Cuenca and may consider moving here at the end of her mission. The weather is wonderful. It is cool with bright sunny days. It rains often but only for a short time and then the sun is out again. Below are some more photos taken near the River Tomebamba. The words on the banner below mean, "First God and then us". Great motto.

 

 

 

That blue flower below we had in front of our house on Murray Ave in CA. A very large variety of plants grow here. The silver bushes were very attractive for contrast. The river is below.

Someone painted a smiling whale with teeth on this post. It is near stairs to climb up to Calle Larga, where our hotel is located.

Above is my plate of fried trout after I took several bites. Our meal cost $2.50 and included a big bowl of soup with a small plate of popcorn, this main course and fresh squeezed lemonaid. It was delicious. Lewis had a pork chop instead of the fish.

Below is the chapel of Todos Santos. It is just 1/2 block from our hotel. It is very old and is being restored and the convent behind now contains a bakery and a restaurant and space for more businesses. The tiny roofed structure in front has a plaque that has a painting of a rooster on it. It doesn't seem particularly religious to me but I like the painting. There must be more to the story than I know. It was the center of a religious community that was very self sufficient. 

 

This sign is on the side of the very long building. The building now contains a restaurant, a bakery, a room for exhibitions, a gallery, and a historic garden alongside the building on the slope than leads down to the river.  We were wise to go inside and we found people who were kind enough to answer all of Lewis' questions. We now know a great deal about their wood burning oven and Lewis is planning to build one when we get home.

We visited three times in order to view the whole process. Rigoberto and Juana were happy to share their knowledge. Wish I could have understood and remembered all that they told us.

Rigoberto is explaining how the oven was built nearly 200 years ago and why it is so appreciated today when other options are available. Below you can see the wood inside the oven. It will be lighted and will burn to ash in about 1/2 hour. The heat it generates will be absorbed into the many layers of brick, glass and stone beneath the floor and into the tile and clay above. The ash residue will be pushed to the side and the oven will be hot and capable of baking for the entire day. The oven was very warm even 24 hours after it was heated the day before. The oven is very wide and deep but the wood you see is all that is needed. The next day the ash of the previous day is consumed in the heat and they only need to clean it out about once a year. You can see the oven door to the left of the opening. The dome is the top of the oven. The hood is hollow and serves as a chimney. There is a hole through the roof of the building that lets heat and any fumes out.

Below you can see the cool tools Rigoberto has to manage the wood and the ashes and the paddle to insert and remove the baking sheets.

Here is the kitchen. I stepped through the door behind Rigoberto to take the photo below. 

Juana is helping by putting the baking sheets on the paddle for Rigoberto to place inside the oven. 

Rigoberto and Juana Pintado. We learned that Juana is doing an internship here to complete her culinary education. She is a member of the church and her parents were among the first members of the church in Cuenca.

These "quesadillas"  (no relation to what you are familiar with) are made with flour made from a grated root. (Not yucca but perhaps something similar. The flour looks gray and yucky but the rolls are heavenly.) The dough is filled with cheese and finely chopped onion. I loved them. We got one right out of the oven! You can see more pans still waiting further back in the oven.

Above is the view out of one of the windows of the restaurant. Below the window sill is the garden on the slope that goes down to the river you can see in the center of the photo.

The huge tray you can see on the shelf was used in the past to mix and kneed the bread dough.

Our appetizer. Little rolls with a buttery sauce to dip them in.

This is Locro de Papas. It was beautiful but I didn't get my camera out quickly enough. Lewis dunked the avocado. It is potato soup with finely chopped long skinny onions and cheese. Margarita and I were sure it had lots of cream in it but the waiter said that the creamy taste comes only from the special varieties of potatoes that they grow.

This was called Angelita's Favorite Plate. The golden disks are potato pancakes, the meat is pork and called sancocho, a fried egg, marinated onions on the salad and avocado. So good. The food was great and we loved the atmosphere. One waiter said it is the best kept secret in Cuenca. They wish it was not a secret. We are happy to spread the word. We paid about $20 for the three of us.

This is a cool old bell that was in the hallway.

I took a photo of the above advertisement for the BSU Bronco fans who live in Idaho. Below is a sign for the bike lane. Lots of pleasant exercise available in Cuenca. Only problem is that one must leave one's computer and go do it. 

An older church that reminds me of a California mission style.

Above sign says, "Tourist destination for Ecuador and the world. Together we take care of Cuenca". 

The famous cupolas from a distance above. Below is fast food Ecuadorian style. They are grilling a whole pig, cuy (guinea pig), and chicken. It smelled wonderful.

Sister Margarita Chiza at Turi with the city of Cuenca below.

