Wednesday, December 28, 2016

December 26, 2016

hey im on real fast. I forgot my camera in the house but i promise you to send them the next time, and dad because i couldn't explain where i lived very well on sunday these are the cordinates to the house that we live in. Its right in front of a baseball park. yes they do use the park but only for softball and no there not very good. haha 

-2.174379, -79.900483 


Just copy and paste these coordinates in google maps and im sure that it will come up.  but our actual tracting area is called Sauces 2 Sauces 7 and Sauces 9 and a little of an area called the Garzota.  

hey also when you guys asked me about the day that i have to go home i was thinking about it and i really didnt know at that point cause i usually dont like to think about it not because i dont want to see you guys but its cause its really cool here. and its fun to see that. cause at the start of my mission i honestly didnt like ecuador. I thought it was dirty, i thought they served too much rice, i thought a bunch of stuff that i shouldnt have thought haha, but its cool cause the little things that dirty, or too much rice doesnt even matter anymore to me.  So thats why but i ended up asking president cause i was thinking about it, and he said because he is leaving at the end of June like i think the 28th and there will be a new president the misionaries that have to leave would be like 2 weeks before or i could extend 6 weeks and be able to help out a new president for 4 weeks. But i dont know yet. haha looks like i have some praying to do ahah. 
 
well there is not much to inform about the investigadors cause we basically dont have any. This whole past week we have been stressing out about these pictures. We tried really hard to get them all out. I honestly havent felt so stressed bout somthing in my entire life mostly because some of the pictures got mixed up so it ruined 187 pictures and i had to fix it. but thats alright. Elder Contreras and i made ourselves detectives and figured out how to fix it!! so its all good.

Also there will be a huge change in missionary work now!! There will be a world wide training this January and they are going to change the schedual!! I know nuts! that means Dallins mission is not going to be the same as the most part of mine and not even close to Joshs. They are going to have to come out with a new mission manuel and everything!! but he didnt tell us much he just said the mission presidents are going to have a little more wiggle room to change things and so are the missionaries. like Study time is not just going to happen just at one espfesific hour. It going to happen at a time when the missionaries think its best. 

any ways sorry i dont have my camera i promise ill send them next week

December 25, 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We had a great time Skyping with Caleb while we were visiting my family in Texas.  It was so fun to see his happy face.

He talked about an activity that the mission put on for the area in Guayaquil.  They combined with the Guayaquil West mission as well.  They built mangers (or manger scenes) around a huge amphetheater and took tons of pictures of the families who came to the activity.  Caleb was very excited about it and really loved serving the community.

He told Allyssa that he wants to go to school with her. And Josh wants them to go to school with him too.

He is doing great and loves Ecuador.

December 17, 2016

This was written on Monday, December 19
hey mom and dad

(I asked these questions and he answered)

1. What was your ward called in Quevedo?
in Quevedo it was the Quevedo north stake. the Nicolas Infante ward. 

2.  What is your ward called now?
Now its the Kennedy Stake, Isidio Ayora ward.  luckly there is a companionship of hermanas here too because its really hard to work the sector haha. 



3.  What should we plan for Christmas skyping?  (Assuming you still can do that).  We will be at Grandma and Poppy's this time, so Josh and Magen will be on a computer and both of you can skype at the same time, that way you can see them through the computer.  It is their turn with Hunters when it is our turn with Poppy and Grandma.
i still trying to think of when we can skype. its kinda hard to plan at this time because there are alot of unexpected things to do, when president calles and stuff.
ya that sounds good.  lets plan at 1 or 2 o clock my time christmas day and if it comes out to be a bad time i will have to find somway to tell you 
mom! president invited us, by us i mean all the elders in the office, to eat lunch with him on christmas at like one or 2 so i think ill have to call like at 3 or 4
4.  Do you know Elder Garrett Taylor?  He is from our stake.  I think his parents don't live here anymore but he moved from our stake.  He has been out a little bit long than you, but only a few more months.
and yes i know him he is a super great elder.  he is one of the zone leaders in one of the super bigger zones.  i got to know him really well in a bus one day and we were talking a stuff and he said he lived in highland almost all of his life and he even worked at riddles haha and i think at the same time as me, but he worked in the bakery haha
I have to go write now. We can talk about all the stuff im doing and the great experiencias on christmas :)

Monday, December 12, 2016

December 10, 2017

Well i got transferred again now im in Guayaquil.  Its pretty cool here and ive already had some great experiences.  This last tuesday we picked up a group of missionaries from the airport and i really love these guys you can tell they worked super hard to learn the language because a few of them already came with a bunch of scritures memorized. And i asked one of them what motivated him to work so hard to memorize scriptures and i could really see the sincereness that he has for teaching. he said thats its because he wants to teach by the spirit. and the spirit cant work with an empty tank. It needs ammo.  It really made me think about the importance of memorizing not just as missionaries but as normal people too.

hey mom and dad i have like no time to write right now but i got transferred.  I work in the office now with president as one of his asistents.  so this whole week weve been working like bees and i almost have not working in my sector haha weve actually have only worked there 3 hours this whole week. President is tring to make this christmas perfect or somthing haha.  But way way buisy. Thats also why im writing on saturday. cause pday in the office is saturday. im excited to day because we get to to exchanges with the zone leaders and that is going to be fun!! Choa tell the family that i love them

