Week 11 I like to change my companions every 3 weeks

Buenas tardes mi familia y amigos!

This week flew by way quick. I was talking with Hrma Narvaez on Friday and thought, woah, it is already Friday! Where did my week go?! Time really does fly when you are having fun!

Tuesday

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we go to work in Pifo, about 15 minutes away by bus. We tried a bunch of people but no one was home! So we decided to go to El Vergel to visit a less active but she was not home either! Darn it all! Haha we returned to Yaruquí and were able to visit with a bunch of families so the day was not a complete waste. 

Wednesday

It rained, it poured... All day... I actually really like the rain here, at least it has not been super heavy rain. We payed our bills and began working. We tried a bunch of people but they were not home, so we climbed Mount Yaruquí to find some of the people that we had contacted the previous week. We ended up talking to this sweet old lady who could not read but really liked how she felt with the things we talked about. While talking with her, her dog bit me! I got bit! It was not bad, I promise, just looks like a scratch. I made sure I cleaned it really well. Another appointment fell, so we visited with Isabel, the daughter of Marta. We talked about the plan of salvation. I love talking with Isabel! She is so funny. Later in the evening while walking to an appointment, I told Hrma Narvaez that I was craving french fries. The funny thing was that she was too! They were so good and we got to talk to Veronica a little bit. 

Thursday (4 month mark since I started my mission)

We had verification today which means we had to go to Quito... again... This time it took 2 hours in the bus because there was a huge protest in Quito and traffic was insane! We eventually got there... They took all the new missionaries to El Panecillo, a huge statue on a huge hill, and talked about how President Spencer W. Kimball had dedicated Ecuador for missionary work in October of 1965. Ecuador will have had missionaries present for 50 years in October, how cool is that!? While taking pictures, a group of tourists (high schoolers from Utah) came up to us and said they had been searching for missionaries all week and finally found some (or a ton!).It was fun to chat with them. Later in the evening back in Yaruquí, we went to visit a recent convert. She has the most beautiful home ever! It is a Spanish country style home complete with horses and ahh, be still my heart! I told her I was going to move here just to live in their home. They laughed and said I was welcomed to, sooooo I probably will not be coming back... ;) Afterwards, we had an appointment with Mariella and her son was able to get a blessing (he fell last week and got a huge cut on his face). I am so grateful that we have worthy priesthood holders here and that they are always willing to give blessings.

Friday

Yet another day in Quito... We had our usual district/zone meetings but two hermanas have finished their missions, so we got to listen to their testimonies. It was sad to know that they were going home but happy to know they had done a lot of good here. On the way home, there was an elderly couple from the states. I talked to them and they told me that they had decided to retire here in Ecuador. They were lost but I was able to help them. It was funny because I laughed as told Hrma Narvaez that I did not feel like the gringa (foreigner) anymore. 

Saturday

We were studying when we heard loud music outside. Apparently during the month of June here in Yaruquí, they celebrate San Pedro. The little ones from elementary school dress up in traditional Otavalian clothing and dance around. It was fun to watch. Later in the evening, we had a huge branch family home evening. It was so much fun. We had a short lesson about the Book of Mormon and then a scavenger hunt to get to know the chapel better. All put on by the missionaries! We even had some of our investigators attend. It was a blast!

Sunday

We went to Pifo to get an investigator, Ana. She does not like traveling to church by herself, so we went to travel with her. We also had another investigator, Maria, and her father, I call him Papi, come to church! They absolutely loved church! It was awesome! Usually after church, we have branch counsel but they were working on something, so it got cancelled. We ended up taking a bunch of pictures with members. They got scared because when the missionaries take lots of pictures, that means the transfers are coming... Yep, transfers. We had the feeling that we were not going to be transeferred (they do not like transferring the new missionary until after the first two transfers). Turns out, Hrma Narvaez got transferred. Hrma Molinar is considered to be strong enough to come back! I have my original trainer again! I was sad to see Hrma Narvaez go but I am excited to have Hrma Molinar back!

Shout out to my little brother for getting his mission call! He is going to the Pocatello Mission on August 11th! CAAAAAAARRAAAAZZZYYYY! 

My weeks are flying, I love these people with all my heart. So much has happened, can you believe I started this adventure only 4 months ago?? Have an amazing week and I hope to hear from you soon!

