Week 20 Ecuador

This will me a message of few words.

I contacted Eduardo Messias 3 weeks ago after a sacrament meeting, which he has attended for 7 years with his wife Lexi (member and president of the young women). Our first lesson revealed that we were not the first missionaries in his home, the seventh pair to be exact. Similar story as my other convert, Marionela, though I can`t say I was so confident in promising him to what has come about. As we taught Eduardo I`ve never listened to the guidance of the Spirit more. He brought a new challenge as he suprised me with some pretty difficult questions, this guy is smart! I`ve also never prayed harder for someone else to receive a testimony.

When I went back one day and asked how His prayers had gone, and reading concerning the truth of the church and the Book of Mormon, he responded "If I wanted the truth...well, it might be a big let-down but yes, I always want the truth". Pow! I can honestly say my own testimony was strengthened as I listened to the experience this man had in receiving a witness of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost. We confirmed what had come about and from that moment two weeks ago, Eduardo has opened up receiving us with more smiles, hugs, and questions as we progressed to his baptism last Saturday. It has been an excellent experience which we will continue next week with the Priesthood and one I look forward to capping off in the Temple next February. 

I`ve been blessed to have the past two baptisms. They are true, strong converts. They have shown me more of my purpose here and more of what it means to love one another. Though they will never be replaced I hope to have so many more like them.

My other little man is named Moises; he is a ward baptism, but I have had a great time sharing Book of Mormon stories with him and preparing him for his baptism (though we had no trouble getting him excited for it)!

Sometimes it`s easy to get lost in the numbers...numbers of investigators, less actives, meeting up with goals. Especially as a leader who has to check on everyone else, often most effectively through their numbers. Numbers represent people, always. People who are touching my life. The only numbers I`m concerned with getting out of these people are the digits that are going to keep me in touch with them for years to come! 

Moises was a baptism for the ward. He's my little buddy and has been asking me to baptize him for a month now. I didn't end up doing it, but that's ok. We've had some pretty good times reading stories in the Book of Mormon:)

Eduardo and his family.

Eduardo...he's a pretty "tough" guy...but we got a smile out of him after the baptism haha! Fun moment.

Rivas likes to stay in his clothes at night on Sunday for...respect? Ok, good for you:) I change as soon as I can!

2/7/15
Ecuador Weather (voice message)

Good afternoon, this is weather man Wilson reporting from Ecuador as it continues to rain since 5 o’clock yesterday, and it’s 12 o’clock right now. We’re filling up the font for our baptism...woo! Super stoked for that, but seriously this is crazy. Yesterday, funny story...we were with the familia Valero. We were teaching them and it was the sunniest, hottest day of my life, just like dying in the sun. Anyway, we go into their house, teach them, and come out a half hour later. I was contacting, talking to this guy that we didn’t really know and he’s like hey, I’m gonna go to my house ‘cause it’s gonna rain, so I look up at the sky and it’s super dark, and I’m like shoot, it’s gonna rain, and literally 15 seconds later it was down pouring. Where the Valero family lives there are no members, and the closest thing I can describe is dad, you talked about Oklahoma rain one time, just like huge drops, and it was going so hard. We were so drenched. We got to this members house, and he let us in. We sat there for a while talking and drying off, letting our scripture bags dry. Anyways, he was like this isn’t going to stop...are you serious? We went out and were going to catch a bus, but three buses passed us as we were standing under the balcony of this house trying to stay dry. A taxi finally took us home. We found our home with a river of water running down our stairwell. Inside our whole floor was flooded. I told you how the houses aren’t closed in here. Rain was coming through, and our bathroom...flooding everything, so I was sweeping water out of the house, and putting old t-shirts under the doors to stop the water, trying to fortify our house and get dry. I have a fever again, so that wasn’t really fun either. For the first time in Ecuador I was actually cold, trying to find warm clothes that I don’t have here. I walked around with a blanket and I made oatmeal. I found Quaker oatmeal and brown sugar and blackberries, so I’ve been enjoying that meal. Just a little fun story I thought I’d share with you guys. Take care everybody and stay dry. Love you


