Character Sketch - Jimmy

Mary: This is a picture of Jimmy Olvera standing by his 20 year old BMW. He bought it several months ago and has been saving to pay the back taxes so he can put it on the road. Also he has been replacing parts and making it roadworthy. With his small salary it is a struggle. Yearly taxes must be paid on a vehicle, and this one was off the road for several years. He got it cheap but knowing he had to pay back taxes. Since there are more people than road in Guayaquil the government seems to to what it can to make vehicle ownership difficult (expensive). Taxes on a new car are 300%. Thus, a new $10,000 small Chevy would be $40,000. The government heavily subsidises public transport. Buses are cheap and plentiful, as are taxies, which the government pays for and lets out to drivers for a very minimal fee. This fact no doubt contribute to the reason why there are so many 20-30 and 40 year old vehicles on the road and looking good and working well. Also the simplicity of the old ones are ideal for all the backyard mechanics who are masters at keeping the old cars and trucks on the road. If cars were cheaper nobody would be going anywhere, the roads would be clogged with them. Traffic is very heavy as it is now in the city of 3 million.

Do you recognise the suit? It is the one you gave me that used to belong to your dad. It was like new when you gave it to me and was still like new when I gave it to him. Jimmy had a tailor take 4" off the legs, otherwise it was a perfect fit. It is standing taller on Jimmy than it ever did on me, and he loves it. The Wed. morning temple coordinator is a tailor and I had him make me a suit.

Jimmy is head of security at the Guayaquil temple. He took an interest in teaching me Spanish. We used the scriptures, as we had both English and Spanish at the guard station. I could not get out the gate without a lesson when Jimmy was on duty. I would usually allow an hour or so when leaving the grounds. He was invaluable in teaching me pronunciation and a few phrases. He pushed me to learn, and I am sure I learned more than I would have had he not pushed me along. Spanish grammer is very complicated, with many verb forms. Jimmy is one of the few locals who actually uses proper grammar. Most people don't really know proper Spanish. I decided soon in the game that if the locals could get by without knowing proper Spanish so could I. Jimmy figured out that teaching me proper was a waste of our time and we focused on pronunciation. Locals told me I sounded like a local, so I was happy with my limited vocabulary and zero grammar, speaking baby talk. I also helped him with English. This is the first email I have ever received from him in English.

Jimmy has been 4 times a bishop and twice a stake president. He is currently a sealer in the temple and a stake patriarch. He was present with President Hinckley for the ground breaking for the temple and turned a sod with the shovel as well. He has completely memorized the Book of Mormon in Spanish and is using that ability to help him learn English. Since he knows every word in Spanish, when he reads in English he knows what it is supposed to say. He had completed 5 readings in English before I left and has no doubt completed his sixth or more by now. On the side, he is taking a college level course in marketing. This year he is taking his two week vacation one day at a time so that he and his wife can come to the temple. He lives in a poor part of Guayaquil and it takes him an hour to get to the temple by taking two buses. In spite of his accompishments he is one of the most humble people I have ever met, and very well liked by all. He has a great sense of humor. I am pleased that he wanted to befriend me.

I am so impressed with Jimmy that I sent a letter to President Monson, extolling his virtues. I told him that the reason I was writing was not to counsel him but only to make him aware of Jimmy in the event that he might have need a person of high calibre with knowledge of Spanish and English to serve someplace.

Just thought you might want to know where your suit is since you won't see me in it anymore.

Love, Pete

Homecoming!

The End is Near

Wow, what an adventure!This mission has been tailor made to the both of us. I wanted to serve a mission to show my gratitude for all the wonderful blessings in my life and that of my children. I feel more indebted than ever. Does it mean I now need to serve another mission?

My soul has been filled with joy at the sight of throngs of families strolling the Temple grounds, having travelled many long hours on buses, sometimes as many as 13 hours on one of the 13 buses, now parked in the parking area. I could see my grandchildrens faces in the faces of the little girls dressed in their prettiest dresses, the little boys in white shirts and ties. I have been filled with joy at the sight of teenagers dressed in traditional clothes sitting shoulder to shoulder on the benches in the Baptistry, beautiful warm brown faces,dark hair tied back in long braids, and at the sight of young adults, parents and grandparents excitedly entering the Temple doors at 5:30 am. We could not have lived among these faithful saints for a year and a half and not been deeply affected by their faith and devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Debbie

Winding Down

In summary, I would like to say that this has been the experience of a lifetime. In what way you ask? The country is beautiful and varied. From ocean, to rice fields then rising toward banana plantations, jungle and then high in the Andes where the air is delightfully cool and the vistas spectacular. Village life is fascinating. Everywhere we find humble, gentle, friendly, hard working people, both in and out of the Church. We also love the variety and availability of tropical fruits, and the markets where they are sold.

