The EGSM President is going to Speak to Us!

Good news! We just got confirmation this morning that the current Mission President for the Guayaquil South Mission and his wife will be able to come to our reunion on Sunday! We are so excited to have Pres. Montalti speaks to us about how the work is going in Ecuador. This reunion will be in Ecuador on Sunday, June 5th.

Packing Tips

This is mainly for the wives and family members who haven't traveled to Ecuador...

*Don't forget to pack for both hot and chilly weather. It will be hot in Guayaquil where the reunions and service are. And it will be jeans and sweatshirt weather if you travel to Quito or Cuenca. That was a surprise to me so I thought I'd pass it along.

*Ecuador uses regular outlets like in the US so don't worry about adapters.

*There are grocery stores and pharmacies everywhere so don't stress--yes, you can buy almost anything down there. Maybe not your favorite brand, but the basic necessities are all there.

*Bring a small day pack or bag to carry water, a gronola bar, your camera, etc. on the service days. You'll be gone all day.

* Yes, the temple does rent clothing.

Please comment with any other questions you have or email us directly. It's all coming together--we are so close!

Not the first time we have served together

Preparing for Ecuadorian Food/ Temple Lodging cost

Mmmmm Patacones!!! Authentic ones coming soon, with a little Arroz con Menestra, and some Inca Kola, I am in Heaven!!!

BIG FYI

Temple Lodging cost: For all that arriving Friday night we are staying on Temple Grounds in the hotel.

The cost for the night is as follows:

Couples: $8

Singles: $6

Young Adults(12-17):$4

Children (0-11) : $2

REMEMBER YOUR TEMPLE RECOMMENDS AND YOUTH ONES AS WELL TO ENTER INTO THE TEMPLE CAFETERIA AND IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO SOME VICARIOUS WORK!!!

How Many Bags Can I Take?

DELTA allows 2 bags free 50lbs or less (There has been talk that the most recent info is ONLY 1 BAG IS FREE)
UNITED allows 1 bag free, 2nd bag $30
COPA allows 2 bags combined weight 70 lbs or less

Double check at the following links:

http://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/baggage/checked/index.jsp#intl

http://www.copaair.com/Sites/CC/EN/Informacion-de-viaje/Pages/Condiciones-Generales-de-Equipaje.aspx

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,52482,00.html

Work has begun!!!

Thanks to the OSHA approved scaffolding, work has begun on the tutoring center. We asked that the questionably safe work be completed before we get there. Although I know Deven has some experience hanging on side of Ecua buildings, thank goodness because we will need that talent when we paint.

I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW CLOSE WE ARE!!

SEE YOU ALL IN ECUADOR!!!

26 Days Till Lift Off!

Our trip is approaching quickly and we wanted to send out some of our thoughts.

REMINDER: If you haven’t done your vaccinations, read Moffitt’s "IMMUNIZATIONS" post below and make your appointment today! If you still have immunization questions, email Mitch Moffitt.

QUESTIONS:

If you have any questions please make sure to refer to the blog posts below or contact the director of that group (AKA Team Leaders).

Dental –Ammon Jones or Brian Zwahlen

Construction-Deven Smith

Education/Fundraising-Brian Ellsworth

Logistics-Abe Cubano or Troy Blanchard

FUNDRAISING:

We welcome any help that you can give with fundraising. This fundraising will go to subsidize in-country transportation and hotel costs, and incidental expenses that correlate with the humanitarian project. Some examples of these expenses are ethanol for sterilization of dental instruments, antibiotics and other meds we’ll need to purchase in the country, and other needs that will aid us in carrying out a successful trip. In the email we just sent is attached a pdf that Brian Ellsworth created for us to explain to others the purpose of our trip. This would be useful if you want to send it out to neighbors, friends, family and your local Rotary Club. If you have any specific questions about how the money will be used, contact me. If you have any questions about the fund raising process, please contact Ellsworth. Also, Brian will send out a step-by-step approach on how to approach your Rotary Club. Any amount will help. Any funds that you raise please report to Brian Ellsworth so he can track it and send to Abe Cubano to deposit.

We need someone to head up the acquisition of cell phones to be used to coordinate the 3 service projects going on simultaneously. This project should take less than 10 hours. Please contact Troy if you can help.

We understand that you may be doing individual fund raising for educational or medical supplies and we appreciate all your efforts.

PACKING SUPPLIES:

Many have asked how we are going to get the supplies down to Ecuador. They need to be transported down with us by suitcase. The dentists are required to carry the dental units so they will need our help packing their supplies. We also have some educational supplies that we need to distribute among us. There is NO WAY we will get it all down there without your help. So… We need each person traveling to bring at least 1 (2 if possible) empty suitcases to our home to fill with these supplies. You will then leave with your filled suitcases and use your carry ons for your personal belongings.

For all of you who live in Utah, we are going to have a Pot Luck Packing Dinner at Troy's Friday, May 27^th at 6pm. Kids are welcome. Please RSVP Daphne for a food assignment and to let us know how many suitcases you are bringing to fill.

Please bring to the Pot Luck:

All supplies you have gathered

1-2 empty suitcases per person traveling. (Depending on how many your airline will allow you to bring.)

Your potluck food item

What is the UTAH group packing down to Ecuador?

Dental Supplies/School Supplies (Tutoring Center’s wish list) (Ammon)

Fluoride (Abrams)

Medical Books (Moffitt)

School Kits from Humanitarian Center (Blanchard/Bingham)

5 Dental Units (which need to be kept with the dentists)

HOTEL:

(June 3^rd) Friday night we will be staying at the Guayaquil Temple which is very close to the airport. You will need a temple recommend to stay there. Children do not need one to stay, but will if they want to eat in the cafeteria or perform baptisms for the dead. The cost will be minimal. We don’t know how much it will be. In the Dominican Republic it was $3 a night, I can’t imagine it being much different in Ecuador. We will meet you there at the temple. If you’re not staying at the temple or attending the session at the temple, you can meet up with the group afterwards.

(June 4^th-10^th) We are working with a church representative that is helping us book our reservations at a discounted price, we will have confirmation in the next couple of days. At this point it looks like we will need to put a group deposit down on the hotel and then you will pay for your rooms individually once down there. We will give you details on who you need to repay for that deposit when it is set in stone. Hotel rooms will be around $75 a night and will be booked Sat-Thursday night (Saturday check in and Friday morning check out).

CASH:

I would suggest that whatever your budget is for the trip, I would bring at least half of that in cash. As you may remember, the ability to use credit/debit isn’t available in many locations. So we all have the same expectations, everyone is responsible to pay for all your transportation, lodging, food and other expenses of the trip. We have secured funding for the cost of the construction project (Thank you, Aaron Baker! Opps- sorry- he did not want any credit) When you’re exiting Ecuador don’t forget to set aside $25 CASH PER PERSON for the Airport Departure Tax. You will need to pay it to leave the airport and can’t use a credit card.

This website has some good info about traveling in Ecuador; but please feel free to email or call team leaders with any questions you may have.

http://www.goecuador.com/traveler-guide/ecuador-customs-taxes.html

Just in the last 4 days we’ve had 6 people join our group. We are now at a headcount of 40 traveling down to Ecuador. Get excited—it’s coming quick!

Thanks,

Troy Z Blanchard