Week 42! "Among The Lamanites‏"

From 11/10/14

Ali chishi! Imashugui ta capangui, mashigo? :)

This week was really something. We had surprise interviews with President Richardson and I was able to express a little of my concerns in this sector. Matthew -- those are super good tips, thanks! The area book here, unfortunately, is "that" area book. The one that has incomplete or no information...and hasn`t been updated in about a year D: aaaaahh. This is the big concern. But, we`re getting there. We just asking for references everywhere we go and have been getting to know people bit by bit :)

Anyway, I guess I just care way to much about the quality of the way we teach and document people`s progress. I`m here to help people have their own conversion, and to do so (for me, at least), I like having accurate, complete information in order. That`s why it`s taken some extra diligence and faith these days....but I like it. I feel like these are the kind of challenges I`m built for, and I feel good. I feel strong.

And I`m pretty sure it`s because of all the scripture-reading and prayers I`ve been doing, as well as the support from home. I really really appreciate all of you because of the weekly support and emails....I`m pretty spoiled in that area because I get email at least every week while others sometimes get little to none...So thank you! In my setting-apart blessing, Pres Gutierrez actually made a point to comment that the weekly emails I write and read will be a source of spiritual upliftment every week...and that`s just how it`s been :)

Hna Q and I have had a problem with our bathroom sink smelling really really bad since before she even got here. I believe it was last week...President Richardson, his wife, the mission assistants, and our district leader and his companion, all came over to our house (SURPRISE) after a mission conference. President Richardson stepped in and crinckled his nose...."Broccoli?" he asked. I quickly explained, "No, It`s coming from the bathroom sink. It`s been like that for a while now. We don`t know what it is."

They checked the nature and condition of the rest of the house. And, lo and behold, the biggest recommendation was to get the source of the smell fixed....jajaja Ok President. CONCLUSION to the story: the smell has been like that for a few months here, and Hna Q and I found out that the tube just needed to be tweaked to form the right drainage shape.. and the smell was gone in seconds -_- jaja

AND. One day we stepped into our home at night, it was dark, and as I put my foot through the door I heard, "sploosh." I turned on the light to find our little hallway 2 inches deep in water. Cool. I think it was from our neighbor`s shower that must`ve gone wrong. But yeah. We swept the water out the door and down the stairs just to get it out of the house. Hopefully no one slipped on the steps that night....muahahaha.

Lots of funness with our little hippie-house. We rearranged it a little bit and cleaned a TON of nasty stuff the first week I was here. In that rearrangement, I found and moved a little Christmas tree into our room by my bed. The lights work and everything!!!! For the past week and a half or so, we`ve been sleeping with a lit mini-Christmas tree in our room...and sometimes I`ll even play the Christmas music Dad gave me on the little mp3 to lull ourselves to sleep. jajaja THE LIFE.

So anyways, Hna Q and I are eating better and exercising regularly in the mornings. We even used something I remember Mom telling me before the mission of wrapping plastic wrap around our bellies as we exercise....and it end up wettttt. It is so awesome! And well, Amy`s been helping us with her motivation and exercise diet and tips, so today is day one of the 21 day fix program my compa and I have started. We are going to be so smokin` by the time we`re done!!! woohoo :p jejeje

Another random story that just came to mind....This morning I was sharing my studies with my compa. I tried to explain that Jesus Christ had Nephi (in 3 Nephi) bring the records to Him....I couldn`t remember the Spanish words for "record", But! I could remember it in Quichua! jajaja Now, don`t get too excited, my Quichua is very very very less than basic. But, I thought that was cool jaja. Reading the Book of Mormon in Quichua is the best thing I`ve done yet. When I first arrived here and stepped off the terminal bus, I remember eagerly looking for any sign of quichuan-ness that I could begin learning right away. The first sign I saw that had Quichua on it was to the bathrooms. I am proud to say that the first Quichuan words I learned here was "bathroom", oh sea, "ishpana uku." Aren`t you prouuuud. :`) Jamàs will I forget my first Quichuan words of the mission :)

One night a member invited the elders in our ward and us to a birthday party for her son. We accepted at first, and were looking forward to attending. But, something kept nudging at the back of my mind. There are many regulations as missionaries, and, although I`m sure we weren`t doing anything horribly wrong (or else I wouldn`t have accepted), I did have a sense that the mission President wouldn`t approve of both the elders AND us being there.

