Week 54

Merry Christmas!

It´s been a good week and full of rain. We are also in Winter here in Ecuador and that just means a whole lot of rain. I have always loved the rain though and am not complaining, it also means that it´s not quite as hot here in the coast and that is a very good thing. On the other hand...Rain really brings out the mosquitos and they are biting.

It´s a bit difficult to catch people at home during the Christmas season but we aren´t doing too badly. We have been visiting Julio Cedeño everyday because he really needs daily contact. He had a bumpy week and slipped a little in the Word of Wisdom but he felt pretty bad about it. We really need to get him at a level where he trusts himself. He has really had a rough life and really wants out of it. With President Sloan out of duty we are going to need Salt Lake permission for his baptism, but I feel sure that it will come because if any of my converts have wanted a baptism, nobody as much as Julio.

Gabriela is still doing well, but can´t be baptized. We really need to work on Juan her boyfriend, I´m sure that he will come around though. Gabriela has had a good share of homework in the Book of Mormon so we decided that it was time that she read the entire book, she is getting along really well and understanding eveything.

Henrry Chila didn´t come to church this week (gggggrrrrrrrrrrr) but Yomaira says that he has a good excuse. Yomaira is still so happy to be a member, I think she really likes the clean feeling. Henrry has been gone all week, I´m sure he´s just busy with work. They both seem so much happier now.

Consuelo is our newest progressing investigator but it´s always hard to get her to attend church. She lives so far away and with 5 children it takes a lot out of her. I think next week we will swing by to pick her up. She says that she has always loved hymns and is really interested to see how the church is run. She always has so many questions and most of them are related to baptism. It´s nice to finally have her trust and that she will sit down and listen to us now!

Merly Giler (Hill-er) is another favorite of ours, we see her almost everyday when we make our daily calls because she works in the Cabina´s right next to our house. She´s a bit of a challenge to catch at home because she almost always forgets that we are coming. She really is interested though and says that we are able to answer a lot of her questions. She has a sister who is a less active member, Ligia (Lihea), who we will be working with too.

Merry Christmas from Ecuador, even though I´m miles away I love you all and wish you Happy Holidays with your families.

Hermana Whitney Tanner