Baptized by Fire

Well this will be a quick one so hold on your seats because we have a lot to talk about and not enough time to do it.

So I never really understood that phrase, baptized by fire until this week. So Saturday our 1000 friends on facebook Justin Quevedo walked in the wonderful waters of baptism. He was so ready, he was attending seminary and missionary prep with his friend that hopefully soon will go on his mission. I was praying a lot that his baptism would be something that he would remember and help me stay active in the church. The Lord provided him with more, I will just try to translate what he said in his testimony after with a whole lot of tears in his eyes. "The water was COLD, I was freezing but when the opened the doors of bapstry, I felt my body heat up until I couldnt feel the water and more. I didn{t get baptized all the way the first time so I had to do it again and that time I felt heat from wilson (the friend baptizing him) And I felt peace in the air around us, like something surronding us. And that is the Spirit, like Elder Alder just told us (I gave a little talk about the spirit)"

I love the truth :) Well a whole lot more happened this week but I will have to save it for the next. Just know that the experiences we had this week were like this: Leaders are amazing, the devil works with the missionaries that he knows can be amazing, and God is preparing his children and bringing them to church, so INVITE them :)

Love, peace, and a Halloween fruit jumble form Ecuador 

Elder Alder

Their Halloween Costumes!

Justin, First English Lesson, and Humitas

Well Leadership Council was this week! We had a wonderful time in Guayquil! I loved to be there with EVERY leader of the mission in one room. We are getting organized here with goals and the things we can to do as a mission but the Lord and our mission president expects a lot of us so we have our Zone Conference of Machala tomorrow! 

Well the miracles of the week! First of all, we got home from Leadership council and decieded to make some calls to make some appointments and we called our investigator Justin, and as we were talking to him, he sounded like he wanted to tell us something. We asked him what´s up and he said "I´m going to be baptized this Saturday" We didn´t know what to say so my companion said "Who told you?" And he said "Wait I can´t be baptized??" We were sure on our knees a long time that night thanking the Lord for such wonderful investigators! 

Next miracle, there was a lady that opened up a little store of Humitas (I don`t remember what they are, wet tamales?) Well my companion didn´t tell me that he had a impression to go talk to her but we were visiting a family of investiagators that live close by and they told us that she wanted a book of mormon so we went over, bought some humitas and turns out she has being reading the Liahona. I love members who share the gospel! 

Another member that shared the gospel, the stake presidents son. They are in our ward and a week ago told us that he has these two friends from Germany and Switerland that live around where he does. So we asked him to invite them to the park to talk, and they said yes! My first lesson in complete English because they knew more English than Spanish. We couldn´t talk to them in German so someone help us with that! But it was so neat to teach in English even if my companion forgot Hope in english "What is esperanza?" Sooo funny, best part was when we asked what they believed in "I don´t think I need to know if there is a God" SO the spirit really helped us in that lesson because everyone here is like, WHO DOESN¨T BELIEVE IN GOD. Well these two girls don´t, so great! 

Well love you all, sorry for the rushed letter! 

Picture is of the first cool thing I have done on a P Day, basketball! 

Elder Alder

Elder Woody and his Fast

Okay, you´ve just got to love missionary work, there is nothing like it and I am privilaged to even get to know the people I do. Well I will explain a little bit of the title. So last December I got to Guayquil and we were talking to the bishop one day about the ward and such and then he stopped me. "Elder Alder, wait" Then he rushs to his computer and goes to Google and looks up "Toy Story" pulls up a picture of Woody and points at it "I FOUND YOU!" And here in this ward, everyone (Especially the bishop´s family) likes to call me Brother Woody. Thanks mom for the freckles :) And the bishop´s daughters know english very well so they always say "There´s a snake in my boot" So that was my great experience this week... One of many laughs! 

