Saturday, August 9, 2014

Week 30 - Ibarra, Ecuador - July 28, 2014

Mi Querida Familia! 

Here in Ibarra we have had a good week. We sadly don´t have any investigators with baptismal dates but we´re working on it. We have been diligent and the fruits are coming, we just have to be patient. Also this week we were served chocolate cake for the first time in forever from a lovely member family. I asked for a second helping. No shame. I am thoroughly content.

This week we went to Quito for verification! After the first six weeks of training for the new missionaries, the newbie and his or her trainer get to go to Quito to eat pan de chocolate, and subway, and recharge our missionary batteries of excitement and ganas de trabajar! It was great! While Hermana Pinto and the others from her group went on a little efiel trip to sight see Quito, it was nice to learn along with the other trainers in a group discussion how I can improve and be a better “Mom” for Hermana Pinto. I´m working really hard with making sure that she can feel the love I have for her, and hopefully it will be a good example for her for the rest of her mission. 

I am very grateful for this week we were contacting the other day in Caranqui, and found a sweet young mom, Doris Suarez, with her 3 kids, one is 9 years old, so a possible baptismal candidate! She told us that her neighbor was a member of the church who had recently moved to Quito and that she was interested in learning more. We got really excited and challenged her to baptism right there on  the spot. And she accepted! The only thing was she wasn´t able to come to church the next day even though she said she was going to L But Oh well! We have a cita planned for this Wednesday with her so we will see what went down sunday morning. 

Also we are still teaching Piedad and Erica, who are reading the Book of Mormon, and have a testimony that it is true. They were preparing to be baptized on the 9th of August but weren´t able to come to church yesterday because they received and urgent call from Piedad´s mother about her health. They rushed to visit her Sunday Morning and weren´t able to come to church. We still have high hopes for them, and we will change their baptismal date to the 16th tomorrow!

Remember Marco? Our fallen baptismal candidate...There is still much hope for his progress because he keeps reading the book of Mormon. And we visited his Mom, Maria for the first time on Thursday and she really opened up to us.. how she doesn't believe that the Evangelical church she is assisting right now is true and so on. She even started to cry because she ahs felt so distant form Family and from God. We gave her a book of mormon and she promised to read!, She really wants to know what church is true if there is a true church. AKA She has real intent!  Also with Marco, we visited him this week with the JAS (Jovenes adultos solteros) and he connected really well with them. We made plans in Consejo de Barrio for the Jas to go and visit Marco this week without us, so that Marco can feel more of a friendship with the members without the missionaries being the middle men. Marco still is on for his baptism this Saturday, but we feel like it would be best if he waited a week, because he was out of town this Sunday and didn´t go to church. We are excited for the progress of our investigators and we pray for them everyday! Hopefully we can also find new families this week, we will be looking and contacting as many as we see!

Also huge change in Ibarra! Another pair of missionaries is being added to each branch. We will be a stake soon! I know it! That means we had a long meeting with our branch president yesterday afternoon and decided the new limits for our sectors and such. Hermana Pinto and I will be changing sectors which is really exciting. We have to look for a new house.. which is a bummer because our house is the maxima.. pero nos toca!

I know that the field is ripe and ready to harvest, and we are here in Ibarra for a grand purpose. I have learned so much about diligence this month. Feeling greater satisfaction and truly understanding the importance of the Atonement when we want to develop cualquier atributo. Estoy super animada por el proximo cambio y sé que vamos a ver Milagros, bautismos, y mucho éxito. Estamos tan felices a ver los frutos de 6 rescatas, la familia Figeroa en el mes de Julio. (A rescatada, is a family that once was less active but now are going to chruch each week and have received all the missionary lessons once again and have had interviews with the Bishop) Sabemos que hemos tenido un gran propósito retaining converso recientes y ayudando menos activas. Estoy contenta. Sé que el Señor vive, y que somos sus siervos, pero aun más, sus amigos. Quiero ser aún mas de un ejemplo y representante de Él. Tenga una buena semana Presidente! Gracas por todo!

Con Amor
Hermana Powley

Attached is a pic of our wait for the transfer calls. Have no fear. Hermana Pinto have another change juntas! AHH que animo! I made Patacones. A super delicios plate that hails from the coast of Ecuador... Large fried green bananas.