Week 74 Ecuador

Leadership conference a couple weeks ago.

I sent these last week, but maybe they didn't make it through.

2/22/16 voice recording

Hi family. Well, I’m tuning in with the voice recorder this week to let you know how the mission life is going. We’re doing really good. As far as basketball goes, we’ve got another round coming today, but last week we had our first loss. We had eaten an entire pizza before going and playing basketball, like right after, and that was a poor decision. We came out 2 points down. But, we’re actually going to turn it into a finding thing. A bunch of the youth in the ward want to learn how to play basketball, so we’re going to find some time to go and teach them and tell them to bring investigators and stuff. Always thinking of new ways to find people to teach. 

Talking about the zone first, I guess we’re doing alright. We’re having our ups and downs getting ready for this month of March. As a zone we’re pulling through with some baptisms, and staying right there with the rest of the mission, so we definitely lifted the zone a little bit from where it was. We had the assistants come to our house this morning, and they studied with me and E. Estupinan a little bit on how we can help them out, new ideas for our sector. Always helping us out, it’s good. 

A little something out of the ordinary was the mission got together to listen to an Australian psychiatrist who specialized in serial killer investigations…pretty crazy. Well, it sounds cool right? He is now called as a full time missionary, specializing on the mental health of the missionaries in Northern South America. His presentation was alright. It was more of a hassle of time and money for me getting around, but he’s still working on his spanish, that didn’t help the presentation. Still trying to get that down, I remember how that was. He did remind us of a great concept, that we do not have control over many of the circumstances that we’re in, or things that happen, only how we choose to react to those things. That makes up half of the result right there. That we really can control a lot of the outcomes. We can choose to be happy, and a lot of other things, be optimistic, and keep working. I truly, truly am a strong believer that you get what you give. If you’re willing to pray and receive inspiration, and go to work, then you’re going to have success. I really believe that. I think God is a very fair person. I’ve seen it in other zones, and now I’m seeing it in this one as well. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re climbing. We’re getting there. 

More specifically in our sector we have three baptismal dates for the 12th of March. We have some other investigators that we want to also put baptismal dates with in March. For the end of March, we’re preparing 4 future elders to receive the Melkezedik priesthood. We’re actually working with a couple families too, that they can get sealed. Man, that would be so, so awesome if I could go to a family sealing in the mission. I’ve always wanted to do that, but everyone here is afraid of the temple, they’re afraid of making promises with God, or their spouse, or anyone. They don’t want to tie themselves down. You have to help them understand, and we’re trying to help them do that more and more. A lot of people don’t ever get sealed here, but something we’ve got to help them understand and see, and go make it happen. 

Although me and E. Estupinan are usually very successful, we ran around and had our minds in different places this week hopefully trying to help out the zone and ourselves, but we didn’t end up having any new investigators this week. That kind of hit us hard. It’s a pretty big part of the work finding new people to always be teaching. We’re supposed to get like 10 in a week, and we didn’t have a single new investigator this week, but we’re working with ideas, we have some new plans, and we’re going to keep working. We’re actually kind of taking on a big task to do the things that none else could finish here. Things that will definitely leave a lasting mark on this ward. There’s like 600 members in this area, but a lot of them have moved, and nobody sends their information, so we’re actualizing everything, everything, everything. It’s not exactly fun, but somebody’s got to do it, and we’re taking charge of that. That’s a lot of work too. We’re going to get all that stuff updated. Out with the old information, and in with the new. The new elders, the new sealings, the new temple work, and lots and lots of new converts. Whoo!

Ok, two kind of funny stories. One night before the district meeting when me and E. Estupinan were going to be teaching, we started going off on motivational speeches, like what we wanted to say. We were here at the house at 10:00 at night. I started pulling out motivational speech videos, like Rocky Balboa. We were pretty loud, we didn’t even realize. Then the second counselor to the bishop, living a block from us, was walking back to his house at that time. He gets to his house and calls us. The phone rings and I answer hello. He’s like Elder Wilson this is Pepe. He can speak english, but he has an accent. He’s like are you two fighting? Are you fighting with your companion? I was like no, no, no. We’re not fighting, we’re just getting pumped up for our meeting tomorrow. He’s like oh, ok, ok. It was super funny that he thought we were fighting, but no we don’t really fight. We get along really well. We were just relieving our stress…vocally!

The other funny story is, well this isn’t funny. We were teaching two of our investigators, and they have a little baby, and while we were teaching they kind of lost track of her, and she broke a glass door. She fell in the glass, and cut herself pretty good behind her ear. She was bleeding all over, and the mom grabbed the baby and put pressure on it, and ran for the clinic. We’re like oh shoot, so we started sweeping up the glass, and everything else, and then we just left. We went by later that night, and the baby had gotten some stitches, but every things good now. They’re still believing in God, and wanting to get baptized, so we’re good. 

Well, those are the biggest things. We’re keeping the missionaries in line, doing surprise visits, dropping into their house in the morning to make sure they’re dressed and studying. We’re helping them out with their planning and work. Always seeing how everyones working. I read a really good talk about knowing the Godhead, I think in english by Elder Holland. I think it was in the Liahona in January of this year. If you didn’t get a chance to read that, it would be super good. 

My personal health and happiness… I’m eating a lot of strawberry banana smoothies. I think I’ve got it down to a science, how I like to make them. I’m enjoying that. I do honestly enjoy the frequent rain that we have. It’s kind if nice except for when it really, really comes down. Then it makes it kind of hard to work, when the streets fill up with water, but that doesn’t happen to much. So, physically I think I’m doing pretty good. Those P90X videos are going to get work this week. Goodness gracious, kind of scares me. I just need a little more time, there’s not enough time to do a full workout, but I can definitely wear myself out in a half hour, so no worries there. Spiritually I gave myself a kick in the butt yesterday, Sunday. I was angry I guess you could say as I passed by the Familia Comba for church, and no one answered to door. Both E. Estupinan and I were hardened until we got to church and found them there waiting for us. I have to trust more, be more believing of the people. I’ve honestly been struggling to pray lately, or at least with real intent. It’s like when I go and do interchanges with other missionaries I pray. I pray that I can help, and we have success, but then I come back and I don’t have the faith to make it happen in my own sector, or I let my guard down a little bit. When your not praying, or feel it’s a routine, or can’t focus your mind to have a sincere conversation. Even as a missionary when we’re reading, studying, serving the people it can all be a bit routine, and unfulfilling unless we consult with God, or the Lord and make him the center of all of it, and then he’ll bless our actions, he’ll guide us more directly. So my goals this week is to pray more sincerely, and not do it because it’s the routine thing. 

I know it’s all true though. We’re doing good. I hope all of you are doing very well. Excited to talk to you guys later. Ok, well love you