Latinos and Lamanites and other matters

Last week in the baptistry, a large group from the Imbaburu Stake arrived. They are native people who lift our spirits every time we see them. About forty of them, in their native dress were sitting in the baptistry waiting for the signal to prepare to participate in the ordinances. It would have made a great photo. Sometime before leaving the mission we hope to get a picture of a large group of these people.
This morning another group from Otavalo arrived. They traveled all night and are participating in the temple this morning. They will return to participate in the evening, spend the night here, participate in the morning before beginning their trip home. These people are proud of their heritage. They preserve their native dress, language and culture in spite of ever encroaching external and worldly influences. It is interesting that they consider themselves "Lamanites" and others, even those of mixed blood, Latinos. They come as families. The children get to touch the temple and play on the temple grounds. Most of these families have visited the temple before and they will come again. It is their temple too.
It was great to see folks from our neighborhood singing in the choir at General Conference. Sister Hall, Sister Robison, Brother and Sister Driggs and probably others we didn't pick out. Isn't technology wonderful? Here we were sitting in the R.S. room of our stake center in Guayaquil, Ecuador listening to the messages of the brethren and seeing our friends participate in the choir some thousands of miles away. We also appreciate the opportunity to talk with our grandkids while we see them on Skype. All of this helps us stay in touch with their lives. We don't want them to forget us. Three cheers for technology.
Then came the Primary program with all the children singing and participating. Reminded us of home. Then last Sunday was Stake Conference. Elder Marcus Nash, the Area President and Elder Osorno from the Seventy were the visitors. They set apart a new Stake President and his counselors. The New Stake President is Franklin Toral who had been a counselor to the former Stake President Jairo Diaz. Coincidentally, I had asked sister Toral the week before if we could get a picture of their family to accompany a post for a blog. They wanted to do it and we set a time to take the picture after the conference session. But when brother Toral was sustained as stake president, taking a picture of the family after the conference session did not fit into the schedule. There is a story to tell about this family however, and we hope to tell it and post a photo in the near future.
Finally, a word about people with disabilities. Some of the greatest experiences for temple workers is to serve those people with special needs. At the Bountiful temple, there was a brother literally near death who attended a session on a stretcher. Here in Guayaquil we have had blind people, people who can't walk, a brother with one leg, and a teenager who lost both arms and one leg in an electrical accident. Brother Don Carlos Leon has a neuromuscular disability and relies on a wheelchair or a walker to get around. He comes most Saturday mornings and serves as a witness at the baptismal font for a three or four hour period without complaint or a break. He is the only member in his family and always has a cheerful attitude. We help him prepare for service by helping him change into his white clothes, and then after his time of service we help him by taking him to the bathroom and the cafeteria. We don't feel pity for him, nor does he want any. He is just one of us.
Disabled people want to participate also and they deserve to participate. Each case presents it's own challenge and friends and family members as well as temple workers seem to meet those challenges and help them participate. Last week there was a family attending the temple for the wedding of a young woman and her husband. One of the group was a sister of the bride who as a child of six months, had contracted menengitis and was left with a mental disability of about seventy five percent. Now at the age of perhaps thirty years she did not have a regular temple recommend but she wanted to participate at the temple so arrangements were made for her to attend the baptistry and participate there. It was a memorable experience for her and for those of us who were fortunate enough to be there.
It seems that nowhere else is there a spirit of inclusiveness greater than is felt in the temple. Every day we meet someone new, perhaps someone with a special need. As we try to fill their need and bless them in some small way, we find that they are blessing us as well.