Lightless and Change

Another week here in the Coast of Machala. Someone said that it is like Pirate Island but...

This week was absolutely wonderful! First things first, baptism! Thanks to all your prayers. We were able to have a wonderful baptismal service. It was a service I will never forget. Why? Becuase we got to the church to set everything up AND there was no light. They wouldn`t turn on. They were off only in the chapel. The WHOLE neighborhood had light except the chapel. So what do you do? You go buy candles and you have the service anyways. That`s why I will never forget it! (So that`s why the picture is so bright with flash and my face shines brighter than the candles..) I also I can`t help to express how much I love hearing the testimony of someone that just entered the church. "I know these things are true" You don`t tell them to say that. You bare your own testimony that it is true and through the spirit they end up learning! It brings me to tears to know that in someway I can help but in the end that I don´t do that much. It is the spirit that does everything. And I kind of feel like the Lord blesses me with investigators to teach. This work is priceless. It`s hard, but in the end, you can smile and then you realize that you can`t stop smiling. That`s what the gospel does!

Tuesday we will have a new President. I am super excited because the Lord will help us in a new way to bring souls to Christ. I have such a testimony that the Lord is in this work. We can`t do anything without Him and if we try to do it without His help, we end up losing. I guess that will be my life motto (Is that how you spell that?)

Love you all and will you just smile :)

Elder Alder

People finding, English singing

Well a really great week! We are working a lot with the members right now and we are finding a lot of people to teach! We are being really blessed but still lots to do! We are so lucky to be able to have 3 of our investigators be baptized this saturday! Their names are Empedatris Bustamante and her son Moses, and Boris Morocho. Would like to ask you guys to keep them in your prays so they can have a spiritual experience this Saturday! Thank you so much!

The lady that will be baptized is wife to a member who was born in the church but feel away for a time. The miracle is that one day waved down the elders and asked for help and then a month and a half later the rest of the family is being baptized! The miracles of the lord are wonderful! The best part is that this family has 5 children and watching all of them during church is quite an adventure. I now understand what my parents had to suffer during the sacrament...

Speaking of parents. I failed to mention that my dad´s birthday was last week! And fathers day! Double the fun! Just wanted to thank him for the love he has shown him and to always know that I can always talk to my dad when I need something. Without him or my mom, I wouldn´t be the person I am today.

 

Picture for the week is that Carls Jr does exisit in this country. So don´t worry! 

I wish the best for all and hope we can be keep the commandments so the Lord can bless us! 

Love you all!!!

Elder Alder 

Devan found Subway!

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Well Good Morning! The World says hello! (I don`t remember the saying, I`m just trying to be funny and in the end it doesn`t work)

So I would love to have had a picture of me shaking the big hand of One reciently called apostale of the Lord... but we couldn`t bring cameras. So I just have a picture very potent in my mind of his face and thin eyes looking into mine for a half of a second saying " Good morning"

Of all the things I learned from all the tears I cried. The one thing that stood out was how humbled I felt. I think I was just thrown to the dust. To see a special witness of Christ I felt closer to Him and felt that I needed to work super hard to reach my own point of conversion. That`s why the mission is so great. The most joyful people are those who dedicate ALL to the Lord so us missionaries have the chance to do it if we realize it. 

Also a word of advice to all, if you would like to start doing missionary work, you have to smile. That`s where it starts and then it ends in the temple! 

Elder Rasband shared with us a story about when he was  a mission president and took two missionaries out to lunch and they were in the Bronx. And in the restuarnt walked in a family, mom and dad and everything (Which you usually don`t see there). One missionary said, I feel like we should go talk to them. And the other said, Nah, we don`t want to bother the family. Elder Rasband ate slow and waited for the family to leave. Then taught a big lesson. The spirit prometes us to do things against our natural self. If we would like to recieve more the Spirit we have to be a little bit weird and do the NOT normal but GOOD thing.

I was filled immensely with the spirit that day. I have a testimony that this Church is guided by men who love their Lord and HE directs this church. There is no doubt and that`s why I am here. 

Love you all and I apologize if I don`t get to respond to all those who write me!

Elder Alder

MACHALA

Well it went pretty quick but right now I am in a different sector than before! 2 weeks and Gone! I was really excited in the Island for the people I was getting to know but the Lord wanted me here in MAchala. It´s three hours in bus from Guayquil, right on the coast (I think) and this week we had some rain. I think the second Niño got here with more rain and the cold! (Everyone has told me how much they got sun burned here in machala but I´m still waiting)

Well my new companion is....... Elder Cordova! From Peru and has a little more than a year in the mission. As you can see in the picture. We had a baptism this week! As our missionary leader put it: The others do the work and Elder Alder gets here to eat the cake! Tas'ted good! Just kidding! This kid had HUGE ear-rings and tattoes (That doesn´t look right; TATs better?) Was very humbling to see how the gospel can change our form of life and what that means to me. (The kid´s name is Cristofer and his uncle baptized him that got baptized a month ago)

Well the whole mission is waiting for Saturday because 3 missions will be in Guayaquil to listen to Elder Ronald Rasband! We are so blessed to listen to the voice of a special witness of our Savior. I can´t wait to hear his voice so I can help the sector here. 