Sunday, November 27, 2016

November 21, 2016

Thanks for talking to Will a bet he really appreciated it.!!
well thats good!! thanks for being great parents and helping him out.  o and have you seen the new church thing for chirstmas?
Its honestly the greatest haha hey i have to go cause its a little late but i love you guys and thanks for your prayers

November 14, 2016

The field is ready!!
 This week has been great!!  Its been full of following the spirit. We had to do 2 interchanges with the district leaders this week and i got a chance to be with them both.  I really was reminded of something this week that i hope i never forget.  If you really want to help someone, you must love them and know them.  And not just know the way they work or their family but what they want to accomplish in life and what they have accomplished in life.  If they think that their accomplishments have value to do them or are they just events.  I was able to see that when i listen they listen.  When i teach they too teach.  But when am angry they too are angry.  When i am frustrated they are frustrated.  You reap what you sow haha.  The two interchanges that i went on this week were very edifying.  This week we also had a group service project in Buena Fe.  We helped paint a city office building because the president of Ecuador went to Buena Fe that week and we offered to help clean before he came it was really fun.  I know that the president really apriecated the Mormons because his wife is actually a Mormona haha.  So he thinks that we are really dope! 
Yesterday was a great day.  This whole week has been kinda tuff because we have had a few meetings to go to and this big service project so we havent been in our sector for too much time.  But God really wanted to help us out because he really loves us.  Yesterday towards the end of the day we found a family of 5!! and they are so ready.  Ive never seen such listening and intrigued ears in my entire life.  We spoke to them that God Loves everyone of his children and only wants the best for them.  We explained the comanment of Baptism and how it is a way to erase the mistakes that we have commited in the past and to start over and turn a new blank page.  We were promted to read with them when Jesus was baptized and how he really showed an example.  And we asked them why they think that Jesus was baptized by Juan not just any other dude on the street and i think i saw a light bulb pop up in everyone of their heads and they all said because he was chosen.  That is when we told them of the youg boy that was also chosen from God and received his authority.  They were all very interested and wanted to know more.  We committed them all to be baptized the 31st of December!! They are going to have a great new year!!  Its a family of 3 kids. One has 25 years the other is 19 and the little girl is 12 so they can all be baptized together.  
well a bunch of other stuff happened too but i dont have enough time to write it all 
Choa Amigos!!
i wanted to know if i could buy a suit for christmas. there is a guy that sells them here for 100 bucks
hows president Trump doing hehe
yes and i have to go right now and thanks for the suit my suit right now is a wreck, its got like abunch of holes in it haha
i love you and i wanted you to do a favor, can you just send a text or somthing to Will and tell him that i love him and im thinking about him because i heard that he is not doing to well right now, its kinda seemed like its all just been down hill for him since i left ha ha

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

November 7, 2016

Sorry i didnt write last week its been a little tough on time lately haha but i still love you guys dont worry.  Today we went to the registro Civil because we are helping 2 families to be married and after to be baptized.  Its been super busy and its honestly tough to tell you everything in words but its been going by so fast lately.  I hope you guys had a great halloween.  On monday i was so buisy that i forgot it was halloween the whole day haha but thanks for celebrating it for me!!!!  I really love working.  Ive noticed that its has become a passion.  like baseball is sometimes a passion for others and football for others.  Well i decided that this is my passion.  I honestly dont want to stop doing it.  haha.  The only thing that stresses me sometimes is not having enough time during the day to get all the things done.  There is literally not enough time in the day todo all that i want haha

the familys are the Rodriguez and the family Cadena

they were already being taught 
Sing happy birthday to cammie for me and if dad can do it in spanish

how was halloween

the pics are great allyssa nailed it!!! and I love the moon boots!!! (the moon boots are Caleb's)
Allyssa's inspriration




 

well i got to go mom and dad i really love you guys and always think of you of examples and brag to my companion and investigadores about how great youve done has parents!! I really love you guys

October 31, 2016

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Not so Happy Halloween!

No letter this week!

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

October 24, 2016

hey guys this week was a great week.  Hermano Silva got baptized!! we were so excited!! So we went to the church on saturday morning to clean a bit and fill the baptismal fount.  So we cleaned really good so that the spirit could be present and tried filling the fount but there was no water!! haha the problem about Ecuador is that they really struggle with water!! So we called the counceler and he came to check it out.  So in Ecuador they have these things called sisternas. a Sisterna is basically a giant tank of water that is outside of the house underground and the house or the church is this case takes water from the sisterna to wash hands and do all the things with water that it needs to do.  So we looked in the sisterna and nothing bone dry.  So we called and called and the counseler got some guy to fill it up with his giant tanker of water. so he came and filled it all the way up. so we tryed again and still nothing. turns out the pump had broke and so we had no way of getting the water to the fount!!! So we had basically had no idea what we shouldve done.  so we decided to fast that day. we ate lunch and after lunch we started our fast. we told God that we had done everything that was in our hands and that we still needed help.  We worked all day that day and went to the church at 6 to see if it had been repaired. Nope but we found something better!! We found our elders quorom president bucketing water all the way from the sisterna to the fount haha.  We used the giant garbage cans to fill with water and then roll them a good 30 yards inside the church to the faunt!! it took for ever.  pretty soon 7 oclock came strolling along and it wasnt even close to being completly full!! it was up to the 2nd step thats like 3 feet!! but we had to start.  So thats the story of why the hermano Medardo Silva was baptized sitting down.  he sat down in the water then his son in law baptized him from his knees.  but it was a great service there was about 30 people in attendence and his family sang families can be together for ever for him and i honestly wanted to cry... haha

Thanks Cammie i love you too!!! I also cried when i left but then i realized that its not good to cry while doing something so happy!!
hey i got transfered also i forgot to mention that.

