#65

 This week has been wonderful. This area has challenges very, very different from the challenges in my former area. I want to tell you about two families that I absolutely love. 

First, there is a sweet little couple that was baptized a few months ago. They are in their seventies (but look much younger. Ecuador`s really good about keeping you young. I think it`s all the bananas) and very, very humble. They barely have anything, they have a house about the size of my old cave room with the sheets and they are recent converts. 

They were living in free union before and had to get married to get baptized - but here`s the dealio. The spouse had a stroke a few years ago and mentally is okay (a little slower than before) but physically is a child. The husband takes such good care of her -  she literally can`t do anything on her own. 

THis week, we have been doing short little visits to them, reminding them the commandments and singing them hymns. This week, we`re going to sing hymns while another hermana (who I adore and will be sending a picture of her to you in the future) has volunteered to paint her nails. They live decently far from the chapel and can`t afford a taxi, so every Sunday the husband puts his wife in her wheelchair and he pushes her to church. And it`s far. And they live out in the boonies where the streets aren`t paved, and it is not easy to drag a wheelchair over rocks and through mud.. It`s been wonderful to see the faith of this sweet little simple man who is just doing everything he can to get along and take care of his sweetheart.

The other family is a family of investigators that the hermanas were teaching before. They also live in very humble circumstances. They have attended church very faithfully since October. They`re just waiting to have enough money to get married so that they can get baptized. We went to visit them, just to get to know them and verify if the other hermanas had taught them about tithing, fasting etc. and they bore their testimonies to us about how the Gospel has changed their lives - and they`¡re not even members yet! The spouse reminds me a TON of Dad. A ton! I don`t even know exactly what it is, but something about him just makes me think of Dad. It has been awesome to get to know them because they are so GOOD and have such a great desire to follow Jesus Christ. 

Questions for today.

1.  What was your greatest success this week?
Hmmm.... I can`t say that I have had a particularly successful moment. We`re still just trying to get to know everything and everyone and working to find more families to teach. We actually have found a ton of people. It`s been really fun because the members here are super supportive. They ask us when they can present us to people, when they can accompany us in the lessons etc. It`s a nice change because in our previous ward getting members to help us out was like pulling teeth haha and here we don`t have time to work with all the members that want to work with us haha. 

2.  What was your greatest challenge this week?
The greatest challenge this week... it`s hasn`t been too challenging either. It was really, really, really hot. I am burnt to a crisp. That was challenging. We got lost yesterday and it was just about the hottest day ever and the sun was so strong. And we were lost. And it was Sunday, so we do everything possible to not buy water, even if we are about to die. Luckily we found a members house and she gave us water and we did not die. But it got close.

3.    How were your prayers answered this week?
Haha in many, many ways. Too many to count. Each time someone tells me something and I don`t know how to respond, I pray real quick and a scripture comes to me or the Spirit tells me what to say. So... there have been many silent prayers answered.

4.    How was the influence of the Holy Ghost present this week?
Well... like I said up there haha. When we`re teaching, if it`s not by the Spirit, I`ve just kinda learned to cut the lesson short, because it just doesn`t work if we don`t have the Spirit, it´s not even worth it. The words that I can think of on my own can`t help the people change their lives and come unto Christ, but the words that the Spirit puts into my heart can.

5.    What is the greatest change in you?

Is this talking mission wise or just this week? One thing I was thinking about a few nights ago is that I don`t get mad. I just don`t. That`s pretty cool I think. I don`t like getting mad. Frustrated yes, but mad, nope. Cool right?

Me and my companion went to downtown Quevedo to buy her some shoes. It`s pretty close. You cross a big bridge to get there (Quevedo is called the city of rivers) and bam you`re in downtown. Not that downtown is a big deal either haha Quevedo is pretty small city wise. YESTERDAY we ate lunch with the cutest family ever. Seriously they are so cute. They met in the MTC haha and they`re not newlyweds but the way they talk to each other and hold hands makes you think that they were, but anyway, they put on Piano Guys while we were eating lunch and it was so much fun. I really miss music haha. 

ANYWHO.

Love you all!

Hermana Rust

Some fotos from my old sector that they sent me. I can`t save them to my camera so I`ll just send em to you guys. There`s a good explanation for that clown picture, I promise. 

#64

Hello!

