Fruits of Labor and Just Fruit!

Lots of Fruit in Ecuador...This one, Passionfruit

I am an in the city Guayaquil, Centenario. it is a richer area, a lot of people have cars and actually have fairly nice homes. Habiscuses and other tropical flowers grow outside people´s homes, they are so beautiful and people in the U.S would kill to have these kind of flowers! People here really love rice and Plátanos (really big plantain) there are two types, verde, green and flavorless, you have to cook it and you make chifles and patacones with these. Then there are Madures wich are mas dulce (sweet) and you make Madura Fritas with them, you cook them as well. They are both really good.

I am actually doing fairly well with the language. it is easier for me to just listen to people talk than for me to talk, even though I am fully capable of holding a conversation with somebody. I need to have more confidence in my abilities. The fastest way to learn the language is to listen to what common words people say, study them, and study the scriptures! When you know the doctrine and do all you can to serve people, the Lord will bless you with the Gift of Tongues!

Arnold and Ayer with Giovana at her baptism

The people are hospitable here! Every time we go to someone´s house they offer us jugo, agua, or cola or anything that they have. The people love to talk and tell their life stories. At times it is unrelated to the lessons, but it shows they trust us, and they love to have company! And also Latinos love that upbeat hymns, and it does not matter if they are in tune or the harmony, they just sing with conviction and testimony, it is awesome!

Saturday was got 8 references from a member and invited so many people to come to church. We were positive that we were going to lograr out metas ( reach our goals) which was 10 compremetidos a assistar a la Iglesia. We woke up early one Sunday morning, to walk to thier houses, and nadie (noone) woke up and noone wanted to come with us .We were devestated because we also missed the Santa Cena. It was a really hard Sunday, my body was tired and just wanted to go home and sleep.

I learned that God withholds miracles from us because he is testing us, we need to fulfill our capacity or our potentcial. We haven't been inviting enough people to be baptized, Lately I have felt a burden, this is how I usually feel when I run a race and I dont give it my all, I am going to have peace until we give it our all and invite everyone to be baptized. Afterall that is our purpose. We need to have faith that someone will accept our message. I also learned from Hermana Ayer, that if we have trials or we have problems, we need to understand the root of our problems, like Nefi when he broke his bow. We have our agency to change our situations, and trust in God that he can help us fix it!

I just need to remember his will and he has all power to give us miracles! We just need to constantly change and trust in God! Max Lucado said, ´God loves you just the way you are but he refused to leave you that way." This life is our time to prepare to meet God. The Lord knows best; he knows our potential, I love you all!

Hermana Arnold

Miracles and Difficulties

This week I experienced a miracles and desafíos (difficulties). The first experience that I had, was at a baptism, me and one of my companion went to of one of the investigators of the Hermanas in our district. As a goal of our zone, we planned to invite our nuevos fechas ( investigator with Baptismal date) to the baptism so they can experience what the service is like. We planned to invite 3 of our fechas including 3 menos activos. Only 2 of our menos activos came, and 0 fechas. It was a bummer, however, the miracle happened with the menos activa Elsie. She has been inactive for most of her life, she 16 years old, and doesnt even remember her own baptism. We have been trying really hard to get her back to church, so far she has been really closed off and shy. I think it has been hard for her because she knows she has to change her life to come back to church. The truth is hard to hear. For a while, we werent sure if she was going to progress. But the Lord showed us people can and have desires to change.

She on her own went to a Noche de Hogar activity and she went with us to the baptism! So after we got to the church, we left her with the people who were attending the baptism and walked to get our other menos activa. When we came back with our menos activa, Elsie's little 8 year old brother was there with her! This was a miracle because this little boy wanted us to teach him, he had desires to be baptized! We didn't even think to invite him. The Lord inspired someone to bring him, it was super chévere! Elsie was welcomed by all the youth, and gave her kisses and hugged her (latinos are very touchy and loving, this is the way that they show love) They welcomed her as if she was already apart of the family and she wasn't even gone! The Lord wanted us to reach out to this family, I still believe that they have a long way to go, but at least they know that there is a way, and they have people that can help them.

Also Giovanna, got baptized this week!!! we were so happy for her and she was definitely prepared for us! I took some pictures before the baptismal service!

My second experience was really difficult. Sunday mornings, some of the members and the missionaries in the ward meet to go walk to menos activos and investigators houses for church. We planned on inviting 6 amigos, only 2 came. We could not get anyone out of their houses. One of investigators with a fecha, was not able to come for some strange reason, and she never came. Giovanna and Francisco came to church, but did not stay the whole 3 hours of church. That was really frustrating, they do not understand the importance of going to church yet! Then We went to go plan Francisco's week before his baptismal date which is this Saturday and the family told us that Francisco cannot be baptized this week because they have a really trip to take to see a relative and will not return until Sunday. We were devastated and frustrated because there are cambios this Saturday (transfers) and we may not be able to see him get baptized...lots of not so easy things happened that day.

One thing I learned is that, through the good and bad times, the Lord is blessing us. and even though we are not perfect, and people reject us, and not understand the importance of their salvation, we still have ours. We still know that this church is true, and if it is not going to get through to them, its going to get through to us. There is only one way to happiness and eternal life, and that is through the Savior. He descended below all, so we can be raised up and live with our father in Heaven. I love this Gospel and I know my Savior lives. This work is so hard, but Vale la Pena. Vale la Pena means it is worth it...Salvation isn't easy, but its worth it!

