November 17, 2014
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!! EVVVERRYWHERE
we go....except for the fact that it doesn’t FEEL like Christmas at all.
There is absolutely NO SNOW or COLDNESS whatsoever!! All this week our
investigators and neighbors have been decorating for Christmas. Christmas trees, lights, ribbons and
all.
Here in Ecuador winter on the calendar means THE hottest
time of the year. HOT, HUMID, RAIN and then HOT again. But really, the Ecuadorians dread
winter....so there is no hope for me ;) jajaja.
But I still love Ecuador with all my heart, so I think I will stay ;) To
show how much I love Ecuador, someone gave me leggings that have a billion little
Ecuador flags on them, which of course I wore all night with my Ecuador flag
t-shirt (thanks mom). I will send you all a picture next week! AMO
ECUADOR [I LOVE ECUADOR]
Today for P-day we took a trip to an IGUANA PARK!!!
 |
| With Hna Alcazar and all of our Iguana friends |
There are literally HUNDREDS of iguanas just
walking around on the sidewalk with you....it kills me that I can’t figure out
how to send videos, but I have a video where an iguana WALKED OVER MY
FOOT!!! AHHH!
 |
| Selfie with our Iguana buddy |
We also saw a man
who was trying to feed an iguana a banana and IT CRAWLED UP HIS LEG TO EAT
IT! I will send a picture. QUE
ASCO!!!!!!!!! [How disgusting!]
 |
| Banana man being attacked by a hungry iguana |
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| My Compi, Hermana Perez and I |
Anyways, this week we celebrated my compi´s birthday. We (Hermana Velasquez y Hermana Alcazar y los
miembros [the members] and I)
successfully planned 5 surprise parties that day. Basically, this means
there were 5 shouts of "SUPRESA!!!!!!" [“SURPRISE!”], 5 tortas [cakes]
(we didn’t feel so great that night), 5 regalos [gifts], and a MILLION hugs. Hermana Perez turned 23, vieja [old lady] ;) and I loved seeing her
surprise face at each house. She is an INCREDIBLE missionary so she
deserved the best birthday ever, right?!
So this last week, Lourdes Cueva sent a picture to Aunt Lorena. The picture was from
one of the surprise parties, and it also happened to be with one of our new
investigators.
 |
| Happy Birthday Hermana Perez (and AUNT LORENA)!!! |
So, I actually didn’t know
that it was Aunt Lorena’s birthday but....HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY
LORENA!!!!!!!! Everyone here talks about Hermana Bartolomeo, and it’s
not me they are talking about - it’s my amazing AUNT LORENA. Everyone
says that we are both super happy and we talk the same, HAHA.
Speaking of the new investigator, this week Lourdes and her
two sons introduced us to a friend of theirs from high school, Daniela.
ES UN AMOR!!! [She is a sweetheart!] She lives with her single Mom and LOVES the
church. She actually attended the baptism of Familia Jara and as it was
for everyone else there, had an INCREDIBLE experience. We were able to share with her that coming to
know Christ means you are NEVER ALONE. She
loved the lesson after the surprise party AND she CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!! Daniela
is only 16 so we are hoping to meet with and teach her mom as well so they can
both be baptized together. (Her mom works every day from 8am-9pm Sunday-Viernes
[Friday], so she won’t ever be able
to attend church.) :( But we are so excited to continue meeting with her this
week!
Update on our other investigators - Liliam and Enrique CAME
TO CHURCH!!!!! They only stayed for the first hour and a half, but they
CAME! :) We had a wonderful lesson, full of tears and the spirit this
week, and we truly saw the desire to have an eternal family from Liliam and her
daughter Alejandra (who is menos active [less
active]). BUT Liliam told us that she still can’t accept a date to be
baptized because she feels like she is missing something.
My companion and I had a long week of praying and pondering
about what we can share with Liliam that will ASTONISH her to the point where
she will be running to the baptismal font. ;) We both received a firm
confirmation that we need to help her recognize the Holy Ghost, and then once
she knows what she is feeling is the Holy Ghost, and not just a happy feeling,
SHE WILL have un deseo a tomar (ahh sorry Spanish is just coming out today and
I can’t help it, yeah, focus Hna B - ENGLISH) the desire to start her journey
towards an eternal family. Enrique keeps
saying that he loves the church, and loves the fact that his family can be
eternal, and loves reading the Bible (not so much the Book of Mormon yet), but
he is CATHOLIC. Enrique is an amazing guy and is another one of those
Mormones secos ;) Please keep them in your prayers!
Esdrina. OH Esdrina!!!!!! I adore this lady but she doesn’t
want to force her husband (but they aren’t officially married) to marry her and
she doesn’t want to leave him either. :( She has been a little
discouraged because she REALLY wants to get baptized. We are hoping that
at one point her future husband will have time to meet with us so we can teach
him as well.
Brayan - we haven’t seen at all this week. He said he was going to come to church, but didn’t
come. :( So I will update you on
him next week!
This week, while meeting with members and talking with them
about their loved ones and their desires for them to experience the incredible
happiness the gospel of Jesus Christ brings, I felt impressed that we should
never lose hope, and never stop praying for our loved ones who are inactive, or
not members of our church, or simply do not believe in God. The atonement
of Jesus Christ makes it possible for hearts to change, and to one day be together
in a fullness of JOY. We are waiting for
the atonement of our Lord and Savior to work in algunos de nuestros
investigadores [some of our investigators]
right now, but right now is not the time. We must continue with patience
and diligence and one day we will see them change through the miracle of the
atonement.
I always say this in my letters and when I am sharing
lessons, but I am going to say it again...WE ARE HERE TO REJOICE
EVERMORE. In the Emma Smith movie that was produced by the church,
someone asked the Prophet Joseph, "Why another temple?” He responded “Dios quiere que
estemos llenos de gozo, y que solo lo podremos tener a través de las
bendiciones del templo. Aparece ser una doctrina
muy atrevida. Poder con el cual puedes mandar en la tierra y en los
cielos. Dios ha restaurado este poder de nuevo. En un templo
podemos recibir las ordenanzas de salvación no solo para nosotros mismos también
por aquellos quienes han muerto sin esas ordenanzas. Esta es una de las
grandes bendiciones del Señor. Las más hermosas en el plan de
salvación que las relaciones que tenemos en esta vida perdurarán hasta
despues de ella. Que un hombre y una esposa gozarán por medio del poder del
sacerdocio y lo disfrutarán por toda la eternidad." (Sorry Dad - the
movie was in Spanish, so I just took a few notes in Spanish and I’ll let you
translate.) :)
[Here
is Dad's best shot at the translation - “God wants us to be full of joy, and we
will only be able to have it through the blessings of the temple. It appears to be a very bold doctrine. Power with which you can command [seal
things] on earth and in heaven. God has
restored this power again. In the
temple, we can receive the ordinances of salvation, not only for ourselves, but
also for those who have died without these ordinances. This is one of the greatest blessings from
the Lord. The most beautiful thing in
the plan of salvation is that relationships that we have in this life can
survive in the hereafter, and that a man and a wife can have a fullness of joy
through the power of the priesthood and enjoy it for all eternity.”]
For
those who are praying for their family members to come back into the fold,
President Uchtdorf said, “Never give up on anyone, and that includes not giving
up on yourself.” I also like the
encouraging words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Don’t you quit. You keep
walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead – a lot of
it.”
My
hope is that we will each strengthen our own testimonies and HELP all those we
can. I love helping all those I meet here in Ecuador at least FEEL of the
happiness and love that we can have as we are converted unto the Lord.
LES AMO TANTO TANTO TANTO!! Tengan
una semana feliz y LEEN las escrituras, HAGAN sus oraciones y ASISTEN la
iglesia. ;) [I love you so so so much!! Have a happy week and read the scriptures,
say your prayers and attend church.]
Con
muchisimo amor,
Hermana
B
Funny
story of the week:
The
other Hermanas that live with us have an investigator that came to church on Sunday. He was SO pumped to partake of the sacrament because
of the incredible lesson he had the day before, that when the water came around
he whipped out his tablet and took a SELFIE.
#selfiewiththesacrament "NO!
You don’t take pictures with the sacrament!" "Oh sorry I didn’t know. I was just so excited and wanted to let
everyone know."
I
died laughing. Are we so excited to take the sacrament that WE want to
take a selfie as well? HAHA, oh man good times.
#rejoiceevermore
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