Vuelvo y repito

Hola Amigos!

It seems the further I go in the mission, the more tired I get. I have felt really stressed recently and all I really want to do is sleep, but that isn´t really and option. I think I need to find a good way to relieve my stress. I plan on trying to bake this week. Cookies anyone?

The work is a little slow right now as we try to work with the members to find people ready to listen again. One member says that the boyfriend of her daughter will be coming soon to get married to her and he wants to be baptized. We will see if he comes this week or next.

This week, the asistants to the mission president did divisions with us on Tuesday, we did divisions with the new elders in ambato and on wednesday we did divisions with an elder who is a little trunky because he´s going home in three weeks. I helped him feel excited about finishing his mission strong. He´s good again. But my goodness, lots of divisions.

That´s about all I got this week. 

Nos vemos!

Elder Cloward

It seems I can´t stop talking about dogs in my emails

Hola todos!

This week was amazing. We had 3 baptisms!

Pamela and Narcisa above, and johanna below.

This week Henry, the husband of Johanna who has been less active until we started teaching them, had an interview with the bishop to see his worthiness and the bishop said he could baptize and confirm his wife. Wouldn´t it been incredible to baptize your own wife in the church of Jesus Christ? I love how content Johanna is to be joining the church. She is incredible!

Pamela invited her aunt to come and see the church too. She seems really interested, so we may have a chance to baptize her too. =)

This week I won a game of street fighter with a golden retriever. He was out in the street sniffing around and a dog in one of the houses nearby started barking at us. That for some reason angered the golden retriever so he started growling at is and came towards us. Elder Miller backed away and the dog lunged at me. Then I spot-dodged (super smash brothers term) and kicked it between it´s front legs. KO! Luckily that was enough to make it leave. (Even though I wish I would´ve kicked it harder) Every single dog encounter I´ve had so far has been a really close call. Sheesh!

Well that´s about all for this week folks.

Chao!

Elder Cloward

A dog does his necessities in a wedding reception

Hola Todos!

We had a really great, but tiring week.

On Tuesday, everyone left and got new companions and Elder Miller came. It´s been really strange being with him because we talk a lot more in English in the midst of lots of people who don´t understand. Also, he´s more gringoee than I am so all the weird looks people used to give to me are now giving to him.  I like being with him, but we still need to work a lot more on communication.

On Friday, we spent the whole morning taking all of the old mission supplies out of an old house and stuffing them in one room in the house of some sister missionaries. Pretty crazy!

Then on Friday, we witnessed a marriage. It was the first one I ever saw in my mission and it was really amazing. I´m so happy for the Caiza family!

Here´s the best wedding picture I got. Johanna is the happy one in white and henry is by her side. The other two were the witnesses of their wedding. Super happy for them!

However a dog decided to leave a bomb in their roof where they were having the wedding reception. 

On Sunday, Pamela, Narcisa, and Johanna de Caiza had their interviews and they all passed. We are going to have a noche blanca this Saturday. I´m most impressed with Pamela, who hasn´t had a strong confirmation that these things are true, but believes that they are and because of that faith, wants to be baptized. This week we will do our best to help her have that confirmation.

That´s about all. We´ve got leaders council again this week and I will get to see Elder Sánchez again. Time´s really flying!

Elder Cloward

Narcisa was in the terminal at the right time and was able to say goodbye to Elder Sánchez

Changes Again, My first gringo campanion, Wedding ´s soon, and Elder Cloward the science guy

Hola Amigitos!

This week was absolutely incredible. 

On Tuesday we went and dumped chicken droppings on a field so that later the owners could plant there. I feel like more dung got in my boots than on the field. =P

This weekend, we had changes, and Elder Sánchez will be leaving for Quito. =( He has been one of my favorite companions, and I´m sad that he will be going, but I´m going to receive Elder Miller. The most gringo looking person in the mission. He´s just leaving the mission offices, and I will help him get used to the normal missionary life again. 

We lost contact with Narcissa this week, so we´ll be looking for her next week. I just hope we didn´t startle her when we shared that she needed to stop drinking coffee. She is a big coffee drinker.

But Pamela told us she wouldn´t drink any more. That´s amazing! She is super excited to keep learning and changing, and came to church alone this week. Her family was in Tena (5 hours away) and she just walked thirty minutes to the bus stop and took the bus to church. She is super valient. You can tell when people really want to progress because they do what God wants with or without help.

Also, This Sunday the Caiza family told us that they are going to get married this week! I was shocked, because they don´t really have the economic possibilities, but they are determined to get it done. Él que desea cumpla.

Today for P-day, we learned how to science. Well, sort of. The brother-in-law of Pamela taught us how to make essencial oils and I pretended to be Bill Nye. Hope you like the video! (Sorry dad I filmed it sideways because the apparatus looks better that way)

We took lots of pictures because Elder Sánchez is leaving.

Elder Cloward