Im in a town called Quevedo, my companion is Elder Acarapi from Bolivia!! also remember my companion Elder contreras.  well now he is a asistent its nuts.  Im still a zone leader in the zone Quevedo Norte!!

well i got to go i love you guys ill send pics of the baptism next week

October 17, 2016

hey i really dont have time to write today but i love you all and we are really excited for the baptism of hermano Medardo Silva!!! love you guys have a great week sorry i cant write

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

October 10, 2016

Dear Family i love you guys thanks for the letters and your prayers. The work is going great here!! Brother Silva is getting ready for his baptism. we decided that it would be better that he gets baptized the 22nd.  i was actually kinda scared to tell him because he is really ready for his baptism its just that the area presidency has said that for someone to be baptized they have to attend church 3 times for the 3 hours and right now he has 2 so we moved the date from the 15th to the 22nd.  But we told him and he was just fine with it. he said if thats what God wants for me right now thats just fine with me.  I love that guy!  the last time we visited him we had him make a list of all the people that he knew.  There was about 15 names and one was dead and he only knew where about 10 lived. we did that so that his buddies come to the baptism.  But we asked about the one that died and he said oh that is his best friend and his son.  I knew he had a son that died but i hadnt really asked about it very much (i know stupid right?) hah but we started talking and talking about the temple work and it made him even more excited!! wow i really love him.  right now he is our only legit investigador.  from there we dont have very much more. we are trying to find other ways to find.  I really dont like talking negative about anything here but the ward that we are assigned to is DEAD like really dead like they dont want to do anything so i was thinking and praying about it alot and i thought of a plan.  I noticed that they are disanimated (I think he means discouraged) because  they always get rejected. so they dont want to do it anymore.  its awful, like what they said in the general conference talk haha so we are thinking of more ideas to excite the ward.  if you guys have any ideas that you guys could tell me that i could do or tell the bishop that he could do it would be great!! thanks guys love you!!

ya i was pretty much was getting choked up about it when we were explaining it haha and i just want a picture of the old fire place because i told a dad in the ward how much fun we have those family nights when we roast marshmallows and he was excited about it cause its a really great idea. but i need a pic of the old one cause its a little more basic 

its a good idea ive almost exhausted the whole list i almost know everyone here haha but i get the pic next week cause i got to go but i need the old one cause there is no way in heck he is going to be able to make the new one only the super rich of the rich can make that kind of stuff here and he is a humble guy you know what i mean.

well i love you guys a ton and ill here from you next week tell Jared im proud of him and i also want his email.











October 3, 2016

He spent most of his emailing telling Dallin HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Also the Book of Mormon activity was good.  One investigador came her name is Genesis.  so that is good but i was hoping that other members would bring friends but they didnt.  Also yes my camera still sends pics but i have to do it monday and there is no places with wifi.

I got the package with the pants and beef jerky!! and cammies little letter.  i really love her.  it makes me miss her but i know that im here for a good reason.

well i got to go now but my companion is great!! he likes working hard and is smart. Im trying to teach him english but its tough to say the least! hahah choa i love you guys a lot!!1

September 26, 2016

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY!!!   Since we couldn't celebrate with Caleb, and his birthday happened to fall on a p-day, I asked family and friends to flood his email box with birthday wishes....

im tring to read all of the emails. thanks for telling them that is was my birthday!! 

I don't know what this says, but he and Rob do so here it is: 
gracias papa!! haha, si la gente tiene dinero pero no me voy a desanimar porque yo se que la gente con dinero son los futuros lideres!! y mi proposito es edificar el rieno de Dios aqui en Duran para que cuando Jesucristo venga en su gloria, encuentra una jardin buenisima!!
hey we have an investigador named Medardo Silva.  He as a baptismal date for the 15th of octubre but was a little unsure about it.  We invited him to fast on saturday and sunday so he did and in the sacrament meeting at the end we sang teach me to walk in the light and he said that just did it for him.  It was incredible, he said that that was his answer the way he felt in that hymn was something he had never felt before, he said he felt clean and pure inside.  he got a little teary eyed as he tried to explain what he felt.  I honestly think that was the best experience i have ever had on my entire mission.  He is very excited about his baptism now.  it was really been hard in his life.  before he was a drunk and his kids just kicked him out so he used to sleep in the street begging for money so he can drink more, but now has completely changed I really love that guy!!

also read my patriarchal blessing this week and wow i am a child of God.  those were the words of God i could not believe it!

