Miracles and singing for ¡Elder Christofferson!

Let´s just meditate for a second. Take a minute and step into my shoes as you read this. Okay, so we head to Guayquil for Leadership Council. We are feeling the spirit. Learning how to get better at being misisonaries. We finish the first half and my mission President calls me. Shows me the order of the meeting with the Apostle D. Todd Christofferson that we are going to have THIS SATURDAY. Just to THIS mission! and then says: "Elder Alder I need you to organize a choir to sing a special number to sing in the meeting" 

I think I couldn´t sleep that night... I am serious, I was SUPER nervous! This saturday we get to hear from a special witness of our Lord Jesus Christ and if the musical number is a wreck, on whose head is it on?? MINE. But I guess if it turns out good, props! I can not describe in words how excited and humbled I feel to have this amazing oportunity! I live in Utah but the first 2 apostles that I get to see are in the mission! What an honor! And I am scared out of my mind! This week will definitely be the best week of my life!

And we are just getting started! Not to even mention the miracles that happened this week. Our mission president has asked us by revelation that everyday we contact and make an appointment with that person 3 times! And to be honest at first I thought it was a good idea. But with the help of president, my companion, and the example of Nephi (3:7) I made it personal goal this week and we started talking to everyone! In the bus, on the street, while eating hamburgers, everywhere. During the last two weeks, we hadn´t found any investigators that were progressing at all and I was kind of worried. But the Lord shook His head and thought "Devan thinks he can do it all" and one night while we were waiting for the bus to go home (This was actually last Monday) after talking to everyone. A man called us from the other side of the street. (Usually when people want to talk to us, it is beacuase they want money or they are drunk) Well we crossed the street to talk to him and "Hey, I need to go to a church. I need to change my life around and I have always wanted to talk to you guys but I was afraid." Young guy with his wife and 8 year old daughter, ALL went to church yesterday and they are progressing super fast! The Lord blesses us when we are obedient to HIS commandments. (Sometimes it´s fast like this wonderful family or sometimes it comes a long time after) The principle is that we have to work hard and in the Lord´s time, He blesses us.

Or I could mention the sister who has been coming to church for the last two months with her daughter and her wife that are active members and she is the only one who isn´t a member. And we go to eat lunch with them this Sunday and at the end of the lunch the daughter asks: "What does my mom have to do to get baptized?" We invited her to be baptized and she said Yes! 

I feel like Alma, Ammon, Amulek, especially when they fell to the ground with such joy! Sometimes I don´t understand the blessings that God gives to His missionaries. Or the trials. But someday I will understand.

Speaking of understanding, the first picture is of members from a previous sector (Huaquillas) that I happened to bump into. 2 OF THEM I got the amazing chance to start teaching them and see them go to church twice and then TRANSFERS. They got baptized shortly after that and I will always hold them dear in my heart.

And not to mention the brownies I made this week,haha

Love you all, wish me luck!

Elder Devan Alder