"Without Purse or Scrip"?

And thou shalt take no purse nor scrip, neither staves, neither two coats, for the church shall give unto thee in the very hour what thou needest for food and for raiment, and for shoes and for money, and for scrip. (D&C 24:18)

So said the Lord to Oliver Cowdery as he was called to serve a mission four months after the church was organized. What a different time that was. The pile of stuff I'm hauling to Ecuador bears strong witness that the faith of those early saints who traveled without purse or scrip, debit or credit, cash or checks, was far greater than mine.

I've been shopping and gathering like a madwoman. To my credit, I only have one coat. But I have four pairs of shoes. I've stocked up on skin care items and makeup for fear someone in Quito will see "the real me." I have probably 25 pounds of books in English and Spanish that I need to take with me and I only get 117 pounds total. I'm taking a camera, a computer, a backup hard drive. I have the prescribed 7-9 outfits, and I'm taking my beloved Mongolian cashmere blanket with me because it's cold in Quito and there's no central heating. So you see how far I am from traveling without purse or scrip.

I have now spoken to the couple that presently works in the mission office, Hermano y Hermana Lovingier. They tell me Quito is beautiful, and I've found some pictures on Google Earth that bear them out. This is a view of Quito from the east. It's not so different from the view of the Salt Lake Valley when you're driving out of Little Cottonwood Canyon.





Quito has been described to me as a colonial city. These two photographs capture that colonial charm.


























Like virtually everywhere else in the world, multinational companies provide services. This picture of the Marriott is for my children--they will want to know where they're going to stay when they come visit.

Every day brings additional tasks. Yesterday, I received my visa application with a note to have everything submitted to the church no later than four weeks before reporting to the MTC. That's hard to do when you only have 2-1/2 weeks' notice. One of the things I have to submit is a letter from the local police department stating that I'm not a criminal. Since they don't even know who I am, I guess I'll get the letter. In order to get my visa in time, I will probably be sent to LA one day next week to visit the Ecuadoran consulate.

I began taking a series of live typhoid vaccine pills today. I have to say, it's a little weird knowing you've got a disease in your gut that you put there on purpose that used to kill people. I get to do this for a week. And then, in addition to typhoid, I'll be vaccinated against polio, tetanus, diptheria, meningitis, yellow fever, influenza, and hepatitis A and B. I honestly don't know whether I'm the healthiest person on the planet or the most disease-ridden.

On top of everything else, I'm engaged in intense study of the Spanish language. A nice young man calls me on the telephone every other day and we speak Spanish to each other. Well, he speaks Spanish to me and I try to answer in Spanish. I have found that my early exposure to Spanish in Puerto Rico has been beneficial, although I still throw in a French word here and there, at which point I'll ask him, "Was that French? I think that was French." The Ecuadorians are going to think I'm speaking Creole or something.

I've learned that American dollars work as currency there, and that their electrical plugs are the same as ours. I'm going to be living in an apartment building. Quito is not bug-, snake- or spider-infested, although there are small cockroaches. Yea--no Snakeland! I don't know yet if I'll have access to a washer or need to wash my clothes by hand or at the lavandaria. Sometimes the ATMS work; there is high-speed, broadband internet. I will be communicating with people via Skype.

Happily, a couple that I worked with in the Bountiful Temple has been called to the very same mission. Sister Ward is a nurse and will serve a medical mission. Brother Ward will work in the office (and maybe proselyte?) like me. Considering all the missions in the world, it's very ironic to me that we should be called to serve in the same one. In fact, we are entering the MTC at the same time and are scheduled to fly to Ecuador together. I'm excited about working with two wonderful people I already know. I hope they're equally excited about working with me.

I asked Hermana Lovingier what item she wished she had brought that she didn't bring. She said, "Sweats." I went straight to my closet and packed a pair of sweats (and slippers, and my blanket, and fuzzy socks, and a sweatshirt). How will I ever make weight? Stay tuned.