So, that morning we had a really good excuse to change plans and go explore a part of our sector that we don`t know yet...because the only bus that heads there leaves at 12 pm and not again until 6 pm. So, we cancelled the party-plan and headed out to look for a less active family that the bishop gave us. We found them. AND. 8 members of this family are less active. All live there. They have been less active 8 years, but don`t even know why or how it is that they ended up that way....perhaps the distance to get to church?..

Two of the youngest kids in the family (14 and 12 years old) were never baptized because they were too young. They were all so respective and receptive. They committed to begin coming to church...asi de facil. And the two youngest desire to be baptized. They even read both the pamphlet and the scripture assignment we left them!!! De oro.

Yesterday in ward council, we mentioned that we were able to find this family and that they were super good. The bishop, his counselors, and his secretary immediately jumped wagon to go with us to visit them that night.

And, if it hadn`t been a lesson, I would`ve totally recorded it. The parents of this family don`t understand much Spanish and speak solely Quichua. SO, bishop and his counselor translated the lesson to them. IT WAS SO AMAZING. The best part is, I UNDERSTOOD a lot of the conversation they were having between the parents and the bishopric in Quichua....ahhhhh I love my life.

I should really take and send a picture of our bishop. He is SO HANDSOME because he has a very special countenance and authority in all that he is and does. And he has a long, thick braid that reaches all the way down his lower back.

It`s going to be really hard to leave this area when the times comes and the Lord calls me somewhere else.

I am so happy here. It has been work, but there`s a feeling of calmness and tranquility here that I can`t express or explain....something that I never felt in Quito. As I read the Book of Mormon, I feel the sacredness of the experience I have to serve among the Lamanites.

You can talk with any missionary that has ever served here among the indigenous people, and every single one will tell you that it was one of the best experiences they`d ever had...and that, unless they had been serving here for more than 6 or 7 months, they don`t ever want to leave. I think that a big part of that reason is because we are here fulfilling the Lord`s promise that these "remnants of the house of Israel", of the Lamanite and Nephite descendants of the Book of Mormon. And that the Lord doesn`t let His missionaries get "tired" of serving here among them. On the contrary, we feel a tireless spirit of wanting to work even harder among them...and I truly feel spiritually strong being here. It is so great.

Alrighty, I love you all turigos and ñañagus. I hope you have all had a great week and will continue to have a good week. Love you!

Ñañagu Fernelius :)

[Braided hair is common for men, women, and children in Tiffany's current area]

This white coconut chocolate is what I ate for Mom`s b-day :) jejeje

Week 41! "The Spirit is Preparing..."

From 11/3/14

Kay so I`m gonna get right down to the chase this week :) Because uploading them pictures took some tiiiime!! But I really wanted to do it first for that very reason :)

...something really interesting is that...well, ya know, if the people we teach don`t speak Quichua, we have to past on their reference to the Spanish-ward missionaries. And this has happened to a handful (not kidding, like 3) of the golden families we have found and started teaching. Where they either don`t speak Quichua or not all of the members in the family do....so we`ve been passing references over to the Hermanas and Elders of the Spanish ward left and right. AAAAAHH.

Honestly, I don`t mind because we are all on the same team....I just hope they take care and pay attention to these families because I KNOW they can progress if the missionaries do. But, at the same time....wahhhhhhhh. Because Hna Q and I still don`t have solid investigators. sniff sniff. We fasted to find a family, though...so I know that we will. We just have to persevere....deep breath.

Also, with one of these "golden" families we had to pass on to the elders...we had a great experience going over to the houses of one of them.  This family lives in a small, one-room block house in the countryside. We arrived -- the first time following-up with them since we contacted them a week before. The wife, M, was doing dishes in the stream outside. We spoke with her a bit. We found out that she had actually met with missionaries when she was a teenager, but her mother never let her go to church because they were strong Catholics. So, she never went.

