Welcome to our website. We’re so excited to share our experiences while attending the International Convention in Quito, Ecuador in January, 2015. We’ll use this Blog as a diary to post short stories and experiences from our trip, as well as interesting...
We left Raleigh Durham airport on Friday morning, January 16, 2015. Funny story before we left Raleigh. As we went through security, Charles and I actually got to do the easy one where you don’t have to take off your shoes and separate out the liquids, etc. I...
After finding our gate in Miami, with just under 2 hours til our flight to Quito, we settled in to look for other delegates. After all, who else would be flying to Quito the week before the convention but other delegates, right? We had our badges on so we’d be...
After a 4 hour flight from Miami, we finally arrived in Quito, around 9:30 pm, exhausted. We had taken Diamox a couple days ahead to try to avoid the immediate effects of the altitude change (9000 ft) we usually get after arriving. However, I had trouble walking and...
It was so late when we got to the Cisneros home – but they made us feel so welcome. In our room were gift bags from the Ecuador Branch, as well as gifts from the Cisneros family and a cute Welcome sign over our bed. The Branch was very thoughtful and included...
There was an outpouring of generosity from the Ecuadorian brothers. We were especially touched by the sweet little handmade gifts from the small children. They were all anxious to give us a little token of their appreciation for us coming. And a remembrance of their...
In preparation for our visit, we made about 450 gifts to share with the local brothers. We wanted to do something different, so this is what we came up with. We made 100 little Bibles from matchboxes and slipped small candy bars inside. We also made for the...
We wanted to rest on Saturday in order to acclimate to the altitude, but we also wanted to attend the local meeting that afternoon with Veronica’s parents. Carlos, who is a ministerial servant, served as an attendant. It was a nice experience – the...
On Friday morning, due to a misunderstanding, we thought we were supposed to go to a certain hotel and ride a bus to the stadium with the delegates. Actually, because we were staying in a home, we were supposed to arrange our own transportation to the stadium. We...
One touching moment on Sunday during the lunch break… We were on our way back to our seats and just before getting into the stadium, there was a cute little family over to the side by themselves – a husband, wife and little boy, maybe 2 years old. They...
Another special conversation that stood out from the crowd was a teenage girl named Jemima. She was one of the young ones that wanted to practice their English on us. She stopped me and asked my name, told me her name, and we had a short conversation in English. Then...
The Ecuador Branch provided box lunches for the international delegates each day of the convention. It was such a loving provision, and very much appreciated. The lunches were sandwiches from Quizno’s, along with a salad, a drink and dessert. They were very...
We were featured in various newspapers and online news services from Ecuador, sometimes on the front page. Some articles explained some of our Bible-based beliefs. “Organized,” “well dressed,” and “friendly international organization” were some of the descriptions...
The Cisneros family, like most Ecuadorians, are very hospitable – and elaborate and delicious meals are a daily ritual. Charles got really spoiled because he doesn’t get that kind of treatment at home. Each morning, we awoke to a beautiful table set for...
All the food we had in Quito was so tasty. But I think our favorite was the Locro de Papa soup, which is a local specialty. It’s a potato soup with cheese and garnished with avocado. Definitely a nice warm comfort food. I found a good recipe I adapted that we...
Ok, our trip was a wonderful experience, but not without a few little problems at the end. We had worried about getting altitude illness or getting sick from the food or water – but actually we ended up with other health issues. We were given insect repellant to...
So, if you read the last post, you know we were both sick with the flu and I was also itching to death when we left Quito on Thursday morning. As we checked in for our afternoon flight, we were told there was a little mechanical problem with the plane, and since our...
