Understanding faith, missionary purpose, Baños waterfall again

Hola Amigos!

This week was pretty good. Although because of small inconveniences, we didn't have any people attending church this week. That is always a very stressful moment as a missionary because we are concerned for the salvation of other people and we often try to force them to do what we want them to do when we want them to do it. But God wanted us as people to choose from the beginning what we will do and when we will do it. Our purpose as missionaries is just to teach people the truth and invite them to live it. We can't force them to live it, but we can help them and invite them to live it. The more people we invite, the more will make the decision to come. 

Juan Pablo passed his baptismal interview, but hasn't come to church enough to get baptized yet, so I'll let you all know when that happens.

This week while we were out contacting we found a couple that are wanting to come closer to God. They usually go out jogging in the time that we were heading by, but something told the wife that they needed to stay and go to church (the catholic church). So they were finishing up some work when we dropped by, and they took that as a sign that God was giving them a chance to come closer to God. I'm excited to keep teaching them.

I feel like a lot that has happened this week has brought me to think more about faith. When we have faith we trust God and take steps forward and are willing to accept his will more than our own. My sister got baptized this week and her baptism shows a lot of faith. She was worried, but little by little she was able to enter the font and follow Jesus Christ. I'm happy for her.

Also this week we heard a story from a member of the church here in Puyo. She had been praying that God would help her find a better place to raise her grandchild. Then a return missionary from utah started dating her daughter (the mother of her grandchild) and they got engaged. She was really sad when her daughter and grandson left for Utah, but accepted that as God's answer to her prayers. Her grandson would be raised in a better place. I hope I can trust God and have faith like these two strong examples.

After a year of being too far away, I went to Baños again and we were able to see the great waterfall Pailon del Diablo. 

That´s all folks. Chau!

Elder Cloward

Chichico monkeys, Chicha de yuca, Fish scales, and hitting your head on a wood beam and after on a fridge

Hola Amigos!

Sorry about the long subject. Lot's of fun things happened this week. 

On Tuesday we met a kid named Joseph who was really interested in the message, but his parents have him in another church and they told him to not listen to us. So that was rather sad, but we got to see his three pet monkeys. I didn't get a picture, but you call look them up. They are called chichico monkeys.

Also this week we met some indigenous people. They speak Quechua, and Spanish, but they gave us a drink they make here called Chicha de Yuca. They get yuca, which is kind of like a potato, cook it, smash it, chew it, and spit it out into a bowl and let it ferment for a few days. They told us that the kind they made wasn't fermented yet, but it tasted super weird. 

Later, a family we taught (the family of Jofre) gave us a soup made from water with salt, and fish they had caught that same day in the river by hand, and cooked plantain. The fish was barbecued in a leaf and placed in the water after. Almost all of the fishes had scales and we ate all of the scales bones and everything. It was surprisingly delicious. Sadly Jofre didn't come to church. =(

But Juan Pablo did. He is super excited for his baptism, but his cousin María who was preparing didn't come to church and is losing interest a little bit. We are going to help her out this week. 

Lastly, on Sunday we helped some members move a fridge and I was walking backwards with one of them and my companion on the other side and the other member. I didn't see a big wooden beam and a smaller wire that was wrapped around it and backed into it bonking my head on it and afterwards from whiplash hit my mouth on the fridge. The wire punctured a small hole in my head and I split my lip. It didn't hurt very much, but I'm upset now because of my bumped lip. 

Well that's about all.

Nos vemos!

Elder Cloward

Rain, Sun, humidity, and cold

Hola Amigos.

We had a really good week.

I had the chance to see my old friends that I helped in La Gasca 5 months ago. on Tuesday while I was waiting in Quito. It was great to see them, but some of them had put church things a little to the side and I had to talk
seriously about it with them.

On Wednesday, we met our new companions. Elder Gomez is from Colombia, and is really excited to be here. He is also energetic in his English studies and like talking to me in English a lot. I´m happy to be with him.

Getting used to the new sector has gone smoothly. When we got here there was a nice group of people who were coming to church and getting ready to be baptized.

Juan Pablo and Maria are cousins and family of recent converts who were baptized about 2 weeks ago. They live in a part of the sector that looks really jungly with wooden houses and everything. They are planning on getting baptized on the 24th and 31st.

