Week 80 Carnaval !!! 24 weeks left

Alrighty!

 It has been a mighty fine week!  Not too much to say for new investigators, but we have had some new success.

Thanks to all that wrote me! 

Well, for the first news, this week is Carnival! In Brazil it`s a gigantic parade like in Rio, but here, IT IS A WAR ZONE! Water balloons, crazy foam cans, Espuma loca!  We are rather barraged, in fact, to a point that we can`t even leave our house today!  So, I`ve had a lot of free time!  Yesterday we went with the family Salgado to see 17 miracles in the stake center (BTW, AMAZING MOVIE!!!) and we had the window down, and before long- SPLAT! A large plume of foam had entered the window and plastered us!  We thought it was funny, but were`nt smart enough to close the window because a second spray of the foam blasted us all harder than the first one.  We adapted, and closed the window.  But still fun!  I actually made a large Poem-Comic-Story Bill Watterson style about how it is!    I`m attaching it separately!)

But we did have some great success Sunday, for we had 2 great new future baptisms! 

The first is a 14 year old named Bryan, who has attended church for about 4 months or more, but never had his parent`s permission to listen to the missionaries and be baptized... UNTIL NOW!!! He has been authorized!  And we are to teach him this week, and most likely baptize him before the end of the month,

and the second was a surprise.  Right after church ended, a member told us there was someone outside who wanted to see us, so we went to the front and met a young man with a MTV shirt, and hat, and the first thing he said was, `what can I do to be a member here?`   WOW! It was like a convert on a platter!  Figuratively... He later told us that he has had a rough life, wants to make everything right with God, and be closer to him.  And he said he lives right next door to the church, and sees that everyone is happy!  And he wanted some of that too.  So this week we`ll be teaching him, and we hope that he can progress forward too!

So those are the big notes of the week,  and err.... not much else. Maybe to explain the photos, because they are very Weird... (no surprise ha ha )  So the first ones are that we at last got a photo with the RARE ECUADORIAN RED BANANAS!! Great huh? They take a long time to grow, are hard to find, and taste just like a really Fat gushy banana! And they were good, we ate them with some home made burritos we made today.  Also, a photo with some new pets! (not ours of course, but our neighbors)  A swell little puppy that likes us more than it`s owners :) and a ridiculously large spider, too bad it wasn't radioactive or else we could`ve gotten to lessons faster using spider man powers :),  and lastly, a project I`m working on as gift for the Family Sal, they wanted me to draw them a masterpiece, and I thought it would be nice to do a rendition of the parents` relationship to the stripling warriors, it makes me think of missionaries leaving to go to the `field of battle`, but I`ll send the final picture once I`m done.

Well! 

And to help mom, here is some more testimony on the Atonement,

¨ What baffles me about the atonement is how it covers sin and error and sorrow from Eternity to Eternity, the ultimate vicarious work known to man, and not only that, but it is the pathway to our salvation.  Even if we could repent of all our sins, and do the best we could on our own, it still would not be enough to let us into heaven.  But the Atonement, pays for the rest of it, and has the power to bring us the rest of the way, completely by Mercy.  And just like is Says in Alma 7,  we can receive this mercy through the gospel of Jesus Christ, Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and the reception of the Holy Ghost.  And by that, there is no other way.   What joy for me, to declare this to everyone every day here in Ecuador!  I don`t know how many times I`ve invited someone to be baptized by using those verses in Alma 7, that any problem, doubt, pain, trial, or sin can be cleansed with baptism, because baptism is how we can gain access to the power of the atonement.

-Elder Sanders

The picture Elder Sanders is working on

Red BANANAS !

 Alma 7

 9 But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—^aRepent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God ^bcometh upon the face of the earth.

 10 And behold, he shall be ^aborn of Mary, at ^bJerusalem which is the ^cland of our forefathers, she being a ^dvirgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and ^econceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ^aafflictions and ^btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ^ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit ^aknoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the ^bflesh that he might ^ctake upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

 14 Now I say unto you that ye must ^arepent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.

 15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth ^abeset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

 16 And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will ^aremember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.

 17 And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy.

 18 For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of ^adilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.

 19 For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his ^apaths straight.

 20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot ^awalk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.

 21 And he doth not dwell in ^aunholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is ^bfilthy shall remain in his filthiness.

 22 And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received.

 23 And now I would that ye should be ^ahumble, and be ^bsubmissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.

 24 And see that ye have ^afaith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.

 25 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with ^aAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments ^bspotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.

 26 And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto my word.

 27 And now, may the ^apeace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever. And thus I have spoken. Amen.