Um. Christmas already? Fear Not.

Um. Christmas already?

How is it possible that 2010 is practically over? I swear it was just barely Christmas of last year. So crazy.

Transfer news. I am still in Cuenca with the same companion. So thrilled to still be in this lovely city. 

Investigator spotlights:

Aurelia Luna. Age 75+. Lots of health problems that make it nearly impossible for her to leave the house for longer than a half hour. She is the sweetest thing on the planet and loves talking to us about the gospel. After we taught her last week we helped her feed the chickens. She gave us fresh eggs in return. We were going to be out proselyting all day, so I had to pack them around in my pocket all day long. I am proud to say I didn´t crack a single one.

 The other day we taught her about the priesthood and how if she wants a blessing she can ask for one to improve her health so she could accompany us to church. We shared the story of the woman who was healed by touching the Savior´s robe. She didn´t end up asking for a blessing, but promised she would come to church if she was feeling up to it. We showed up to her house bright and early to pick her up for church yesterday. Some lady came out and said that Aurelia had already left. I was way disappointed because I thought she had gone to her son´s house to rest because she wasn´t feeling well. Thankfully I misunderstood. Aurelia had left to meet us at the church! Her son is a taxi driver and they were on their way to the chapel! She looked as sweet as an angel when she got out of the car. She had showered and clutched her cute handmade purse in her left hand and shuffled in the door. I would be lying if I said I didn´t tear up a little. It was an absolute miracle that she was able to come. And what incredible faith she had to come all by herself! Perhaps she didn´t need a blessing - all she needed was to touch the Savior´s robe. 

Javier Chuñir. Age 19. Works in a panaderia and gave us Christmas bread last night. Best thing of my life. He already has a testimony and is excited/nervous for his baptism. If (I mean when) all goes according to plan, he will be baptized on Christmas. It´s a good thing he´s way pilas because his work and school schedule is purely insane and we can only teach him every once in a while. We teach a thousand principles in one lesson and he picks up on everything. Such a rad kid. I am excited to start teaching his family soon too. They´ll be the sweetest members ever. 

So funny story about teaching him last night. We went up there with a member in our ward named Elisabeth at about 7pm. We taught a way rad lesson and the Spirit was exploding out of the room. (Also I am excited for the day that I learn Spanish well enough that I use the words pata and pato correctly. Pata means leg of a chair. Pato means duck. Why so similar?!)

Anyway. We bid Javier and his family adieu and headed to the bus stop to go home for the night. He lives at the top of this mountain like 45 minutes away from our house by bus, so walking isn´t really an option. So we´re all just on cloud nine because Javier is getting baptized and he´s way chevere and he promised to stop drinking coffee this week. Awesome, right?

And then we got to the bus stop. There was this security guard man there who informed us that there were no longer buses at that hour of night. Hableme en serio. We were stranded. A taxi would cost an arm and a leg and we are practically broke. Elisabeth called her friend and begged him to come pick us up. He said he´d be there in 10 minutes. We made friends with the security guard who found us a taxi for 3 dollars to our house. Practically free compared to what it should be. But Elisabeth´s friend was already on his way. So we waited. In the freezing cold. 

And then an hour and a half later we found ourselves STILL waiting. The guy that was supposed to pick us up wouldn´t answer his phone. No more taxis were passing on the street. We were really stranded. (Mother. Don´t worry. It was safe. Just cold.) 

So then our best friend security man flagged down some police officers and talked them into giving us a ride home. Of course they gave us crap for being irresponsible or whatever, but how were we supposed to know that the buses have a different schedule on sundays?! Whatever. Free ride home in a police car. Thank you very much, kind security guard in Sayuasi. 

Woof. Long winded today! I have so many freaking stories. I hope you are not sick of reading yet. If you are...I don´t really care.

Evely. Age 11. Her mother finally consented to let her be baptized! Her date is the 15th of January. She is the most adorable little girl. She adores pink. I think every article of clothing and accessories she owns are pink. She is going to be such a heartbreaker when she grows up.

In other news...

We had our ward Christmas party on Friday night. The 4 of us sisters and our ward mission leader and a ward missionary did an awesome play. You will all have to wait in grand anticipation for a year and a half to see the film of it. It was hilarious. Everyone practically died of laughter. The rest of the party was lovely. The primary and young men/young women acted out the nativity. We sang some Christmas songs. It was very festive, but also kind of made me miss home a tiny bit. I always loved the ward christmas parties at home. I will never forget Mark Ludlow hula dancing at the Christmas luau. Ha. 

The other night Hermana Castillo and I were walking around the streets visited people in a neighborhood in our area. I was walking behind her just in my own world wondering why I was so freaking cold. We stopped and contacted some man in the street, and then continued on our merry way. Hermana Castillo looked at me and burst into laughter. "Hermana. Su falda!" I looked down and whaddayaknow. My skirt was hiked up all the way on one side because of my bag! So awesome. I am so glad the entire world saw my entire slip and my awesome sweater tights. Ha. 

In Ecuador for Christmas and New Years everyone makes these paper mache dolls to burn. You can make it in the form of anyone - political figures, friends, family, cartoon characters, whatever. So in the weeks leading up to the holidays they sell all kinds of masks for you to make into dolls. We contacted a lady in the market the other day who was selling these masks. We were getting ready to leave, and suddenly she decided to give us a mask for free! Best thing of my life. So we picked this way hideous one and have made excellent use of it already. I freaked the zone leaders out with it when they came to visit an investigator with it. But the best moment was when I hid under Hermana Haggard´s desk before they got home. She walked in to the room, turned on the light, and absolutely freaked out. I think she may have stopped breathing for a significant amount of time. Perhaps this is one of those stories where you have to be there to appreciate it. But just know that it was hilarious. 

Welp. I guess that is all I have to tell you this fine day. Except that also we played kick ball today. It felt so good to touch a soccer ball again. It has been far too long. 

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas full of snowflakes and sugar plum fairy dreams. 

Spanish word of the week: torpe. clumsy. 

Fear Not

I was thinking yesterday about Mary and Christ and the shepherds and everything Christmas-y. As I was reading in Luke about the birth of the Savior, I was struck by what the angel said to Mary when he was telling her the big news. 

Fear not.

That was the message for this woman who was supposed to be the mother to the Savior of the world. And who would be pregnant out of wedlock. And who would have to travel for miles with this baby inside of her. I image that she was scared to death. God was asking her to do something that probably seemed impossible and frightening. I imagine that Mary probably felt absolutely inadequate and unprepared for the task.

The Lord gives each of us hard things because He knows we can handle it. He lets us struggle. He requires things of us. Perhaps He won´t tell us that we will be the mother of Christ. We won´t have to travel for miles on a donkey, only to arrive at a place where there is nowhere to stay.

But we´ll have our own class of hardships. Perhaps our semester will be full of impossible classes and cranky professors. Maybe we´ll have to recover from injuries and surgeries and illnesses. We might have children who will rebel. Or maybe we´ll get cut from the soccer team. Boyfriends will break our hearts and friends will go their own way. Life is hard. There is no getting around it.

But God´s message to us is one of faith and hope. Fear not.

So I wish you all an absolutely delightful Christmas, full of love and service. I hope that we will always remember that God wants us to replace our fear with faith, even when He asks us to do hard things. I adore you all!