¿Como está vecino? (How are you neighbor?)

Hola todos!

We had a week of success and sadness. Firstly, nobody new came to church this week, so that was kind of sad, and we are going to have to postpone the date of Julian for another time, when his family is also ready to be baptized so they can all do it together.

But we found 2 families this week, and they are married!!! What makes things better is that they are from Venezuela, and the people from Venezuela are really humble and really smart. Venezuela is passing through some really difficult moments and they may even have a civil war. The citizens there can´t get food and when they can, it is really expensive. So most of them have moved to other countries in search for work and better lives. They come here to Ecuador with really big titles but have to work selling fast food or washing cars. One of the families we found this week is in that situation. The father is a chemical engineer and the mother an accountant but they sell  french fries and sausages and wash cars here in Ecuador. It is really hard, but it helps them to be receptive to what we teach. They are amazing people.

The title refers to the way people greet in the street here. They say vecino (neighbor) a lot. Or sometimes they shorten it, "veci" It reminds me of the TV shows my sister Anatolia watches like Daniel Tiger and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. 

It´s a beautiful day in the neighborhood a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine, could you be mine, won´t you be my neighbor. Even the people call me neighbor sometimes. =P

For our preparation day, we spent the afternoon cooking pollo a la coca-cola, or chicken cooked in coca-cola. It turned out really good. I´ll send a picture.

I want to leave with a spiritual thought. 2 Nephi 25: 23 says 

23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. 

As missionaries we labor diligently to preach so that all people can know that when life gets hard, we can turn to Christ and he can make up the difference. I love this verse.

Elder Cloward