Got chased by an iguana this week & I'm pretty sure I ate ants for breakfast

Hello! 

This week was a great week. We had another baptism. We baptized Hermano C. Three weeks ago we were street contacting, and we were walking in front of a tienda and I got an inpression to stop and talk to this elderly lady. She had just purchased her items and was heading out of the store. I asked her if she needed help carrying home her groceries, she said no but we talked with her anyways and explained that we were missionaries and that we had a Gospel message to share with her. She said that she was Catholic but had a son named C, who liked to talk about the Lord. 

So we walked her home and talked to her and her son. Her son said he was a Jehovah Witness and didn't want anything to do with the Mormons. We invited him to church and he CAME the next sunday. We taught him one lesson and later in the week, he called and said he wanted to be baptized. 

At his Baptism on Saturday, he bore his testimony and said that the day we meet him, he had been laying in bed crying and asking God why his life was the way it was, and why had he not sent a sign of what he could do to make it better. Then his mother got home and there we were two Mormon missionaries! He said it was his answer. He has so many great questions, each lesson we teach, we have to rely on the spirit so we know what to say but it is such an amazing experience each time. He also started to read the Book of Mormon and within a day he was almost done with 1 Nephi. He has a goal to read the entire Book of Mormon and to gain an even stronger testimony of the TRUE gospel of christ. I am so happy for him. He is such an amazing person. The Gospel is blessing his life so much. It is so exciting to see.

You are also probably wondering about the title to my email...I am pretty sure I ate ants this week. I buy Special K cereal so that on those morning when I don't feel like cooking, I can still eat. I was almost positive I closed it back up all the way, but the other morning I made myself a bowl of cereal and sat down to eat it. When I looked down I realized there were all these little ants around my bowl that crawling out of my cereal! I almost vomited all over my desk. I screamed and then threw out my $6 box of cereal that was still brand new. So today when we went ot the store I bought another box of ceral and this time a tupperware to put it in. So I wont have this amazing problem again.

I also ran from an iguana this week! I climbed up some monkey bars to get away. I refused to come down until the iguana was up in a tree. We were walking through a park when I heard some shuffling behind me, I looked back, screamed, and ran to the monkey bars. My companion just started laughing. She told me they don't attack people. I didn't believe her though, so she had to literally pull me off the bars so we could keep tracking.

We have a lot of work to do here, as I am sure it is in the rest of the world. People need the gospel, but do not know where to look to find it. I know I say this in each email but help the missionaries. The work is so great and there are only 80,000 plus missionaries for the entire world of who knows how many people now. You don't have to feel awkward about missionary work, but do help them. When you feel prompted give them a reference and introduce the missionaries to your friends, coworkers, have them over for dinner and your referience. Have a family home evening with your reference and the missionaries. The missionaries will do the work but they need your help to find those people who the Lord has prepared to hear the Gospel.

This week has been great. I found so many trees, Almond trees(we walk by them every day and I didn't even know they were almonds), Avocado trees, and we even harvested our own mangos. My companion is great, she helps me so much, and helps me to realize that together we can do this work. 

I also finished reading the Book of Mormon this week. I love reading it so much and cant find enough time to read it. But I get an hour a day so I try my hardest to get the most out of it. I started it again and am in 1 Nephi. 

I am so thankful for this time in my life. I know it is hard cause every day I wake up in a new country where it is 83 degrees and wish I could see snow, like you did this week but I am grateful. I wake up every morning and hope that I can find someone who needs to find the Lord.

Love you so much and thank you all for my letters and your weekly emails. Sending my love!

AnnaALicia

PS I get to go to the temple this week, so super excited about that.

Love you!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello!

I hope everything is well.  I heard from Mom that you all got together three different times for Thanksgiving Dinner. Wow. Crazy. They don´t celebrate Thanksgiving here so we had the traditional rice and Tuna. It was good though. 

I am so glad that the members here love to feed the missionaries. They always make us amazing JUGO (juice). Yesterday I had Strawberry Milk with fresh strawberries and Pan (bread). It was amazing. Did you guys  remember to eat Pumpkin pie and Cheesecake for me? Those things do not exist here.

Scripture Study

This week I finished reading 3rd Nephi, 4th Nephi, and Mormon. One theme I found in these chapters was The Light of Christ. The Light of Christ can mean a lot of things, but here are two definitions that I found during my personal study. 

1. An example and obedience
2.  Knowledge

 I was reading in D&C 6:21 where it says that Christ is the light in the darkness. If we liken Christ to the darkness we can feel when we don't have the Holy Ghost with us, when we choose to not follow the prompting of the Holy Ghost or we choose not to obey the commandments. Then I found this amazing scripture in Helaman 13:9

  

And ^afour hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence. 

