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)

Happiness and Miracles!

Well what an AMAZING week! Not going to lie but if I could have a favorite week in the mission. It was this one! Tuesday- Leaders conference with President Torres (His second to last one, don`t tell anyone) Wednesday- English class wih a little bit more people! Saturday- We went to the temple at 5 in the morning and basiacally got back a 5 in the afternoon. A lot of time to enjoy soaking in the the temple spirit and on the temporal side, buying things from the distribution center which no one gets to do. More importantly, our humble branch president got sealed to his wife. They have a year in the church and they just left the temple with the biggest smile ever! (Then all fell asleep on the ride home, too much spirit :)) Sunday- Skype with the Mother, puts the bow on top!

But the spirit that we left the temple with as missionaries was remarkable for me. I wasn`t exactly what we felt in the temple helping those that have passed on. It was the feeling that we felt when we left. Such a desire to help the people that don`t ever know what they are missing in the temple! What a blessing! We taught a lesson after we got back from the temple with such a spirit I said to my companion, "We need to go to the temple to start our day everyday"

Such a blessing, one scripture that President Torres (Soon Elder Torres) shared with us is Mormon 9:20. To help us know how to recieve the result of miracles. He told us not look for them but to be worthy to recieve them and work on our faith to recieve them as well. 

You sure feel happy when you work! Even if the house floods. Hahaha, there isn`t much water pressure here so they but big tanks of water on top of the house and for some reason it overflowed and went through the house through a window that wasn´t put in right (closed or open) Everything is fun! Nothing got too wet (Of my things!) And the Books of Mormon are fine! Just fun type of work last night,.

Love this gospel, love this work, love you guys!

Elder Alder

(Picture, missionaries helping buy a proposal ring, never happens, not :)

From Devan: "Hamsters being raised to be EATEN" 

Getting ready to Skype

Put Your Shoulder To the Wheel

Well No pictures this week, this computer has a virus and is deleting my pictures! 

It´s a lot better in photo but we had a baptism this last saturday (WE means the zone) 2 men, Mario y Romulo. I got to know them when I first got here, they basically come to whatever activity that the church does. (Have I told you that in this Branch every week we have a Friends Night every Friday and we are teaching English every Wednesday night, Super cool this Branch)

Someone told me that this branch was very blessed and that is very true! There might not be such thing as an address here but the people are so open and so ready to hear the gospel!  I told you about the 15 year old that stopped us and asked us to teach him. He will be baptized the following Saturday and I´m excited! His name is Micheal and his "sister" and neighbor came to church with us this Sunday! Also we invited two 16 year olds to our English class, they came and one came to church! There is many ways to find the people who want to hear about the gospel, you just have to look! 

Well I wanted to share a little bit of the talk from President Erying. About Jesus Christ´s ministry. We read in 1 Peter 3:18-20 that even after Christ had completed His mission, even after He paid for the Sins of the World(s), He "forgot himself and went to work" He preached the gospel even when He finsished His mission. Brought  me to tears.  We have to work. This is His work and without Him, we are nothing, so why not put everything we´ve got!

Love you all here from Ecuador!

Elder Alder

Week of Blessings

Well this week was full of blessings because we had about a couple of days of work. We had the blessed oportunity to listen to Elder Hugo Montoya. 2nd counselor of the seventy in this area. Poderoso! I had the opportunity to sing Poor Wayfaring Man of Greif again for him and all the zones of Guayaquil. And then two days later we all traveled to Cuenca for a picture with him and some more counsel. What a week! Powerful! Just loved the spirit, the change that we experienced in that meeting! "Love your neighbor, who is your closest neighbor? Your companion" 

I felt such a love for the work. And a love for my companion and the companions that I will have. This work really is amazing! We just have to put our whole soul in to find out!

And to explain the baptism in the river. I just have so many great experiences with the baptismal interviews here. (Have one today!) And after this man`s baptism, we asked, "So who is going to baptize you!" he said: "Well I don`t know many other brothers of the church, mmmm, You Elder Alder baptize me!" So great and an expierence that I will never forget!

