Week 46 Ecuador

The Island...

Hiking, Crocodiles...

Baptism pictures...

Congrats to Elsa!

Hump Week:) 8/10/15 (voice recording)

Hi family, It’s been a great week. I guess since I’ve been studying about the work, we can start off talking about that. We had Elsa Chavez baptism this week. It was Saturday around 7 o’clock. It was planned for 6, but it began shortly after 7, that’s how things work here. ha To fill up the font we had to call in a water truck, to fill it up because there’s no water in Duran. There’s water trucks that pass through every 2-3 days and fill up everybody’s big 5 gallon or more barrels. 5 gallon, that’s a lie, more like 100 gallon barrels. 5 gallons wouldn’t last very long, that’s how much I need to take a bucket shower every morning. Elsa did wonderful, and her husband who is accepting of us, but not really about the whole church thing, he even came to the baptism. So, they were all happy about that. She also was confirmed as a member of the church by the bishop on Sunday morning in sacrament meeting. Shoot I wanted to talk to her after the meeting, but surrendered to the smiling, hugging sisters, crowded bigger than at my farewell, but that’s great, that’s great. Everyone’s really accepting her well. Really, Elsa is awesome. I have not seen such faith as she displayed in her progress in my mission. Three Sunday’s ago I arrived and made a goal with her for that very day that she was baptized. She came every Sunday, she read her scriptures, she studied, she did everything that we asked her because she knew it was true. She was ready. Really, I believe the Lord does prepare people, and we just have to come here and find them, help them out. We have plans to get her family history work going, and go to the temple with her to do baptisms. She has this great, great desire to go to the temple, so that makes me feel good too that she’s not going to fall off flakey. She’s excited, she’s ready to go. 

Other points concerning the work, we officially rescued 3 members Sunday that we’ve been working with since I got here. Juleca and Francisco they’ve progressed so well. They’re awesome, and they also have goals for the temple. They’re in a temple prep class right now, to go in 6 months or around there. They’ll get sealed, they have great plans. I hope I’m invited, I want to go!

I had a meeting with the assistants of the president, and then went out and worked with one of them all day. I guess they’re taking this zone leader training pretty serious. I feel like it went alright. I saw some good things as we were persistent in searching for references, and getting to know an area. I began working in a new untouched part of the ward, hoping to bring the 60 estimated members back to life and baptize their close ones. It’s not easy starting new, but were not going in blind either. There’s some members that are helping us out, and we’ve got some good plans. I’m excited because this past four weeks, my numbers here have stayed the same. Not that they’re bad, but they aren’t progressing either. So, this new area I’m hoping we’ll find new work, new opportunities. One of those members helping us served a mission in Quito. He also worked in Santo Domingo, and some other places that I remember hearing Tiffie talk about, but he was here like 21 years ago, before Tiffie came out. What was cool is he had a 31 year old triplet in English from his trainer in California who 3 years after the mission died in the Gulf War serving in the Navy. It was a powerful story. Otherwise, his stories sounded familiar from his mission to what I’m doing now, and it makes me anxious to share with you guys, and to swap stories with Tiff to see how our missions have related. 

About an hour later that same day, I met a 23 year old blonde, finishing up a years service for the Catholic church. Next week she’s going to return home to Rhode Island. She had served as an English teacher and other community programs. We chatted in English she preferred. My poor companion couldn’t understand anything. We probably talked for 10 minutes or something. I asked her about her belief, about several things in the Catholic church I’ve always wondered about their belief in Saints, in like Mary, their manner of prayer, and I had others, but friendly concluded after asking if she believed in eternal families. Her reply was I don’t know if that’s possible, but I hope so. To her amusement, I have obstained from sex, alcohol, gambling, etc. in living a life in hamony with the Lord’s commandments, though not so much worldly norms. She had asked me if being a Mormon, getting out in the world was kind of a slap in the face? I said not really, but it’s different. We live very differently than the rest of the world. I thought despite all of her notable service, it all lacked a lot of purpose. I have built my testimony and consequent motivation upon. Anyways, they are enlightening conversations I enjoy running into when opportunities present themselves. 

Well, if you all haven’t realized it yet, the mission is an unchanging routine, but a good one. I try throwing in some basketball, or morning sports, try to change up my food, other things to keep it live. Last Monday we went to an island that is on the Guayas river between Duran and Guayaquil. In all we did about a 5 mile loop on a boardwalk through an otherwise untouched natural habitat. There was a museum at the end, some slushies, we saw some crocodiles, that was pretty sweet. I woops didn’t have my camera. My companion did. I’m going to see if he can pass me some pictures. On the way out though we took another bridge that takes you to a small though active naval base. I enjoyed peeking down on a few ships though up there on the big river. 

The time was short, kind of reminded me a little bit of my time in Annapolis Maryland, seeing all those ships, walking on them, getting the tour and everything. That’s actually another thing that came up in my conversation with the blonde, about my time in Annapolis Maryland, and that I had left that opportunity to come to the mission. She was very surprised, impressed, however you want to say it. I said, yeah well ok.

Well, to wrap things up, Ecuador amazed me once again this morning. As I went to retrieve my clothes from the laundress. She informed me in a “whoops” kind of innocent attitude that the pig had taken a bath, and partially eaten my long sleeved dress shirt. I refrained from asking any details, and thanked her for telling me. I guess this will have to count for my one year shirt burning in the mission. Walking home with the rest of my clothes that were fine, I recalled the parable of the prodigals son who after recklessly wasting away his noble inheritance found himself in a drought doing the lowest imaginable work of ancient Jerusalem, herding swine and eating amongst them. Ecuadorians live in a deprived manner, with the pigs. They fail to comprehend, dream, act, preferring I supposed to simply take what is given them of their socialist society. Well, I thank God for raising me with education, empowering me with opportunities, guiding my paths with inspired leaders. He has filled me with a vision I must help others see and obtain. We must teach all to be leaders who govern their families, callings, and lives with self sufficiency according to the laws of God. That’s power, that’s Zion. 

I thank you all for your support in this, and I hope you’re all seeing the blessings of what we are doing out here. I love you. Wishing you all a great week. Darby, Brian congrats on the triathlon. I hope it went super well. I’m excited to hear, and tear it up Wednesday up in the Uintas, Red Castle. Take lots of pictures, send them to me. I know you will. Love you all. Bye