week 31 eden is sick :(

¡Buenas Tardes mis queridos hermanos y hermanas! ¿Come le van?  M-Hm. ¿No hableis español? Ok.

Good Afternoon my beloved Brothers and Sisters! How is it going?  

   Well, this week was rather interesting.  For good news, Pedro was Baptized!  WOOT!  He was so happy!  We were a little disorganized with the program, but we had a great baptismal service in the end.    I was able to do the ordinance, and a lot of his family showed up, along with a group of members.  Yes, only 7 of about 70 members we invited made it, but we were very glad those who made it came.  That was our grand highlight of the week.   (Our ward is so good!  I´ll have to send pictures later because we forgot our cameras in the flurry of getting ready and had to borrow the camera of another Elder.  He still hasn´t sent the pictures yet...  )

  But!  Now to explain the title of my letter.  Elder Housley and I are great.  The best of buds, and we were getting very excited our first day together because we had so much in common.  Then, come Wednesday, disaster struck!  Not of the dangers of the world, but a battle within!  Elder Sanders was stricken with a powerful illness!  What ranged from a sore throat, to a fever, to an upset stomach creamed him for the day!     So I was completely out of commission for that day, and then as I started to slowly recover, my companion was struck with disease also!  So here we were, waking up for 3 days in a row with clogged sinuses, runny noses, and sore throats, struggling to get to lessons or do anything. It was rather dramatic, and rather was a downer. So, all in all, the missionary work this week was rather slow.  It was also probably the worst way to bond in our first week together, but at least we bonded. 

  So!  That was our adventurous story for the week.  Thanks for your letters, and it sounds like you guys are having a fabulous time in the snow at home.  And congrats to Devin McCandless!  You were baptized the same day as our investigator here in Ecuador!   And I hope Grandma is feeling better, we´ll be sure to pray for her down here.   And by the 13th of March, I´ll have 8 months in the mission!  Tis´ odd.  Time in the mission is like building a snow man.  You start with a little snow ball, and it feels slow and tedious at the start, but as time tarries on, it grows larger and larger, and the momentum expounds in a full sprint as your giant snowball flies down a steep hill!     That´s how it is.    I really hope everyone is doing well up there, it sounds like school, work, and other activities are going really well.  

  And!  As to close with a spiritual thought, take up your Book of Mormon and find 2 Nephi 4, and then read the 2nd half.  It´s about verse 20ish and on.  It´s nicknamed ´The Psalm of Nephi´ Because it´s just him pouring out his soul about the Lord.  It´s really easy to over miss, but it´s full of great perspective.  We all see Nephi as this strong and super righteous leader, but here in this chapter is him pouring out how distraught he feels at his  weaknesses!  It is definitely a full-throttle wake up call to anyone who reads it and takes it to heart.  You guys will love it!

Well, that is all for the moment, and I´m sorry I don´t have many pictures because I was out of it for most of the week, and still awaiting the baptismal photos, but I shall write again! (The pictures are of this crazy cool fruit here, my companion, and a picture I just drew. Random, but good)   

Just remember LOMA:  Leer, orar, mandamientos, y asistencia.  But to translate it´s:   Read, Pray, Commandments, and Attend, as in Read your scriptures, pray daily, keep the commandments, and attend church!  Do it, and you shall prosper in the land!

-Elder Sanders

Eden week 30

¡Buenas Tardes Hermanos y Hermanas! ¿Como le van?  Espera... Uds no hablen español, ¿No?  No pensaba.

Alrighty then!  This week was well,  Thanks to those who wrote... and to those letters recieved. (To John Plowman, Mikayla Boren, and Elder Leishman, I shall write you soon, and EXTREME THANKS to you all!)      

BUt first... ¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS MEIKAYLA! Birthday pic attached!

Ok, I can`t say I have any huge events or experiences to share.  Although it sounds as if my Book of Mormon testimony letter is going to hover over Utah for the next month or so. :)  But on a serious note, I had no idea that a testimony could impact, or even touch so many people.  I`m very grateful that I was able to share, and that people were able to listen.  