Until next time, 

The Strawberry Blonde Hermana

Weekly pictures

Zone activity- Los Olympicos

Divisions with Hermana Fernelius

Dog by creek

They sell chickens; I want one!

Grocery shopping made cheaper!

These are chochos (the little white disk thingies), chifles (they are plantains sliced thinly and fried), tostada (basically Ecuadorian corn nuts), y limon! It is the best with this sauce they serve it with!

Pope Francis will be visiting Ecuador

so his face is every, even on tiny chocolates!

While companions were renewing visas, we were able to go explore Quito a little bit. This is El Mercado where you can find all the really cool Otavalian stuff.

Week 10 I made an old lady cry...

Hey there family and friends!

I say this a lot but I cannot believe another week has passed by! I feel like time just moves so much quicker here! And I am going to have a serious problem when I leave Yaruquí because I love it here way to much and the people here are amazing!

Monday

After writing and dropping of our laundry, Hrma. Narvaez and I got to watch a sister defeather a chicken while we were trying to talk to her and her husband. It was a little hard to stay focused... After that, we had a lesson with a new couple, the Chiriboga family. We spent the whole time talking about how the Bible and the Book of Mormon go hand in hand. I love talking with them and after our lessons, they always insist on feeding us something. They offered us coffee and their niece, an old investigator, quickly told them about the Word of Wisdom and how we do not drink coffee. We ended up having this soy drink and bread. Gotta love investigators.

Tuesday

We have our mamita that lives in Pifo. Well last week we were chastized for not calling before we came. This time we were chastized for not calling at 9am like we are suppose to. I tried to apologize and tell her that I did not know because Hrma. Molinar would always do that but she did not listen. I gave up and just listened. After having lunch, we went and talked with Jose, an older gentleman who has A LOT of questions. He wants to know everything about everything and it is hard to get him to focus on one topic. Later, we had correlation with the branch mission leader. On the way to our last appointment for the night, Hrma. Narvaez tripped and almost landed on her face. She is ok, just a slightly sprained ankle. I keep asking myself what is up with my companions and their right ankle?? Yep, just like Hrma. Molinar, Hrma. Narvaez sprained her right ankle...

Wednesday

We had our weekly planning and a few appointments during the afternoon. Later in the evening, we had an appointment with a gentleman. His wife is never home, so we always take a member with us to visit him. We were suppose to met an hermano in the branch to go to our appointment but he never showed up, so we told the gentleman that we could not visit that day and decided to do some contacting in the park.

Thursday

While leaving to go to our district/zone meetings, I totally forgot my name tag!!! It was the saddest ever! I felt like I was missing a part of me all morning! No one really noticed and when we got back to Yaruquí, we quickly stopped by home so that I could get it. During out meeting, Hrma. Narvaez and I had to make two sandwiches with only one of each of our hands. It looks ridiculous but was really fun! Then we had to eat the sandwiches which was not quite as fun because right after our meeting, we had lunch with our mamita and I could not eat everything she gave me. I felt bad but she understood. I learned today how to clean clothes like an ecuadorian woman! We helped a sister in the branch with her laundry. It is always so much fun to give service!

Friday

We had divisions! For the day, I was with Hrma. Fernelius (again!). She came to my sector and Hrma. Narvaez went with her companion. We got so much done and had so much fun talking and laughing, it was a blast. She bought me a little monedero (coin purse) because she knew I was looking for one. She is so sweet!

Saturday

Hrma. Fernelius and I traveled to Quito to swap back companions. It was sad to say goodbye because I found out that she is going home soon. Hrma. Narvaez and I had to go to Cumbayá in the afternoon for a family history actvity. We went with our investigator Kely and entertained her niece so that she could focus on the movie. We watched Meet the Mormons. I love this movie because it shows the diversity of Mormons around the world and how they do little things to make a huge difference.

Sunday

I made an old lady cry today... Yep, you read that right... After church and lunch with a family in the branch, we tried to go make contact with someone we met the week prior. We ended up talking to her mom. We talked to her and her husband about the Plan of Salvation. While I was telling her about how we can have perfected bodies after this life, she started crying. I did not know what to do. She told us that she and her husband suffered so much physically. It was great to know that we could comfort her. She gave us soup afterwards. On our way home, we talked to a family and they gave us four huge avacados!! It was awesome! Then a little further down the road, a family travelling home from visiting family, offered us a ride. Turns out that they attend a ward in Quito. At the end of the day, I was so dirty! My legs were completely brown! I joked with Hrma. Narvaez that I was meant to be latina!

