A Mail Bonanza!

(Sorry for the delay this week.  Mom was at Girls' Camp 'til Friday!  We got our first actual snail mail letters from Ecuador this week!  Such a treat for all of us to receive personal messages!)

Hello Family,

I just heard about Rebecca's call.  That's fantastic.  I didn’t know she had put her papers in.  You’ll have to congratulate her for me.  She’ll do great.  Most of the sister missionaries here baptize more than the elders.  President Montalti said that the elders work on fortifying the Primary and Relief Society but the Sisters are the ones who find the sacerdocio (priesthood).

Well, my first week with Elder Garcia went well.  He is pretty tranquilo (laid back).  Although we tried hard, Elder Castro left and we didn’t have much to work with.  Elder Garcia has speakers and an mp3 device, so it has been nice to have some music in the house again.  He put the CDs you sent me on his mp3 so I have finally been able to listen to all the songs.  We are working with Hermana Dioselina´s daughter, Vaneza.  We   are trying to reactivate her friend, Monica Colobon, so she can help us out to get Vaneza a little more excited about joining the church. 

One of the benefits and downsides of bringing a new elder into an area is that they start making invitations to everyone.  Sometimes, the people I thought did not want to listen to us actually decided to hear what we have to say.  On the other hand, some people explode.  For example, the landlady.  "Every single missionary who comes through here has tried converting me, but I’m CATHOLIC."  She puts up with a lot from the missionaries.  We forgot our keys in the apartment twice this week.  She also told Elder Castro before he left that she hoped my new companion didn’t like to have late-night wrestling matches. Elder Castro, our mission leader, and I were prone to have a tussle when Elder Castro would tell him he was a flake.  (I guess that is probably another broken rule I can add, Jenna).  We had a little machismo going on.

They changed Faro to Saturday because they decided some of the activities are not quite Sabbath appropriate.  Unfortunately, attendance has dropped off, which is a shame, because it really did help our younger group of investigators to assimilate into our little Mormon community.  I don’t know why, but Elder Garcia has not been too impressed with our ward.  Maybe he’s just Peruvian.  He has been good to work with.  He’s not the most outgoing, so I guess we will both have to grow in that aspect a little bit.  He does like to contact though, which is good. 

I’m sorry you’ll be losing your bestest Bellevue buddy, Mom.  It’s sad to think I’ll get back and they won’t be there.  It sounds like you got a lot out of your last few weeks together though.  I hope you can keep in close contact even though you are far away.  They were good friends.  She has written to me a couple times.  I’ll have to write them a letter.

I was looking at some of the pictures you’ve sent.  Lucia and Ava are getting tall.  Ava is as big as you and Lia.

Well, I am looking to some big letters coming my way soon.  I don’t know what I will do with all the letters I’ve received.  My mailbox runneth o´er.  I may write back shortly.  Elder Garcia and I took a photo together on his camera and we are going to try and load it on another computer. 

Love, Nannel

Give Squiddles a good lovin´...

Did Dad use my river rafting hat for trek?  I'm glad to see the girls are back to swimming again.  Do they have good diving form in those pictures?  Would you mind sending me some of the electronic versions of some of the pictures of the family and Bellevue life?  I am trying to put together a little picture book to take around because they like to see photos, but I am afraid something will happen to the pictures you gave as hard copies.  Maybe a lacrosse picture, too.  People ask a  lot of questions about that.  Gracias.