Yes, A P-day Post

Seriously beautiful, no?

This is my fish, that I caught, and that I ate, and that I touched when it was alive. I had to include it or some people might not believe me.

See, you didn´t believe me did you?

I thought you would all like to see the most beautiful place in the world: Baños. We had to cross the canyon in a basked that ran on a motor! Seriously cool. Get this Utahns: The waterfalls name is Vela de Novia or Bridal Veil Falls. Crazy.

Remember Ibarra?

Mika!

The Echegaray Family (parents of Estefania, below). One of the best families.

Me with Estefania, Carlos, (our investigator) and Mika! I can´t even tell you how much I miss them.

I finally got my pictures to work!

Week 21

Hey Everybody-

Ecuafact: No legal drinking age. They usually get started at about 15.

Ana Moscoso was baptized on Saturday! This baptism was really special to me! Satan really tried hard with Ana. She has had to face a lot of opposition! My companion and I were so happy for her and didn´t even mind watching her 3 children (HA!) during her Baptism. I was covered in cookie crumbs and gum by the end but it was worth it. That is probably why I look a bit haggard in the photos. Omar is 4, Fernando is 3, and the baby is just over 1! Talk about a handful. Her husband Patricio wasn´t able to come because he had to work, and they need the money! So now my companion and I just have to work on him!

We are teaching a new family, they seem really interested. Paco and Estefania are twins (15). Their mother is really worried about them because he´s started drinking and she´s started smoking. They are really receptive and have both committed to quit. They came to church to, we usually have to struggle with that one a whole lot! I know they can do it- the gospel is true and really does change lives! I can definitely see it!

We´ve had an interesting week! The Elections were this Sunday and voting is mandatory here ages 16 and up. Church was shortened to one hour and we weren´t allowed to go anywhere but church. So p-day started a bit early. Rafael Correa won, of course, some of the missionaries are worried that he´ll kick us Gringos out, but I doubt it. At least not in the near future, I think I´m safe. Correa isn´t big on the States! His father was a drug lord and died in a US. prison.

We also have Zone Conference this week so we haven´t been working much and feel really decadent! Back to work on Thursday!

Happy Birthday to my dear sister Amanda! I love you gags! I miss you sassy!

Also to Brittany A.-Happy 24, hope your little family is doing well!

Week 20

Monday, April 20, 2009

Hey Everybody!

Ecua-fact: They use carbonated water for Sacrament! Agua con gas!

We had quite the eventful week!

Our Investigators Ana and Patricio got married (on probably what was the most hectic day in my entire mission)! We got to the Civil Registro at 11:00am and didn´t get finished until 3:00pm, the simple quick marriage ceremony isn´t all that quick and simple here. We also helped Patricio and Ana get their 3 children ready (did I mention he´s 18 years old?) and I´ve decided they are the Motely crue on speed. They rival a certain family in my ward back at home...we can´t make it through a lesson without somebody getting hurt and crying. It was great though, Ana asked us if she could be baptized on Sunday. We decided it would be best if she waited until this Saturday. She is really firm and really wants to be a member. We have some really interesting members who have actually tried to disuade her from being baptized but she still really wants to be! Her husband Patricio still isn´t quite ready yet, but we are hoping that he will be really soon. Ana really has a strong testimony I can´t believe how firm she is! She is my first investigator who doesn´t let anything get in the way of her Testimony she is such a great example to me!

Hopfully I´ll have photos of her baptism next week!

Although...She always offers us food and usually it is pretty decent. Until Saturday night that is. We had rice, potatoes, and flesh of pig. Pig skin isn´t usually all that bad, I never eat it but if I had to I can. This kind was slimy and still had hair. Horrible, horrible, horrible. Fortunately my companion and I only had ot eat a little of it and quickly stashed the rest in our backpacks to give to the stray dogs later. Absolutely the worst thing I´ve ever eaten, bar none.

Hna. Tanner

Week 19

Hey Everybody- I hope everybody had a happy Easter!

Ecuafact: To build a home in Ecuador you will need Rebar, cement, and cinder-blocks! Most people don´t finish there houses, over the years they gradually build up.