My love grows everyday for the people who live here! They are all amazing and genuine people, always willing to help. I learn more and more everyday on how I can be a help to them. I do not think I will ever leave! Just kidding!

Until next time,

The Strawberry Blonde Hermana

Week 9 Pictures again

Exchange for the day; I think? Mom had to decide.

Catholic Church in Quito

Food again

Toilet repair: tp cannot be put down the toilets in Yaruqui

Sister Narvaez needed shoes, so Megan tried on some shoes as well!

Dinosaur at shopping mall 

Doing good

Week 9 Soy Supermana

Hola my dear family and friends!

Where does the time go?? It is already a new week and is already proving to be a busy week! We have so many lessons and new possible investigators planned for this week, there is never enough time in the day!

Tuesday

Today was the day that seemed like everything went wrong, but it was funny. Our toilets stopped working. I did not know that we were suppose to call a sister to make sure we could go for lunch, she was upset but understood that I did not know that we needed to call her. After visiting a sister out in El Vergel, we got on the bus and Hrma. Narvaez smacked me in the face on accident. When we went to go pick up our laundry, I slipped walking down this little hill. We had correlation with the ward mission leader in the chapel. On the way to the chapel, Hrma. Narvaez´s bag broke and I tripped walking into the church. It was one of those days where you should just go back to bed... But it was so funny, we were laughing the whole way to our final appointment where Isabel made us some amazing chocolate and bolos verdes (Green balls of platano and other things... super good). She is always wanting to feed us. It is awesome.

Wednesday

We had to go to Quito... Again... Hrma. Narvaez had to renew her visa. While she was renewing her visa, I got to go explore Quito with Hrma. Fernelius. She is the Leader Hermana for my zone and her zone and she is from Las Vegas! She was super nice. We talked about our missions and all my adventures that I have had. It was so fun. We walked through a mercado (Street market) and visited the huge Catholic church in Quito. While there, a lady came up and asked us why a bunch of Mormons were in the Catholic church. After talking to her for a while, we found out that she was a less active member from Venezuela, visiting friends. It was fun to talk to her. We went back to the office and traded companions. Hrma. Narvaez had to buy glasses and then we headed back to Quito. We had a lesson with Veronica and Oscar. After the lesson, I was so exhausted that I tripped! It was so bad! A guy ran across the street to help me... Nothing too serious happened, I just got a few scrapes and bruises.

Thursday

For the 5th time going to Quito in less than a week and a half. I am sick of traveling to Quito! Though it is pretty funny that I have had to go so many times. Oh well, the life of a missionary!  When we got back to Yaruquí, we had a lesson with a reference from Isabel. The lesson went so well! Ahh I am so excited for them! They fed us more hot chocolate and humita (a tamale without filling). It was so good, I love the food here.

Friday

We made a bunch of copies for papers that we have to have for the mission binder. Afterwards, we had lunch with a sister who owns a shop here in Yaruquí. She makes the best food and I just love visiting her (I feel like I talk a lot about food)! We had an amazing lesson with Kely and Yolanda (sisters of Veronica and Oscar). After them, we popped in for a quick visit with Mariella (sister of Oscar as well). We taught her and asked if there was anything we could do for her. She gave us a ton of rice to take to the Fathers Day activity for the next day. Later in the evening, we had another lesson with Veronica and Oscar. Family Mancero randomly showed up and we had an amazing lesson. The more I talk about eternal families, the more I miss mine.

Saturday

Today for lunch, we got a new mamita! Hrma. Rivadeneira is our new mamita and I love her and her family so much. They are recent converts and are set to get sealed in the temple in December! Afterwards, we headed to the church to help set up for the Fathers day activity. We chopped up tons of chickens and prepared stuff for cole slaw. As we were about to leave to go see if we could talk with some members in the branch, the missionaries of the branch were asked to sing for the activity. Let`s just say it was really rough and we sounded horrible but it was tons of fun! I really do love this branch and all of the members here! When we got home, we made Oreo truffles for some of the members in the branch who always help us out with appointments and food.