Well I told y´all who my new companion is. Elder Montalvo from Colombia. He has 3 going on 4 months in the mission and he is just a power house! We are working like crazy and inviting ALL to come to Christ. We had the grand opportunity to meet a family from Chicago! They are a family very humble and had acpeted to be baptized the first visit! We are finding lots of persons that just have the desire to come to Christ. 

It just testifies to me that this isn`t our work. It´s the work of the Lord. We do our part and the Lord fulfilles His promise. D&C 82:10. SO happy to be here in Ecuador! The Lord is really just filling my heart with peace and love. 

Pray for the North of Ecuador. We are fine here!

Elder Alder

Earthquake! (First! Among, other first things)

Well got 5 minutes to write :) I have a new companion from Colombia Elder Montalvo. He`s got 3 months in the mission! Lots of crazy things happening! Get to sing soon! And from the picture you can guess the rest! 

Well I am fine! Felt the quake but Guayaquil felt it a lot more than we did. Pray for them please. And those who are in the Quito missions! 

Love you guys! doing just fine!

Elder Alder

NARANJAL...Cocoa!

"Elder Alder, thank you for all that you have done in the zone, do you have something to write with? Elder Alder, you have changes (or transfers)" 

Recieved that call at 6:20pm Wednesday during our meeting with the ward missionaries and missionary leader! Had to be in the bus terminal at 8 that night! Pretty crazy! Took a bus alone to Naranjal with was about an hour and a half. Tada! 

A little people just outside of Guayaquil, little branch that was started 3 years ago and is just wonderful! It´s going to be hard to memorize where things are and such because the majority of the streets have no names ("Streets that have no names" MOM) And the address of the houses are: "Do you see the white house on the corener? My house is over there a little bit by a tree." Crazy right? 

Well the whole city smells like vinegar Becuase this little city produces... Cocoa! All of your chocolate starts here! A little plant that they throw the seeds on the ground to dry and then they sell the dry stuff to America! You´re welcome!

Well my  new companion! (see picture with our little bananas) His name is Elder De La Cruz (Of the Cross, sure would be great no?) Well he is from Lima, Peru and has a little bit more than a year in the mission. 

So crazy thing here is now I am a District Leader! Wooo! Not too important but I get to take out the daily report every night and do baptismal interviews! Have already done two! And that was my spiritual experience this week, Every interview, there was such a strong spirit in each one and it really helped my faith in every aspect of the gospel from the Godhead to Law of Chastity! 

Love you all and hope the best!

Elder Alder

Elder Alder and Elder De La Cruz

Devan's favorite dish in the new area...Seco de Pollo

Last FHE with members in Pradera

GOOOOOOAAAAALLLL

Well what a packed full week! We certainly busy helping people get to Conference! What an amazing spirit that we felt!

Just a shout out to embrass myself for not remembering the date. GO MUSTANGS. This week Herriman is headed for NYC! Super excited for them! Good luck, work hard, and enjoy victory! 

So we were so lucky to have a baptism this week! Her name is Joselin Sabrina Vargas Vargas (Two last names would be awesome for us! Elder Alder Stephan) It was quite a miracle for us to help her be baptized! Her name is so great and I think we will be working with them for the coming weeks! (Had a family home evening with them and as we were leaving one of the aunts tells us, "I want to be baptized!!" Oh blessings) 

Now the email title! So not sure if you listened to the Prophet´s talk but the first temple he announced was Quito Ecuador. Everyone loves to listen to the Prophet announce something, so when he mentioned temples, everyones ears went up. And then..... 

As missionaries we remembered walking the streets and hearing Ecuador score a point during a Soccer Game.

"Quito, Ecuador" WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Sure sounded like GOOOOOOAAAALLLL. The feeling was so strong. The spirit filled the room and brought some to tears. We aren´t in Quito but what a blessing to have another temple in Ecuador. I will always remember that moment for the rest of my life. "Come to the Mount of the Lord" One of my favorite scriptures. 

You really don´t appreciate the temple until you can´t go to it everyday. Take advantage of it! The more we do now, less to do in the Millenium (Hahah gospel humor)

Love you guys so much!

Elder Alder