I asked if he did anything fun on his birthday....he said,
i really just want to take a nap... haha

i have pics to show you but i will have to send them next week cause there is a fun walk that you can do

well i got to go next week i think im just going to send a big email instead of chat cause you are right i dont want it to be a distraction and yes i got the birthday package i love the cuad i use it a ton

Thursday, September 22, 2016

September 19, 2016

In reference to our new patio and rock wall.... Wow our house looks great!!!!!! Its going to get hard to get used to the fence being there but it´ll fine

Its going great here!! We fasted yesterday to find new investigadores and one came to church that we talked to like 2 months ago!! she is a single mother with a really tough kid, he is a drug adict  so we told her that Jesus could change her life and she remembered that for quite a while then she had a strong impresion that she should go to church on sunday and she came!! It was really great! she said she really felt good in the church and wants to be babtised. We put a goal for the 22nd of October 

September 12, 2016

did you get all the pics

i have a new companion now his name is Elder Hidalgo he is a great kid and from Quito but i asked if he lived in the Quito mission and he said no he lives in the Quito North mission, bummer.  But im excited cause i get to teach him how to be a Zone leader!!

I asked where his previous companion was transferred to:

to a zone called Orquilias,  it was my first zone when i started the mission

ya we are close did you get all the pics that i sent or did they not come?

oh well i will have to send them later but i have to go now i love you guys

Pictures never came :(

Monday, September 12, 2016

September 5, 2016

Well this week president wanted us all to make a basic plan for lesson 1 the restauracion.  We always have to make lesson plans for the investigadores but acording to their needs.  but this one was a little more general it was just a plan.  We had an entire week to study it in our personal study time and in our companionship study time.  At the end of the week we ended up perfecting it with just the right scriptures and just the right questions at just the right time.  We practiced and used the plan many times and feel great about it.  Ive never been so sure in my entire life that God exists.  I have no dout that Jesus is my savior, Redeemer, and my friend.  And i have no doubt that when i prayed to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet the Holy Ghost testified to me that he was and that i should share these things with all the inhabitants of the earth.  I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify that Jesus is my savior, Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the church of Jesus Christ is the kingdom of God here on earth.  I am so happy for that.  

Andres is really progressing, we visited him yesterday and talked about faith and repentance.  He said it is going to be tough to repent for all the things that he has done but is determained to do it.  He really has reconized the love of the father for him and really wants to be more happy and knows that he must repent.  He said he wants to have more faith and learn more.  We talked about one of the ways to gain more faith is reading the book of mormon and finding a place to read, he said is going to look for a place to pray and read were its a little more calm and there are less little kids running around.  

Well that is all for this week and really love it here and it is a really pretty place here in Ecuador and there are so good people to talk to.

August 29, 2016

well im sick today so i dont think im going to write another letter haha but thanks mom for the letter that im going to print and the great talk im going to download from dad.

i hope im fealing better by 6 today cause we have 3 really important lessons haha and i really cant miss them
alright i have to go i love you guys and hope all have a great school year sorry we didnt talk much and mom i really really really like you letter I almost cried reading it.

keep doing what you guys are doing

Josh found this!

Thursday, August 25, 2016

August 22, 2016

Well this past week i think have i felt the spirit in teaching alot more. not sure why its all of a sudden super strong but i really have.  Yesterday was church and we invited a kid named Andres to come cause we told him that if he wants to turn his life around then this is the way to do it and it will bless him.  We expressed to him that Jesus Christ has provided a way to be happy in this life and in the next. We testified that this is the way that he has set, and through this church he can learn more about the plan that God has for him, then we invited him to be baptized and he said he felt that he should and that he would if he came to know that it is true.  He really wants to start studing at the university so he can get a job and a family, that is what he says he wants, he took a test to see if he could get in and they havent called him back yet and its already been a month so he is worried.  We promised him that he would get the results if he came to church so he said he would come. He came! and really early. he came at 830 and the church starts a 9 haha plus south america is famous for starting things really late. So we ended up starting a 915 so he had a good 30 minutes in the church alone before.  but he had a great time. he stayed all 3 hours and learned alot about adam and eve and how opposition is nesecary in this life.  We are going to visit him on wednesday and im super pumped!!! cause he is going to put a baptismal date!.

 Our other investigador is named Joseph he is a great 14 year old kid. we have known him for a while now.  He really liked the restauracion (restoration) when we taught it to him He has only attended church 1 time but he really likes the book of mormon. and wants to be baptized but hasnt recieved an answer yet to know that it is true.  He has a baptismal date for the 10th of september so he can attend a little more.  We taught him the word of wisdom yesterday and he says its going to be tough cause he really likes coffee but im praying for him so he will be alright. 

well thats pretty much the bigger news that has happened during the week.  My personal study has been great lately.  Our president is always telling us to study the natural being of God like his attributes and i understood alot but this past week my eyes were opened.  I really realized the phrase I am a Child of God is really great.  It helped the people realize their potential.  Image if we weren't children of a heavenly father we would have no direcion to our lives, we would just be wandering creatures looking for the most pleasure possible with the least amount of pain.  But God gives us an end,  I am a Child Of A GOD, i can inherite a kingdom in heaven!  That is something that we have to teach first because if we dont the people do not understand why there are prphfets or why there is a plan of salvacion, why Joseph Smith had to restore the true church and if he had not done that we would all surely be damned cause we would all be lost and without direction in life.  Well i definitetly love God cause he truly has shown me the way.
 