Sunday

We had our usual morning activities of church and ward counsel. Afterwards, we ran home to grab some of our truffles for Family Domiguez. They are awesome. They are always willing to accompany us and feed us every Sunday!  After having lunch with them, we walked about a half hour to San Vicente to meet with a family that was contacted on the bus by previous missionaries. We go lost and could not find them for a while, but we set tons of appointments with potential investigators! It was an awesome evening. We came back to Yaruquí and had a lesson with Veronica and Oscar. We spent a long time talking about how when we make the decision to follow Christ, things get difficult for a while before they smooth out.

Sometimes when we try to choose the right, things get really difficult. In Ether 12:6, it talks about how we will receive blessings after the trial of our faith. I have found this to be so true with my short little month here in Yaruquí. The key is to have patience. I am constantly working on having patience, with myself, my companion, and with investigators/members. It is sometimes difficult but I always tell my investigators: it is not easy but it is not impossible.

That is my week! I am still alive and kicking it! Oh and Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there! You guys are the best!

Until next time,

The Strawberry Blonde Hermana

New Companion & New Experiences

New Companion Hermana Narvaez

        

   PS. Pictures:

1. Hermana Narvaez and I got fast food today. I, of course, had to try chicken nuggets here. They were so good! I realized how much I missed them!

2. One of our recent converts gave us little papayas! I am going to make some fruit juice / attempted smoothie with it and some pineapple!

3. Cereal here is so expensive! But I wanted to try some! That tiny little bag cost 28 cents! I will keep you updated on how it tastes haha

Fast Food

Papaya smoothies... yes

First try at Cereal

Week 8 The Tale of Two Gimpies

Hola my dear family and friends!

Sometimes, I really am beginning to wonder about how the mission life should be... Like I always say, this week has been quite the adventure (this week more than any other week thus far).

Monday (Last Monday)

We had our normal Pday activities. Well, we were suppose to have a zone activity in Cumbaya but there was confusion and we did not go. Oh well! There will be more! After we finished cleaning, shopping, and writing, we went to visit the Chicaiza faimly and talked about missionary work. We were walking towards Marta's home when we ran into one of our investigators, Veronica , and then five minutes later, we ran into her husband, Oscar. It was a funny little coincidence. With Marta, we spent 30 minutes listening to her tell us a story about how she use to live on the coast and someone stole her cows. I seriously love this old woman! When we got home, Hrma. Molinar called the nurse to talk about her ankle problems. We were told that we could not go out and that she needed to rest and ice her ankle all day.

Tuesday

This day was an extremely long day! We woke up wondering what we were going to do all day. So of course we started with our normal studies! We had a really great discussion and got quite a bit done. Then lunch time came... We did not know what to do because we had strict orders not to leave and we were going to be obedient. The thought popped into our head to call Marta. Her daughter, Isabel owns a little almuerzo shop. We explained our situation and bless her heart, she brought us lunch! Did I say how much I love this woman! I am still trying to figure out a way to show my appreciation for her. After lunch, we made some no bake cookies and then headed to Quito for a doctor`s appointment. He said that Hrma. Molinar should have complete rest for 2 weeks! 2 weeks! She told him that she could not because she was a missionary so they came to the agreement of reducing our walking amount. We were laughing on the way home because we both had limitations (my knee is better but I still take precautions so that I do not have to go home again...).

Wednesday

At our lunch appointment with our mamita, Hrma. Quilumba, she told us that her brother and his wife (they are in the branch) was really struggling with some things. We made him a card with a bunch of uplifting scriptures. There is a sister in the branch that washed our clothes for us and since we could not pick up our clothes on Tuesday, we decided to stop by. Hrma. Rosario is the sweetest lady in the world! We shared a scripture with her and her family, then they gave us food! Ahhh how I missed pasta!

Thursday

Another trip to Quito! For another zone meeting! Well actually it was more of a mini zone conference. I was asked to give a spiritual thought, so I talked about how being obedient to the mission rules will always bring blessings.  During our meeting, we talked about reaching our full potential and had a little jumping contest. I beat all the hermanas and some of the elders in my zone. It was really funny to watch how everyone prepared themselves to jump! All the hermanas were holding their skirts. When we got back to Yaruquí, we visited with Yadira, a recent convert who was struggling. We listened to her for a while and shared scriptures to help her out. Later in the evening while we were planning for the next day, we got a call from our zone leaders... Hrma. Molinar was being transferred to Quito... It was really sad to get this news... I helped her packed and went to bed kind of depressed about the whole thing.

