#6 Letter from Ecuador

Transfers came. Last night I went to bed relieved because they call Sunday nights to inform us of transfers. Unfortunately, I woke up this morning to a call from my Zone Leader. He asked how things were going with my companionship, and I told him they were great and that I love my companion, and then he asked if I would still love her even if she left... I just groaned and got really not happy.

 

So we had an hour and ten minutes to pack her stuff up and go to the bus terminal this morning. I am so sad, and boy am I nervous! My new companion is Hermana Chil. She`s from Florida if I remember correctly. But Hermana Chil is really happy and I can tell that I can learn a lot from her. Anyhoo... I`m nervous because I still don`t know my way around this sector!

Elder Remington, one of the APs, told us to take the Ruta Milagreña back to Milagro, and so we did. Well this bus doesn`t stop at the bus terminal like Expreso Milagro does, and while we were on the bus I had no idea where we were. After a ridiculously long time on the bus, we asked where  we were and when we found out we were a long ways from where we needed to be. I felt so bad because poor Hermana Chil hadn`t eaten all day and oh boy I felt so dumb! A man on the bus really helped us out and after 3 hours, we succesfully completed what should have been a 1 hour trip. Also, I couldn`t find the right cyber to email in, so right now we are in the dumpiest cyber with the slowest internet ever. Also the keyboard sticks so I might not write too much today.

This week was good though! Last monday, we had a fantastic FHE, and the elders were able to get some great new investigators, but this week the jovenes didn`t have anyone for us. I think I already told you about the kids, Jairo y Allan y Humberto y Vicente? Yeah well anyways they love talking to me and I love talking to them. They love trying to say "Rust." Jairo especially likes to be taught, and he enthusiastically participates in our lessons. We have permission for Jairo and Allan to be taught, but we haven`t talked to Humberto and Vicente`s parents yet, but they love going to the youth activities. Every Tuesday they play basketball and soccer at the church and on Thursdays they meet up at the Pasmiños house to ride bikes. The Pasmiño`s house is the happening place, there`s always youth gathering there. On Sundays, Alex Pasmiño takes his truck around and honks outside the youth`s houses whose parents either aren`t members or aren`t active and dozens of kids and teenages pile into the back of his truck to go to church, and then he goes back and picks up his own family. I absolutely love how dedicated these youth are, even though they don`t have examples in their own homes to follow.

This sunday was testimony meeting, and you best believe that the youth took the majority of the time giving real testimonies, not just relating stories or giving shoutouts to their friends. It was swell.

I completely forgot about Saturday! Saturday, Milena was baptized, and her recent convert brother, Ronaldo (my second baptism I believe) baptized her. Steven referred Ronaldo, her brother, who referred Milena, who invited some of her nonmember friends to her baptism, who are not being taught by the elders. All of the references lately live in the elders` sector....  I`m trying to attach pictures but this dumpy little computer isn`t working with my camera! Also it`s making a beeping sound and I`m not sure what`s going on... I had a lot of pictures to send this week too darn it! Anyway....

Yeah I`m going to need lots of prayers this week .I`m expected to introduce her to our investigators and get her caught up to speed so we can start working, and I`m not entirely sure how to do that but I know it can be done!

Yesterday, Emelec played in the championship and won. The streets were a mess. Tons of drunks. The second the game was over everyone left into the streets to form a caravan with the team flags and horns blaring and all sorts of noise, and then everyone got drunk, so that happened.  Honestly this week was a blur and I`m trying to remember things.

Hello I`ve almost been gone three months. Whaaaa? The spanish is off and on, one day I`ll understand almost everything, the next day I won`t understand a thing. I`m not sure why this happens, but oh well, it is what it is.

They have been celebrating Christmas here almost since I got here. It feels so weird to see a Christmas tree or blinking Christmas lights when it`s swelteringly hot outside. It doesn`t feel one bit like December. I completely forgot about Thanksgiving, and in our companion prayer, Hermana Diez remembered the it was the Dìa de Accion de Gracias, and she felt so bad that she didn`t do anything for me for Thanksgiving, because I was probably so homesick and so sad that I was missing Thanksgiving and so on and so forth. I told her I didn`t feel like I was missing anything because it feels like July still. She made me pancakes the next day anyway so I could have some American food for my American holiday :) I thought of Grandpa Skousen that night though and our past Thanksgivings with him. I love that picture of him and Grandma and N&E outside of the temple, I keep it on my desk.

I seriously refuse to believe that it is December.

Mommy, I hope you have a great birthday this week. I love you very much and I hope you think of me every so often haha. I sing loud and proud in all meetings (they don`t call on me to lead, but I do anyway with my voice from my pew...) and I think of you. My zone has to prepare a performance (not a musical number, an entire performance - songs, actions, storyline etc.) for Christmas and I`m trying to figure out how to put myself in charge.... I love you!

The time is far spent.

I love you all, thanks for the prayers!

Hermana Rust