This week went alright. Some good and some bad things. Good things; Bryan Maigua (the 19 year old that needs to get married), doesn't want to get married.....The good thing is that he sung in a ward activity that there was on saturday. So he's progressing in some things, and going backwards in others....Kimberly is doing great! We even think her dad is going to give her permission to get baptized now =). Another good thing about her is that her and her mom did a barbeque for me since I'm ending the mission =(. I'll attach some pics. Osama, the guy from Haiti, isn't doing so great....He still says that it's very important for him and everything, but he doesn't go to church....Then we had another guy who is the husband of an hermana that's getting back into church. His name is Santiago. Before he didn't even want to listen to the missionaries or anything, but we got him to accept a baptismal date! He's even been reading and praying. But his baptismal date fell because he didn't go to church =(.
Overall the week went alright. Nothing too special. But this week we're going to work like nuts, being my last week in the mission field =(. We're going to try and talk to people in the street and focus on finding new people to teach. We should end with a few people with baptismal date and if all goes well, with Kimberly's baptism!
I thought I would make a short summary of my mission:
Companions: 20
1. Elder Salazar (Guatemala, Guatemala), trainer
2. Elder Leal (Argentina)
3. Elder LeBaron (Utah)
4. Elder Lopez (Spain)
5. Elder Ramos (El Salvador), step-son
6. Elder Logroño (Riobamba, Ecuador)
7. Elder Vera (Manta, Ecuador)
8. Elder Santana (Dominican Republic), son
9. Elder Cruz (Guayaquil, Ecuador)
10. Elder Vallejo (Guatemala)
11. Elder Miranda (Cuzco, Peru)
12. Elder Ramirez (Trujillo, Peru)
13. Elder Equité (Guatemala) son, for 4 days =)
14. Elder Thomas (Minnesota)
15. Elder Tirado (Peru)
16. Elder Kingsford (Bountiful, Utah)
17. Elder Bolton (Utah)
18. Elder Poma (Lima, Peru), son
19. Elder Pinta (Colombia)
20. Elder Barros (Trujillo, Peru)
Sectors: 8
1. Yaruquí, 4.5 months. Yaruquí is a large sector that consists of 4 small cities. There are about 70 attending members in the branch. It is out in the country, is tranquil and there's lots of dust. It's located in the valley outside of the captital, Quito
2. El Carmen, 2.5 months. El Carmen is very tropical and has lots of mosquitos and biting flies, but is awesome. It is know for it's good food and exportation of plantain.
3. San Carlos, 3.5 months. In the center of Quito. It's a hard sector and you only talk to people through the speakers in front of their houses. The members are cool though =)
4. San Roque, 3 months. In Otavalo, the most indigenous part of our mission. Everyone speaks Quichwa between themselves, but most of them know spanish. They don't get very attached to the missionaries and it's one of the hardest sectors in the mission. Known for also having the worst food in the mission =)
5. Esmeraldas, 3 months. Coast! Everyone is black and on drugs. We lived in front of the main cemetary of the city and you can see the ocean from the sector. Lots of sea-food which is super delicious. Known for the food, drugs, and pregnant teenagers.
6. Coca, 4.5 months. Awesome! In the Amazon and it's way hot and humid. You sweat your brains out there but it's so awesome that it's worth it. The church there has 5 years and there are 120 active members. It's still a branch, but there are plans to build a new church. Is known for tourism and native tribes. It's the best spot in the whole mission =)
7. Otavalo, 1.5 months. Like San Roque, but the people aren't horrible lol. Otavalo has the strongest members in Ecuador and also has it's first converts. Lot's of farmland and there are more animals than people. Known for the tasty guinea pig, and handmade souvenirs.
8. Comité del Pueblo 1.5 months. Across Quito from San Carlos. Has good members and the contacts are good. Lots of hills too. Known for having a couple of dollies and good mamitas =). By the way I can see the airport from our house.......
Weird things I've eaten: pig skin, pig tail, cow stomach, cow heart, cow liver, bull testicles, cow hoof, cow tongue, guinea pig, beetles,
Baptisms: not going to tell you! Ha!
Well, during my mission I have changed a lot. I now have good scripture study and prayer habits and I've grown to have a big appreciation for them. I am a lot more disciplined and I feel like when I get back I'll actually do my homework and not procrastinate so much =). I've been able to see many miracles during the mission and hope to be able to continue seeing them. I've also been able to grow closer to Christ. Through the scriptures we can get to know him and strengthen our faith in him. It's been a short 2 years, but It'll be nice being able to sleep past 6:30 am =). My personality hasn't changed much, but I'm a better "me" now. The gospel is awesome and it changes lives.
Funny thing of the week: So we were contacting and we knocked on a less actives door that we didn't know before and a fat 25 year old came out. He was talking to us and he was kind of a nervous person, I was hypnotized watching his double chin vibrate and shake. Then he was telling us about missionaries from other churches; that you can recognize a missionary from our church by the plaque and then he was talking about the Jehovah's Witness. Now, for this part I'll have to write it in spanish because in english it doesn't really make too much sense, but I'll translate it for you that don't know spanish, "Y puede reconocer a los Testiculo......uhhh Testigos de Jehovah por sus sombreros". In english that, "And you can recognize the Jehovah's Testicle.....uhhh Jehovah's Witnesses by their hats". Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!! He was totally serious and didn't really recognize the error he had made. In the moment we didn't laugh, but on the inside I was lol. After we left we busted up laughing lol. So funny........
Pics: the barbeque with Germania and her daughter Kimberly. Also, Bryan Maigua, his almost wife and his parents.
See you (for those of you that are home) in 2 weeks
Elder Black
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