Friday

Since Hrma. Molinar was being transferred, we decided that on our way to Quito, we would stop by Marta to say goodbye. It was really sad. We got to Quito and had a zone conference with Quito Oeste (West). After the training and taking so many pictures, I said goodbye to Hrma. Molinar and hello to Hrma. Narvaez. I met Hrma. Narvaez before. She was the companion of the mission nurse. Now she is my companion. Hrma. Narvaez is from Argentina and before her mission, she was studying to become a nurse and she speaks absolutely NO English...

Saturday

Normally when we do our missionary work, Hrma. Molinar sets all the appointments and makes all the phone calls. Since she was transferred and I was the one with the numbers, I attempted to make calls and set appointments. It was kind of a rough day but I survived! I even filled out our informe for Ward counsel all by myself! I am a big kid now! ;) We did not have a mamita today because she now works on Saturdays... We have to find a new mamita.

Sunday

I was not planning on climbing a mountain today... We went to church and I set a bunch of appointments and set up a bunch of lessons with members! All by myself again! It does not sound like much but it is for me because I never was the one to do it before... After church, we went and made lunch with Familia Dominguez. Hrma. Dominguez is the Young Mens president and Hrma. Dominguez is the Young Womens president. We sent a bunch of appointments for them to accompany us. It helps so much to have members present in lessons. When we left their house, we attempted to find a man that we had contacted earlier in the week. He said he lived way up on the hill (in my opinión, mountain). We walked for who knows how long and to no avail, we could not find him... Another time... Another appointment fell through and I thought we should go visit Veronica and Oscar. They were having some doubts and we were able to help them feel better about their decisions. Ahh! They are just so awesome!

Monday (Today)

So this whole week I have been super stressed out with sudden transfers and a bunch of other things. Thankfully today, I was able to clean the apartment! Nothing makes you feel better than cleaning out the clutter of the apartment! So many people had left clothes and other ítems, it was ridiculous! But now we have a super clean apartment! Hrma. Narvaez and I went to Cumbaya for shopping and food. She and I get along great, even if we do not understand each other 100% of the time!

Like I said before, adventure finds me when I am not looking! I speak completely Spanish now, except for when I am helping Hrma. Narvaez with her English language study or am calling the district leaders. It is quite insane and sometimes I end the day with a major headache from all the translating that I have to do. Oh and we now have a mamita for Saturdays! YAY! I continue to love it here in Yaruquí and love the branch! They are awesome! I hope you are all having an awesome time in all your endeavors! I love all y`all!

Until next time,

The Strawberry Blonde Hermana

Week 7 Oh.My.Dogs...

Hola my dear friends and family!

Another crazy week in the life of an hermana! This has been a crazy ride and continues to get crazier and crazier! You can not go two minutes without seeing at least one or two dogs! They are everywhere and always barking. Sometimes it can get a little scary but they never bite us.

Monday (Last week)

So after we finished emailing, we went and had a lesson with an investigator named Byron. He had contacted Hrma. Molinar and her last companion once before but they lost his number or something. Then they ran into him again and tried to set an appointment but something kept happening. We finally got an appointment set and took a ward missionary with us. We talked about the gospel and Joseph Smith and all that fun stuff. It was actually a really good lesson. We challenged him to baptism and he accepted!

Tuesday

We tried to drop off a copy of the Book of Mormon to Byrone but he was not home. We then went to El Vergel where we met with an inactive lady. She spent most of the time showing us pictures of her and her family and telling all the bad stuff her kids do. After we visited with her, we went to Pifo to visit a girl named Genesis. After her, we went to visit Ana with a member and the lesson went great. When we finished with her, we started teaching two cousins, Jose and Julio. They had a ton of questions that were all over the place and it was hard to get them to focus on just one topic.