Rob found Caleb's church building on Google Earth.  Caleb said:
ya its a pretty nice building. There is a even nicer one that is the stake center its gianorimica.  also another bigger one in the island thing that separates guayquil and Duran. Its called Samborondon.  450 members asist there every sunday it is insane. The stake center is in a place called the recreo i think
well i got to go now i love you guys a ton and tell the family that i love them too

oh and can you send me a pic of the house they are building

maybe if you can some pants too i really like the light gray ones

Monday, August 15, 2016

August 15, 2016

Well sorry i havent written in a while it has been kinda slow this past month but im doing alright here!! I love Duran! in 2 weeks we are going to hold an activity thats called discover the book of Mormon!!! Im pretty pumped about it cause we only printed 200 invitacions!!!! and we are expecting the city to come!! haha now im just kinding but we really did print 200 invitacions and gave them to members on sunday so they could help us.  And this ward though!! We are going to bring it back to life here!! All the members are stoked about the activity and they all want to do somthing! This past week milagros happened!! I was reminded this week that i need to be patient with the people that i teach and love them and work my guts out so they can progress.  I also was reminded that i need to look for the chosen people of the lord. the people that want more light and truth in their lives!! The people with holes in their hearts that need to be filled.  And i learned to love!!!  I have to love the people that i teach like christ does!!  If i dont, im not representing him!!  I know this month is going to be the miricle month! As a zone we are going to have 13 babtismes on the 27th!! I know they are going to be babtised!! we are tring to follow up everyday with these 13 people until they get babtised!

Well that is basically what is going on here in Duran!!!

So last week i printed off 3 letters that you wrote for me and the one from dad and the one from Josh.  And im pretty dang sure you we all inspired by God to write me the letters.  Cause I learned alot from them! You taught me patients and dad taught me to look for the people that will actually look for god in their lives. and josh taught me to love and we fought 9 new investigadors this week!! i was pretty sick!! cause i feel like 3 angels sent from God answered my prayer!! Thanks guys

well i have to go now cause its getting late so i love you guys and hope you guys have a great week

August 8, 2016

thanks for writing me mom it actually has been a kinda rough week.  I feel like i should be doing more but i dont have time.  its literally been hard to pray im so tired. i keep wanting to fall asleep.  And i know i shouldnt just focus on the numbers i feel like they are bad and im not doing everything that i should sometimes

alright ill try. ill do my best dont worry.

well this week we had to present an activity to the ward council that we are going to do about the book of mormon.  The participants will go to the year 600 bc and find lehi and he will send them to laban to get he plates but it will be really fun if all goes well.  But that means that everyone has to do there part like perfectly so it all works out haha and the zone we have to do better.  its just been hard to find time to do all the things good

well i have to go now i love you guys like every week hope you guys have a good one

August 1, 2016

No full letter today:  Here is the basics of the conversation.

I asked Caleb if he knew an elder there who has a cousin in Cedar Hills.  And we asked what he wants for his birthday...

"ya i knew him i was really cool. and no i dont know what i would use. like ties maybe and pants would be the most useful"

I asked if he had found people to teach...

"yes we found 5 but we will see if they really want to progress

no mom i know what i want for my birthday. The cuad in spanish. they just barly came out and i really want one

also i need the recipe of no bake cookies we want to make a bunch for the sisters that give us food.  

and it would be awsome too if you could put my name on it. Elder Blackhurst

also i need you guys to think of a time when it was been super super hard economically and you guys really had to turn to the lord to fix it. cause  there is a lot of people here that have that problem and it is really tough for them.  its tough for me too cause i have not really ever had to deal with that so im just like uuuuu hang in there i guess. so i thought well i know a really really good couple that i imagine has had problems and challenges like that and its u guys.
 
ok well i have to get going now and i love you guys a ton and i hope allyssa had a great week"
 

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

July 25, 2016


We are still having trouble finding so we are praying a lot for investigadors



he is a recent convert he is a good guy

the kid in the pictures can't enter the temple now but has the goal to enter in August!

we went to the temple as a ward it was a great trip!






Bowling with the Zone
love you guys


Monday, July 25, 2016

July 17, 2016 - HUMP DAY WEEK!!

Duran is great its a really good city. We have 1 ward in my sector. its just one but in the zone there are 8

im sending a bunch of pics






we didnt catch them we were sitting at a members house eating and the guy came in with a ton of fish and i was like oh dad has got to see this!!! the catfish one is called Bagre and the other with the giant teeth is called Corbina





the pancakes we ate cause i completed a year






Alright sorry i cant write that much but i love you guys and im glad you guys have a great time at the coast!!!

Monday, July 11, 2016

July 11, 2016

Well this week Marco told us with a really sad face that he was not going to be able to come to church anymore cause he cant afford to miss work he says he will loose to many clients.  We invited him to pray and to listen to God and ask him what to do he keeps asking and so are we.  

We found a new family yesterday!! at a family night.  they are evangelist but we just had a lesson about the family and the proclamation and watched a video and it went great they loved it!! They said they are going to investigate the church.  a few days before that, the mom of the same family was sick and for some reason and her leg hurt a ton. her neighbors who are members asked her if she wanted a blessing from the elders and she said it was alright i image that she thought well my leg hurts like crap and i believe in God its worth a try.  We came in and blessed her with the power of the priesthood i got to say the blessing and told her to be healed, i didnt ask God that she might be healed or maybe be healed but to be healed.  I really realized the power of the priesthood after that blessing.  God gives the priesthood to righteous living men that are willing to serve God.  So that we can give blessing in the name of Jesus Christ.  Its as if Jesus was giving the blessing not me.  And i know that Jesus would never say, ok we blessing that you maybe can walk if you really want to. No i know and i knew he would say I command that, you shall walk and shall run!!!!  Jesus Christ did it in the past and he never changes so he does it today.  After the blessing we sat down and talked and she said he has heard a the same words in other churched before but never has felt what she felt on that day.  I know it was by the power of God that we can bless people and i dont brag about this power cause it is not mine but it is of my King and my God. I am nothing compared to him yet.  i Just serve him and represent him when he needs me to!
 
yeah its alright i know that the lord prepares people and i just need to find that sometimes they are just now ready for the harvest but i have to go now and i love you all say hi to the family and tell them i love them and have fun and be safe at the coast i dont want anyone drowning on my mission.

