Searching for the breaks....#1YEAR

Ojala que su semana fue mas tranquilo que mio.... pero como están??

Man what a crazy week!! There is just so much that happened that made it seem like an eternity and just a few hours at the same time... 

BUT HEY I COMPLEATED 1 YEAR!!! 

Sorry about that.... *I blame using crazy computers in Ecuadorian cybers

But anyway last Wednesday marked the craziest and most fulfilling 365 days of my life!! I have learned more things that I ever thought possible in such a short amount of time! Reflecting back on who I was a year ago, its made me realize how much happier I am as a person now, especially with how much closer to the Savior I’ve gotten. Man it has not been an easy year by any means, but at the same time is has been more rewarding than I ever imagined it would have been!! Through all the sickness and nights spent in hospitals I’ve really had to learn to rely on the Lord and trust in His timing over my own. I have had so many personal battles raging within me and it’s been an incredible experience to be humbled so many times. 

I have fallen in love with the people of this country and there is nowhere I would rather be on earth! I wake up SO HAPPY EVERY DAY HERE!!! I love those long days of work and service when I get to come home exhausted, throw my head down on my pillow and just know that I gave it my all today. There really is nothing better than we could ever do than to be serving others. Christ was such a perfect example of that, on my mission I really learned that Christ MUST have been the HAPPIEST person to ever live!! Not just because he was clean from sin, but also because he literally served others all day every day. 

To be honest I’m not going to act like I’ve changed profoundly or anything, I’m still the same (more or less) skinny, white kid that left on a mission a year ago, but I really have grown a lot here. I love others more and more each day, seeing others happy by accepting this Gospel in their lives is really what motivates me to keep going each day. So yeah that’s kind of why I’m so sad to think about having only 1 year left to keep serving as a Missionary.

But who’s got time to count down the days when there’s too much work to be done right?!

Speaking of missionary work, we have a baptism coming up this Saturday and I couldn’t be more excited!! Marco Barboza is finally getting dunked!! It’s been a long battle but his family is finally accepting his decision to be baptized and I pray that they can come watch it and feel the spirit! I appreciate all of you who are praying for us misssionaries, it really means so much and helps more than you know!!

Oh yeah I was explaining why this week was so crazy.... well there were new laws passed in Ecuador this Augusto and man they have been a pain I’m my (how the scriptures describe a donkey). But yeah there was another surprise that I didn’t catch until too late which made several missionaries illegal in the country... so yeah I’ve been working my (donkey) off trying to fix all these problems. Now I’ve got most things organized and I will have to send several missionaries to Peru and Quito this week so that’s a pain. But lots of other missions here in Ecuador had the same problem so we are all helping each other out and the Church itself is kind of stepping in on this one too. 

So yeah it should be a fun week ;)

I love you all and hope that you’re reading the Book of Mormon every day!!

If someone wants to buy me this car for a "happy first year" gift... I wouldn’t be mad ;)

I literally have 3rd degree burns from this stupid freaking tradition!!! But it may or may not have been by fault for dumping a bottle of cleaning alcohol on the shirt....

Shout out to Ryan (Elder) Horton for being the real MVP and hooking a brotha up with some Mt. Dew and Beef Jerky!!!! Two things that sadly don’t exist here but man was it a glorious night!!!

Me and my boo

McFlury $2.65

Hey friends and family sorry not much time this week so ill be quick with the highlights:

So the missionaries here in the office have a bad habit of frequently going to this little McDonalds ice-cream bar in the mall next to our office building. Yeah we go so often that the workers learned our names and decided to start hooking us up on with extra ice cream every time we pass by... I think that should be the sign where we stop going there so much but hey, if life gives you lemons, make McFluries... there much better than lemonade... 

Second, my stake has this indoor (its like soccer but on a miniature court and a smaller ball) tournament going on right now, so every ward has a team that competes against the other wards. Well anyway our investigator Marcos is insanely good at soccer and epically indoor! So we brought him to the tournament the other day and man he killed it!! He is insanely talented and it was an awesome way for us to let the ward get to know him better and make friends!!! 

But by far the best part of this tournament the stake has going is that there is no age limit!! And the old Ecuadorian men don’t back down at all!! HAHA ITS SERIOUSLY THE FUNNIEST THING OF MY LIFE WATCHING THEM PLAY!!! But seriously there are these 70 and 80-year-old men running around the court and pushing the young adults around!! Man it’s a sight to see!! Ill have to send videos the next game!! 

Have a great week and good luck to those who go back to school this week!!

Con mucho amorsito y un poquito 

More time in the Airport than my Sector

What’s up friends and family!!  How are my favorite gringos doing?

This week has been super crazy. We’ve had a few missionaries get super sick and sent home this last week so that gave me insane amounts of work that had to be done right away... so yeah I didn’t have too much time in the sector which kind of stunk. But man it has been a crazy week!

For lots of little reasons we had tons of missionaries staying the night in my house (better said, the mission house), which ended up being really fun! 

