Final Letter and Testimony From Ecuador

Wow. How strange.

I honestly feel like I am in limbo right now.  Last week I think I went through the grieving stage of leaving my mission because I left Cuenca.  I left everyone I knew and loved.  This week I feel like I am just waiting.  We got to Guayaquil and they put me with my DARLING Hermana ISITA!  The Lord really does work miracles and give us little tender mercies.  She didn't let go of my for 15 minutes straight.  Then I saw Hermana MOORE for the first time in 6 months.  She cried, I cried.  It was so great.  Then we went to the apartment.  And waited.  We had NO idea what is was they wanted us to do for that week.  Cause it wasn't just me they had sent to Guayaquil but ALL of us who are finishing and then some.  So we were 12 in the house all working in one sector, for one week.  It ended up being NUTTY though. 

This week Elder Godoy the Area President of the Seventy came to speak and help us.  We helped the assistents for two days.  Then there was a mission choir that was singing Christmas hymns in the mall and so we went and talked and contacted all the people in the mall for a couple hours for two days.  Then we contacted in the park. Met some great, great people.  SO prepared.  Then I got SUPER sick on Saturday.  It was awful.  Then Sunday was so weird because we were so many missionaries in one ward that there wasn't enough room for us in Gospel Principles, so we went and listened to the Gospel Doctrine class.  Then Relief society was basically directed at us as missionaries finishing up and to another sister that had just got back this last week from her mission.  We didn't have any investigators to look out for...we didn't have to ask the attendance, we weren't running around.  It was weird.  I didn't like it.  Then I was still kind of sick and super dizzy so they told me not to leave the house. 

Weird weird week.

Now though I feel better.  We are going to work and preach.  I can't even express to you my love for this work and this gospel.  It is hard and and really I think it is hard because Satan tries to convince you that it is hard but really the moment you open your mouth to share these beautiful truths the spirit fills your mouth and your heart.  I love being a missionary.  I love serving my Lord and Savior.  I don't know him perfectly but I know him better, and it was been the greatest gift of my mission.  I love his gospel.  I love knowing that there is an answer to every question, and that it comes in many ways.  I love learning the language of the spirit.  I love teaching it to others.  I love being able to confidently express my testimony that I know, with assurity that this gospel is true.  I love it.  My mission here in Ecuador de tiempo completo is coming to an end.  It hurts and it is strange, but I know I can and will always be a missionary.  I testify as a full-time witness, set apart to declare the truth, that He lives.   In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

LOVE - Hermana Wride

Early Goodbye to Cuenca - Leaving is HARD!

I have transfers.

When the zone leaders told me I was so upset, that I called the asistants.  Good thing one of them is a good friend....hahaha.  But is okay. I talked to Eli from Monay and she calmed me down.  It is SOOO hard to think though that I have to leave Cuenca a week early and go to Guayaquil for the last week of proselyting of my mission.  I was so sad.  But everyone seems to have had some sort of confirmation for me that that is where the Lord needs me.  I´ll be honest, I´m still waiting for that confirmation . At least this week we finished INCREDIBLY!!!  We had the most amazing Sunday of my whole MISSION!! 

First off we had three baptisms in the morning!  THEY ARE SO AMAZING!!  The mom, Magdalena, cried after her baptism and we sang all the songs accompanied by a guitar and it was just so beautiful and spiritual and a miracle happened with our mamita that I will have to explain later cause that will just take too much time, and just so many things happened.  Then church started and it was the primary program and that was just the cutest and SOO many of our investigators came to church!  The primary program was so cute and my companion (who also had transfers to Machala) and I when we started looking around at all these amazing people that we love so much and I just started to CRY and she started to CRY! (my companion hardly EVER cries) and we just sat there hugging each other and bawling in sacrament meeting.  Also the attendance was 180 which is 50 people more than usual!!!  WOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!  And afterwards everyone wanted to take pictures with us, I felt like a celebrity but it was so hard cause I just kept getting teary-eyed and when one of our investigators grabbed me in a hug and said through the tears, "thank you for bringing me to church!" I broke.  The other members of the family started to cry too and I felt helpless.  I truly never knew if I had really made a difference in the lives of anyone and yesterday was amazing to see that though I never ever made that difference, I got to help guide them to the source of help that did.  I got to bring these amazing people unto Christ.  Que privelegio!!  Then we went to ward council and I felt like I was looking on it from the outside and just saw these amazing leaders, worried and finding solutions to help the ward members and I felt a little of the pride that Heavenly Father feels for us when we are engaged in his work.  Then the rest of the day we visited our converts and some of our closest investigators.  I am so humbled at what I saw.  It was like I got to see really the end result of all our work. And it was incredible. 