I love you all

Hermana Arnold

Things To Know About Ecuador

1. It rains at least 2 to 3 times a week and half of it is !Full hace Color! 
2. The bakeries, the rice, and the cockroaches are 10x bigger in Ecuador...
3. There is a 3 day holiday called Carnaval where everyone throws water at each other. Me and my companion were only able to proselyte for 2 hours each of those days! One day, we were walking down a street and a cute little family drives slowly past us and sprays us with soap and water...it was by far the weirdest experience I have ever had in my life...
4. Latinos really like to practice their English when they pass by us. They say," HIII HOW ARE JUUU" One Latino yelled at us while he was on his motorcycle," Hermanas I love JUU¨" It really is quite hilarious. 
5. You cant flush toilet paper down toilets, you have to dispose of it in the trash. Its nasty 
6. The jugo (juice) is absolutely amazing, members make it for us for lunch. It is like a smoothy, it super buenísimo! 
7. Guineos (bananas) are like 25 cents each, I am addicted to them! 
8. Keys are worth a lot of money here, like 45 minimum! Aparently, to make them it is really expensive in Ecuador. A lot of families have only one set of keys! 

MORE FACTS TO COME NEXT WEEK!

This week has been really difficult for me to have confidence in teaching. Every time I say something, the adversary really loves to send buses to overpower my voice and dogs that start barking. At times I freak out because I don't know what to say or how to start lessons. But the times when I just let the spirit guide, everything works out and I am able to teach with clarity. It seriously amazes me when I have no idea what to say, but when I start to open my mouth, the spirit gives me words to say! I have faith that the investigator understands by the spirit!

In Alma it says by small and simple means the Lord will bring about His great and Eternal purposes. I don't know everything, I cant see everything, but I know I just gotta keep doing everything I can, as simple as it might be.

I also learned about sacrifices, that when we make sacrifices the Lord will bless us even more that we thought possible. We just have to have faith and let the Lord lead us! And like President Monson once said," sometimes faith means trying again tomorrow". We cant be perfect at something unless we keep working at it, sometimes we just gotta jump into the cold water until swimming and breathing becomes natural.

Faith is the biggest principle, Life is always about faith. Faith can help us see miracles, we just have to work at it until we no longer need to act on our faith to see miracles, we will have a perfect knowledge of things...I love you all!

Hermana Arnold

Two weeks in Ecuador

I dont have a lot of time but I will tell you that I am in the city of Guayaquil. The other areas in my mission that I will probably be transferred to are Santa Rosa, Cuenca, Loja, and Machala. Loja and Cuenca are in the Sierras! We are missionaries over the Centanario ward. There are 16 missionaries in the zone, and there 13 zones in the Guayaquil South Mission. In our zone we have 25 baptisms on average a month, it depends on every zone...but it is about 250 to 300 each month.

The food is really good but super duper fattening. Lunch is the biggest meal here, and usually a meal comes with a big bowl of soup, meat, and lots and lots of rice. There are also bakeries  EVERYWHERE! I am a little worried about gaining weight, a lot of sisters here do...one sister gained 30 pounds! I sincerely hope that I wont gain that much weight.

This past weeks, our faith has been really tested. We have to have members assist us on our visits, it is MUY IMPORTANTE because the members here are not always reliable. The youth are absolutely amazing, the majority of the ward is youth, and a lot of them just come to church on their own. I really do enjoy getting to know them, they are super PILAS! Anyway, the language is coming a lot easier, however, it is still hard to understand the needs of investigators because of the language barrier. and it is also difficult because most of our lessons are taught out in the streets. People dont have very much here and so they don't often like to invite people into their homes.

I feel as though finding people is like picking out of big bag of marbles at random, I have know idea where to go or who to talk to. I often times just have to listen to Hermana Ayer and follow the spirit, that is seriously the hardest thing to do, but we have been obedient and we have been working our tails off!

We fasted from saturday afternoon to sunday afternoon, and let me tell you that was really difficult, but worth it! Saturday afternoon we taught a menos activo named Jose-Luis who served his mission in Quito, but hadn't returned to church in over 15 years. His wife is a catholic, and he has two children named Francisco (13 years old) and Guermo (17 years old) and they have never been to church. we taught them about the importance of the Sacrament and going to church, we also gave Guermo and Francisco the book of mormon to read and pray about. I bore my testimony of going to church, that even though the language is hard for me, I still feel the spirit, I still am at the peace, because the church is the same everywhere you go! Then we asked Francisco to be baptized on the 22nd of March, and he agreed, he just has to get permission from his mom.

we specifically fasted for 5 people to attend church, 3 new baptismal dates, and more investigators available and acountable to assist us in our visits. The next day, we witnessed a miracle! The next day, Francisco and Jose-Luis attended church, and a women named Fanny and her son attended (who are also menos activos). That seriously made me so happy that they came to church. and then, the bigger miracle happened. We sat next to a girl named Giovanna, it was her first time attending church, and she asked my companion if she could be baptized as soon as possible! We so far have planned her baptism, but she hasn't had her interview. But if she is worthy, she will be baptized on the 15th of March!

I learned this week that even if you do not know where you going, and you do not know who to talk to, the lord will bring you there. and sometimes the Lord will make you look and look, until your faith has been tried, until you know exactly where to find that person or the person will find you! Everything always works out! It is beautiful and this did not happen by chance! This was the work of the Lord!

Until Next Week

Hermana Arnold