2/8/15
Sunday thoughts (voice message)

Hi everyone. It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m chillin’ in my house, just got back from lunch, and church, and finished making my data report (I guess you could say in English) for the ward that I’m going to present with all my work, investigators, all that. Anyway, typical Sunday afternoon, my mind is running back home a little bit, so I’m going to sit here and talk to myself for 15 minutes until I have to go to my meeting. Anyways, mom and dad I think you’ve said that you’ve seen Meet the Mormons. The church sent it to our mission president, and when he came for our last meeting, he showed it to all the missionaries in Quevedo with the idea that we had to think of someway to apply it to the work, how we could help other people understand who we are a little better. I think I did that...ya, I’m doing that, but more than anything my thoughts were going back home, watching the Navy in Annapolis play football, and skiing, and the missionary going to Africa getting his call...we’re all like what are we watching, what are we doing here? 

Moises, my little buddy, he got baptized yesterday. He’s a baptism of the ward technically, though they didn’t do anything (I guess freebie). He’s awesome. Same with Eduardo Messias he’s our baptism, and very awesome. I got an interview scheduled for him, he’s going to get the priesthood next Sunday. I did another interview today, for other missionaries, those are always really crazy experiences. You get some really neat stories out of people, but I don’t know...I don’t really think I should share specifics to much, but hey, it’s a neat opportunity to be able to do those...little interesting sometimes. Oh, hey, and I’m very, very proud to announce that I got my first consecutive 1,000 jumps with my jump rope this morning. Um...all that exercise is really paying off, I finally got my skills up to par. I don’t know what the next goal is with the jump rope, but we’ll keep going at it. What else is good? Um...oh, you know all those pictures I took of the banana farms and stuff? That‘s in my sector, but we have to take another bus, and it’s like 20 minutes from here, so we don’t really go there that often, and there’s not that many people. There’s one member, but this one member, who is less active, it’s like her and her daughter. The mom has I think...I can’t remember, like 70 something and she hasn’t been to church for like 8 months, because for the past 10 years she’s had Parkinson’s disease. The past 8 months it’s gotten so bad that she can’t really leave the house. We just found her, working up there that day. It was a really neat conversation. She was sitting there shaking with her Parkinson’s, and I felt really bad. We taught her a cool lesson. She was super touched by it, and I asked her if we could do anything for her, and she told me just bring me the sacrament. I said absolutely, and shame on me, that was 2 weeks ago. I told the bishop, and he said he would take care of it, and when I went back and talked to them, nobody had gone. That was a week ago, and so, better for me I guess. I have the privilege of personally going tonight. If anyone in the ward wants to accompany me then they are welcome, but I’m going to go do it myself. I’m really excited for the opportunity to see her again. It’s making me think about all those times when I went to visit other people in the ward, Virginia Cheney, or anyone and I would say Garrett, enjoy the opportunity when you have it. All the times you just want to go home and eat, not saying I wouldn’t still, but it’s a neat opportunity, and always cherish it, because they appreciate it so much. Ok, one more experience, I think I’ll end with this one. Today, I was sitting in church and this guy walked into the first meeting. Sacrament’s first here. I was like, who is that. I had seen his face before, but I couldn’t remember at all. After I went up and talked to him, and realized he was a guy I contacted the Wednesday before walking in the street. I saw him and talked to him for like 5 minutes. Never thought another thing of it. I don’t know, I didn’t get another lesson with him or anything like that, but just on his own will, he came to church that day. He was like throwing out answers. I don’t know where this guy came from, but Rivas was there, and he was like hey, do you want to get baptized the 28th of February, and he’s like I would like that a lot. Anyways, so he has a fecha (baptismal date). but we’re going to go see who this guy is. More than anything, if it comes out as anything, it was a confirmation that all those efforts, just talking with everybody really do mean something, and...I don’t know, could be a baptism and that. That’s the biggest goal in the mission really, but anyways, I’m going to wrap up with that one, and wishing you all a wonderful Sunday. I hope you enjoy Sunday dinner. I will be enjoying sitting in ward council, but hey, eat well alright. I love you all. Bye.