Then when we got home we started to pack.  I have felt for a while that I wanted to give my watch to my companion.  She didn't have one, and I knew more than just that I felt the spirit telling me I should.  When I gave it to her she cried,  I am not sure why my watch had such a powerful significance for us both but we both just started crying and I gave her a huge hug. she doesn't like hugs so I apologized and just told her I needed to and she told me, "I think I am starting to like hugs now. Le quiero."  You cannot know how much that meant to me. She honestly became like my daughter here and I LOVE her with all my heart.  I admire her so much and I think because we had to fight through so many problems between us and overcame them, we grew so close.  I cannot even express to you how much I love her but when we had to say goodbye today, I felt my heart breaking. 

I honestly think the hardest thing I have had to do is finish my mission.  But I am so grateful for what I have been able to see, do, and feel.  I know the Lord lives.  I feel his spirit with me every day and know that not even one day of my whole life have I been alone.  I know that Christ´s atonement cleanses and gives strength to the weary and new life to everything.  I have felt how it has cleansed me from my sins and helped me to see the world through eyes of hope.  I love this gospel.  I know with a certainty that it changes people, it changes hearts.  I LOVE the opportunity I have to live it and share it with others and I am grateful that at least that much doesn't have to end. 

En el nombre de Jesucristo. Amén.

Hermana Wride

Fiestas De Cuenca

Well this week was strange as well.  Monday we had our interviews with President and we played volleyball as a zone. I actually really like Volleyball now, but my poor ARMS!  I had TERRIBLE bruises from playing.  jajaja  We ended up getting home Monday night at 9:15 crazy day.

Tuesday we had a training with President soooo good and soo spiritual.  Then we went to eat out.  And we went to work for the three hours we had left. 

Then started the Fiestas de Cuenca.  Everyone had the week off of work and everyone was partying.  I really think we need to make an adjustment to the Mission Manual.  There is a part that says that weekend and holidays are the best days to find people at home . FALSE!  We honestly found hardly ANYONE at home and so we decided to just go contacting.  We found some investigators for other sectors haha.  We also ate colada morada and guaguas de pan.  Colada morada is SOOO good it's made from purple corn and tons of fruits and its a drink. guaguas de pan is bread in the shape of a baby (guagua means child in quichua.)  I was so excited because they only have it for this time of year and I got here in Cuenca this time last year and I devoured every opportunity I had to eat them. but it was rather depressing to not find anyone and especially because we had to be in the house at 6 every night cause there was lots of partying.  I feel like we basically did nothing this week. :( 

The good thing though was that we were able to go to Sigsig which is a town about 1 1/2 from Cuenca to visit our cute little family who is going to be baptized this next Sunday and then MANUEL GOT BAPTIZED!!  And our convert Juan Carlos BAPTIZED him!!!  Coolest thing ever!  This is why I love being in one ward for a long time, you get to see the progress of your converts, and that is the funnest part of being a missionary for me. 

Then yesterday we had 3 amazing lessons and I just felt the spirit soooo strong and was able to testify and promise some amazing things that the spirit prompted me to say.  I LOVE being a missionary!!  These people have hard lives, but I get to help them find the way out through relying on Christ and following his teachings.  It is sooo simple. So hard sometimes to carry out, but so simple. I love this gospel and know it is true!

Love you all!!

Love,

Hermana Wride

Cuenca Cathedral - Beautiful but sooooo creepy. We like raannn to the terrace to take pictures!

The Zone

Our Mamita, Afrania.    She helps us SOOO much in the work!