So here in Machala we have what is called a good problem. We have many investigators that are coming to church but they are scared to take the last step and take the Lord´s name upon themselves and be saved through repentance and be able to have a eternal companion that will help them take on what ever challenge that comes into their life. Did I mention they could be saved? Well if it seems like we are being to hard on them that´s fine. But look at what one investigator told us the other day. "Well work is really stressful and everytime I filled super stressed working in the bank, I just take out the Book of Mormon and I feel destressed right then and there. The Book of Mormon really helps me stay calm." ..... You know it´s true! I love this work1

Second part of the title! I love fasting. In Huaquillas, I fasted because everyone would give us food and I felt better during the day if I fasted, haha. But here I decieded to,to ask a little help from above. And what did He do? He sent us 4 angels to church this sunday. Two friends of members who LOVED church, I think one was a JW. And a couple from Venuzuela who came to Ecudor looking for work. The wife got baptized there but went inactive and then when they got here. The first sunday they were here, decided to look for the church! And as we were passing for investigators Sunday morning with no luck, a taxi stopped us and asked us where the church was, we led them to the church and now are so passionate to go! 

There are people waiting for us. They are waiting for us just to say the right word or be in the right place. But we need a little help from above to be able to find them. And then the guts to tell them that this is the truth. What a great work we are in! Love this work Love you guys! Love Ecuador! And I love the Lord

Elder Alder

(Picture, Nuesta mamita y su familia) Mamita=the lady that gives us lunch everyday

A cake to celebrate the one year mark

Lilian Maria

Well in comparing Huaquillas to Machala, I feel a little bit like a city missionary. We have a lot here, Italian pizza, shopping, bishop lives in a "Look a my Ecuadorian crib" kind of  community. We also are so blessed here to have a couple of investigators that go to church regularly. I am super excited to have some great lessons with them this week to help them just feel the truth through the spirit. Well one of the things that President told all the Zone Leaders that we represent him in every sector and we have to act as he would if he were here. It has helped me a lot to think about the missionaries here in Machala. We are a small zone of 4 elders and 4 sisters but POWERFUL. haha, we are having so much fun feeling the spirit and helping one another. Also my companion rocks, Elder Vieyra (I think I spelled his name wrong before) and I are really doing great! Everything from diligence to singing hymns like Louis Armstrong to our favorite phrase "The work is Awesome" Sometimes you have to be corny to be happy .)

Well the picture is of a little ward baptism of the family where we eat lunch. The family is so great and you would´t believe the spirit that we felt in the baptismal service of this little 8 year old. She also chose my companion to baptize her, so cute huh? 

Well this week has been a week focused on the spirit. Without the spirit we can not teach as missionaries and without the spirit we shouldn´t even be teaching! I love to just listen to people and to be so worried about how they need to feel, that thoughts or scriptures just come into my head. And now we will end with a funny story that my companion told me this week that hopefully shows we are committed to the work. He told me that a couple nights ago he found himself sleep-praying in his bed and me in my bed praying as well. asking for guidence in a lesson that we were going to have. He said "Amen" i said "Amen" and I began to sleep-teach the lesson and slowly go back to sleep. And when I had finally gotten to sleep my companion realized that we just did what we did in our sleep and felt embrassed to "keep teaching" or to wake me up, so he just went back to bed....

Haha, I had no idea

Love the work, love you guys, stay safe!

Elder Alder

"Goodbye"

Is there a song that has that title? Don´t tell me it is by adele or I will have a heart attack. Well, the title means that Friday morning, my companion and I got a call that Monday the two of us would have transfers and to say goodbye with those we have worked with. I must say that it was quite hard. Loved the branch and loved to work with every single member, new member, less active, and investigator that I had the chance to work with. I really felt so pleased to have been able to work there. But as they sang in conference "I´ll go where you want me to go dear lord". (But you wouldn´t believe the tears that were shead those last couple of days!) Sure going to miss them!

