"There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless."
James E. Faust
(Contributions from Jim Stark)
Bus rides mean more Kieri activities. Her theme for this Sunday travel day was courage to fight through the tough times. There have large mountains for some to climb to come on tour. Some have had small ones to overcome since arriving here in Ecuador. But you would be very proud of this crew. They have been brave, they have pulled through with flying colors.
Today was a rather light day as far as events go. We packed and then had a pretty good breakfast at one of the restaurants we had eaten at before – scrambled eggs, hot chocolate, bananas, bread and butter, orange juice and other various edible foods. Might I add, it is surprising to me that the weather here in Limon is somewhat cooler than I expected. In fact, most of the kids and adults are wearing their sweatshirts. I expected hot (high 80’s) and humid (above 50%). What have gotten is cool and, not dry, but certainly not humid. It has to do with the altitude and air currents, but this is definitely different than expected.
We loaded the bus and left Limon for a place called Los Baños de la Agua Santa, or in other words, the Baths (hot springs) of Holy Water. These are located north of Limon about 8 hours’ drive. The countryside is beautiful, green and lush. Kieri did her devotional, excellent as always. After that, most of the kids napped or chilled. The only real excitement of the trip was Dr. Steve decided to operate on Toryn’s two ingrown toenails, one on each big toe. This took up the better part of an hour (we had to make sure it was a clean and sterile environment, etc) and a lot of the kids came forward to catch a glimpse of how it is done. Hopefully Toryn’s feet will feel much better now. By the way, our bus driver is actually very good and considerably more cautious than some we have had in the past – but even he could not avoid some of the bumps and ruts, so Dr. Steve did the operation while we stopped alongside the curb for lunch. Another surprising thing is the condition of the roads here in Ecuador. Most are in much better shape than some back home where we live, with the exception of some that were covered with recent landslides that are in the process of being cleared. So for the most part, it has been smooth sailing on the roads around here.
As we were getting close to Los Baños, we came across a place where you could pay a buck to cross the river gorge on a cable car for $1 each. So of course we had to do it. The cable car was 100 meters (about 330 ft) off the ground at its highest point and was 500 meters (1650 ft) long. On the other end, it went across the top of twin waterfalls. We talked the cable car operator into just taking us over the top of the waterfalls, then reversing and bringing us back. It was a thrill to be about 50 feet or so above the waterfalls, then as you came out over the gorge you could feel your stomach drop as you the waterfall/cliff fell away and you were 300 feet in the air! I hesitate to tell you parents some of the details of this diversion, but I it makes the event so much better. The cable car was very secure, but the door that allows you to get on and off was far from fiddle proof, so we had to make sure none of our group leaned on it as it was being pulled across the gorge. In addition, picture a guy essentially sitting down like he is driving and pushing the gas on a diesel engine and revving the engine to get the open topped cable car across and back. The whole operation would be an accident lawyer best dream.
We arrived in Los Baños with no incident and checked into a great hotel - the best of the trip. This area is a rather big tourist attraction – there is an active volcano (smokes most of the time; hence the hot springs), and all sorts of activities catering to tourists that we are going to experience tomorrow.
We arrived before dinner was complete, so we took the opportunity to hold a Sacrament meeting. Jeff Davidson, Bishop in the Eldorado Stake, presided with permission from President Watkins. After the Sacrament was administered, Jeff and Kieri both delivered two excellent short but specific talks about centering our life around Christ and developing our testimonies. Jeff also asked the question after the experiences we had had up to that point, whether there was any doubt, after touching the hearts of the people of Cuenca, Limon, and Guayaquil that we had been diverted from China to Ecuador for a specific purpose. The question hung in the air just long enough for the room to say there was no doubt. They were simple, direct, but heartfelt. The spirit was so strong in the room that even our tour guide, Jose, was moved by what he felt. We ended the meeting by singing "In This Very Room", one of the Morningstar Fireside songs. There were only a few who were consistently singing as others were overwhelmed by their emotions.
The dinner consisted of chicken stroganoff and other yummy things – just about everyone ate it and said it was good. Some went to the local markets after dinner, but they were closed, and by that time it was time to go to bed anyway. Tomorrow - Rafting, Bungee, Dune Buggys and Canyoning
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