We asked to enter their home to speak more with their family for a bit. Mo [the husband/father] was hesitant, looking at us from the door. Considering whether or not to let us in. I don`t know why I was so persistent...but calm. "Just let us in for a few minutes, no màs. We just want to chat for a bit because we have a special invitation for you..." I said. jaja I don`t usually use those words or say things so curtly.

Mo let us in. We sat on a long wooden bench, M sat next to us, and Mo sat on a flipped-over bucket. We began thanking them for letting us in, then Mo began to speak.

He was a couple levels lower than us, and every time he looked up at us, it was with a side-skeptical glance, as if he were churning something over in his head. Then he shared with us a dream he had had.

He said that after Hna Q and I had left after contacting him that first day on the side of his farm, he had a dream that night. In his dream, Hna Q and I showed up at his door. We invited him to be baptized. He refused, saying, "I am Catholic." In the dream, we began to cry. He said that we were both so sad -- distraught -- because he refused. Tears rushed down our eyes in the dream, and Mo said that he woke up.

Mo mentioned to us, analyzing his dream, that it has been bothering him ever since. That he felt as if he had negated Christ by telling us "no".

We sat there, listening, and looking at him. He was struggling internally....big time. He was having such an internal debate about whether he should listen to us or not...and what the dream actually meant.

He said that, seeing us come by today, there was no way he could refuse us like in the dream...just in case we would start to cry again (jajaja). And, the biggest things of all, he told us that he noticed, very clearly, that we are closer to God than the "people in my religion". He said that three or four times...that it was very clear that we were closer to God. He mentioned one man he knew who also "changed religion" and no longer drank liquor. And, as Mo sat there with his bottle of cerveza, that change in his friend also left an impression.

We suggested to Mo that perhaps that dream was meant to prepare him for our visit that day....a warning to accept us and our visit. We promised him that if they would allow us to keep coming back, that he would realize for himself the reason we responded that way in his dream, and what there is for him in this Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. He committed to go to church the next day --- and they went. The entire family.

But that night, I will never forget Mo`s prayer that we said on our knees. He prayed for forgiveness saying, "Padre, perdona mis pecados...I want to change. Change my heart. Perdoname." It was the most sincere prayer of a father on his knees. His family was also there, on their knees, listening. When we all stood at the end, M`s smile was so pure, and the glimmer in her eyes so beautiful.

I am filled with gratitude that the Lord is preparing so many people to accept the missionaries...and accept the Gospel. It is amazing! It was a miracle :)

I hope the Elders take serious thought in visiting this family often...because if they don`t, WE will. Even if they are no longer under our stewardship. :p jeje

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!!!!!!! I`ll be thinking of you both and partying on your special days :) jeje LOVE YOU! :)

Anyways, I think I have to wrap this us...it`s time for us to go. May another week of hope and miracles begin! :)

Please keep us in your prayers as you go about your day. Not just me and my companion, and Ash and hers...but all the missionaries. This is a fierce battle we are a part of daily...And it is so worth it :)

Love you all!!!

Have a great week!

Hna Fernelius

​Guaguas on Halloween day :)

Uhm...umbrella? what happened? jaja

The BEST fast food place I`ve been to on the mission. Mexican food...super good, a lot, and pretty cheap!!! Happy days here in Taco Bello :)

Heeeyyyy I tried some cuy [Guinea Pig] yesterday. We were invited to an after-church lunch to eat some left-overs of a wedding. CUY CUY CUY CUY...The skin is so thick and tough. It was pretty good. There were little hairs all over it still... jaja

On our way to the ZOO!!

Zoo of aves, aguilars, buho (owls), etc.

WOOOOOOOO :)

Corazon de Imbabura [a local volcano] :))) ‏

I looked at pictures before coming here....I never thought I`d actually see the day. So happy X) :))

Week 40! "The Indigenous"

From 10/27/14

Hi everyone :)

This Monday I laughed. so. hard. (did you see that, dad? I can do it too :P) Hna Q and I have been having one funny experience after another! jaja. At one point I couldn`t breathe from laughing so hard.

Let me explain a little about the sector I`m in...It`s pretty much the centro. So it`s still very much city, but we also take a bus out to the campo (country) to work out there as well. My ward is indigenous. All the members [wear traditional clothing and] have trenzas (braids) downs their backs. Ahhhhh :) I love it here.

