Hola Familia!!! Well I have missed you all a lot this week. Love you so much! This week has been wonderful. Of course, full of ups and downs but just so great.
Monday we had the fun fun opportunity to go to Malecon and Las Penas and it was so fun! My first real outing to visit sights of Ecuador. Las Penas is this cute old city on top of a hill with 500 steps to the top and a lighthouse at the end to climb up. It was so fun! It was also wonderful because we could go with our house-mates before they moved out to live in a different house. So fun :)
We then went and visited Maria in the nighttime and it was so wonderful. She told us that going to church, she felt like she was entering a home and that everyone there felt like family. That´s the only way she said she could describe it and it´s so true! What a wonderful lesson and testimony of the truthfulness and difference of the church. It´s true!!
Tuesday we went to our Zone meeting only to see our new ZL....dun dun dun....Elder VANWAGONER. BAHAHAHAHA (Hna Angulo--can you believe it??!!) He started smiling super bigly when he saw me and I just started laughing. I was excited and also couldn't believe it. haha It was hilarious because there was this knowing relationship we had during the meeting and he always smiled bigly and laughed when I would look at him or answer something etc. Our meeting was awesome with lots of laughter, participation, and it was just a feel-good meeting. He´s learned how to get everyone to participate in a zone meeting, learned that the focus should be on loving our investigators and helping them change and feel the Spirit not just numbers and baptisms. What a nice change and improvement!
We then went to visit Julio and it was incredible because every scripture, article, quote and experience we found in personal study and planned directly applied and touched him. It´s been so neat to see the small changes in his eyes and life. Also it´s cute because he used to say that going to church was a pretty serious thing and that he wasn´t ready and that he wanted to keep reading and praying first. Today he got scared and said that baptism is super serious and he´s not sure and he wants to keep going to church. Haha it's cute cuz I think we all know he´s going to do it but is just nervous. But we felt the Spirit so strongly during the lesson and it was so familiar and happy and wonderful to be with him and testify and love someone. He also told us that at church you feel something different than any other church and it feels like family.
Next incredible thing is Alejandra and Camila! They loved church and said they loved reading the BOM so much that they continued until 1 Nephi 7! 15 and 12 year old girls who have such a hunger for the truth and who are finding answers to questions they´ve always had. They remember everything they read and get so excited about it and about the stories. They believe the Restoration and prayed and got answers and are such incredible, special spirits and 2 escogidos de Dios that we happened to contact. They already pray like members and apply things to their lives. Miguel saw us in the nighttime and told us we were literally shining and asked if we had a great day. haha you could say that :) He also told us that he was dying all day on Monday thinking I got transferred because we never showed up---dang it poor guy! haha I told him I would have said goodbye:) He also told me that he asked forgiveness from Alvaro and now he has done absolutely everything!! I told him our fam put his name in the temple and he got SO happy and grateful and just a look of pure joy. thanks family :) I feel so blessed to have been raised in such a thoughtful and loving family. I love our motto: Seek to Serve, Live to Love, Go and Do!
We had 2 new missionaries spend the night at our house waiting for their trainers so that was a party--6 missionaries for a night! One of them is awesome and the other is special like many are now in the mission. haha dang it. but oh well! :)
Wednesday was a hard day and Thursday was a pretty good day with ups and downs! Comp inventory was incredible just like always. I also got a testimony of 3 Nephi 27:28-29 asking for righteous intentions and receiving it. I´ve been asking to be able to see, for once, the fulfillment of these fruits and people in my mission and if it's the Lord´s will, to be able to see that this transfer and stay here with my comp and it's happening. How the Lord blesses us!
