TRANSFERS?

Well I am kind of surprised but at the same time not really! Six weeks ago when they told me that my next companion was going to be Elder Milne, I knew that I would be transferred at this time. How were we both going to end in the same sector. I kind of convinced myself that I would stay in Santa Rosa somehow but nope. "My ways are not Your ways" So the Lord has sent me to..... Guayaquil! Back to home court! My new companion is..... Elder Alanya! From Peru! He has almost a year in the mission and we were in the same zone when I was training (In 15 days my trainee Elder Salazar hits his year mark! How crazy!) Well we are in a smalllllll ity bity branch in Guayaquil. We are the only branch in the Stake so I think we have some good work to do. Actually I KNOW that we have A LOT to do. So much to do and not enough time. 

This week as you can see in the pictures. We had Zone confernece with President and his wife. We all went to Machala to see them. I love working with President! It´s literally the best thing and you really feel the spirit sooo strong! I felt the impression during the conference that callings in the church are always about worthiness. Why is a mission president soo great or why is our stake president such a spiritual guy that we can talk to? It´s becuase they need a level of worthiness to be able to call missionaries, move them around, find people to keep the stake going. Worthiness is power. 

So I, as a missionary, as a member of the Church, as a brother, son, should have a level of worthiness so I can recognize the impressions of the spirit everyday and not miss one! We never know when just one of our words can change the lives of another person. OR when someone asks you for a priesthood blessing, Experience!

So about a month ago, the sister of an older lady in the ward that is in a wheelchair that I got to know in Machala, asked us for a blessing before an operation that she was going to have. She isn´t member but knew that we give blessings. We went to her house, I annoited her and she looked up saying "why did I just get dizzy?" I said that maybe it was because we hadn´t finished the blessing. My companion gave the blessing. Our hands felt super warm. Someone came slamming on the door during the blessing 3 times and I was just praying sooo hard that the lady wouldn´t get up. She didn´t and after the blessing, she explained that she felt this heat from us and that all around us, she saw (or felt) white. Like she was in heaven. It was a great experience and I know that the power comes from Heaven as we are worhty to hold it!

We also had a baptism this Saturday of two great kids! They came to church so diligently and the mom who isn´t a member yet because of her husband, literally cried when her children asked if they could get baptized. They are so wonderful!

The other picture, Santa Rosa 1st Branch! They are so great! Love them all but now it´s time to love another people!

Thanks for all you do for me :)

Elder Devan Alder