This will take a little getting used to as well, because we only teach the indigenous people. If we have a contact or reference to a family that is either Latina or doesn`t speak quichua, we have to pass it on to the Latino ward. So, pretty much, our sectors are meshed together and overlap. We teach the indigenous in these areas, and other missionaries teach Latinos in these areas.

My VERY FIRST DAY here, Hna Q was showing me around and introducing me to a few of the leaders (most of the main church leaders, including the stake president, live in our sector muahaha). And, though I was very mindful that both the men and the women have braided hair, I made the mistake that I promised I would never do.

"....and are the other two girls yours, too?" I asked as I spoke with one of the bishopric counselors at his door. "My sons names are..." :O AAAAAH, the horror! It`s just that.......you know.......their braids were so loooong...and pretty. And I only could see them from behind.

Not any more, but the first couple days here it was also a little on the challenging side to tell some people apart. It took a little getting used to, but now I`m good with seeing how different each one of them are. But at the beginning, it helped to recognize who the person was by his or her teeth. Yeah yeah. Not cool, Hna Fernelius, not cool. But! Each one has such unique teeth. And by the cracks, gaps, and gold fills, I could totally distinguish each one of them!! jaja Man, I sure love these people. They are such a handsome group! Sunday, seeing them all together and being there in the midst of them. I`m pretty sure I`m going to be one with them before I have to leave.

Something really interesting happened last week. We went to visit a young lady Hna Q knew from before, "O". But her cuñada came out and started explaining in very un-cute terms how she doesn`t like us going there to visit her sister-in-law and how she feels that we should never come back because we are just confusing O, and that people should only go to ONE religion, not several all the time because in doing so we are making a mockery of God. We listened, and listened. Finally, when the time felt right, I took a step closer, preparing to respond. I don`t know, but I like being reasonably close to the people I speak with. Somehow the spiritual connection is much greater. So, I stepped forward. It was noticeable, too, but I didn`t mind.

I feel such surety in all that we do as missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ. The doctrine we carry is pure and complete. And nothing that people say can waver that I know it`s true.

So, I began to ask questions. "Have you ever asked O why it is that she goes to different churches so frequently?" --change subject --I asked again. --She responded. "No." "You say that any church will do, and that O should stick to one. But, maybe she doesn`t intend to mock God. Maybe she`s just looking for a church that she feels has the truth." This lady, "S", began to soften.

I continued, "Because, S, we aren`t hear to cause dissention in your home, nor oblige O to join our church. What we do as missionaries is INVITE all people to listen, and ask God to know for themselves if what we share is true." She continue to listen, so I went on, "S, what we share is not what you expect. Because, we do not believe that this is `just another religion`. We believe that this is Christ`s church restored in it`s completeness once more to the earth. We believe in a living prophet, just like Christ himself was and has always called in ancient times, and that we have the same organization today, governed by God Himself."

My companion continued, opening the first pamphlet we typically share with all the people, "La Restoraciòn", and shared Joseph Smith`s First Vision. S kept silent. The Spirit was so strong. We were standing, outside, surrounding by chickens and dogs. But that didn`t matter. Every time we look an investigator in the eyes and share the First Vision with conviction, despite the cars and noise around us, without fail the Spirit testifies it is true.

My companion paused for a moment after sharing the First Vision, and then shared her testimony. Hna Q explained to S that she could know for herself as well, by praying to God and asking if it is true, and that He will answer. I wanted to share my testimony so bad as well, but before I could, S looked up at us and said quietly, "O is inside. Would like me to go call her?" And she left without another word to call O out.

We haven`t seen S since. But that experience was so impactful. From a completely hardened person whose only intention was to shut us out and keep us from ever coming back, arms folded, behavior cold....to a completely humbled person. The true doctrine of Christ does that to people. As disciples of Christ, our preparation is crucial. When we are prepared, not one thing can confound us. On the other hand, these small, basic, and simple things, when testified and by the power of the Spirit, will confound even the "wise".