As of right now, we have 1 person with a baptismal date, Pedro C, the husband of Ade, our baptism that we had 2 or so weeks ago. He`s preparing to be baptized for the 3rd of March.  In fact, on Saturday we had 12 people planned to be baptized for the 3rd of March, but as you can guess,  TRAPDOOR OF SATAN! All the baptismal dates fell! All but Pedro.  So we have high hopes for him, him and Adelaida really have progressed from when we first found them, on the brink of divorce.  And now?  With a spiritual boost of the Gospel and power of God`s plan for Families, they are striving!   We just need to get the rest of their family to get ready too!  They are letting to much of the world get in the way of their progression, such as school, work, and in one instance, drinking.  But!  We will bring them all to the truth!

What else?  Ah yes... there is a sweet little holiday down here called Carnaval.  But alas, it is not a holiday of warm dinners nor parades, do you wish to know?

The traditions include nothing but randomly plastering everyone in sight with buckets of water, silly string, water balloons, and this foamy canned stuff!!!   WHAT A GREAT HOLIDAY!!! And it`s for 3 days straight!   The only downside is that missionaries can`t play, and we must be constantly on our guard so that we don`t get soaked on the way to a lesson.  So far, we`ve been liquid free (it`s not too intense in Guamani, but in Ottavalo, there are no rules!),  but we shall keep our umbrellas handy!

And as for other notes:  You guys are in LAVA HOT SPRINGS?  Without, *sniffle*  without me?  NO!!!  Well, have fun at the purple moon, and I shall be there in spirit!    

AND!  I also have a talk that you guys need to read, it`s in this month`s Ensign,  titled something to the extend of Tender Mercies of the Lord.  IT IS SO GOOD.

Oh, and next week are CHANGES!  *GASP!*  Will I stay? Will I go?  I do not know.  But it will be great either way!

Thanks for all, and I shall surely write again!

-Elder Sanders

PS: PHOTOS!

1- Meikayla`s B-DAY PIC, I hope it`s accurate!

2- My new speaker system!  Thanks to the Plowman`s for your Christmas gift!  They are great!

3-  Three Languages, one truth.  (great movie title...)

PSS:  And alas, my hopes are exhausted.  There is no Christmas Package!  It will come... eventually... but we shall see.

           And as for Birthday stuff, I would really Like to just buy it here, but I fear they do not sell Prisma Markers down here.  Hm.  I shall write next week!

ADIOS A TODOS!

7 months -29 weeks - 215 days Eden has been in Ecuador :) Who's counting !

Hello!  I don`t have much time, so I gotta write fast!

THE WEDDING LOOKED SO GREAT!  I wish I could`ve been there, all the pictures were fantastic!  So many, from the Temple,  to the reception, to my sisters  in Mom`s wedding dress, and even the pie!  And what`s this... Is Steve getting married too?  WOOT!    (and oddly enough, I do miss the Joy Luck restaurant)  And It`s great that Ashylne, Meikayla and Madison are giving Family Home Evening lessons, how great indeed!  And also thanks Madison for you letter, Adventure Time sure is fun!   And good luck in your home teaching Dad, the families will be there!     And during Sacrament meeting, I think I can interpret the majority of the talks, but not 100%.  

As for this week, we did some service with members by helping paint their house and making pizzas.   I also gave a talk this Sunday, along with my companion and our ward mission leader.  We all spoke on the topic of the Missionary work, and it went very well!  I spoke on why we do mission work, how we believe that this is the Restored Church that has the only authority to baptize, which we need to enter the Celestial Kingdom.  Good living can`t do it, and other churches can`t do it.  Just like it says in Acts 5:4,  that no one can take this honor upon themselves, unless their called of God.    We do missionary work because people can only enter into the celestial kingdom with the restored gospel,  it`s true!