But now I am in Machala! If you are following closely to the letters, you´ll know that I was here about 2 and a half months ago. But now I am in the ward Lilian Maria as Zone Leader! Surprise Surprise! Not sure what zone leader means in other missions but here it´s a time to learn ALOT. I´m super excited for the time to dedicate my time in thinking of those in the zone and not just my own investigatores. I know that here in the mission when a leader gives more to those under his stweardship (D&C word that I don´t know how to spell) the lord just pours out blessings! Well that´s what I have seen in the past now it´s time to put my words into practice! 

Favorite part of conference? Member-Missionary work! Time to step it up! 

Spiritual experience of the week? Hearing an investigator tell us when she heard that we were leaving: "I promise you guys and the Lord that I will follow" 

The Lord is amazing and has blest us with prophets and apostales that talk to us constantly and that are constantly talking to Him. I hope to join you in studying their words!

Saludos a Todos!

Elder Alder

New Companion Elder Vieyra...Machala Zone Leaders

"Hello"

And that is what happens when you have Latins who listen to more american music than you do or did, they get out on the mission, become your zone leaders (As you can see in the pictures attachted in a MotoTaxi that would be the way of traveling here in Huaquillas with my companion hidden in the back)  and one day say "Elder Alder I am sure you know this song" Then they continue singing Hello by adele the rest of the week and it gets stuck in your head and you try to get it out with "Called to Serve" and then it ends up as your email title. SOoooooo, Hello!

Great week. Really and truly a great week! I absolutely love working as a missionary I can´t describe the spirit I feel at the end of a day on my knees praying for just about everything or how I feel when my companion starts to pray for our investigators name by name. Or the spirit I feel when members tell us about their friends who want to learn about the gospel and we can help them feel te spirit and a desire to come to church and when they do, they say "I really liked church". Or the spirit I feel in a fast and testimony to bear my testimony that I have been in the Conference Center and the words the Prophets will say is revelation for THEM. Or the amazing feeling when an investigator tell us "So the word is the seed and I need to plant it in my heart and after give fruit no?) 

We certainly were blessed to have 3 families of investigators in church this week. I don´t know how but the members really just love sharing the gospel with their friends. Not to mention our recent converts love it even more (Maybe because that means we visit them a little more often, oops) 

But in the end, I feel love for these people. We just want the best for them. We just have to understand how they feel! 

"Put your Shoulder to the Wheel, push Along, do your duty with a heart full of song" 

Sonríen por favor :)

Elder Alder

I Love to See the Temple

I don´t think I can express how much I love being a missionary. My two zone leaders have less time then I do, so they always bug me about the down side of the house, I try not to think about it and just work my heart out! (If anyone asks, I will finish my mission in two years!) 

Well certainly the highlight of the week was friday saturday and sunday. Friday we got everything ready for the temple. Saturday at 1 in the morning, we left the house to go get on the bus! We didn´t really sleep but our double-decker bus kind of let us sleep a little bit! We got to the temple at 7ish. We didn´t have enough preisthood to help out with baptisms so we got the wonderful oportunity down stairs while 8 people recieved their endowments and one family got sealed for all time and eternity! This branch is really moving along! Even if we were bummed out to not participate in the sealing, we got to feel the great spirit of the temple and got to see the progression of a lot of new memebers in this branch. We are working really hard with the leaders of the branch and that is really helping us out as missionaries to work hard and effecitively. We don´t get to go to the temple that much in this mission but everytime we do, I feel energized to tell people how they can feel if they just follow the spirit of christ and the holy ghost that is telling them that THIS CHURCH IS TRUE.

I really don´t have words when I see recent converts fasting and paying tithing on their own and they just show their faith. Everything that is happening here is helping me to just do everything I know is right and if I do something wrong to repent immediately and keep moving foreward. Let us be perfect like our Father in Heaven is perfect (3 Nefi 27:27 I think is the scripture) and not to get discouraged if we aren´t perfect. Just to know that one day we can be! 

Love you all! 

(Go to the temple more often!)

Elder Alder