One question came to my mind...How long will you choose to live in the darkness and not the light? I have shared this scripture with a few of our investigators and it really makes them think. I was then reading in Mormon 5:16-24, where it talks about Christ, and how he is our shepherd.  It also says not to be lead by Satan and to humble ourselves and repent. It was pretty amazing to find all of these scriptures and really think about the Light of Christ. Christ will always be the light in the darkness and his light will never not be there, but are we willing to see his LIGHT? It was a great scripture and spiritual experience for me. It's amazing that I was able to really search the scriptures and find what the Light of Christ meant to me personally. 

My Week

On Tuesday we had a mulit zone conference with President Dennis. It was all about the Obra de Salvacion and Christ (Work of Salvation). We watched Mormon.org videos about Christ, loved it and we also got to take a photo as a Zone.

On Thursday, Thanksgiving we had a baptism! E got baptized!! He had a baptismal interview on Wednesday and decided to get baptized the next day! After his baptism and after he got the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday, he said that he no longer felt alone in this world. He is also finding a lot of strength in the scriptures!

On Sunday, his two nieces also came to church. We found E, because his two older nieces K and R, were baptized 3 years ago with their mother in the church, but have not been to church for a while. 

One of the youth named Leni, lives next door and one day he was helping us with our teaching appointments and told us he had some friends who are members, but have not been to church. He told us that we should talk with them. So he introduced us to them and we taught them for two nights in a row about prayer and reading the scriptures and invited them to church. And they came! That night we went to their house to teach them again, and their parents, and uncle got home from work while we were their and we found out that their uncle E and younger sister A are not members. So we started to teach both E and A as well as their parents. It has been such a great journey with them. 

On Sunday, their younger sister A came to church for one of the first times. She has a baptismal date for the 14th of this month! K also leaned over to us in Relief Society and told us that we saved her. She has been reading the scriptures every night. Last night we taught them about the importance of family prayer and once we left, they stayed on their knees and prayed as a family for the first time. I am so happy for them. I know that they will continue to endure to the end. 

I have been feeling the spirit a lot more lately. About two Sundays ago, we were walking down the street and I got a strong impression to stop right in front of this lady who was leaving one of the tiendas (stores). I turned to my companion and said  contacting, which means we start talking to a person and get to know them. So, I asked her if I could help her carry her groceries home. She said yes and we talked to her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She said she was Catholic, but had a Son who she thought might like to listen.

 We talked to Hermano C, he is Jehovah Witness and lives by himself, but was visiting his mother. We talked to him and invited him to church the following Sunday. He didnt really seem interested and he lives in a different area some of the week, so we just made a note to meet with him again in a week or two. To our surprise he showed up to church without us calling him! He has come to churhc the past two sundays and this week on Thursday he called and told us he wanted to be baptized! He has a baptism date for the 7th of December! In the same week I also found a scripture in 1 Nephi 4:6 which says I was lead by the Spirit not knowing where to go.

Things are so much better this week. The spanish is coming. I still dont completely understand everything and sometimes it is frustrating, but it is getting way better. I am so thankful the Lord and his help through the Holy Ghost.

Always AnnaAlicia

14 Things I wish I had known before coming to Ecuador!

This week a lovely reader and soon to be missionary, Mickelle e-mailed me asking a few questions about my mission area. I loved this e-mail so much that I knew I had to share it with all of you!

Here is what she wanted to know

Was there was anything I wished I had known before I came to Ecuador? Anything I wished I had brought with me? What kind of clothing to pack and what to wear on P-day? 

1.  There are no p-day clothes, bring clothes for working out and pajamas
2. Bring lots and lots of tampons, they don't use them here. I did find some the other day, but they were about $1 a piece
3. Bring sunscreen! It's expensive here if you can find it 
4. Don't buy a water bottle with a filter, you will get one in the MTC
5. Bring clothes for hot weather and fabrics that will dry quick, you wash your clothes by hand here
6. Bring dri-slik garments  you can ask the people at Dessert they will help you. Don't buy the thick cotton ones because they take a few days to dry and we can only wash clothes on Monday
7. Bring bandaids, they don't really sell them here
8. Hair products, I brought enough for a few months
9. Bring pjay shorts, it is 80 degrees at night
10. Don't buy spanish scriptures you get them in the MTC
11. Buy a spanish mini hymn book
12. Bring a few cardigans for when you get cold. I have not had that happen yet but one day at church they blasted the air conditioner
13. Bring good shoes but you don't have to bring a bunch of Danskos ect, I wish I would have brought a few normal flats from Target.
14. Oh and they say not to bring a backpack but a shoulder bag, but everyone here uses backpacks and I wish I had one

I hope that helps anyone coming to the Ecuador Guayaquil West Mission!

