Conference = Christmas

Hello Family,

Well, this week we have started to teach some of Carlos’s friends that came to live with him from Loja.  They all seem really interested and like what we teach.  One of them even has already made a little protective case for his Book of Mormon.  We took them to see a baptism of some of the other missionaries and they really liked what they felt.  Hopefully, they can continue to progress if they can get married to their partners.  It should be really easy if it doesn’t take two years, based on their previous voting record.  I don’t know if I told you before, but Ecuador has recently passed a bunch of laws in the year or so that really slows down the marriage process.

 

I hope you are all looking forward to General Conference this week.  As a missionary, it kind of feels like Christmas again.  (I’ve learned to not associate holidays with the weather any more.)  Hopefully we can get our investigators to realize what an incredible opportunity it is to hear the Lord’s mouthpiece address the world this weekend.  The last conference sure helped me a lot in the CCM as I was looking for ways to explain particular concepts to investigators.  I have certainly made good use of all the material from the October session.  I have started a little collection of conference Ensigns (church magazines).  The other day I found one from '98.  I had forgotten how awesome Elder Maxwell was.

L to R: Elders Church, Despot, Keebles, Nuñez,
Ludlam, Nelson, Miller, Guanchaj (too short for pic!)

The members enjoyed our missionary activity.  Elder Nuñez, our branch mission leader and I made hundreds of little brochures for the members to hand out with pamphlets of the missionary lessons and an invitation to General Conference attached to the back.  We went over to mission leader’s house, designed the invitation, stuck in Men of the MoTab, and started manufacturing the brochures.  I think the members liked the activity.  They want to do another one.

Anyway, as part of another branch activity this week, we watched this Mormon comedy about how two young men escape from this military correctional camp and rob a car of two missionaries.  While waiting for a chance to leave the state, they pose as missionaries for a few days.  Unfortunately, after watching that movie, the members haven’t quite looked at Elder Nuñez and me the same again.

Well, I look forward to talking to you again next week.

Elder Lamslud

Apocalypses and Cheese

"Beware the Ides of March" 
Grant celebrates by eating a little Caesar salad

Hello Family,  How are you all this week?  The branch has an activity planned for this Saturday where all the members are going to go through their neighborhood and invite everyone to General Conference.  They seem excited to go out.  We are still working on getting more invitations and pamphlets for them to hand out.  We are also hoping to get a few good references, too.

This week, a lot of people have stopped us and asked us to go through and explain Apocalypses to them.  Everyone has moved into a little apocalyptic frenzy after the Tsunami in Japan.  This week, there was also a weird phenomenon where a halo appeared around the sun, which was visible in a few parts of Ecuador. A lot of people took this as a sign of the second coming, so I guess people wanted to know what to expect.  I guess the people do this a lot here.  It also happened after the earthquake in August and again when that 2012 movie came out, but the crazes usually only last a few days.

Elder Nuñez and his camera

Elder Núñez is going through a little crisis right now.  He accidentally erased half of his photos off of his camera, so he has been trying to figure out how he can get in contact with his old companions, members, or anyone who might have duplicate photos.  He moans every now and then, "Mis Fotos."

We have a Family Home Evening tonight with our super reference-generating abuela I told you about before.  Recently, she has been inviting us every week to pass by her house so that she can give us a brick of cheese.   We usually pass by her house about every other day anyway, but she specially sets up these cheese visits.  She knows it is against the rules to call us directly at our house so she calls our ward mission leader "to ask the elders to pass by the house for un quesito."(a little cheese)  I am not sure why she decided we needed more cheese, but we gratefully enjoy cheese sandwiches every night!

Well, hope to hear from you tomorrow at District Meeting.  Take care.

Love, Elder Ludlam

Coastal Elders Flee Tsunami Up to Cuenca

Hello Family,

How are you all?  This last week I got a big load of letters that had been building up.  I think I am updated up until Feb 20 or so.

The two elders farthest to the left,
Elders Soto and Winterton, stayed with us

I am guessing you heard about the big Tsunami that hit Japan.  On Friday, Zona Machala 2 came up to Cuenca because they put the whole coast on alert.  They gave the Machala elders 10 minutes notice to arrive at the bus terminal the morning of the Tsunami.  They had to pack pretty light.  Elder Soto and Elder Winderton stayed in our apartment in Totoracocha.  Because Elder Soto was so unaccustomed to the cold after spending his whole mission in the coast, he had to resort to wearing some of the left over sisters’ clothes for a few extra layers of warmth in the night.



Elder Ludlam shanked it one too many times!

We had a few problems with Carlos this week.  He has problems believing that he can keep the law of chastity.  I think he got ashamed because he tried for a while to hide from us.  I guess he realized we just wanted to help him because he eventually let us talk to him again.  He wants to make the necessary changes in his life, but is afraid it will be too hard.  He has a distinct ring tone and it goes off a lot, which has been very helpful in detecting him when he tries to leave the house.  He also lives in the same building, next door to a member, so whenever she finds us waiting outside Carlos’s door, she says, “Is Carlos hiding again?  Let me take care of this.”  She then marches into his house like his mom or something and says, “Carlos, get out here.  The missionaries are waiting!”  I am pretty sure that she has had a lot of direct talks with Carlos.

Elders Palacio, Sánchez, Ludlam and Nuñez

Anyway, we also found a new investigator who really likes LDS artwork, and has made a business of making reprints and selling them.  I think if she does not want to come to church next week, we may have to teach ‘Honoring and Sustaining the Law,’ especially copyright law.  It is, after all, a PMG (Preach My Gospel) lesson.

I did not really understand what your ‘cottage meeting’ was.  I really enjoyed the articles you have been sending me.  It really is true how as you start your mission, the Lord gives you an idea of the type of missionary he wants you to become, but is up to you to implement the things you know you need to do.

Well, until next time.  I will be waiting tomorrow to know how you all were on Feb 27.

Sincerely, Maldul Redle

A Week in Azogues

"Wherever I go, she is watching!"
 (Virgen de las Nubes in background--in Azogues)

Hello Family,

We just had our transfers yesterday. Élder Nuñez and I are on for another six weeks here in Totoracocha. We have been trying to keep a low profile as the Carnival Chaos continues.  If we stick to the back roads we usually stay pretty dry.  The only problems we have run into are marauding bands of super soakers on the way back home to re-outfit.  The primary danger is people hurling water ballons from their cars from the main roads.  Luckily, soccer is Ecuador's favorite sport and not baseball.  

Carlos, the young man I told you about last week, continues to progressing rapidly. Our only concern is that he will manage to survive el feriado (the holidays).  He left town to visit his family in Loja, so we won't hear from him for a few days.  He had another good experience at church even though half the branch took off after sacrament meeting to beat the mass exodus out of Cuenca.  Everyone from the Sierra goes to the beach during Carnival and everyone from la costa comes here to visit family and to escape the Carnival mayhem.

I really enjoyed my week long exchange with Elder Badger.  Azogues is having a lot of success recently.  A member just moved there from Guayaquil because he had the impression that he needed to come and help his family accept the gospel there in Azogues.  He got all of his family together for a family home evening and invited the elders over to share a short spiritual message and, lo and behold, the Azogues missionaries found 15 interested investigators in a single night.  Elder Badger was great to work with.  He is really excited about the work and has a way of winning the confidence of everyone he talks to.  I learned a lot from his example. He played safety for Notre Dame.

Thank you for the picture of Lia.  It was exactly what I was hoping for.  When I get back, Lia, we need to have a drag race.  You can have the Pontiac Grand Prix and I'll take the Nissan Rust Bucket.

Hope to talk to you all soon,

Élder Dudlán