Sorry! I am out of time, we arrived late because we got to play laser tag today, a reward for a month and half`s hard work.  And after running it at Trafalga for over a year,  it was a dream come true to do it here in Ecuador.

¡Hasta Luego!  

-Elder Sanders

PS I did receive A package!  Part 2 from the stuff from our ward.  Very much appreciated, thank you to all, (and also to Bro. Dellergo).   But not the big one!  Where could it be?

Hello one and all!

 This week was rather swell.... do you know why?   Because after months of fallen baptismal dates, we´ve finally had our first baptism in Guamani! WOOT!   Sister  P finally is now a member of the Church!  The service went great, her family came, and all was well!   We´re just hoping that her husband will be next to be baptized, and after the rest of her family too, there are 3 more family members that are investigators too, but we shall see.  2 of them aren´t married yet, and they need to in order to be baptized, but we´ll see what happens.  

Also, this last Saturday we also had an open house at Our stake center.  It was planned to be right after the baptism, and all the members were ready to go!  But as the time to start loomed forth, the elements turned against us!  The gates of heavens were torn open, and cascades of water pounded the city of Quito as large bursts of lightning blasted across the sky!  (It was quite dramatic if I may add, good thing we were inside!)  The roads turned into roaring rivers, and there was absolutely no hope of trying to contact people to invite them to attend, because, well, no one was outside!  So, our open house just consisted of all the people who attended the baptism:  The family Cwano, and a handful of other investigators.  In one way, it wasn´t quite as successful as we were hoping, but later, the next day, our bishop shared a scripture from the book of Moroni about how much joy it is to just bring one soul unto Christ.  So, it was still good.

And thanks for your letters!  Sounds like this week shall be swell.   I also received Ben´s wedding invitation in the mail, and although I´m not going to be there, I´m way excited!  And congrats to Bik in his new job, I bet it´s going to be great! And lastly to Zander!  A baptism in Ecuador and a baptism in Utah, in the same day!  How neat, eh?   (And I missed the Superbowl?  I sure do miss chip-dip...)  BUT! I´m excited to read that article about Ecuador, I gave the Spanish copy to my companion and he´s really enjoying it.  After I write this letter I´ll need to read it too.  

And I´m also always praying for for you all, my family, my friends (including those serving missions) and am sure to do so every day.   

Also!  As for other news of the week, this last Friday we had divisions with the Assistance of President Ghent!  A surprise for us too!  I got to go with Elder Casky to the center of Quito, while his companion went with Elder Hernandez in our sector.  Essentially, it was rather refreshing and felt like a mini-vacation, although we were contacting for half the day.  We started in a huge park, one about 4x the size of a mall parking lot but with a skate park, jogging track, dirt biking trails, and a giant pool-river thing with foot operated boats.  With the heat of the day it felt just like Lagoon. :)  We had some good contacts, actually found some members selling fresh coconut-milk-juice (SO GOOD!), and continued on.  The day went well, we taught a few members and a family, and returned to thier home, where the secretaries also live.  (I think it´s the only or one of the only homes in the mission where 4 missionaries live in the same house)    The whole exchange was rather like a restart, to re-kindle my desire to find new families and serve.  So, this week I´ll definitely have to make like a squid and get Krakin!  (Yes Erik, I just had to use it too!)  

Also!  This week we have a zone conference, and then a training meeting.  I´m way excited!  I don´t think we´re expecting people for baptism this week, but we do have 1 possibility!  Jorge, so we hope he´ll be ready.

  First, read Moroni 7 and then follow the invitation at the very end, and then read The Family: A Proclamation to the world.   They both are passages that we shared the family Cawanois when we first met them, and it helped them a lot.  I think it could be a faith builder for you too.  In fact, everyone who reads this should follow the same invitation. It is powerful!

Well, I believe that is all for the day, and I shall definitely be writing again in 7 days!

-Elder Sanders

¡Hasta Ver!