This is a poem (from a hymn) that Rob shared with Caleb:
Know this that every soul is free
To chose his life and what he'll be
For this eternal truth is giv'n
That God will force no man to heav'n

He'll call, persuade, direct aright
And bless with wisdom, love and light
In nameless ways be good and kind
But never force the human mind

Freedom and reason make us men
Take these away and what are we then?
Mere animals, and just as well
The beasts may think of heav'n or hell

May we no more our pow'rs abuse,
But ways of truth and goodness choose
Our God is pleased when we improve
His grace and seek His perfect love

Monday, July 4, 2016

THE FOURTH OF JULY (2016)

"They got baptized!  This is a family in Ventanas!"

Family in Ventanas that Caleb was teaching.
 
no they got babtised this last week but that pic was my last day in ventanas and elder mecham wrote me and told me that got it done im so happy!!

His letter to the group:

Well i got transferred!! im in duran but ive been here for like 3 weeks now i just suck at writing haha but things are going great here!! We have an investigador named Marco!! he is super dope he went to church yesterday and cause it was my favorite sunday in the entire world cause its fast sunday he got to listen to like 20 people bear there testimony about Jose smith!!  I felt the spirit really strong in the meeting and apparently he did too cause in the second hour of church i asked how he felt in the first hour and he said that he knew that Jose Smith was a prophet and that the book of mormon is the word of god!!! we are going to talk to him today more about it but im basically really excited about that!!!

Rob said he wished he could be there to add his testimonio:haha i wish you were too!!

I asked if he was still able to send pics from his phone but I meant camera:
what phone haha i know you mean camara haha and no the wifi in the church is crap but i had to delete a virus in the camara to send them now!!
it wouldnt let me send pics but now its good! what are you guys doing for the 4th today
yes i got the the letters from cammie and yes the second pair of pants came on tuesday

I asked how it was being a zone leader:
busy i have to send a ton of informes to president and the asistants but its fun at the same time i really like it
 
Rob asked him where his comp is from:
Elder Contreras de Trujillo Peru
but i have to go now i love you all happy fourth of July!!!
 

June 27, 2016

We didn't hear much from Caleb today.  Here is what he wrote in response to our backyard rock wall being re-done and Clay Wilson getting his mission call:

you guys need to slow down!!! what the heck!! 

mission calls, you guys are destroying my house!!  you guys need to quite changing. ok i got to go i just wanted to say hi!!

The wall we are "destroying"

Monday, June 20, 2016

June 20, 2016

hey i got transfered to a city called Duran.  President wants me to be a zone leader now so im might have a little less time to write you guys. ya only 6 weeks with elder mecham but my new companion is named Elder Contreres. and he is a stud im going to work with him now in Duran and we are going be build zion here!!!

the ward is called Ponton and Duran is the city and it is really big its kinda close to guayaquil. there is 2 stakes here its really big and has a lot of members but is also kinda rich areas but im not scared ill just keep chuggen doing missionary stuff

I asked him if he took pics in Ventanas:
ya i took a few but i try sending them next week cause i honestly dont know how to do it from the computer so have to do it from the wifi

alright i have to get going right now thanks for being the best mom and dad in the world also tell dad i liked that missionary moment that he had and happy fathers day

June 13, 2016

Elder Rasaband!

This week was one to remember!! We had an great opportunity to listen to a apostle this week right here in Guayaquil!!!  the elder Ronald A Rasband came on saturday.  He spoke to all 3 of the guayaquil missions. But before he spoke we all got a chance to shake his hand! and our mission president told us all that we should look right into his eyes when we shake his hand because that might be the only time in our lives to look at an apostle of the lord right in the eyes. So i did and it is hard to describe the intense Spirit that i felt when i did.  After that he talked to us alot about smiling.  How we should always smile and show that we are truly in love with this gospel and that we are truly are representing Jesus Christ.  He also talked alot about discerning from the spirit, how that we have two things for us when we make decisions and two things against us. The 2 for us are, The light of Christ or his influence and example and the holy ghost.  the 2 that are against are, the natural man inside of us and Satin.  I really like that he mentioned the natural man because we all know that the natural man just wants to do the "good" or what is cool.  If anyone has ever felt peer pressure before that is the natural man, but if it is peer pressure to do something correct then it is the light of Christ and his example.  Sometimes we just talk ourselves out of a great decision cause we just reason it out and decide not to in the end.  So what he told us was that we need to go off the first impression from the spirit and not wait for ourselves to deny us from blessings.  

He also talked about prayer and that God is not Siri so when you ask something to him he is not immediately going to respond cause he his God and he has his way of getting info to us and sometimes it is fast but most of the time he wants to see us work for the answer ourselves.

I know that we have a prophet today and he lives and loves everyone of us very much.  He knows this life is not the easiest in the world and its not supposed to be.  We have to work for exaltation always and for blessing.
 
