Eden is in the mission field ! Carapungo Ecuador !

Hola a todas hermanas y hermanos!  ECUADOR IS THE BOMB-DIGGITY!  First off, the people are nicer, the city is great, and it seems to go on for miles! (because it really does.)   And I can even see 3 of the 6 volcanoes from where I live, (I thought mom would like to know Quito is in a bowl surrounded by 6 volcanoes! :-)  )      BUT! The town is great, I have my own little yellow apartment, and my companion is spiffin!  His name is Elder Redd, he´s been out here for 15 months, he´s from Idaho, and has a fling for Spam.  (Which, if you get a chance to eat it, it`s actually really good!)  But yes, Mom and Dad, thanks for your letters, Chantel, sounds like life is giving it it´s all! And BRANDON! I got your letter! Thanks man, I`ll try to ship one out as soon as I can figure out the postage over here....   but OK.  I`ll tell you once I receive the primary letters also, because the mission home is where all the letters and packages go (please send them, they are so fun to get!)  and the mission home is about 30 minutes away, by bus.  Ish.

 WELL!   Before coming, I thought missionary work was all door to door approaches for 12 a day 6.5 days a week.  Was I wrong!  The vast percentage of the people we teach are through references through members and the past missionaries.  We go contacting about... hm.. maybe a few hours a day, but the majority of the day is studying, teaching lessons, making appointments, and learning how to serve.  So far, we`ve been teaching a small handful of people, we haven`t had any 2nd lessons with anyone yet, and in reality, the area is kind of dead in a missionary work sense, because it turns out the 2 missionaries who were here before us were really slacking and not following the rules and kind of dumped off.  BUT! Elder Redd and I are trying very hard to re-kindle the spirit of missionary work in our sector, and we`re trying to get references from everyone, teaching lessons with ward members, and I`m just adapting the world of Ecuador.  We make our own breakfasts (we`re already made pancakes, french toast, and Egg+spam sandwiches, that cookbook Mom wrote is great!), and every day of the week we eat with a designated family, or a `mamita´ for lunch.  Lunches here are huge and a little later in the day, so we don`t really have dinner but eat a snack once we return home (usually about 9 or 9.30, no later.)  I`m attaching pictures of my old district, a pic of the view from Pres. Ghents house (WHICH! BTW Mom, sister Ghent remembers you, and we were all talking about it!)  a pic of my Comp and I in our house (and I`m wearing the llama tie!), and my new decked out planner.  I`m praying more than ever, teaching more than ever, and Spanish in the `real world` just got a whole lot tougher!  I feel like out in the field everything is taken up an extra level!  But it`s nice, and I feel more compelled than ever to work.  Plus, I got to go to a baptism last Saturday!  Future goals!                        (Oh!  And before I sign out, 1- did you get my plaque scripture 2- Erik! I sent out an international add-on too! KT should be sending it to you soon! (and for some reason the pictures you attach don`t work... is there another way you can attach them? And yes. I did say those quotes out loud)  3- I must clarify, when I said houses don`t have roofs in Peru, I only meant the tops.  Of course all the homes have roofs!  Sorry for the mixup 4- Look up our area on google maps, it`s in Ecuador, in a town called Carapungo, you can look up the church using lds.org, and we live a few minutes away.  5- Ok, here`s my mission home address

Casilla 17-03-078
Robles 640 y Av. Amazonas
Quito Ecuador

CIAO!   -Elder Sanders.    I`ll tell you once I`ve eaten chicken foot soup.