Tell us about your new area, ward, missionary work, and still being comps with your hija. 

Well it looks like my hija is gonna kill me - mission wise. But I`m happy about it haha. The new ward is fantastic! Tons of fun! The members are all very friendly and want to help us get to know the sector. It`s huge and parts are very humble. 

I held a monkey yesterday! A little baby monkey. I`m afraid I will not be sending many pictures because I won`t be carrying my camera around, it`s kind of dangerous around here. Not like, life-threatening dangerous, just stolen purses etc. dangerous. 

We are working with a lot of families that need to get married! We`re trying to work some sort of deal out as a stake with the government office to help these people out, because the cost of getting married is difficult.  

How is the new district and zone?

My new district and zone are fine. They are all really young, age wise and in the mission haha and lots of gringos so it`s a bit different. There are only 4 Latinos and 2 of them speak English so we speak a looot of English. We played volleyball this morning. That was fun. 

How many hermanas in your apartment?

It`s just me and mijita in our house, it`s really quiet. It`s even quieter too because I talk to her in English in the house and she`s still not too fond about responding haha, but the area seventy told us all about how important it is to learn English so we`re gonna do it!

You have been there 17 months!  Are you used to the humidity yet?

IT IS SO HUMID.  My skin went all haywire this week and now has the same  bumpiness, and dampness of that of a frog. I imagine I smell about the same too. 

Will you be able to visit your beloved Valencia as it is only 20 kilometers from where you are now?

THE LIDEREZA IS IN VALENCIA SO I AM GOING TO REQUEST AN INTERCAMBIO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: I just about died when the assistants told me that the lidereza was in Valencia, so I hope to be able to visit very, very soon. Oh yeah...  the lidereza is the sister leader. Like... she does the intercambios.

That`s about it. 

#63

I`m sure you`ve already realized that I had cambios. They called last night and told us that not just me, but also my companion had cambios. So now the hermanas aren't going to share the ward anymore (better) and we went to the bus station and the assistants told us that we would be opening a sector and that I would continue training my hija. So we`re opening a new sector and I`m in Quevedo, which is close to Valencia! I`m thrilled. I`m exhausted, but thrilled and we`re ready for  the adventure.

We had quite the issue finding our house, the zone leaders only sent us a message with the address so we hopped in a taxi and poor guy had a ton of patience with us and helped us find the house. So we finally find the apartment building and we don`t know which apartment it is - so I tried the keys on all the apartments. I`m really glad that no one caught me trying to put our keys in their doors.

I got your Christmas package and read through it earrrly in the morning when I was packing. I don`t really remember what was in it because like I said, I`m exhausted and I had to pack all night (okay... I didn`t really pack all night. Mostly I was just talking with Hermana McKee. We`re really gonna miss each other) but I remember that I liked it haha so thanks! When I`m more mentally able I`ll look through it again. 

I`m trying to think of what else I can tell yàll. I`m so exhausted. We were in a bus for quite a few hours. This is going to be a fantastic adventure. We don`t have a map, the missionaries that were here before didn`t write directions down, and the members don`t answer their phones, so we`re going to lose ourselves in the cities a bit. I`m stoked! 

We took an awkward family photo. My companion didn`t understand. But we were taking pictures because we never thought we would keep on being companions!

A girl in the ward named Pati liked the snowflake headband, so I gave it to her. She`s 22. I feel like her and Britney would be good friends. 

Also, I think I may have only put make up on one eye this day....

I don`t know if I already send you this picture. This was dinner on new years with my beloved convert Hermana Rosario. 

My old zone celebrating Hermana Jorge`s birthday. She`s peruvian! She`s great! I`m so excited for Holly!

Ten points to whoever finds me in these pictures!

#62

Hello family!

*  These are the questions and things I asked Natalie to share in this week's letter.  - Lorri

Share your testimony of the work that you have been called to do.

I absolutely know that what I am doing is the work of the Lord. When I read the scriptures, they talk about servants that are bringing about the work of the Lord, and I know that I am one of these said servants. I know that it is a sacred responsability. What we, as members of the church, are doing is helping to bring about the eternal purposes of the Lord, which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.He wants us the know Him, to love Him, to honor Him. He wants us to be with Him - forever - and not just to be with Him, but to be as He is, exalted, and perfected. He wants to bless us and give us all that He has. As we share the Gospel, we help others realize their divine potencial and help them achieve it. The blessings aren´t just far away either, (plus, it´s hard to make anyone listen to your message if it were to just promise blessings in the next life). The blessings come immediately as well. We can help people have happiness now in spite of their trials and they can have the hope of never ending happiness later on. 