Thursday night and Friday morning Satan really tried to make me feel like a failure and like a much lesser person or missionary than others and it was horrible. I hate that guy! :) During comp study I was tearing up a lot and was down on myself and was sharing the very few things I had to share that morning when our doorbell rung. I looked out the window and saw the bishop who always takes the office elders around in his taxi. The new pouchero, Elder Archibald was there with meds for our house-mate and he shook our hands. He looked at me and I didn't even have my nametag on but he said Hermana Bryan!! You were in Cordova in Manta right?! I was the elder there and just came from there! He gave me updates that they couldn´t ever find Soheil because he had left the city dang it, but they saved the BOM in Persa just in case. He gave me other updates and than said Manta IS OPEN AGAIN TO HERMANAS. I freaked out and didn´t get a chance to ask him about everyone but I´m going to next time! I couldn´t believe the news. It was very nice for him to take the time to tell me that and I took that as a tender mercy from the Lord and that He knows me and loves me and knows my heart. Wow. I don´t want to go there now but maybe I will actually be able to sometime! I think my heart has been left here now though with these people in Francisco so I am so grateful to still be here :)
Friday during our lesson with Julio, we kept talking about baptism and smiling and laughing and kept mentioning it and he said to us, "You guys are more stubborn than Rocky!" and started busting up laughing. That's where my title comes from. haha Later on in the lesson I bore my testimony and then kept mentioning baptism and smiling and he kept smiling nervously and then finally burst out laughing and said, "You are a MONSTER of conviction!!!" bahahaha I didn't know if I should be offended or grateful so I just started busting up laughing and we laughed a lot and set up a baptismal interview for him :) He´s so awesome.
Saturday was a wonderful day and Camila and Alejandra have permission from their mom to be baptized and are so excited! Also Julio had his interview and we went to visit him before and after and he is so great. He is going to be baptized ON SATURDAY!!!!! March 10!!! He is ready and though he is scared and there's a lot to think about for how to baptize him, the members were so excited that they practiced yesterday during church and have it all planned out to put a chair in the font and have 3 people around to help put him under the water and help carry him out of the water, etc. They have been so supportive of him and us.
Sunday we had 6 investigators at church! What miracles. I was just SO happy to see them and see their progress. The ward members and leaders have been surprised at the investigators coming and that we have 3 baptisms coming up and others progressing. The testimonies were awesome and so was our Principles of the gospel class and the hermana said that God´s purposes will NEVER be frustrated and that we are His hands and instruments on earth. How true that is!!
Some random things: people say I talk like a Columbian here hahaha maybe it's from being around Colombian comps and Miguel a lot :) Also I thought Moses 1 was amazing during my personal study this week. It´s interesting because in the first 7 verses, Heavenly Father really emphasizes to Moses that he is His son and created after the image of Him and divinity and repeats ¨my son¨ over and over. Then later when Satan comes to take away the testimony Moses had gotten and the light he received (cuz Satan always comes after, that stupid guy) Moses had a testimony already of his divine potential and was able to refute Satan and stand strong because he knew he was a son of God with the potential to become like Him. It struck me that Heavenly Father emphasized that for a reason and if we really understand and feel and know our divine potential and who we are, Satan will have no power over us!
Also sharing in comp study, Hna Jo shared that she took a jewelry class one time and that you obviously have to burn out the impurities and refine the metal. She said she asked the teacher how we know when the jewelry and metal is ready. The teacher told her: when you can see your reflection in it. How true that is for this life and the trials we go through and the experiences we pass through to refine us. We are being refined and we will be done when Christ can see His reflection in us. What an incredible thing to be able to strive, fall, pick ourselves back up, and try to become like our Savior and Redeemer. I love Him.
I also loved this quote by Heber C. Kimball: ¨To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth for yourselves...the time wil come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself.¨
Our housemates moved out and it was way sad but amazing to be with them and to form such a sister-like relationship with Hermanas Ward and Johansen. I love that they go to BYU and that we get along so well and how much we love each other. It is so wonderful to have people like that in our lives! Also Hna Ward thanked me for being such a light and I got really touched at that literal fulfillment of the blessing Elder Hammer gave me a while ago. How I love the priesthood, my Heavenly Father, and though I feel so unworthy for the many blessings they give me, I feel so grateful. I love being able to see people change, I love loving people and serving them and giving our all and leaving the rest to the Lord. His purposes will be fulfilled! The church is true! Christ lives and loves us. I love you :) Let His light and love lead you along and refine you.
Miss you like crazy! Have such a wonderful week!!!
Love,
Hermana Bryan
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