 

 

Grandma and Sister Chiza at the end of our ride on the tour bus. Below we are posing in front of Feria Libre. It is the "Walmart" of Cuenca and where the natives shop. A hundred or more little stalls of most everything you would want to buy. Each space has its own owner/renter who sells their wares as they please. Great competition and low prices - clothing and food and tools and electronics and toys and household goods of all kinds.

 

Another pretty church.

A building that I found interesting.

The famous domes again.

On Sunday we went to church at the chapel near our hotel. It is a lovely chapel with a big cultural hall behind it in one building. Next to that are three skinny buildings that hold the offices, family history center and classrooms. They are open at the ends but covered between. Interesting. Below is one end of the building that holds the chapel. Every meeting house has a basketball hoop and soccer nets too.

There are three of these buildings lined up with a plexiglass cover between the overhangs. They even have art in frames hanging on the outside walls and benches as you can see below.

This is the chapel.

Sign on the front of the building. They must have a full time Seminary & Institute person here as well. 

We really enjoyed our time in Cuenca. Ecuador is a beautiful country with wonderful people. It's only problem is that none of my grandchildren live here.

Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill

Two New Mission Calls in Our Family

We are the proud grandparents of two newly called missionaries:

Daniel Pettingill is going to the Marshall Islands and reports to the Provo MTC on June 3rd. This is his Facebook post: "I have been called as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Marshall Islands Majuro mission as well as the Kiribati region mission. I will be speaking the Kiribati language. This is going to be the best two years."

 

A small tidbit about the Marshall Islands:

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is about midway between Hawaii and Australia.

Weather is hot and humid throughout most of the year, with a consistent average daily high temperature right at 80º.

Rain falls throughout the year and is heaviest in the southern atolls where totals do approach 160 inches per year. In the north, 20 inches per year is the norm. The rainy season is from May to November.

Morgan Evans is going to Recife, Brazil. On Facebook she says, "I've been called to serve in the Brazil Recife mission speaking Portuguese:) I report to the São Paulo MTC June 25th and couldn't be more excited."

I have noticed two visuals of Brazil in the last week here in Ecuador. Brazil is spelled Brasil in Spanish:

We are so proud of our family missionaries and their desire to serve others. 

Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill

Here is everyone, so far...

 

Read About Elder Troy Snyder's Experiences

Troy had the wonderful idea of soliciting questions from his family. Here are the questions submitted and his answers. (The photo above is from when he was in the MTC in Accra, Ghana)

Grandma Snyder - Are there any animals close to you. Like elephants or zebras, or giraffes? -Nope! There is a zoo about 7 hours away in the other mission. Most of the animals we see on TV come from East Africa... Like Kenya. It's a bummer. I thought I would be going around on safaris teaching people.

What is your favorite activity to do on P-day?  Besides washing your clothes by hand:-).
Love, Dad - Well I have 2. Going to circle and buying cool African stuff. 'Circle' is a super busy market. imagine the Boise farmers market.. then subtract the 20 foot road and gaps in between the shops. Add about 400 more shops, people selling things on their head and grabbing your arms, and add a terrible stink. So we have to climb through tiny alleyways trying not to get robbed and lost. It's like a maze. Plus everyone see's 'white people' and triples the price. So much fun. Other than that I like to play volleyball! We have a net at our chapel. We played it today.. so much fun, even though I suck.

Have you been eating weird food or drinking weird drinks? Kyle Snyder - Weirdest food would have to be banku with palm nut soup and willy. It is a ball of mush that you dip into other mush. The banku is a soft ball of mashed corn that has been boiled and turned to mush. palm nut stew is mushed nuts deep fried in oil. Willy is cow skin. It's like rubber. So you grab some corn mush and dip it in nut oil mush and swallow it. You don't chew most foods here. Banku is really sour so if you did chew it you would most likely throw up. The weirdest drink is either Iced-kenkey or ginger lemon juice. The first one is Mashed corn meal.. like that Mexican "masa" stuff they use to make tortillas. They mix it with canned milk and put sugar in it. I about threw up after my 1st sip. I will never drink it again. The other was strait lemon juice with strait ginger. It literally burns your insides while drinking it. Both are terrible.. and I wouldn't recommend drinking them.

Rebecca: How do the people treat those with special needs? My mom found a video of a car driving along the streets of a town you mentioned in one of your letters. I couldn't imagine how I would get anywhere in my wheelchair. I hope they know that all of God's children are special because Jacey said that where they live the people with disabilities are treating like they committed some great sin and are cursed from God. - Well to be honest.. it's just like Jacey's place. I have seen some of the conditions and heard some stories and it makes me sick.  I don't want to describe them. I feel so bad. People treat them like their parents or the individual himself  have sinned against God. It's not right.