It´s kid of funny here as District Leader, my zone leaders asked me to help all those who are ending their mission (One sister in my district ends next week, and 5 elders end in the next 2 months) Lots of work to do! 

And don´t let me forget that today we moved all our stuff from one apartment in the second floor to the fourth floor! Pretty fun!

Well everyone read 2Nephi 31:20 and figure out what endure to the end means to you!

Love you all!

Elder Alder 

Faith, Miracles, and Food

Hello people of this world. Welcome to the smallest island that I have ever seen. It looks like any other part of Guayaquil BUT the only way on the island is two cement bridges or boat! We can see water but almost never! There is a big port on the left side and sometimes smells like fish (You ever eaten a shrimp WITH it´s legs-- I didn´t think so. (We are just a blessed lazy people in the US aren´t we, haha)

Love to joke but the spririt is more fun and ediffying (spelled that wrong) 

We were blest to have the 4 investigators in church this sunday. The four are going to be baptized this coming week but it is always a little scarey if they don´t go to church one sunday and BOOM "sorry you can be baptized on that day" BUT the Lord blest us a lot this week. Sometimes I feel like we do everything we can and then just put it in the hands of the Lord and see what His will is. 

Loving this ward. They love to help us, tell us about their friends and family who aren`t members, so we never go a day without a schedule FILLED with appointments. Which is great! We filled the goal of the mission to have 30 lessons with members present this week (There is a first for everything) And then everyday we have a different family that gives us dinner. (First time really eating full on dinner in the mission, so I need to do a little more excersies) 

We sure learn a lot in this mission. I am so blessed to have a companion that even if he is ending his mission, is still willing to heart out until we drop at the end of the day. He understands that a disciple of Christ works till the end with all he´s got. I am learning so much from him and we are see the results from the work. Mormon 9:20 (About the reasons why there are no miracles, that president shared with us a little while back)

Love you guys, love the mission!

Seamos Felices!

Elder Alder

w

ISLA TRINITARIA

Well the truth is that I think that means Trinity Island but I´m not sure. It´s a little island here in Guayquil and yes I got transfered here. One rainy month in Naranjal. Tuesday night the zone leader and I had transfers and sadly had to leave naranjal but we knew it was for some good reason and we had to accept it and work harder.

Now I am back in guayquil loving this new ward. And back to a kind of repeated companion: Elder Wendt from Delaware! He was my companion during the choir for christmas. Plays the piano wonderfully so I think we will be singing here soon. 

The sad part but maybe a great part of learing for me is that Elder Wendt has a month left in his mission. So we are working harder than ever. The last strech. We are going to do as much as we can possible do together in one month. I am learning so much. I couldn´t ask for a better companion.

We are alreeady seeing the miracles. This sunday we had an 18 year old kid who wants to be baptized in 3 weeks. The only challenge was that he wanted to be baptized when he was 17 but his catholic parents were going to throw him out. Elder Wendt made a promise that if he asisted the 3 sundays, his parents would support him. He is the captain of his soccer team and he knew that he might have his semichampionships sunday. While he was getting ready he found out the game was at 10:30, right when church started. He told us "I doubted for a second, then I looked at my book of mormon and went to church"

Love this work and love you guys! May the Lord bless you in all your righteous activities!

New Companion Elder Wendt

New (REALLY OLD LOOKING) Desk!

This weeek on The District

So this week was fantastic and very spiritual. We had the wonderful oportunity to go to Cuenca on Thursday to listen and learn from our wonderful President and his leaders. It was so spiritual and I got the chance to sing Lead Kindly Light in spanish with another elder and 3 sisters (We had 30 minutes to practice) Everything we went well and one thing I loved was from Psalms 147:4 (I could be wrong with the verse) That every star has a name. And what have WE DONE with our names. What do people say about our names. Not to be prideful but it`s true. We do something with our name!

Next experience for the week was Sunday, we have a family in the zone that has been coming to church every week. They want to be baptized but maybe they are just waiting for a sign. The 4 elders the last hour of church had a little one on one with the family to find out what they were really thinking. The best part of that lesson for me was listening, watching the other elders teach and share scriptures and listen to the responses. I was able to listen to the spirit wishper to me, ask them to pray. I asked them but we keep talking. So we lost  the right spirit and at the end they prayed and didn`t feel the right peace. 

D&C42:14, We can`t and won`t teach without the spirit. We must act when the spirit tells us to do it, in that very instant! So follow the nike theme (But President Uchtdorf said it first hehe) Just do it! Follow the spirit when it tells you to! 

Love you guys soooo much!

Elder Alder

(Picture of the bus ride to Cuenca, God is amazing)