I love being a missionary. Teaching really is an art. This week I thought a little about that: how every day, various times a day, we are to go out two by two. Oftentimes we know little to nothing about our companion and have so little time together. Yet, millions of missionaries of the church, every day, must work in unity to find people to teach. When found, we  must ask inspired questions to find the person`s "iceberg", or doubt. We keep asking questions, in a very tactful way, until we feel that doubt has been found, then, simultaneously, we begin to teach the doctrine.

It`s interesting. Because, all we have between us in the companionship is eye contact and the Spirit. Somehow, we must know how to get where we need to go without ever taking a pause and discussing it over. And all the while through the contact or lesson, we are continually "ping-ponging" (switching back and forth between companionship of who speaks), and teaching the doctrine in a progressive manner. I don`t know....as I reflected on that a little last week when I first was with Hna Q, and everything seemed to carry on as if we`d been together forever... thought about the art of teaching, and having the spirit as missionaries. :)

Side-note: yesterday I asked Hna Q how my Spanish accent is. My goal is to sound completely Latina by the time I finish my mission. She gave me an 8!!! Woohoo. She speaks HEAVY Argentinian, though. So my double "l"`s and even "y"`s are being influenced. Aaaah!

"Well, I love it here. We`ve had some great experiences. For example, one day we had lunch at the RS President`s house, and she mentioned to us (so reverently) that her son was preparing to go on a mission, but needed some extra animos. His name is 'A'. Apparently, A had a dream before the cambios that a tall American elder was going to come to the ward, and that this elder would say something that he needed to hear. That elder is Elder F. Hna Q and I are the only other ones that know....not even Elder F knows jeje. But, it was a very spiritual moment, hearing the way these indigenous members speak of sacred things with such reverence. But anyway, Hna Q and I wanted to get to know A and took out a cita to visit him.

We met him briefly outside his house one night. I came prepared with a PME (Predicad Mi Evangelio) that I had bought at the offices just 2 or so weeks before the cambios. Hna L needed something from the distribution center and, although I didn`t need to buy anything, the thought came to mind to buy a PME...just in case. With no one in particular in mind. I gave this Predicad to A, explaining what it is and the value of it as a missionary. He looked at and held it with such awe and gratitude. I explained to him my experience in purchasing it...with no particular purpose in mind at the time. But that, now, I understand that it was for him.

When we offered if there was anything we could do for him, he explained to me and Hna Q that we had 'already done a lot' and that he had been praying for the strength to prepare to go on a mission then BAM, out of no where we showed up. It was such a special experience for us all. The Lord truly does know every person and every prayer...and sometimes begins answering them even before we ask. Like He began answering A`s prayer through an impression He gave me to buy PME before the cambios.

As I mentioned like week, the Lord always confirms to me that the cambios are inspired. Another example is that, Hna Q had a dream the night before cambios that she would be receiving "an American with short hair" jajaja. That would be me :).

We are doing well. We laugh a LOT and work hard. We both got a little sick this week...her with her back and me with a fever. But it was very brief :) This sector needs a lot of work. The carpeta has been in disarray for months now ,`:0 So it feels very much like we are starting completely from scratch. We are getting to know the sector, the members, and searching for new investigators. Hna Q hasn`t had a chance to get to know much of these things for herself quite yet. We have a lot of work ahead of us. But I feel a connection with the people here"

Love you all! Hope you are doing well!

Have a great week!!!! HAPPPPPYYY HALLLOWEEEEEEENNNN!!!! :P

I`ve eaten so much chocolate lately....... ;) thanks dad. It fills not just my belly, but my souuuuuuuuul.

Hasta later,

Hna Fernelius

We were reallllllly tired one night and got a little goofy. We took turns drawing one picture....and it turned into this. Hna Q topped it off by writing "How are you", but how they would pronounce it in Argentinian :) jajaja

Mountains in this picture are pretty. But I also wanted to show you this so you could get a taste of the sector. There are so many markets outside, it`s ridiculous....every where you turn!. :) It`s great. Wish I were rich....jaja

A plaza not too far outside our home. The lights change colors. Reminds me of home in Vegas :) There are concerts in this area with LOTS of people Friday and Saturday nights. VEGASSSSS

We crossed this to find an investigator-reference. We knew of no other way. It was fun.

Learning Quitchua :)

Our house is SO hippie. So many colors in this house. So, we decided to be hippy-ish as well. :)