I asked if the packages I sent have come:
yes i got one of them with some pants i love them they are super fresh and way better than the others.

Also another experience that i had this week was when we were teaching a less active about temples and at this point he wasnt so less active he is doing good now but we were teaching about baptisms and i tried sharing the experience when we baptized gramps. and mom it was incredible. ive shared the same experience a billion times before and its never been so special.  So i always share that experience with all the people that we teach about temples cause its basically the only one i remember haha.  But my companion was actually the one to call on me to do it haha all he said was Well elder Blackhurst has and experience about temples and i wasnt planning to share it but all i told him is when i was younger i went with my dad to the temple to help my family receive all the ordinances of the temple and i explained the spirit i felt in that room when we did it that now gramps can receive exaltation too. and i really received a confirmation that they really need us and we really need them in order to be happy 1 here on earth and 2 in celestial glory (Gramps is my dad's dad.)

i got to go in like 2 minutes sorry i was a turd last week and didnt even write you guys.   I saw sister Stout (Bryce) this week and gave her a blessing. it was awesome. Im glad to hear that rex is doing good. she served in that same ward like 30 years ago!! I love how the lord did that haha

hey i got to go now but bye love you guys 

June 6, 2016

hey mom

haha i love dallin haha but hey we cooked a giant fish this morning cause this guy gave it to us it is really big and we couldnt even finish it haha

well shoot i missed ya well ill catch ya guys next week
Yep...that was it.

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

May 30, 2016

So this week was District conference ps district is like a stake but with all branches instead of wards and the mission president is incharge of all the districts here so he was presiding and it was amazing they talked a ton about being self sufficient spiritually and temporally and he talked about scritpure study, temple attendence, tithing and fasting and it was amazing if we keep these comandments we dont need to worry about the money the relationship in family we will know what to do. he talked about first you have to know what these things are then we have to understand them and the only way we can do that is by trying them out then we have to have the faith sufficant to recieve them and that is believing with a true desire that god can bless us, after that comes the change our lifes will be different and we will have more confidence and will be able to overcome challenges that we face.  and slowly we will build a strong house upon the rock which is Christ the lord.  I love this gospel i know this church is the one true church on the face of the earth i love studing the scriptures and fasting with true prayer and i love Ecuador!!!

ok well i have to go now keep remembering to keep the sabbath day holy and always and always try to find the spirit of the lord in everyday and try to feel the peace that it provides especially sunday cause that the lords not ours

Sunday, May 29, 2016

May 23, 2016

also i dont know what to do my teeth and going to be crooked ahhhhhhhh i dont know what to do i dont have my retainers.  also i had to take a 3 hour bus ride to guayquil this week so the doctor could look at my foot cause the regular medice from the famacia doesnt work anymore so i had to get a bunch of subscrition for abunch of cream stuff but its already getting beter

ya there is a giant corn here but its kinda far from my house so i dont know if ill be able to take a pic with it but ill try.

its really cool that old guy that i said we took to church that was cripled really likes the church!!!! he is super dope!!! he said if you guys tell me i need to be babtised ill get babtised hah but its not good cause he need to have a better testimonio than that before babtism with joseph smith and that this is the only true church. but i love him to death!!! hah. he cant read} but i have to go now love you bye!!!!
 
Large Corn in the Middle of the city of Ventanas

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

May 16, 2016

Sorry i have not writen in a while but im still alive!! haha So in Babahoyo i had and experience that was super cool. so the bishop in our ward was showing us a few houses with less active people and we were looking for this family that the bishop felt that could be reactivated with in 3 months so we went looking and looking and we were like crossing ponds and the bishops wife had heels on so she was freaking out haha but is all good anyway we were probably looking for a good hour and asking people  where the house was and we asked this dood and i had a really strong impression to share somthing with him about the church and turned out he was a preacher in another church and he started yelling at us and stuff like mormons are wrong and stuff so i was like ok that sucked and we started to walk away when this lady comes out of no where is was like hey wait wait!!  And she was the lady that we were looking for!!!!  her house was kinda far away from where we were but she said so looked out the window and saw a dood with tie and a white church and she thought now they cant be form my church they are talking to that preacher guy they must be missionaries of his church but she said somthing told her to look back so she did and she wasnt sure so she decied to come and talk to us that is why so was yelling wait and stuff!! so i beleive that is was the spririt that told me to talk to the preacher guy that turned out to not want anything so that she could see us and talk to us. Turns out she has a lot a problems in the family with her husband and its really sad cause he thinks she cheated on him and stuff but we talked and we told them the only way that things were going to get better is if they start going to church again and reading as a family and praying as a family and they went to church that sunday!! then i got transfered!!! ahhhhh!! hah no its all good now im here in Ventanas and i love it here!! my companion is from las vegas!! he is super dope and played football and stuff and was super swoll before the mish but he lost it all cause he has almost been out here for 2 years now and is going home in july but we are having alot of fun here we weeled a cripled dood to church last sunday and he said he liked it and would like to come every week if we come and pick him up every week!!! im down with that he is a super sweet guy!!  he has diatbeetys so he lost both feet and one arm so he doesnt to much with his life anymore but we are going to help him out

i know god and my savior live and know they loves me and their children i know that is is the true church and that joseph smith was a profet called to restor the church of god and he did a great job!!! i know im here today cause of him!!!