We came for the temple and the rest has been frosting on the cake. The temple is beautiful and peaceful, and it is impossible to spend 5 days a week for a year and a half in the temple and not be affected by it. I believe I have grown spiritually as a result. We have had the opportunity to work with some altogether wonderful and dedicated people in the temple and in social gatherings outside the temple, including the other missionaries, temple workers, and members who frequent the temple. We have had the additional blessing of becoming very good friends with the Valero family, and to a lesser extent with the Tituana family, and as a result have had a deeper glimpse into life in Ecuador. The land is beautiful and interesting, but it is all about the people. They are easy to love. Though my command of Spanish is rudimentary, it seems that love is a language, and it is possible to communicate love, when words fail.

Pete

The wall goes up

Friends:

After the stairs were done, we began the security wall. It encloses what will be a small garden and concrete patio.

The first picture is looking through the fence at a celebration of the near completion of the project. A charcoal grill is set up and the Valero's are grilling Choclo (corn on the cob) , pork chops, sausages, and bananas. Also served was rice and lentils, and a home made cheese sauce to slather on the choklo. Alfonso's sister and a niece are with us as well. We had spent Christmas eve with them at their house.

Picture two shows the whole front of the fence and house, with steel gate. For the fence we bought steel in 20 foot lengths and had it delivered to the house. I cut it up with a minigrinder with steel cutting blade, and imbeded the horizotal pieces in the concret pillars. The upright pickets fit into a series of holes in the concrete. We tied everything together with tie wire and hired a welder to come and weld it up. The steel was $110 delivered and the welder $20. That is a cheap fence even by Ecuadorian standards.

Picture three is the fiesta looking down the stairs. Picture 4 was actually taken a month or more previosly. I am standing where the steel door through the fence is now. The project is not done yet. I have been learning how to apply stucco. The inside of the stairs and the bodega have been done, and the inside of the fence.

Pete

Stairs

Friends:

About 6 months ago, when I finished the bathroom at the Valero house and the interior work on the rest of the house, I asked, "what's next?" They told me they have always wanted a front door. Their only access to the house is though a small back door into a very rough alley. The door that used to give them access to the street in front was a side door that got blocked when a neighboor built next to them
These pictures show the beginnings of the outside work.
Pete

Buses

Friends:
We love the buses in Ecuador. They are colorful, comfortable and in good condition. Seats are roomy with lots of leg room. Seats recline way back if you want to snooze but the scenery is too good to miss. Windows open. There are TVs on the buses and usually a movie will be played. Buses leave on time, and frequently. If you miss one, chances are the next one will leave in 15 minutes. The bus terminal in Quito looks like a major North American airport. It is enormous, with shops and food courts, the works. Buses are cheap to ride. It seems to be about a dollar an hour. A 10 hour ride from Otavalo to Guayaquil will cost $10. The short ride from Otavalo to Cotacachi will cost 25 cents.

Every here and there buses stop and pick up vendors that will ride to the next town trying to sell all sorts of food items. They get off at the next town and catch another bus the other way. Buses are the way to see Ecuador. If you want an exotic, interesting and low cost vacation, get to Ecuador, and get a bus.

For a small country it has all kinds of variety. It has beautiful ocean beaches, including Galopagos, (which is not at all cheap), the high sierra and jungle. It has the largest variety of birds of any country in the world, (over 1,500 varieties)

Food is cheap. I had lunch yesterday at a restaurant on the street for $1.50 That included rice, vegetables, a piece of beef, bowl of soup and glass of juice. Excellent food. If you go where the Ecuadorians go, you can live cheap. If you go where the gringos go, figure on quadrupling the cost.

Hotels are also very inexpensive. In most towns a respectable hotel can be had for $6 per person per night. For that price the room will be small, have cable and may or may not have a bathroom in the room. For 20 -30 dollars you can get very nice accomodations

Speaking of getting ripped off, do you think you pay a lot for a cell phone? In Ecuador everybody has one. A basic cell phone costs $30 and a service with unlimimited calls in Ecuador costs three dollars a month.

When you go through customs, be sure to mention my name to the customs agent so I will get my kickback from the Department of Tourism.

Thanks, Pedro