Esmeraldas, festivities, friends

Esmeraldas stake came to the temple this past Saturday in force. Nine buses. About four hundred people. There are pictures of the buses lined up to begin their journey back home.
Esmeraldas is the province (and stake) way to the north on the coast. The journey home will be all night as was their journey to the temple. They came with enthusiasm and as you can see by the photos, they are leaving with enthusiasm as well. We did get to visit briefly with some of them. A young returned missionary who was very good baptising the participants in the baptistry, a mother and her daughter who would like to attend BYU, and a bishop who was available to help anyone with a problem. They were all happy to be here, to bask in the warm weather and pleasant surroundings with friends. There were new couples being sealed, others visiting the temple before heading off for their missions, and people making new friends from other stakes also visiting the temple that day. There may be quiet times in the temple during the week but last Saturday made up for a lot of that slow time. We began at 5:00 AM and got home about4:00 PM.
The Christmas season is here. We have been invited to parties and gatherings from various members in the area. Hermana Cabrera invited the temple presidency and the temple missionaries to her home Monday night for dinner. She was assisted in preparing and serving the meal by her niece and her daughter. Her niece's huband is the bishop in the local ward. The meal was typical and very delicious, steamed rice, chicken or beef, and beans mexican style. Sister Cabrera has been a member for more than thirty years and has fed probably hundreds of missionaries. She knows how to do it with efficiency and grace.
There also is a photo of the missionaries in the corridor on the third floor of the alojamiento. Notice the decorations on the wall thanks to President Fuhriman who has a talent for decorating. And, there are now painting hanging in the corridor of building. The hallway has changed, to say the least.
We have been invited, along with others, to the Toral home for a Christmas Eve (noche buena) celebration. We are expecting my brother Larry, his wife, Nancy, and son Ben with his girlfriend Paulina, to be here with us. We are looking forward to their visit. It will be nice to have some family here with us. In any case, this Christmas will be memorable for us. We have made so many new friends. The people that we see in the temple we consider to be the best of Ecuador. Every day we see people who are willing to sacrifice time and money to come to the temple. A sister asked me last night if the temple would be open on Christmas day. She probably wouldn't be the only one to come. Actually the temple will be closed two days. the 24th and 25th. Although we miss our children and grandchildren during this time of year, we are looking forward to the parties, caroling, and celebrations to come. The missionaries plan to sing to the neighborhood from the apartment building which is above all the houses below. Maybe we can get a sound amplifying system. We will probably watch the fireworks from the rook of the building as well.
Finally, a scripture in Jeremiah to contemplate: 50:4-5. "In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten." Our wish is that you have health, happiness, the necessities of life, and especially the influence of the Spirit during the Christmas season and the year to come.