The basilica in Quito and more temple obreros

Since there were no visitors this morning to the baptistry, the missionaries served in other areas of the temple where needed. While in the sealing room before beginning a session, one of the obreros (who is also a stake president and a patriarch) told me about his family. He has four children. His son is also a stake president in another stake next to his. The father was happy that he had been able to bless his son as an infant, ordain him to the Aaronic Priesthood as well as the Melchizedek priesthood, give him his patriarchal blessing, and perform the sealing ceremony as the couple were married in the temple. Now they are both serving as stake presidents in their respective stakes. The father and his wife serve as obreros two or three times a week in the temple. He told me that he was "jubilado" (retired) about ten years ago and now has time to serve the Lord almost full time. We have known him for more than a year that we have been here, mostly as he comes to the baptistry with the youth from his stake. He was educated in Mexico City as an engineer of some kind involving computer software systems. While studying there, he and his wife were sealed in the Mexico City temple in 1985. This is an example of a faithful couple who do not aspire to a lot of worldly things but are willing to serve the Lord as they desire.
Many of the other couples who serve in the temple are not so fortunate to have that degree of financial security or time to serve more than one shift a week. Relying on public transportation, they may arrive late for their shift and serve only one shift a week, but their sacrifice is offered with humility and commitment none the less. There are so many interesting people here. All of them with a common faith and love for the Lord. Yet they each have a different set of circumstances and challenges to face in life. Some are poor. Some come from part member families and face the many challenges that come with that situation. In talking with a sister (also while waiting for the sealing session to begin) I was told that she joined the church as a convert at the age of eight. The only one in her family to join. Apparently she had been befriended by others in the primary of her ward and became active at a very young age. As a child she fasted alone on fast sunday and participated in all that is expected of a member of the church. She was the young women president in her ward/branch at the age of fifteen! She has three children. All are active in the church.
While in Quito in February during the temple closure, we visited the historic district which was written about in a previous post. We also visited the basilica, probably the largest cathedral of them all in Quito. Besides the sheer size of the building we were impressed with the stained glass windows. Each one depicts an event from the life of Jesus. Upon exiting the building and trying to get a picture of the outside from a park across the street we saw a man asleep in the grass next to some letters scribbled on a wall. The message says: "one indian is worth more than a cathedral".