Welp crazy stuff happens in this mission! First off big news: as of Thursday I will be a trainer!! Crazy. i´ve been feeling so much responsibility and stress on my shoulders lately but I know that whom the Lord calls, He prepares and I just have to trust fully in Him. I want to make my comp feel as comfortable and sure as possible especially because I so remember those new, overwhelmed feelings.
Second news, we had to go to the terminal today because a gringa comp will be with me for the next 11 days until she goes home as well. Hna Martinez leaves tomorrow and I´m sad--we have gotten along greatly and learned a lot together--she´s an amazing example of a strong woman and I´ll miss her. I will have to start training while we are still in a trio and to be honest, I´m really nervous. I can´t even express to you how hard this is to accept right now because she is supposedly one hermana that tries the patience of almost everyone here in the mission and she literally acts like a 4 year old--it's just her personality. Gah the hard never ends, huh? I´m just praying these 11 days go by SO fast and then I can enjoy my greenie and focus on me and her and training. Any advice would be amazing.
On Monday I forgot to write that I was writing from the city Duran--we asked permission to go back there so Hna Martinez could say goodbye to her converts and the members there--that was her favorite area and I have to tell you guys how amazing those people in Duran make you feel. They are golden. The area is not pretty at all but wow--the people? The best. I was only there for hours but felt so wonderful--there is a great spirit there and I hope I can return someday!
Monday night was crazy--they cut our light and electricity and we had to run around like crazies asking for help and from the members and we had a full house of members in the darkness with my two mini flashlights haha Hna Martinez kept asking if it was Halloween. Also I forgot to mention we are looking for a house--have been for 2 weeks now under Pres orders and that is SO stressful!!! We´ve looked at two with the Pres and then Hna Martinez and I have looked at tons and still no. We found a gorgeous one with a great spirit and neighborhood but it's a bit overpriced and the mission won't pay that...so that's another stress on my mind because we have to move asap.
Wednesday we had Interviews with Pres Amaya!! It was SO wonderful. We were able to both share neat experiences and feelings and he asked me if I felt ready to train because he knew I was. Pres Amaya really has so much concern and care for each one of his missionaries and as a missionary, I can feel that love. I felt so happy and grateful for that wonderful experience to share with him and this is just an opportunity of a lifetime. Hna Angulo was there as well because she had last minute changes for one week haha--talk about crazy! It was SO wonderful to see her like always and wow I´m just amazed at how much we share with each other and how well we know each other--I miss that girl. We then had a wonderful night--I really felt like we should visit Eliana because we had an amazing district meeting on Tuesday--the most uplifting one I´ve had in the mish and it was all about practicing how to help Eliana. It was literally SUCH an answer to my prayers and your prayers (thank you for praying!) when she told us she had been feeling little answers to her prayers and we followed heavenly guidance and inspiration during the lesson and she chose December 17 as her baptismal date! PLEASE pray this doesn´t fall through because she still hasn´t received a 100 percent answer and is hesitant but I´ve seen such a change in the light in her eyes--she is prepared and we left SO happy this day! Elder Bushnell and Palacios--our ZLs started shouting for joy and pure happiness when we told them haha.
Thursday was our last planning session together and during comp inventory we both cried a lot. Hermana Martinez bore such a grand testimony to me, shared her whole heart and she is such an example of a strong woman. She knows what life is about, knows how to work, is simple and accepting and I feel humbled to have had this time to share with her and known her great spirit and experiences. Also on Thurs we got to help build an Año Viejo--google it haha we were so excited! The people here build gigantic dolls and paper mache them and then on New Years, burn them and apparently all of Guayaquil looks like it's on fire haha. The harder the year was, the bigger the doll. It was awesome and the person building it is Giovany--a 19 year old boy with a heart of gold and just tons of light. We could see that right off the bat. He doesn´t have a ton of time free to listen or go to church but we are going to visit him still.
Saturday we met with a reference we received from the elders in another zone finally after many tries of trying to meet with him! Cristian is 27 years old and just prepared to hear this message we feel like. We had a great first lesson with him and our leader misional was there and shared wonderful words with Cristian. He promised to go to church and literally when I was playing the piano in Sacrament meeting and looked down to see him walk in with his member friend from the other zone, I cannot even describe to you HOW happy I felt I thought I was going to burst! He was so happy there and so smiley. During the Sacrament I looked down at him and he was praying fervently after partaking of the bread and I just thought to myself, wow. How many members do this and this is his first time here?? We met with him yesterday too and we feel so excited about Cristian. Keep him in your prayers that he will continue progressing and accept baptism--he´s like a light in our lives right now that we don´t have tons of people in our program! Also on Sunday I just felt really really really grateful. I´ve only been here for 3 weeks yet I really feel like some of the members are my family. I feel really close to some of them and grateful for that. I know that will get me through sometimes especially during these next 11 days until we are free.
Sunday also we had a rough time because all day we tried to find a way to watch the Christmas devotional and the members spent their whole day trying to find us a laptop with internet as we had to be in our house at 8 when it started. Well we got to watch part of it but missed a lot and then later found out from our ZLs that we actually did have permission to go but they just never called or sent us a message to let us know that part. We were so so mad and sad at their lack of courtesy to let us know when they knew how badly we wanted to watch it because we had called them earlier asking for permission to go. Ugh the things you learn here haha but the part I did watch was wonderful and really hit me that as I won´t really have a Christmas Christmas this year, that doesn´t matter! I will be just as happy if not more because of the work we are doing here and the blessings the Lord allows us to see. What a miracle the mission is.
I´ve felt quite a bit overwhelmed at the stress of the area on my shoulders, training--how am I going to be a trainer?!! And how we are ever going to find a house to live in that gets approved?! I know the Lord provides but I´ve been feeling overwhelmed and even more so with Hermana Guerring here too. But have a strong testimony of the amazingness of this work. I love missionary work and love the Gospel and seeing it lighten people´s lives!
Well I love you all so so much and pray for you every day. Pray for me, for patience, for my new comp that will come, Cristian, Eliana, and that we will find a house ASAP. Love you so so so so much!!! Happy December!!! As we celebrate this Christmas season, let us remember why we do so. Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior and loves us so much. He can heal your pain, your trials, and carry you when you are weak but we have to let Him do so. Make Christ and His light shine in your lives and live in your hearts every day of your lives! Share the Gospel with those you meet and those you love--when we love someone enough, we realize how much we want them to have the blessings of the Gospel and so we share it. Love and open your mouths and the Lord will do the rest! LOVE YOU!!
Love,
Hermana Bryan
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