After this FANTABULOUS letter, we couldn't seem to go back and forth.  His emails were coming at weird times of the day, but we did get a short little nugget toward the afternoon, long after he was on the computer.  I had asked him a couple of questions:

*Was this a normal time for transfers?  We have lost track of normal transfer times.  the normal time is sunday night like a 11 in the night i dont know why because it sucks to start packing that late but that is how it is.  i left at 9 oclock in the morning so i slept a good 4 hours or so haha
*Are you still a district leader? I'm guessing not?  Well i wasnt this whole week and i kinda enjoyed it haha cause Elder mecham was district leader and all i did was help but we got a call from the zone leaders today and they said that now im going to be the district leader and that Elder mecham is training me to be a zone leader.  so i got to enjoy being a lesser companion for a week but back to the grind.

May 9, 2016

May 8, 2016-Mother's Day

We didn't know what time he would call on Mother's Day so we spent the day waiting close to our ipads and phones.  We got this message at about 345pm at church.  We breathed a sigh of relief to finally know:

ok thanks im going to call in 1 hour
 
After talking for about 5 minutes or so, the wifi in his area gave out and we couldn't get him back for anything more than a sentence or two.  But he blurted out that he would call on Monday at 4pm.
 
 

May 9, 2016-Second Mother's Day

We were all set at 4pm, and he emailed this:

hey ill call in like 45 mins

That turned into a little over an hour. But he called at about 515 and we had a GREAT visit - for about 30 minutes.  Then the brother of his companion logged into his account, which Caleb was using, and kicked Caleb off.  We were never really able to get back on at that point, so we called it good.  Maybe saying good-bye is overrated!

He sent this after a while of trying to get him back:

thanks love you guys too the thing i was going to say was all of you guys look really old like cammie already looks like a teenager haha no im joking but it is really wierd for me haha but tell them all that i love them and sorry.
 
 
The craziest part of these phone calls wasn't even the fact that the wifi wasn't cooperating.  It's that on Sunday night, after we had spoken with him in Babahoyo, he received a call from the office.  He was told to pack up and catch the bus to Ventanas, north of Babahoyo.  He got transferred between phone calls!!!  Never would have expected that!  His new companion is Elder Mecham from Las Vegas.  His first gringo!  Elder Mecham goes home in July. New adventures!

Monday, May 2, 2016

May 2, 2016

Well, not much of an update because we spent the entire time going back and forth about when he can call for Mother’s Day.  The important part is that HE CAN CALL FOR MOTHER’S DAY!!!  Woohoo!!

There are a few little nuggets of info that he mentioned.

I asked how things were going with the cleanup efforts:

“ya nobody is doing anything here anymore.  In Ecuador when things fall all the people just forget about it so all the houses that fell are just sitting there in the water cause no body bothers to do anything, haha but the families that lost there homes just moved out of the church so now we can use our church”

Another nugget of info:

“ill try to send more pics next week i suck at taking pics cause i dont want to look like a tourist. like today in the mall we were just eating our food and a bunch of teenage girls came up and were like we want to take a selfie with you guys cause your gringos and stuff and we had to explain to them that we are not here to take pics with teenage girls we are here to preach the gospel haha they go super disinterested after that haha”

And now my favorite nugget of info:

“somthing really cool happend this week that i need to share with everyone to so next week ill have to write! but i have to go right now sorry to leave you on a cliff hanger hehe but i need to go cause weve been in here for ever”

REALLY SON???!!!

So there you go…that’s all we get this time.  He will try to call sometime on Sunday (Mother’s Day), when we aren’t at church.  Ugh!  Wish us luck J

April 25, 2016


Service week and picture time!

Thanks dad! love you too!  keep studying isaiah but keep looking up the words of 2 nefi too cause i have found that it helps a ton hah i feel like nefi, my father studies the words of isaiah!

He sent some pictures of the service they have been doing.

oh ok ya the service was super fun!  you can tell that a lot a people are in need over here. right now there are 12 families living in the stake center and my church is the stake center so this week we only had sacrament meeting and next week we will have church in another building in the city.  at 2 in the afternoon its insane haha.

ya thats true we are super blessed!  but what is worst is in manabi and esmeraldas its bad.  A bunch of members of the ward went over there and came back saying that they dont even have water to drink so i think the ward is going to try to plan more activities to help them out over there 

ya i heard that they had to close a few zones over there and the misioneros had to find there own way back to guayaquil and had to walk forever haha im glad im not there haha no but i imagine that they are doing a ton!!!  oh also president just told us elder rasband will be coming to quayaquil!! im super pumped he comes 11 de june!! its going to be really cool!!but we are going to have to meet as all 3 guayaquil missiones in one spot i dont know how they are going to do it haha!

also i need your help so there is this chick named Jennifer Salas and she and her little brother are having a hard time right now cause there mom doesnt like the chuch cause sometimes they get home like a 930 at night from activities and the mom gets mad at them. so do you think you could write her a letter she is like 19 or 18 years old and her little brother is 16 and she needs help so you could just write her an email and i will give it to her but ask dad to help you translate it and maybe hunter or max too but just share personal experiences about you 

thanks mom and i have to go now but i love you so much and thanks for raising me to be a good boy
 


 
This is the missionaries and members of the church giving service after the earthquake.

 
 
 
This is how they iron clothes.