We also had a really cool Zone conference with our mission president this last Friday! We watched this video by elder Bednar explaining the meaning of The Word of God it is so amazing!! Defiantly something worth watching!! 

We spent most of this week helping an investigator, Marcos Barboza; get ready for his baptism this week. However, last minute he told us he wasn’t ready yet and wants to wait a little longer. He is an awesome guy who has some family issues which is what made him put off his baptism this week. Marcos is 19 years old and loves to play soccer! In fact he is amazing at football!! He might end up going pro pretty soon which is super exciting. He just needs a little more contact and looks from the local Teams before then. We are planning his baptism for the 2nd of September. Please keep him in his prayers so that he will feel ready and his family will support his baptism!!

This week we also celebrated my companion’s birthday which was super fun!! Elder Chin, Sandoval and I went out to eat at a place called Casa Rez. I’m not sure if it’s actually American or not but man it was good!! We also got invited to eat dinner with our mission president and his family in his house!! Which is crazy because his house is really far away from our mission boundaries (even though we work every day far outside of the mission boundaries). So normally only the missionaries who are finishing their missions go to their house on their last night to eat dinner with them, but hey we got lucky and spoiled!! Hermana Moreno cooks lots of Mexican food, which I was in love with!!! Kind of funny that here in Ecuador there is literally no Mexican food to be found... which I have been craving ever since I left the CCM in Mexico!!

Hope you all had a fun week like I did and have an even better one this week!!

Read the Book of Mormon and BE HAPPY TODAY!!!

1. Celebrating Elder Chin s birthday with Familia Chango

2. My buddy Elder Troncos got send home 4 weeks early for sever back problems :(

Family Sealing round 3!!!!

Hello my lovely weekly readers! 

Crazy to hear from me on a Monday right?! Well we had a pretty extraordinary week, which ended even better than I could have hoped!!!

So first off we had a killer week in the sector getting to know the members and working with all the Pard Member families (PFs for those RMs out there) and man have we been blessed!!!

We have gotten to know so many new people to teach this week and that has been so much fun!! There are about 5 investigators who are so close to get baptized!!! We just need to set a date with them and rely on the spirit to help us resolve their challenges or icebergs as we call them in the field. But it really has been such a fun week and I feel so good to be able to keep working as a normal missionary again, personally I don’t like being in the office all that much but its something I’ve been called and ask to do it so I try my best to serve with a smile (I think that’s a cuter way of saying I just suck it up) I really have been so blessed to be able to learn and serve so close to my mission President. Its just hard not having the time to really get to know these incredible members in my ward.

This last Thursday night I get a call from Luis Selinas, who is like my best friend here in Ecuador. He is a 19-year-old guy who I worked a lot with back in Santa Rosa, we spent every P-Day together and I loved hanging out with him as much as I could. Shout out to Porter Richards because if there was a Latino version of you, it’s Luis. ANYWAYS, he called me up this week and told me that he would be making the 4-hour journey to come to Guayaquil to go to the Temple so that he could receive his endowments before his mission, which he will be serving in Cochabamba, Bolivia!! He called me to ask if I could get permission to be there with him this last Saturday!! President said yes and it was one of the happiest days of my life!!! Getting to see so many loved ones from Santa Rosa made my whole week!!! Plus another family who I worked a bit with also came down to get Sealed together as husband and wife, then to their 3 amazing daughters!! Seriously this family is so incredible!! Every month they would get up together as a family and all stand at the pulpit together as they took turns sharing their testimony each fast Sunday!! It was such an incredible day and experience!!!

Love you all so much and make sure to choose to be happy this week!!

Its Rough to Say Goodbye

What up friends and family I hope that you are all doing great this summer afternoon! Sorry I haven’t written in a while... its just been one crazy week after another!

Well I’m in another trio again! Ha-ha that makes this the 3rd trio I’ve been in! He is supper funny and defiantly a free spirited guy! We have lots of fun and we´re always joking around. 

Other big news is that I’ve had changes again!! Which is kinda crazy because I’ve only been in a sector for 6 weeks the last 4 changes I’ve had... but hey I’m not one to question Gods plan for me! But I cant lie I just hate not having very much time to get to know a sector and the members... but there’s always a bright side to see and that is the opportunity to get to know even more amazing people in my new sector! I am now is Maracaibo, which is funny because this ward shared the same church building as my old sector! Which is actually really fun because I get to see all the members and converts of my old sector each Sunday!!

I’ve officially decided that by far the worst part of my job as Secretary is to take the finishing missionaries to the Airport and send them home... its just so dang sad to watch my old compañeros finish the mission. Don’t worry it doesn’t make me trunky or anything like that, its just not very fun thinking about the fact that I probably wont get to see them again. At the same time it is fun getting to watch their reaction of actually going home, each one of them takes it differently and its funny to see how they act to finish. 

That’s about all I have time for today but I love you guys and am so grateful for all the love and support!!