Thomas: Are you doing good on your mission? He also wants to know what the bugs are like? - Well it's going great! :D There are so many weird and different bugs here. 1st of all there are billions of mosquito's. They have giant ants. They have dung beetles. (those are fun to watch) They have giant flying beetles that have one horn on their heads. And they have a lot of spiders.. big ones.. that look like crabs.. run really fast.. and that are flat.

Lorena: What is school like for kids? - School here is called: Primary, JSS, and SSS. (elementary, middle school/junior high and high school) Each one has levels.. and if you don't pass you don't progress. There are older kids in the lower grades because of this.  Here you have to bring money and pay everyday to go to school. Most schools are like open rooms with desks and a chalk boards.  I guess anyone can be a teacher here.. so a lot of people just start their own schools to make money. We have a primary right next to our apartment. At about 7 am they start singing and playing drums. It is awesome studying while they are "learning" in school.

Alyssa: she wants to know who you've kissed and have you seen anyone that is possessed. - Oh yeah I forgot that I was supposed to tell you "before" I left. Darn that time has come and gone. :) - To answer your other question.. kinda. There are a lot of crazy people that do witchcraft stuff. It's pretty crazy looking. They walk around a curse things and people. I have heard that it is even more popular in the village areas. They do stuff like casting out devils and what not. A lot of black magic.

Randy: what is the grossest thing you think you will eat before you get home? Other than rotten food, it would have to be larva. An elder showed me a picture of what he ate out in the 'bush'. It was banku with larva soup. It had a handful of big larva's. he said they pop in your mouth and it was like Man v' Wild. So yeah that's going to be a tasty meal when I get to it.

Sarah: can you get me a gorilla? Really.. I just managed to catch an elephant. I will have to let it go and look for a gorilla now. At least a gorilla will take up less room in my suit cast unlike the elephant.

Rachel: what was the scariest house you went to.- Well most of the houses in my area are the size of an average bathroom in America.. so they are not that scary. There is however an area in my area that is super nice.. I call it Beverly Hills. There is huge mansions there. I guess I was a little bit scared contacting them because they actually have doors.. and huge walls with gates. Not knowing who was going to answer the door is kinda nerve racking. But we actually met this man last week who lives in a huge house. It's going well.

Lydia: how many times have you almost died and how? Well besides everyday on my bike riding through traffic probably only twice. The first time I almost died was when I was trying to sleep during light off  'power outage'. It was terrible. The second being when I was walking home one day after dark and we almost got killed by a gang of drunk men.  

Susan: what do the people there think of America? Are there  many white people where you are? - So most people here see America or the UK as paradise. There is a term they use here. "I need to get out" It's like everywhere else is the outside world. Every person we come in contact with wants us to take them to America. I now tell most people I'm from other countries. Scotland, Spain, Green land, etc. Most think that if they get to the US or UK they will be rich. Thinking that  jobs will fall from the sky and the government hands out money. Most American movies just show the rich fancy places in the US and UK and they think that everywhere and every city is heaven. - Actually there are a lot of Obrines (white people) here. Mostly UK. They live in the nice parts of town and drive really nice cars. We see a lot of 'them' in the mall. Basically if anyone moved here they would be rich. The US dollar and the UK pound go so far here. You can get a super nice Hummer 3 or Land Rover for 10,000 or 15,000 GH cedis About $5,000 to $8,000 dollars. It's weird.

Ryan: have you seen any really big scary creatures yet or anything pop out at you? Nope the scariest thing would have to be the crab looking spiders. They are pretty big and run really fast. They love sleeping under my bed and up in the corners of my room. There are a lot of cockroaches that live in my microwave. Like over 1,000! Every time I warm something up.. they usually end up in my food. Somehow they survive the microwave when it's on.

Kate: what food do you eat there? The main foods are Rice, Vegetables, and Fruits. They prepare them in many different ways. Most often you will find banku (mashed corn that ferments or molds for a couple  days. and they form it into a ball.) fufu (mashed yam and plantain) or rice balls. Each one of these they dip into nasty soups and stews [with fish or goat] and they swallow them. it's pretty awesome...

Cohen: is it scary over there? It's really not that bad here. It was intimidating at first but not so much anymore. Just the fact that  I am so far away from home. Like if there was some sort of war or crisis I feel like I would be stuck here forever. haha Its sometimes scary when people say they want to feed us missionaries and we don't know what is going to be put on our plate. That is always interesting.

Morgan: How do the people treat missionaries there? - Missionaries here are really common. Most churches here have days set apart for evangelizing (missionary work). So most people are really accepting.. basically everyone will sit down and listen to us. Well there is a ton of Muslims though. (I am hopefully going to buy a Qur 'an) 90% of the people here will never say no to a discussion. Now, being white has its ups and downs. Everyone yells at us or calls us oBrunies (white man). We defiantly get people's attention but the problem is everyone wants a oBrunie friend. So most of the time they aren't interested in the teachings.