2 months, 1 baptism, and 1 Hermana in Ecuador

Hola!

How are you all doing? I  hope  life is great  in Oregon. I miss the cold weather. I wish that was the case here. It is still super hot here. When I got to bed it is still 80 degrees. Crazy right. When I get out of the shower I sweat instantly so it is pretty pointless to shower. Yeah right. I shower all the time here. The air is dirty so when you wear a skirt all  day your legs, arms, and face get really dirty. As soon as the day is over I just want to shower before I get in bed. 

This week I  thought I would start with  things I love about Ecuador and  things I would love to have here. 

So first the things I love about Ecuador:

1. The mango trees - If only we could find mangos that we could get without climbing trees I would love the trees even more.
2. The sunsets   - When we are out walking at night we see sunsets that are amazing. We get a glimpse of them over the houses
3. Night when it is breezy and there is no sun
4. Jugo de everything  - When we go to members houses for lunch, they make us fresh juice. I have had everything you can think of.
5. That I am learning everyday
6.  I am being blessed and so are you.

Things I miss:

1.  My family of course.
2. Warm showers - The water here is cold, every day. There are no options for hot or cold. So every morning when I wake up and take a shower, it is ice cold.   
3. Salads - I eat a lot of fruit but wish I could be a rabbit and eat salad
4.  Strawberries  - We cant eat the ones here so that is not fun
5.  Wearing  makeup  - Every time I do my makeup it just melts off my face. So I guess I didn´t need to bring so much lol. 

On to the things of this week.

I read my scriptures every day for an hour and wish I could get more time. I  am finally done with Alma and have moved into 3rd Nephi which is all about the Savior, when he was born, when he died, and when he came to the Americas and spoke to the people here.

I also started reading the New Testiment beacuse I want to learn about the Saviors life during the Holidays.  Are you all reading your scriptures? I hope you are, it is through the scriptures that we learn how the Holy Ghost feels, and the same feelings we get when we read are the same  feelings we will get when we ask the Lord to answer our prays. The Lord always answers when we ask for what we need. We just have to learn to recognize how the Holy Ghost feels. 

I have felt the Holy Ghost a lot more this week. As you can tell from the title of the email. This week we had one baptism. P got baptized on Friday night.  I am so happy for him.  He is 70 and lives by himself. His family is Catholic and Evangelicos and they did not want their father to be baptized in the MORMON church. His baptism was originally scheduled for Thursday, but P´s son told him he couldn't be baptized, so P decided not too. 

On Friday our Zone Leaders Elder Tercero and Elder Moreno, came with us to P´s house and  P`s son and daughter also showed up. We taught them all the first lesson about the Restoration of the Gospel, they even accepted a Book of Mormon. P was then baptized on Friday afternoon. He received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday at  church. He is the newest member of the Alegria ward!  We meet with him everyday at 3 PM and read the Book of Mormon to him because he cannot read or write.  (We meet with him everyday and read to him while one of us follows along with him as we read.)

 

He speaks Quichan and Spanish, but doesn't  know how to read or write that either. So we work with him everyday. On Tuesday this week when we meet with him he showed us our pamphlets and that he tried to write our names on the back of each one. It broke my heart. So we went to the tienda near his house and bought him a notebook at a pencil and now we write out letters for him each visit so he can practice writing the alphabet and also words. He is so kind and such a great person. 

Funny story but not so funny, on Thursday we went to the church to fill the baptismal font. The baptism was set for 7 and it was 5 so we turned the water one, filled it, turned it off and left. We came back an hour and a half later and the entire church was flooded!

The water apparently was not turned off all the way so we spend 2 and half hours sweeping water out of the doors so it would  go the drain outside. I wasn't even sure how it happened but it is the second time this week that the church has flooded with water.Last  sunday it also flooded because one of the drinking fountains broke and spilled water literally everywhere. The good news is the entire church got cleaned and the floors and slick and clean haha.

We are also working with the Family V, the mother and two of her three daughters are baptized but they have not been to church for a while. When we first meet with them we only meet with the daugthers K and R. They are two great girls, 15 and 18. They were baptized in the last two years. We taught them about reading the Book of Mormon and prayer. We came back the next day and taught their family, their Mom and Dad, and younger Sister A. Their uncle E was also there. So for the past two weeks we have been meeting with them every night at 8 PM. 

