We are Free!

It`s so great to smell the air again, feel the heat of the sun, and sometimes the rain! This Carnaval certainly went by a whole lot faster than it did last year! But as is well! No one threw any eggs at us! 

I have had a couple people as about the weather here in Ecuador so I will tell you. There is summer and winter here. Summer is the so called "Cold season" where the clouds come out and you feel a slight breeze at night (But the missionaries still sweat all day long so I don´t know why it´s the could season) Right now we are in Winter (Invierno pero mi compañero lo llama infierno jajaja Spanish jokes) where everyday is either hot or hotter. This week on Friday you could literally feel the heat burning. It was so great! I don´t know if it´s because we are in the center of the world but the Sun here is WAY different! Got to love it while you can! Oh and don´t even get me started on the random rains! Yesterday it was overcast and the clouds weren´t dark enough to say that it was going to rain but BLAM! after lunch it came down! We ran to the house and the streets were already filled, we couldn´t believe it. It rained hard for like 4 hours too. I will also miss the rain too! 

Changing topics, I would like to personally (in a general letter... silly Alder) thank everyone who writes me and reads these letters. I know you all have a thousand things to worry about and sometimes I don´t answer but I can tell you that week after week, YOUR words have helped me be a little happier. YOUR words have helped me skip a little higher. I thank Him to know so many wonderful people and I thank you for helping a little missionary like me fufill his calling. You are all amazing!

Well sorry for the random pictures. The eye of my companion and dinner with a future missionary that leaves here soon! The good pictures will come next week because in an hour we get the chance to see Maria baptized (she has been coming to church for almost the same time I have in Machala) and this Saturday another baptism! I will give details next week but what a blessing and miracle! I love Machala! 

Also two things that made me cry this week. One, seeing Cristina (recent convert that you`ll remember... maybe) bare her testimony in fast and testimony meeting as the Second Counselor in Primary! What a joy! And two, reading confernece talks and Liahonas! Now I am really treasuring the words of our Prophets and I am SO excited for Conference.

Keep going! Keep fighting! Life is hard but there is always a reason to smile! ALWAYS

Love you and wish I could thank ALL of you! 

Elder Devan Alder