-Our Hermano Manuel was baptized this week. He was so ready for the gospel I admire him so much!

We went to mexican restaurant with the whole zone and president. YUMMY!

The shortest and the tallest in the zone. Isn't my cute comp just adorable! I LOVE HER

I LOVE MY MISSION

Well once again this P-Day is going to be nuts....last week the reason we had no time is because we went to Azogues as a zone and we wore JEANS!!!  I felt sooo weird.  First time I had put on pants in a year and a half. We hiked a mountain to some Incan ruins and that was super fun, but we then got home super super late and had no time to write.  This week we have interviews with President at four so they pushed up our p-day to 8 in the morning....we're going to study in the afternoon....strange...hahaha.  We are also going to play volleyball with President and Hermana Moreno.  I LOVE THEM!  Honestly they are just amazing and have such a wonderful vision for how the mission should be run. 

Well everyone is telling me that I am not giving enough details about mission life, but I just have no idea what else to tell you.  I love it though.  Honestly it is the hardest thing thinking that in 3 weeks I leave the mission field and in four I leave Ecuador.  Ecuador is my home now, I love it and I feel it.  I now eat platano maduro in the mornings and crave salchipapas at night.  Rice is a staple and without it a meal just isn't a meal.  Popcorn in soup is necessary, saying hello to the the sisters with a kiss on the cheek is just part of my culture now too. Chendo, mande, chevere and so many other words are part of my vocabulary and there are MANY times that I cannot remember how to express myself in English.  The bus routes are my every day commute, and the little stores on every corner are just so normal to me.  I have lived in Cuenca a year now and it just feels like home. But more than anything it's this life of being a missionary that I love.  I now even love waking up at 6:30 and running!  It is my favorite thing and gives me so much energy!  I love studying the scriptures for an hour everyday and planning for our investigators with my companion, then studying Spanish which is just the most beautiful language.  Then getting ready to leave and conquer the world with the gospel!  Just talking to everyone, teaching, seeing when the spirit opens their eyes and they truly see for the first time, when they come to church, when they read the Book of Mormon.  I LOVE what I do!  It is so rewarding.  

I love my calling as a Sister Training Leader.  I have felt the spirit work through me sooo many times giving me the words adecuadas that the sisters need to be able to keep going and work effectively.  I love the confidence that the spirit gives me in leading these amazing sisters.  I even love going to Guayaquil (hate that bus ride though, I get so sick every time.  Literally every 5 seconds there is DRAMATIC curve, and the drive is so beautiful that I just can't help looking out the side window. Ugh) and going to meetings, planning the salvation of souls.  I LOVE EVERyTHING about the mission and it is the hardest thing to think that one day it will end.  I really don't know what details everyone wants to know, but this is my life.  I get to live in the most beautiful place on earth, surrounded by the most charming and struggling people, teach about Christ, and learn from the spirit. What could ever be better than this! 

This week we were able to teach a lot of new people and help some VERY VERY prepared people come unto Christ.  We are now preparing an amazing family for baptism in two weeks.  And Manuel gets baptized this week.  I LOVE these people.  There are lots of problems here, there is a tradition of domestic violence that is sooo hard to break, but very possible.  There are extreme economic problems and almost everyone is without work.  Many have their priorities very whack (they live in tiny shacks, but have the latest iphone kind of deal.) But when they accept the gospel they change completely!!!!  Not all at once and sometimes there are wrong traditions that stick for many years, but they learn and their kids learn and little by little it is improving.  I LOVE being a part of this process.  I love you all too!  I hope that answered a few questions....I just don't really know what to more you don't know, but if you want to know something specific, just ask.  I'll try to answer.

LOVE YOU ALL, thank you so much for your support and the spiritual thoughts you send me. I love hearing them. 

Hermana Wride

We ARE Children of God

This week was nuts and today was crazy - for that reason I have LITERALLY no time to write!  Honestly I just barely got on and have only 10 minutes.  But the rundown...

