I hope they call me on a mission

One of our good friends here has been Brother Godoy. We have admired him since almost the first day we arrived here. A more interesting priesthood teacher I have not heard. His style of moving around in front of the class and involving all of us in the discussion commanded our respect and admiration. One simple phrase that he learned from his mother and taught to us was "primero Dios, luego vos" (first God, then you). He had a way of teaching that was both "in your face" and yet inoffensive. He earned a very modest income by peddling empenadas on the street and to long standing customers. He was a faithful temple worker and sealer. Brother Godoy passed away this week. He was in his mid 60's.
Attendance at the temple has moderated considerable since the anniversary month of August. We had had a few extra sessions that have kept us on our toes but nothing like the previous month. It is still good to hear the early morning buses come. Some of them as early as 4 am. We are aware of their arrival because our room is above where they usually unload. Thursday and Fridays are the usual days for most bus arrivals. Then things start to happen. They check into their rooms and get ready to attend a session at the temple. Mothers and fathers often take turns tending the young children on the temple grounds while the other attends a session. The youth and recent converts go to the baptistry and participate there. There are many photo opportunities, groups of young people laughing and talking, children running on the grass, couples holding hands and strolling along the side of the temple or sitting on a bench. There are also many questions. Where are you from? When did you begin your trip? When will you arrive back home? Did you bring some family names? We feel a little sad to see them go. Each family has it's story. Each one could tell of the preparation and anticipation of coming, the financial sacrifice, the joy of being in the temple.
There is a need for more temple missionaries here. Frankly, it would be hard to imagine a better mission. We live in a large apartment building right by the temple. The rent and other costs are very reasonable. If you don't feel like cooking, you can eat in the temple cafeteria for $1.25. This is for a large plate of food, which always has rice, a salad, some kind of meat, a glass of juice and add a bowl of soup for just .50 more. Our apartments are furnished with everything that is needed from cooking utensils and appliances to bed coverings and towels. Missionaries here alternate morning shifts and evening shifts. There is a lot of free time. On last Monday (p-day) three missionary couples took a day trip to the beach by bus. Our one-way fare was $1.20. Total cost per couple was about $20.00.
Twice a year the temple closes for two weeks. This gives us a chance to visit the many interesting places in this country such as Cuenca, Quito (important cities along the ancient Inca highway), the upper amazon to the east and the costal jungles and cities to the west. We have viewed volcanos, gone whale watching, played in the surf,and bartered for bargains in many of the mercados in many of the cities of Ecuador. The two weeks vacations slip by very quickly and then we are back to the business that we came to do. There are no regrets about getting back to work. We love it here. The work, the people, the culture, the whole experience is very rewarding. Anyone interested in coming here on a mission should let us know and President Rojas will call them and answer any questions. You can easily live quite well on Social Security. If you know of anyone who might be interested and who would qualify to come here please pass along this information.