Wednesday

Adjusting to the mission life can be a little challenging. You pray 9 billion times a day, go to a bunch of meetings, walk all over the place, study for hours, and once a week, you plan the whole week. It is insane how much we do in just a little amount of time! There is never enough time in the day! After planning and lunch, we went out to Oton to visit a family but they were not there. I would say it was a waste of time but it is so gorgeous out in the countryside that I can not really complain. When we got back to Yaruquí, we passed by Isabel`s lunch shop. She gave us soup because she did not sell it all. We visited with Mariella, who was having a bad day and we were able to brighten it! It is always nice to know that simply visiting with someone for a short time can brighten their day.

Thursday

Another meeting in Quito! This time it was a zone conference. We talked about the power of faith and how it can affect your mission. The meeting felt like it took forever, probably because we were starving. We had to wait to have lunch with the Torres family until almost 4pm! Even though I was super hungry, they gave way too much food! They are super generous to the missionaries but I have a hard time eating everything they give us but it is always really good. And a lot of rice...

Friday

While making our calls in the morning to make sure we could visit everyone, almost all of our appointments canceled! It was a little bit of a rough day but at least lunch was good right? Our mamita for Friday owns a shop so we eat in her shop. She made some really good mote (I think that is how you spell it...). We went to Pifo and found two old investigators and set appointments for the next day. On the way back to Yaruquí on the bus, I talked to a lady all by myself without any help from Hrma. Molinar. It was rough but I did it all by myself! I am a big kid now (hahaha). Later in the evening, we had a family home evening night with Veronica and Oscar at the Delgados home. It was awesome!

Saturday

Our normal mamita for Saturday said she could not have us come over so we went and got lunch at a random Almuerzo tienda. Turns out, it was the one that Veronica works at! It was fun to chat with her for a little bit. Saturday is a really good day to do contacting in the park. We talked to a bunch of people in a really short time. We also took a survery from a bunch of Catholic students. We were suppose to go to Pifo for appointments again but they fell through, so we went to the hermana out in Lvergel. She gave us this awesome stuff called tostada (basically like corn nuts) and I am now addicted to them. Hrma. Molinar and I were laughing, saying we were going to have a hard time coming back to the states because we would be missing Ecuadorian food too much. On our way back to Yaruquí, we usually have to wait for a bus. At the time that we were waiting, there usually is not many buses and it takes forever. A taxi driver pulled over and offered us a ride. We told him that we did not have money but he said that did not matter. What a blessing!

Sunday

Church was, as always, really good. Even though none of our investigators came, some of our inactives came and Hrma. Molinar gave a talk about Fast Sunday. We had lunch at the Domingues home (there are two Domingues families in the branch and it can get confusing some times). It was a little sad because they told us that L. Tom Perry had passed away. That was heart breaking but I know he is in a better place. We went to teach some investigators for the first time and it was awesome! We talked about the first vision and at first, I was thinking that the lesson was going horrible because the family did not really understand what I was saying and I did not understand them. But! As I was receiting the first vision to them, you could see a change come over the husband. He started to tear up and the wife who was distracted by her little girl, stopped to listen. It was an amazing lesson! He was telling us how when I was talking about Joseph Smith, he felt something very different. Oh words cannot describe my excitement for them!

Later in the evening, we had an appointment with Veronica and Oscar. We asked them why they did not come to church. Normally, you can see in their face that they do not really want to go and will make up some excuse. Not this time. You could see in Oscar`s face that he really wanted to go! By the end of our lesson, we challenge Veronica, Oscar, and Veronica´s sister, Kely, to baptism and they accepted! It was an amazing night and you could see the change in their persona. After their lesson, we were walking home and another taxi driver offered us a ride. We again told him we did not have money but he said that did not matter because he did not think that two girls should be walking around Yaruquí at this late of an hour.

As you can see, a crazy week but an amazing week. Sometimes it is hard to obey the rules of the mission but when you are obedient, Heavenly Father blesses you. We were truly blessed this week with our investigators and random, nice taxi drivers giving us rides that would cost upwards to $5. I love you guys and hope all is well in your part of the world!

Until next time, 

The Strawberry Blonde Hermana

PS. For those who were wondering, I get mail every two weeks and they would like it sent to the mission office. There is no other way for me to get mail, I checked. Not a single post office in Yaruquí. So here is the address

Hermana Duff

Misión Ecuador Quito Norte 

Casilla 17-07-9921

Robles E4-151 y Amazonas

Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador