WEEK # 73 FELIZ NAVIDAD !

¡MERRY Christmas!

  How is everyone back stateside?  Wonderful I hope because I am!  So!  Many news to give! 

Hm... First off... BAPTISM!!! Yes, we have 2 lovely new additions to the church! And they have much in common: they are 9 or under in age, have a parent which is not a member, gave wonderfully powerful testimonies, and are just wonderful!  The only difference is that one is a convert baptism, and the other is a ward baptism.  Which translates as one goes to the mission, but 2 go into my personal list of baptisms.  YES!!!  So I hope in a future date their parents will eventually be members, I believe one day it shall be just like that!

But alright, so for Christmas here in Ecuador, everyone has little Christmas trees, little house decorations (as in NO ONE has anything outside), and a little Christmas music.  But, the spirit is flowing about, the stores are stocking up, and it seems that Christmas here is not focused on receiving gifts, but of making big business in sells for the year!  Rather like an unofficial Christmas bonus.    Hm.   But everyone is still joyful.

Yesterday we were in Ambato again, singing with the other missionaries, (contacting through carols, AWESOME!) and finished late so we stayed the night there.  My companion got a couple packages from home, and I got a lovely one from the Lechtenbergs, MANY THANKS TO SARAH, JAKE, AND PATTI!!!!  I just love me some Legos!!!

And today, we were shopping, cleaning, cutting our own hair, and doing laundry.  But!  We are to make a Christmas feast!  I`m going to try my hand at making Wassil, and then we`re going to make some Navajo Tacos!    Scones baby!    Today, we also plan to practice the Quena (sorry, I forgot to take a photo! Look it up on YouTube instead), draw requested pictures for investigators and members, write letters, watch The Mountain of The Lord, and lounge about.  It should be nice.  But, you may ask... why do we have so much free time today? Well, today is our P-Day first off, and we need to be inside at 4:00 sharp due to nasty drunk Christmas party riots in the streets!  Which means... it`s like 24 hours of not working!  Well, not quite like that... but like a 24-hour P-Day!  And tomorrow, we must be indoors at no later than 6:00, so we get more relaxation time! 

Not to mention: candy from members and a mighty MIGHTY Ecuadorian Fruit-Cake that actually is not nasty!  I would send a photo, but unfortunately we took it with it right after I cut my hair and all I`m wearing are Gym shorts!  So  maybe for another week, 

Well! 

Good to write you all, and as always, I wish you well and thank you for your love, prayers, and support!

`Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!`

  or for a better quote:

`It`s in the singing of a street corner choir,
       It`s going home and getting warm by the fire,
                It`s true! Wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas!`
                                   -Muppet`s Christmas Carol

-Elder Sanders

Week 72

PRESIDENT AND SISTER GHENT 

Dearest family and friends!  How are you all today?  Fine I hope!

WELL!   It`s been a nice week, not too much news on mission work but plenty of news on fun Christmas stuff!

To start off, changes have come!  And what has happened?  Well, I shall explain from Sunday morning:  We were at church, and just twitching because we knew the transfers were coming, and we felt our doom of seperating was imminent!  And to add on that, Rafael, the 8 year old son of Patricia  (who was baptized a week or so ago)  came up to my companion and I, and literally crying, gave us both hand-made cards! (how sweet!  I took a photo and attached it for you guys, Mom will have to translate it) Turns out he really, REALLY didn`t want any of us to go!  But, his mom told him, that if he prayed hard enough that we could stay, it would happen!  So, it turns out he prayed well for we did not leave!  HOORAY!!!

I get to spend Christmas with my buddy in this wonderful sector!  But, it too means that we will need to work harder than ever in this next change, to finish the work we had started a month ago!  ONWARD!!!

And for other news, the dinner with President Ghent and his wife was great!  American dinner, caroling to his neighbors, seeing old friends, and sweet hot cocoa!  Not to mention home made cookies from Sister Ghent and a new note-diary.  Plus, I delivered my hand-made card to them and Sister Ghent just about died with laughter!  So they pretty much loved seeing themselves as cartoonized Mr. and Mrs. Claus.   :)

And also!  The ward talent show!  It was nice overall, but it started 2 hours late, was COMPLETELY unplanned, and ended in a stake dance kind of setting.  So, the ward loved it, which was all that mattered.  And 2 investigators came! YES!  And we also started doing free ENGLISH CLASSES!  (to help bring in more investigators and less-active members to church)  And those have been successful so far.

Hm.  What else?  Ah yes, I have been looking to buy an Otavalanian instrument called the `Quena`  for a while, which is pretty much the most rustic sounding indian flute ever conceived to man, which usually cost around $30 or more, but a handy member got us a great deal, and I got a REALLY nice one for a steal of $12.50!  HA HA!  So in the next few weeks I`m learning how to play the Quena, so I`ll send pics next week of it for you all.

WELL! I think those are all the big news, altough we are to have 2 baptisms this Saturday!  One of the ward, and one convert!  And they both are 9 years old!  SO wish us luck!

And for a spiritual thought when it comes to missionary work: 
       You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can`t count the apples in a seed. 

(let that one soak in)

-Elder Sanders

Photos: A few shots from the Talent show, the Chistmas dinner, the hand-card, the gargantuan moth we found in our house discovering the book of Mormon for the first time, and our `lovely` zone choir.  Enjoy!

I love you all and Merry Christmas


PS- what time should we do our Christmas phone call?

Week 71 !

Hello one and all! I´m VERY short on time today, due to a grand activity that we had in our zone!  And as says the title, we had our long lost thanksgiving dinner!  Odd, because instead of turkey we had Chelean-style Fettuchini with Chorisos mixed in, but still very VERY good!

Alright, since time at the moment is as precious as a loaf of bread during a famine, I shall give you this weeks news in stylish bullet points!

-Baptism indeed!  Yes, Patricia was officially confirmed!  And all her family came to church!  Not to mention, her R.M. brother from Guayaquil came down and did the ordinance himself!  So we´re celebrating, and not to mention, her 2 sons told us they want to be baptized too!  Plans are underway!

- Christmas to come! This Friday is our Christmas dinner with the mission president!  I´m also rather excited to give him a spiffy card I drew for him and his wife (attached)

-Changes! This is the last week of the change, so I hope we both get to stay together for Christmas!

-Caroling!  This Sunday, we left with our zone to sing to investigators!  It went well, especially since we had stylish home-made matching scarves!

-Christmas phone call!  YES! So, this Tuesday the 25th we are to Skype!  We just need to see what time will work out best, but we are pretty much good from the Morning up to 4 O´clock at night.

-Also! This Saturday, we are going to have English classes! Taught by the only Gringos in Latacunga: us!  So we hope it goes well, we are to do it to bring in member support and new investigators through our efforts

Well, it seems that is all that is going on for the moment, so unfortunately, I must sign out!  But, I must say, I loved the photos, and am super-jealous of all that delicious Christmas food that you had indulged!  (next year.... :)  )       But! Also thanks for the Talk, and I wish you all very well!  Good luck KT and congrats to all the new missionaries about to encounter the world!

-Elder Sanders

PHOTOS:

-A sketch I did in my companion´s memory book

- The baptism!

-Us eating late night hotdogs with two of the first counselor´s boys

- Our mighty thanksgiving lunch

- Most of our zone, ready to sing our lungs out!

¡Hasta Ver!