Jofre lives over there two. He really loves hearing about the gospel. Sadly all of them didn´t come to church on Sunday because it was really rainy and cold. So far in Puyo we've seen heat, cold, rain, and lot's and lot's of humidity.

I'm happy to be here!

Elder Cloward

Packing up the sweaters, unpacking the machete.

Hola todos!

Well we got changes again. I´m not a zone leader anymore, but I may have even more responsibility because I´m going to be opening a sector AND training a new person. I´m going to Puyo, which is a small city in the jungle. The zone leaders of Oriente work there, and a few weeks ago there was another pair of Elder´s but they had to leave because of health issues or something like that. Now we get to open it up again with my new friend who I don´t know yet. How exciting! I am going to miss a lot of the people I met here, but I have really strong feelings that I am needed in Puyo.

We had a good week, but people still didn´t end up coming to church. I feel like I didn´t leave the sector better than I found it, but Elder Miller has got things handled here. However yesterday we found a family of 6 who were really interested in the Book of Mormon. 

We played sports again this week and I am tired out because of it, but no worries, I get to sleep on the bus tomorrow. 

I´m super happy to be a missionary

Nos vemos. La próxima vez voy a tener muchas fotos de la selva.

Elder Cloward.

Unity, A nice moustache, and more volleyball (Without hurting your neck)

Hola amigitos!

This week was a little rough because we had a rough time trying to find new people to teach and all the people we have right now say they are coming to church and then they don´t... So we are working on that. 

I learned something super important about that - 

Alma 60: 23

Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also. 

Moroni was mad about how things weren´t going very well in the war that they were waging with the Lamanites. The government wasn´t supporting them so this was his response. I feel like this applies a lot to missionary work. Especially to the idea of unity in the companionship. If a companionship is united, and having fun in the work, they are more successful because spiritual power is brought to the companionship. My current companion is rather quiet, but I´ve noticed that he is a really good listener. I haven´t been doing my part in letting him know how I feel and have just been waiting for him to ask me. Basically that we are doing a jigsaw puzzle but no one has put the first piece in yet. I plan to open up to my companion more this week so that we will see more success.

This week, we had to go one divisions because we had a lot of lessons planned and another companion ship needed some baptismal interview. When we got to the chapel, I sat with Elder Mora (who I was on divisions with) and he was freaking out because all the 3 lessons they had planned had fallen through and a member was coming to accompany them. When the member showed up, we went out to try and see if the visits could happen, but nobody was home. And as we were going back to the chapel with our heads down and apologizing to the member, I saw a store that sells volleyball nets, and the owner with a really nice looking moustache. I stopped for a second and told them. Let's go talk to that guy. At first he was hesitant (I'm catholic) but later he opened up a lot, and said that this was the first time people from our church had visited him. He was really excited to learn more. Don't second guess the spirit.

We played volleyball again because the zone had such a fun time the first time. At least this time I didn´t hurt my neck or get burned, because I put on sunscreen. I just got a headache because I didn´t drink enough water. Better safe than sorry but on four different levels.

Well that´s all for the week. See y'all next time.

Elder Cloward

Fotos of missionaries finishing the mission next week and a funny game they played in a church activity where you have to (without hands) make the cookie go from forehead to mouth. Pretty funny.

None at church, sunburns, neckaches, and sources of happiness

Hola Amigos míos!

We had a pretty good week. But nobody came to church, so that was rather frustrating. We did find a few new people to teach though.

Feli is from Venezuela. He got here about a week or two ago and lives with other Venezuelans we used to be teaching. He is really interested in the church and read a little in the Book of Mormon. This week we are going to help him come to church

Christian and his wife Evelyn are looking for more direction in their lives. We found Christian last week and he was really interested in what we had to say. The only problem is that he plays soccer, and a lot of games are on Sunday. We will have to see how things turn out.

I baked cookies this week but didn`t take any pictures of them. Sorry about that. 

Also we played volleyball today, and the sun came out and burned me pretty bad. Also playing messed up my neck and now it hurts pretty bad. But yet I`m happy and not frustrated for small things. I think if we are focused on what is most important, small things won`t get in the way. What are things that make you guys happy?

That`s about all folks!

Elder Cloward