Hannah: What is your favorite/least favorite food? My favorite food would have to be jellof rice or fired rice. jellof rice is cooked with stew (tomato) and served with chicken. It's really good. My least would have to be banku.. I talk about banku somewhere else in here. haha But the pineapple here is to die for. So tasty and so cheap. I eat one a day.

Mallory: How are you liking your companion? My companion is a cool guy. He is from Fiji. He has been out for over a year now. He is teaching me some Fijian. We get along good. That is key to teaching people. Working together with your companion.

Nancy: Are the people in Ghana nice? Do they like having missionaries over? People here are so nice.. well the majority. Its uncommon to pass strangers on the street that don't greet you. If you pass anyone eating food.. they will invite you to eat. Everyone helps everyone. It's pretty cool. It's going to be weird going home and not greeting every living soul that passes by. - yeah most people like us for the most part. haha A lot of them think we are Jehovah Witnesses. The people that know we are LDS think we drink blood and sacrifice people. That's always fun to correct them.. But yeah most people are really accepting. It's nice.

David: What do the people in Ghana think about the temple there? Well the temple is in the main part of the city. Most people in my area have never seen it. But the people that have think it's the nicest building in the world and they want to go to church there. Some think that we do sacrifices in there. haha As of January it's been here for 10 years. We had a big celebration for that. A lot people saw the video that was playing and got interested about it. It was really cool.

Well that took forever to write.. I hope I answered your questions OK! -Elder Snyder

Elder Snyder, That was much better than OK. I vote for GREAT. Thanks! 

Love from Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill

Two missions for the price of one!

We went to our temple assignment as usual on Saturday and left at the end of the shift with a new assignment to serve in the Ecuador Guayaquil South Mission as a member and leadership support couple. Our first assignment is in on Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands beginning as soon as they get us a ticket. 

The back story is that a couple of months ago another senior couple was visiting here in the building where we live. They come once a month or so when they have meetings in Guayaquil. The husband has been serving in the Guayaquil South Mission Presidency. He was telling us that the mission president would like to send a couple to the Galapagos Islands but he doesn't have one to send. Grandpa said, "Send us. We would like to go!" You know how well he likes change and new adventures. I like nice safe routines and comfortable ruts, but it did sound exciting (even though the only people we know who have been there have told us how hot and dry and HOT it is). Nothing ever came of it.

A week ago President Groberg called us in and said that President Torres of the South Mission had talked with him and President Groberg felt that his need was greater than the temple's need. But it had to be approved by the Area Presidency and the SLC Temple Committee and would depend on what had been written on our original missionary application. So it still seemed like a very long shot. I figured that we couldn't lose. I loved being here in the temple and appreciated our lovely apartment and fast internet connection. President Torres didn't even know who we were. But, if for some reason they made a change - more variety in our duties and meeting more people and seeing more of this beautiful country would be a good thing.

So Saturday we went to work as usual and before the end of the day President Torres was there and asked to talk with us. He was in a hurry because he had just finished a session and a sealing and had a meeting to attend. He asked us to tell a little bit about our church experiences and bear our testimonies. We did so very briefly and he invited us to make the change. He asked if we had specific plans for after our mission. We said that we anticipated some weddings but had no dates at this moment. He said that he wanted a couple to live in the Galapagos Islands on Santa Cruz and assist the branch there. They do have a very nice chapel and the branch is large with about 150 in attendance at Sacrament Meeting. The president would like to divide it soon. He said they primarily need help with MLS, help in getting their family history center authorized and functioning and help with many prospective Elders. He anticipates that we will only be there for 2-3 months. There is a house that is currently occupied by the sisters. It has three bedrooms but no internet. (Can I survive?) He said that next he would like us to move to Loja and assist in getting that district ready to become a stake this year.  He said we should come to a Zone Conference at 8:00 AM Monday morning and he would get tickets to the Galapagos as soon as he could. He said he would tell us more on Monday.

We left the temple two hours later feeling a bit sad because we had just finished our experience as Guayaquil Temple Missionaries and we were wondering what the weight limits are for missionary luggage in-country. The new adventure begins. We get two missions for the price of one!

Stay tuned for more exciting details as they become available. I expect more exciting photo opportunities in our future. We will be a bit harder to reach with uncertain internet. Send us emails and we will respond when we can get them. I hope we will not be actually leaving for at least another two days.  We were anticipating a two week vacation. I guess we get the "vacation" of a lifetime instead.

Love to all of you, Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill in Ecuador