Well, the unexpected happened, I was transferred! Ibarra Central is now an Elders Sector! I had time to say goodbye to Carlos and his family but that was all, now I´m trying to get letters written to all of my investigators and members I had to leave behind. I´m a bit on the heart-broken side and being me I sobbed!

My new Area is Latacunga and my companion is Hermana Merida of Guatemala. She doesn´t speak a word of English so my spanish is rapidly improving. We are the only missionaries in the entire city so we always have work to do! We also travel to Ambato every week for p-day and for district meetings. We are pretty far away from everything. The active volocano Cotopaxi is just 25 kilometers away, in case it ever explodes the missionaries evacuate to Guayaquil. I kinda hope it goes off so I can go to the temple! It´s also been destroyed 4 times by earthquakes since being founded in 1534! Cool right?

I don´t know many of our investigators yet but we do have Ana and Patricio and they have a baptismal date for Saturday! They do have to get married on Friday first...and this has proved to be a bit tricky thus far! They have three children: Omar, Fernando, and Alejandro. Patricio is just 18 and Ana is 22. They are really poor and all live in a 2 room apartment.

We also have Victor he is 17 and is a student at the University here in Latacunga. He is currently having some doubts and we need to help him recognize the spirit so he will know that the Book of Mormon is true.

Easter is the Semana Santa here, or Holy Week. As far as I could tell though it wasn´t celebrated at all. Nobody really did anything! It´s a bit more celebrated in the States! We had a few talks about it in church but that was all!

The growth here is a bit slow, out chapel is about an eighth of the size of mine at home and most members here are inactive. I have my work cut out for me!

I forgot my camera cord so I´ll have to post my last pictures of Ibarra next week! Sorry!

Hna. Tanner

Week 18

Hey Everybody-

Ecuafact: The most popular type of sliced bread you can buy here is called BIMBO!It´s the Latin equivalent of Wonderbread.

I´m still doing really well! Loving Ibarra!

Last week we were able to do two services! We helped some investigators move, and into our sector! So we also have some new investigators! Later in the week we missionaries headed off to do some hard labor, believe you me, hard. I´m still sore 4 days later. We basically just moved dirt and big rocks to different locations with some very old tools. Back at home I probably would just have rented a bobcat for a day. I´m sure my dad (and Tim) are thrilled at this development. On a sad note, many creepy creatures lost their homes. I personally had the priviledge of unearthing the tarantula. Among the other victims: A scorpion, 3 frogs, a field mouse, and a whole bunch of centipides. On a happy note, I think I will be able to kill my own spiders when I leave Ecuador.

This is all of the missionaries crowded around the TV inside the church safe. Our outlet went out just before Elder Holland spoke! We rushed around and ended up next to the bathrooms and inside the safe. We missed most of his talk, so I´ll have to get it online!
I made Lasagna on Saturday and Tacos on Sunday in between sessions. Those of you who know me, know why I am posting this picuture...I´m learning to cook!
The Gringo Room- A room of English, at least before we lost power!
In between sessions!

I was in fact able to watch conference, and in English. In case you were wondering, General Conference is to Missionaries what Spring Break is to college students. No lie, it was amazing. All of the missionaries came down to our Chapel to watch, via satellite, and we had lunch and played cards (Uno) in between sessions both days! I´m sorry it went by so fast, now we all have to wait six more months to hear from the Prophet again! It´s pretty amazing being one of the 52,494 Missionaries serving right now and to be thanked by Apostles and the Prophet himself.

Raúl, Daniela, and to my great surprise (and pleasure) Carlos all came to a session of conference! Carlos even mentioned that he thought Elder Anderson´s was really powerful! I think we are going to put a baptizmal date with all three this week! So hopefully they will all accept it! I´m sure they could all feel how inspiring and spiritual conference was!

Changes are here! I will find out who my new companion is today! I´m super nervous. For the first time I´m going to have some real responsibility in the Mission! I´ll be teaching the sector to my new companion! Wish me luck! I´m going to miss Hermana Escobar, we´ve had a really good companionship!