#13

My health is fine. I mean, it´s not great. But I think it´s what´s to be expected when eating strange things and tons of rice all day every day.  Every day I feel a bit better though, and I´m not worried. 

I´m so excited for Janessa! I can´t even imagine what the world is like over there. And I am so proud of my missionary family! That FHE sounds awesome, now go put it in practice! I absolutely second what you said about being simple and applicable. My favorite part of PME is the quote from Brigham Young about a man without eloquence bearing testimony. I can´t really remember the quote in english but I´m sure you know what I´m talking about.

Anywhoooo on to the exciting stuff!
Saturday was quite possibly the happiest I have ever been. My beloved Betty, Amy, y Génesis were baptized, and so was the escogido of all escogidos, Edisson. We had to really work hard for all of them. Betty (the fiesty mama) was getting so much opposition from her family and friends about joining ´the Mormons´and she had no support from her husband, but she just said some fiesty little remark about how she was going to get baptized anyway to all of them, and she was so happy! She had a dress from her mom that she was baptized in, and she´s so excited to be baptized for her mom in the temple soon. Someone had mentioned la obra vicaria to her in passing and she was so excited to ask us what the meant when they had said that we can do baptism for people that had already passed away. Ahh! Love it!

 Edisson is so great too, and he had every reason to not listen to us or to let people change his mind. His grandfather is a very active testigo de jehova, and his grandpa was very vocally against us visiting him. He told us that after our lessons, his grandpa would come in and tell him about how we were just liars being deceived by the devil and that we were leading him astray, but he confided in the spirit that he felt as he read and attended the church. The youth in the ward went to the temple Saturday morning, and he went with them, even though he couldn´t enter. Him and another young man that wasn´t a member stayed outside while the Torres´ explained more about the temple to them and why temples are important. In the hours between when he went to the temple and when he got baptized, we visited with him in the street and asked him how he felt on the temple grounds. His response was my favorite, he just said {PAZ!}. He said normally he would have been so bored at something like this, but he felt like he could´ve stayed on the temple grounds forever because it was so peaceful and he just felt good. And you should have seen him smile when he came out of the water after his baptism. Ahh it was awesome!

Also, fun fact. I sang at the baptism with Jerry Pazmiño. We always sing I Am A Child of God before our first lessons with people, and Betty especially loved that song, so me and Jerry Pazmiño (who´s sixteen, how many sixteen year old boys would willing do a musical number?) sang Soy Un Hijo de Dios. He sang the first verse in spanish (duh) and I sang the second verse in English (they are all really interested when I sing in english) and then we did the third verse in spanish, and I did the high harmony part. Here´s the thing though -  we did it all a capella, and Jerry just picked a note at the start and went with it because we didn´t have a piano to tell us where to start. It was the highest key possible and oh boy while he was singing that first verse I was just silently praying that I would be able to hit those high notes. But it was really good I think! Jerry has a really nice voice and I hit the notes and Betty cried (which isn´t a very Betty thing to do) so I am good. I kinda wish I had filmed it to show you guys but yeah. It was great. 

It was a great day. We´re starting from zero now, we literally have no investigators which is a scary thought, but all is well and things are swell.  I probably could buy a good camera here, but I would rather keep fussing with my junky camera and buy some clothes that don´t show all of my sweat.
Serious. I´ve forgotten what it feels like to not sweat. The second I step out of my ice cold shower, you better believe I´m a-sweatin´. 

Oh yeah, today was a swell mail day!
I got the package from Derrick and Brittney (my lips are quite luscious right now I do believe and Molly´s notes are displayed on my desk), Eric and Noelle (I kinda hoped there would be an explanation on why they sent bandaids but one look at my legs and I think I understand)

MY SHOES! I love my shoes! I´m wearing them right now. I was so distraught because they really don´t have shoes over a size 8 here, and then these shoes came and they fit perfect and they´re totes adorbs!  I also got letters slash cards from the Gates, Barbara Christensen  and Erwin Lervit.  Anyway, tell everyone thank you! It really is the best to get something in the mail. 

In this photo we got me, Hermana Pedro Pazmiño (Hermano Pedro´s father is Betty´s godfather, so she asked him to baptize her) and then Amy, Betty, Génesis, Edisson, Jerry Pazmiño (he kinda knows Edisson, and Edisson asked him to baptize him) and Hermana Chil. I look like I´m in pain because I´m smiling so hard, but I was really happy, okay!?

Betty, Amy, y Génesis with Betty´s godparents, Abuelo and Abuela Pazmiño. How cute is abuelo?! 

Me and the chicas. Yes I am wearing the same dress, but this is not the same day. I rewear my dresses way to close together, but they are much less hot so I don´t even care!