The mom and dad own a resturant and said that on Sundays they make $100 and that they cannot close it to go to church and that is why the mom is now inactive. The good news is that they are planning on coming to church in the next few weeks. The daughter K, she is 18, and goes to university here in the city. She has come to church two weeks in a row with her uncle E who is going to be baptized on the 30th of this month.  K even started reading the Book of Mormon and is in 1st N ephi. She is great and  comes to church for all 3 hours with her uncle. 

On Saturday when we were out looking for recent converts, we contacted a lady named M, she lives across the street from a reconvert. We taught her  the first discussion and she  agreed to be baptized on the 14th of December! The work is coming along here in Alegria! 

This week has for sure been better than the lasts. Not  just because we baptized P, but also because I am starting to learn more of the language and I am able to communicate with Hermana Yamo. That  was probably one the hardest things at first was not being able to communicate with my trainer who I am with 24 hours a day.  I am learning a lot about patience as well.  Really!  

It still doesn't feel real to be a missionary, but that is what I am. I love it.  Thank you for all of your letters and love! 

Have a great Thanksgiving this week. Don't be to crazy on Black Friday and stay safe! 

Love you,

AnnaAlicia

Obra de Salvacion (Work of Salvation)

Green Mango's!

Me again from Ecuador where it is still 80 and hot. I tried to take a nap today since it was Pday, but it was way too hot for that.  I just laid there with the fan. 

This week has been a bunch better than the week before. The language is coming along and I am able to speak more. I wish I could understand more than anything the conversations but that will come with time. I just keep reminding myself I have only been here for 18 days and when I was at the CCM I spoke mostly in English. This last week I have been feeling the spirit more and more and know that it was there the entire time.

Today I went to central Guayaquil to get my visa authorized because today was the last day to do it. So I got to see a few of the missionaries that I came here with. All of us are struggling with the spanish so I am not alone. My companion also wants to try harder to learn English so we are reading the Book of Mormon in English and Spanish alternating verses. So we both know how the other feels. It is hard to explain English lol, I can tell you that. I was never the best at Grammer but Spanish Grammer makes a lot more sense. Kind of funny I know.

This week I have been studying the scriptures a lot and trying to get better at remembering where scriptures are at in the Book of Mormon and Bible. I have never been good at that so I have been marking them up like crazy and trying to make it easy to find them. I am finally out of Alma! Woohoo. I also finished Helman and am now just starting 3 Nephi. I am planing on finishing the Book of Mormon in English and then reading it in SPanish. One of the Elders here who has been on his mission for a year said that he started the Book of Mormon in Spanish and once he got past the Isaish chapters he could understand about 90%  of the Spanish used in the scriptures. He promised me if I only read things in Spanish I will get things a lot faster. So that is my goal. I only read PMG in Spanish and then look up words I dont know. It will come to me. The more I study the Book of Mormon the more I am able to contribute in lessons because verses I find somehow apply to the lesson that day. Which is great! 

This week we meet with the two girls who are inactive and sisters. R and K. They are 15 and 18.We have been meeting with them and their family almost daily. The other day we taught them about the importance of Reading the Book of Mormon and I shared with them Helman 5:12, which talks about building yourself on the ROCK of the Savior. We went to their house on Saturday night and K started to read the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi and had questions on why Nephi killed Laban. Which was a question I got at the CCM from one of my investigators so we explained it to here and I was so happy that she was reading! 

The Temple in the distance

We also started to teach their under E, he is 45 and single and lives with them. He really wantes to gain an understanding of the Gospel and even came to church on Sunday. He said he wants to feel the spirit, so I shared with him my experience this last week and told him the first thing we must do is learn to recognize the spirit and the only way to do that is through reading the book of mormon. Once we learn what the spirit feels like that same spirit will give us the answer if the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. He said he would read, study, mediate it in his heart, and pray to know. He also said if he gets an answer it is true he will be baptized one 11/30/13!

The vision of Missionary Work has changed. It is now the Work of Salvation. We are focusing on inactive members, recent converts, and investigators. Our ward back at home arleady does this. But here they have not been so much. So we are working with everyone to help them gain a stronger testimony of the commandments and the savior. There is also a special broadcast on November 24th from 5-7 PM. I am not sure what the hours are there. But be sure to watch it!

I am out of time. I will write more next week. I love you all and pray for you daily. Have a great thanksgiving! Make something special for me and then eat it without me lol.

Love Hermana Weller