All in the Tag: Week 22! "There Are Many Who Are Prepared"

From 6/30/14

Hello familia! Ya`ll write some pretty amazing letters did ya`ll know that? As I read from your different perspectives about all that`s going on, I feel like I`m actually there experiencing it all too jaja. I love it!

Benjamin...what is up with staying up until 11:43 pm, eh? Reminds me of those days...now I can hardly wait to climb into bed after being out teaching and meeting people every day. But it`s so weird how, every morning at 6:30am, my companion and I are always able to climb out of bed, though tired and half dead jaja, and keep working that day reinvigorated, and as if nothing ever happened. I think that`s one of the blessings of the Lord as a missionary. That, when you are obedient, He will bless you with all the energies and capacities you need to keep doing His work day after day.

Can you believe my six-month mark is tomorrow? Craziness. I`m still in 1 Nefi 17 for crying out loud! This is not good. Time goes by too fast jaja. But, I am reading the bible and Preach my Gospel, too. So what if I read slow? I like to soak it all in jaja.

Sounds like you all had a great week. I`m going to use these stories to tell people about how awesome Las Vegas really is. People still look at me wide-eyed when I casually say I`m from Vegas. Usually I tell them I was born in the Mirage before I tell them the truth. It`s great.

Anyways, so this week Hna D and I were living with 2 extra sisters in our house: Hna M (she was my companion for about a week when I first got to Ecuador) and Hna Q. They are both Hermana Lìderes. We have had so much fun it`s ridiculous. We all work hard but we also have crazy senses of humor and have had some of the funniest and most beautiful experiences all in one week.

For example, one morning, Hna M (with her mane of wavy hair) plugged in her hair straightener to fix her bangs. Suddenly, we heard an explosion from where she was in the bathroom. You have to understand, our house is pretty tiny, especially for more than one companionship living there. And the dueña of the house is a nut who always accuses us of things we don`t do...especially when it comes to water use. But that`s another story jaja. But anyway, when we heard Hna M half whimpering, half squealing afterward, we all came over to see what the hubbub was about. She squealed, "the outlet exploded!"

Since then we have occasionally had problems with the power and if we plug too many things in at once, everything decided to shut off. The dueña doesn`t like us very much jaja. We keep bugging her to flip the breaker switch for us jaja. But, to this day and forevermore, there is a huge black explosion spot where Hna M innocently intended to fix her hair jajaja.

One special experience this week is that, one day I went on divisions with Hna Q while my companion went that day with Hna M. Hna Q and I went wayyyy up to the edge of our sector limits in the mountains to meet with an investigator named A. It was night, but we sat outside his house teaching him about the Restoration of the Gospel. He listened, with a very genuine, humble attitude. I love teaching people like him because I feel like, whatever I say, he will reflect on and treasure that information.

Unfortunately that night, neither Hna Q nor I had a Book of Mormon with us. But throughout the lesson, I had the thought come a few different times that "you should just leave YOUR Book of Mormon with him for him to read." But I thought better of it, since I need my Book of Mormon to study in the morning among other things. We finished and, as Hnq Q and I started heading down the hill to go home, she commented to me, "I don`t know, but I felt so strongly that I should leave my Book of Mormon with him. Is that wrong?" I looked at her dumb-founded. "Really?" I asked back, surprised. I mentioned to her that I wanted to leave my Book of Mormon with him also, but decided better of it. We turned around and ran back up the hill yelling out for A to come back! jaja I approached his gate to see him already making his way back out to see us.

Hna Q pulled out her Book of Mormon, took out a few loose papers, and handed it carefully over to him, explaining that we felt we should leave it with him, and to take care of it because it was all marked up and very precious to Hna Q. He held it in his hands as if it were a delicate newly-hatched chick or something jaja. He seemed a little confused, but very grateful.

We left feeling very good about that. And Hna Q commented that she had just finished the Book of Mormon the day before and was planning to start a fresh one anyway....the tender mercies of the Lord.

Another really cool experience, and I`ll try to keep this one shorter (jaja), is that, that same day, Hna D and Hna M were conversing in English as they walked and a man behind them asked (in English) "You`re not from here, are you?" He was a tall Nigerian man named "B"

B speaks English better that Spanish, although he understands Spanish pretty much perfectly. He is also an investigator of GOLD. He`s been going to a Baptist church, but accepted the B of M in English!! and came to church with us yesterday. He is about 45 years old. Hna D and I taught him in English Saturday. It was so weird!!!! haha (ie "Will you read this....pamphlet...?") The words were not so easy to remember as I thought it would be jajaja. But B sat there like a champ, highlighting passages in the Bible that we read with him as we taught about the Restoration and saying in his Nigerian-English accent, "I`m sorry, this is just so interesting..!" jaja He loved church yesterday as well! And the members welcomed him in...which was awesome.

Anyways, those are some of the great experiences of this week. Also, G is getting baptized. I`ll tell a little more about her the week that comes....She is also a very receptive, prepared person.

The Lord keeps answering our prayers! This whole cambio has been an answer to my prayers. And it has been a huge blessing for me. I feel like I`m starting to become the type of missionary I always felt I could and should be.

Love you all! Love you Amy! We`ll keep praying for you as we anticipate the arrival of little Kylie!

Have a great week!

Hna Fernelius