Week # 48

SO! Hello one and all, how fairest all of you? 

Alrighty then, this has been quite the eventful (and difficult) week, but first, I shall proceed to answer your questions from your home letters in less than a few sentences:

Yes, time is going very fast now, thank you Grandma Sanders for your wondrous package (it is rather delicious), our area is abundant in mountains, ramshackle brick houses, rivers, junglish areas, many many cornfields, and rock roads.  As for a native tradition, to propose for marriage, a man must present gifts to his brides father to ask for permission, which usually include many things, but also many Cui`s!  Congrats to Josh for his completion of his mission (tell him he needs to write me!), Happy Fathers day (a separate e-mail will follow) and I love that story with Tristen and the pictures of me!  How wonderful!  (And maybe hold off on sending the sandwich maker, I need to see if I can make room in my suitcase first, and if so, then yes!  I shall!)

Well, I fear I only have a LITTLE TIME for the internet has been running like a man with legs made of Popsicle sticks and glue, but here has been our week:
-Quite busy, working in all 3 of our wards
-Elder Meriles gave his first Ecuadorian talk on Sunday, (and I gave one too!)
-I bought a stone book to write notes and personal scriptures in (I will explain in detail once I have time to write)
-We designed to visit Sister Olga this week with our whole zone, and we found her by a gorge, and decided to teach her there.  So we went down into a field by a river, where the hills blocked our the city (photo attached) and gave her a super-support lesson.  Everyone had experiences that booster her confidence and guided her, and by the end of the power-lesson, SHE ACCEPTED TO BE BAPTIZED!!! What a miracle! (Literally!) So we have high hopes now!

But I fear I have lost time, so off I go to places unknown!

BUT! For a cognitive ending quote,

     ¨The kingdom of God, or Nothing.¨

Elder Eden Sanders Out!      (con amor!)

Week #47

Hello Again!

As you all can see, I have once again done another hand letter!  But, for a little extra points:

You guys went to the Scottish festival!  Lucky!  It looked way fun!  I really liked the pictures, and especially Dad`s beard, ¨You gotta look tough with the scruff!´ 
And it sounds like everyone down there has some fun plans, Golf camp, EFY, the zoo, and especially the play!  I`ll be sure to also talk to Elder Baltizar about Mike knowing his parents´, and I`m OH SO HAPPY that I received 5 letters today instead of 2! I love hearing everything that`s going on in the world,
and as for photos, here are some pics of a ward activity, Elder Meriles and I excited to eat Cui, the baptism of Zumitha, and me absolutely relishing the exquisite taste of guinea pig leg.

ENJOY!

-Elder Sanders

Week #46

week 45

Hello one and all!  How has your week been?  Good from what I`ve heard, it sounds as if you guys are having a jolly time!

Well!  I bet the first thing everyone wants to hear are the hard facts of my new companion!   Well, his name is Elder Meriles, a stalwart Elder From San Francisco, California, whose parents are both from Bolivia!  So he came into the mission already speaking Spanish and English, and we are very excited to begin working here.  This last week was also rather exciting, Elder Bardzinski left Monday morning, and I bunked with other Elders Until Tuesday, when I left for Quito Tuesday night.  The next day, all the trainers met together, and we had a big training meeting for the trainers and their new companions.  There were about 20 people coming into Ecuador, and Elder Meriles and I bonded well!   We left, and got home Wednesday night.  

Well, other than that, the other big news I have is.... WE HAD 2 MORE BAPTISMS!  WOOT! John and Nelly are now confirmed members of the Church of Christ, and the baptismal service went well.    (Actually, we weren`t very prepared, had problems with heating the water, we had to wait an hour and half for their mom to leave work to attend the service, and we were late writing out their baptismal forms, but it all worked out in the end!)  So, we shall continue to work with them, and hope to begin teaching the rest of their family too!  Actually, we were talking to the Mom`s sister (who isn`t a member), and she agreed to listen to us!  So we shall be teaching her tomorrow!

So, now I`m a little busier as a district leader, I get to have a cell phone, give a training message every Zone meeting on Thursdays, and I can also interview people for baptism!  I`m pretty excited, and I get to look out for my District like a bishop looks out for the members of the church, only in this case, my `ward` only consists of 4 people. :)   So I`ll keep you updated as I continue working.

AND congrats to Madison for conquering the Elementary School!  And I tip my hat to Ashylne and her mighty lacrosse award!  Well done indeed!  Tell Meikayla I miss wrestling in the car with her and good luck to Chantel as she treks out into the new world.   ¡Y tambien serìa fantastico si pueden dar mi amor a Grandma y Grandpa!  

SO! I`ve gotta make like a baker and haul buns, see ya!

-Elder Sanders

PS- Yes, I would like a donut recipe!  And could you also send me the recipes for Brazilian Lemonade and BonBons?  Thanks!

PSS-  I love you all SO much!

week #44

HELLO! ¡HOLA! ¡Alli Chishi! 

How art thou?   WELL!  Before I get into anything else, I have GRAND, MARVELOUS news!  So, we received changes, and (sadly!) Elder Bardzinski has left to Quito!  EGADS!  But, here`s the exciting part:  I have been upgraded!  Elder Sanders is no longer a junior companion, he is now to be known as:

1-Senior Companion!

2-District Leader!

3-Trainer!

                              LEVEL UP!                   

YES! So now I have a cell phone, need to do capacitations every Thursday, and this Wednesday I am to receive my child!  (Mission slang for having a new missionary to train)  So, I have no Idea who he will be, but I`m going to be a Dad!  And lead my new lad into the world of the Mission Quito Ecuador!  WOOT!  I am super nervous yet super excited, ha ha!  So much responsibility given in such a small amount of time.  The destiny of my trainee rests in my palms...

And for other Glorious news, we are going to have a baptism this Saturday!  The 2 kids we have been teaching this last week, John and Nelly, and ready ! Elder Burr, our zone leader, performed their baptismal interviews yesterday and said it was unbelievable.  Both of them are 100% to follow Christ, and after he told us that during those 2 interviews the spirit was so strong that he cried in both of them.    

       Their family is so lovable!  They consist of at least 7 kids under the age of 10, with their mom and other family there.    And also, their mom is rather inactive, and she really REALLY wants to come back into the church, so we`ll be sure to be there to help them out.

And for other news, we have another baptism planned for June 2, (a 9 year old girl named Samita, whose family is less active but they are also willing to activate again and follow strong!), and congrats to Taylor Dietz!     

And before I continue further...

            HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISON!!!

Off to Junior High and other Marvelous places, I`ll try to send you a card.... or something.  Hm.  I still need to find the post office.

BUT! Thanks for all you`re doing, I`m glad you`re reading your scriptures every day, and the canyon trip looked like so much fun... I`ll be sure to catch the next trip :) .   

Until later!

District Leader/Trainer Elder Sanders

PHOTOS:

Here are pics of my final moment with Elder Bardzinski, our zone, me in our sector with the city far below, and Elder Burr by some nifty graffiti with a message about the dangers of television!  Enjoy!