Why was it important for you to go on a mission?  My own testimony has been strengthened. I´ve always had a testimony, but I feel like it´s become much firmer, because I´ve had to rely on things and people that I haven´t been able to see or hear - the Spirit, the gift of tongues, the Savior etc.. I´ve relied on things unseen and received help. That has been an amazing testimony builder to me that testifies of the basic truths - the God lives, and He loves me, that He blesses His children.  And while I still have many questions, I don´t have doubts. It was important for me to go on a mission because I´ve learned to know and rely on the Lord. I´ve overcome many fears, and I´m learning more and more about the Lord´s grace and about what He wants me to do and be. I have a clearer idea of what´s important and how to achieve it. 

How can Holly and Hannah, who have already made the decision to go on a mission, continue to strengthen their commitment  and desire to serve ?

Just keep strengthening your testimony of the basics. You don´t need to understand it all, but you do need to have the habit of praying and reading the scriptures daily. It must be a habit! I know that we hear this all the time, but it needs to be like eating - it needs to be something we do often and I would add that it needs to be something we enjoy (because we all know that I enjoy eating - even though the fried burrito story has kinda stifled that desire right now. On a related note: never order a Jalapeño burger from Carl´s Jr. You will have similar outcomes. Sorry I just got lost a bit there.).
So yeah. Pray every day please. Talk to the Lord. It´s not necessary for all women to go on a mission. For me personally, I feel that it was very necessary, but talk to the Lord and He will tell you what you need to do. Read your patriarchal blessing. Something that helps me as well is think of the future and what I want to accomplish with my future family. This helps me to stay focused in the important things right now.

Okay, my time is far spent.
Thanks for writing!
I love you all!
Hermana Rust

#61

1.   How has a mission prepared you to be a mommy?

I have learned that I really love cooking and cleaning and all those household chores haha. If anything it has just made me excited to be a mommy. Once again with that whole patience thing - I think that´s the main lesson I´ve learned, and that is something that will help me be a mom. 

2.   What has been your most rewarding teaching opportunity?
Okay that is a hard one to think of right now. Recently, I taught a less active family that had left the Church because they were offended about something, and I was able to share with them how the Atonement helped me forgive, and about how being angry just hinders our own progress. They came to church yesterday! It was fabulous! 

3.    Share your eating situation with us?  Do you meals?  What is your specialty?

Well, we eat lots of chicken. Lots of rice. Lots of soda :(. I´m not a fan of soda. I have developed some quite expensive tastes while I´ve been here. My latest obsession and what I make in the house is mango juice (I will cry when mango season is over) and goat cheese and apple toasted sandwiches. Not that those are common things here, it´s just that last week I decided to buy goat cheese and man is it tasty. The truth is that I don´t really remember what we eat in the US on a daily basis, all the stuff we eat seems pretty normal to me now. I drink/eat 7 mangoes a day. That might explain some of the issues I´ve been having.

4.    What do you desire to accomplish this week and how are you going to do it?

This week, we want to strengthen this ward. Without going into details about some of the challenges we´re facing, we´re going to focus helping all members, including the active ones, to better fulfill their responsibilities in the ward. Yeah. This time period in my mission is very different, we´re not doing the normal mission tasks, but we are definitely doing the work of Salvation. It´s going to be fun.  

I wanted to thank you guys for taking us to old people´s homes for family home evenings and things. I have thought about those experiences a lot lately, and I´m grateful that we didn´t limit ourselves to sitting at home every FHE. Thank you for that. A lot. 

Okay, I´m sorry, I have to go, but I hope that you have a happy new year!
Hermana Rust

 Reunited with my dearest Hermana DeForest in the mission Christmas activity. 

 Me and Hermana Olsen. I´m mostly just sending these pictures just in case something happens to my camera. 

Muchísimas gracias querida familia Gavilanes! Les deseamos un feliz año nuevo!
Gracias por su amor y por ser nuestra familia aquí en Ecuador. Les queremos muchísimo!