This week I went to Guayaquil again.  Jaja (LOL) it seems we are always going and coming.  Consejo (Advice) was awesome and the best part was that WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE!!  It was amazing!  And there was a member from Monay that is going to go on his misison this January to England and he was there as a temple worker and OFFICIATED IN THE SESSION which I have to say was the coolest thing ever.  Here in the SANO area the future missionaries are required to be temple workers (when possible) before leaving and he has been there 6 weeks already.  I received so much DIRECT revelation and for the first time in my life truly heard the voice of the Lord.  I know he lives and I know he loves us and that we are his children and now I know more than ever that he has ALL the answers.

After the temple we went and ate crepes with the other leaders from Cuenca and it was so fun.  Our Zone and district leaders are nuts but they are SOO powerful.

We also had a really powerful Zone training after and I was able to bear testimony of the Lords love for his children.  I felt the spirit so strongly working through me to make these missionaries see that they truly ARE children of God.  I think it is a truth that sometimes we forget, but it is a pivotal truth and key to our understanding and living the gospel. 

We also had lots of miracles this week!  We were only in our sector 2 1/2 days this week but the Lord worked hard and 13 investigators came to church!  IT WAS NUTS!  There was also a family that came with a member saying that they want to get baptized.  Like WHAT??  Okay!  Pray lots for our investigators, so many have some very hard trials, and also pray for the zone, they too need them.  I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Hermana Wride

Doctrine of Christ

So this is going to be short.

     This week was rather hard, I´m not gunna lie.  I just have this problem having too many priorities and then sometimes I don't realize I am stressed till it just comes out in tears and then whoops - it's too late.  Haha, but it is good because I have learned a lot about managing stress here on the mission and it has been a great skill to gain.  Well there were just lots of strange problems this week but it was good because I really got to feel the spirit working through me and helping these people and I learned how to lead better.  I also learned that if something is going to help a situation, you should do it in the moment and not later (thank you Elder Villalobos).  We helped some Hermanas move houses and that was the first time I have done that on my mission.  I honestly feel like one of the only sisters who doesn't like to move.  I always get to a house where the sisters have recently moved or when I leave they decide to move again.  I just don't understand it.  Sorry rant over.

      On to the good stuff.  We were able to have a really good lesson with the Fam Criollo and we talked about the sacrament which is soooo cool by the way.  Have you ever stopped to think about how much symbolism there is in the sacrament and how much that adds to the spiritual significance of everything?  And it was so cool to see the understanding they gained.  We also talked about baptism and about the scripture in Moses 6:60 that says (in a rough translation, never have read it in English) "by water you keep the commandment, by the spirit you are purified, and by blood you are sanctified."  I LOVE that scripture because it explains so beautifully how we are converted.  We have to keep the commandment by being baptized and witnessing unto the father that we are willing to serve and follow him, so that he can purify us of our sins through the gift of the Holy Ghost and as we endure to the end, trusting in the merits of him who is powerful to save, developing faith in His atonement, we are sanctified and refined.  We talked about that and I felt the spirit soo strongly.  I know of the power of the doctrine of Christ.  It is the only way we can be saved as there is no other name under which we can be saved.  What a powerful and beautiful doctrine.  AND I GET TO TEACH IT EVERY DAY!!! WOW!!!

Also unless it is absolutely necessary PLEASE don´t mention my homecoming!  I'm really quite enjoying thinking it will never come. 

LOVE YOU ALL!

Love,

Hermana Wride

Grateful To Be a Servant of the Lord

Lo siento casi no tengo tiempo para escribir!! 

This week was awesome, we were able to see tons of miracles again.  One investigator who was so confused last week that he said he didn't want to come to church again, watched the conference and this week he came to church and said he knows he needs to keep going. 

We had nine investigators in church yesterday.  Mayerli brought her best friend too who also wants to hear the lessons and they are so excited to go to church again.  She turned 15 this week which is a big deal so we brought her cake and made her a card. 

We also were able to put a new baptismal date with a new hermano who when we talked about priesthood authority told us that he accepted it all and we was so excited to be baptized.  He reminds us every time we go by that he is getting baptized this 5 of Noviembre.  What a blessing it is to be a servant of the Lord.  I am so grateful for the time I have been given to serve him.  I love you all thank you so much for the support! 

-- 

Hermana Wride