Hermana Rust y Hermana McKee

#60

1.    How do the people you teach respond to learning of Joseph Smith?
Well... Here´s the thing. There´s a very popular evangelical church here and the pastor{s name is Jerry Smith. So sometimes people think we´re talking about him haha. The truth of the matter is, there are lots of false prophets down here. I swear there´s a new church every other day, so there are lots of people claiming to be prophets. It´s not something that different or strange down here. What is really fun and what I really like to explain is about the priesthood, about the laying on of hands. The "prophets" down here become "prophets" because they say that the Holy Spirit descended over them and gave them visions, so when we explain that Joseph Smith received the authority of the priesthood by the laying on of hands from the original apostles of God, they see the difference. The laying on of hands is something I have studied a lot on the mission, I love reading the Bible and finding more and more instances of priesthood ordinances being done by the laying on of hands  - it´s nothing new, it´s the way it´s always been done, and it´s the way things are being done now too. It´s cool. I love it. It just makes so much more sense, no.

2.    Can you share thoughts and feelings on teaching others how to offer their first prayer?
Haha that´s another thing that´s really different here than in the US. Everyone here is Christian. Everyone prays - it´s just what you do.  So usually the only thing we have to teach is that you have to end in the name of Jesus Christ. I really love teaching though that it is a two way communication, and helping people identify their answers to their prayers. There are tons of people that have prayed every day since they´ve been born, but don´t really know why, so it´s really fun when we help them realize that God is talking back.

3.    What is the worst/scariest thing that has happened to you thus far?
The scariest thing that has happened to me... happened a year ago. Almost exactly a year ago. Nothing big even really happened, we were just scared. We had a meeting or something in the church in Milagro, and it ended late, so the zone leaders helped us flag down a taxi and we got in and told him our address and left, and as we were sitting in the car we just felt the most awful feeling ever, and we were speaking in English about how creeped out we were (I was with Hermana Chil) - and then we received a text from the zone leaders telling us that they felt weird about the taxi we had gotten into and that they wrote down the license plate number and that we should call them when we were safe at home. So yeah. We told him that we had mistaken the direction and got out a few blocks before our house so he didn´t know where we lived and started walking in a completely different direction until he left and then we went home. I think I already told you that story. As for recent scary /weird things.... I have had some pretty strange and scary health problems haha but I will not be going into detail about those .

4.    How has the Christmas season affected your teaching opportunities?

It´s been great for inviting members to share teh gospel. We give them the He is the Gift cards and challenge them to invite others to see the video and then meet with us afterwards. How great is that video by the way? I just love it. It´s better in English. 

Well.. we´ll be chatting on Friday... so I´ll let you know how everything goes then. Tomorrow the entire mission is going to the temple in shifts, and then we´re cleaning  chapels and then having a mission dinner. We´re so excited! 

 Easily the coolest activity ever. The man with the beard that isn´t Santa is the coolest guy I know. He´s in our ward, his name is Salvador and he´s from Argentina and he does LEGIT high quality shows in malls and stuff like that. The elf man was singing in English in an awesome Michael Buble swing style and I wanted to hug Santa and dance so bad - but I didn´t.

Did I send you this picture? My zone with the mission president and his wife and the area president and his wife. 

#59

This week was good! I can´t say that I have gotten the exact results that I wanted, but since when is it about what I want, right? Little by little, things are getting better and we´re moving forward! You´re right, the results are coming in different areas than what I want, but the results are coming. I am learning a ton about PATIENCE. It´s not that fun learning patience haha but apparently for me it is very necessary. And I´m learning it. When I think about who I was a year ago, I hardly recognize myself mentally. I don´t know if that makes sense but it´s true, I definitely don´t think the same. 

This week has been fun because in the training program we are studying about learning to help our investigators to recognize the Spirit, which makes you focus on your own spiritual experiences and how we´ve come to know that these things are true. So much depends on humility, because a prideful person will not give heed to the feelings that the Spirit gives us. 

I¨m so sorry,I am out of time! I will repent and be better prepared for next week!

 Malecón with Hermana Marta. I let her cut my hair last p-day... and that is all that will be said on the subject.  

 This is a picture that I never sent from when we went to Malecón. These are two important people in Ecuadorian history.

 We had lunch in Oswaldo´s workshop a couple weeks ago.

Hermana DeForest had cambios today and we´re rather heartbroken. We´re gonna miss her.