So this is Guayaquil

ATTENTION: I am going to have to put Merrit's blog private, so if you want to be able to read it, email me at mallory.kay.denison@gmail.com :)

Well. This is weird. I am sitting in Guayaquil, not Machala. I feel like I should be sitting in that internet cafe we always went to that sold hot dogs and the guy was practically waiting for us at the door. Every Monday. And then Hermana Needham and I should have been buying food and laughing at each other and doing random things, probably including pretending like we are blind and leading each other around. Also we were supposed to be teaching the family that is getting baptized this Saturday and we were supposed to be getting ready because Nelly, the mom, is going to have her baby any day. That family was supposed to have a wedding, a baptism, and a baby, and Hermana Needham and I were supposed to be part of all of it.


Or at least that is what I thought. Sometimes God has other plans...and they´re always better plans. It´s just the initial shock that is a little painful and frustrating and confusing.

So I had changes this morning and I am now in Guayaquil. The sector is called Acacias. I am in a trio with Hermana Kendell and Hermana Falls, both from Utah. Such sweet girls. I am really excited to work with both of them because they are super hard workers. They both have 4 changes in the mission, so fairly new. It should be interesting to work in a trio, but they were both in a trio with another hermana before I got here too.

Not going to lie, I miss Machala. I grew to love that place like crazy...my converts, the members, and my companion. Hermana Needham and I had a way stellar 6 weeks together, and I was convinced we´d stay together for at least another change. We had tons of success together and did a lot to change the ward around. We found tons of new people and were preparing at least 4 for baptism this coming week, and a few more for the following weeks. We worked really well together, and the best part was how much we had fun together. It was very much a work hard, play hard relationship. I promise those 6 weeks went by in 5 minutes. I am still confused as to how I am going on 9 months this week. Why is time going by so fast? Freak. I can´t handle it. I am halfway done with my mission. When did that happen? I can´t think about it too much because i start to hyperventilate and get this really bad headache and want to crawl in a hole.

Anyway, I miss hermana Needham. But the good news is we packed as much possible goodness into those 6 weeks as we could. Seriously. We didn´t waste a single second. That was probably the biggest thing I learned from being her companion..don´t waste time moping over things or not enjoying them because there is always something to be grateful for or always something to enjoy about life. And we enjoyed it like crazy. Maybe even a little too much sometimes. Ha. But I am excited for a new transfer with new adventures. I figure the Lord is teaching me a lot about how I need to handle change and trust Him more. I hated change before the mission. Little things freaked me out and gave me anxiety. But I am learning that it doesn´t matter. I just have to remember that I am in His hands and that He will take care of everything and always lead me to exactly what I need so that I can learn things and become more like the Savior. So I am learning to quit complaining and quit trying to tell the Lord what is right for me and just believing that He knows what He is doing. And I have no doubt that He does. I am stoked to be in this new sector and find tons of people and work like crazy.

Umm. Let´s see. Too much to update. We had a training meeting for senior companions this week with President Montalti and it was super rad. I learned so much about so many things...mostly the importance of seeking the spirit and listening to its promptings always. I have been thinking so much about prayer this week and had a lot of humbling experiences. Sometimes I get into such a routine with my prayers. We pray a TON as missionaries, but somtimes I feel like they become a little bit of just empty words because I feel like I say the same thing over and over and over. Pray for Susana to get married. Pray for the familia Landazuri to be ready for church on time. Pray for safety. Pray for my family. Everything. But I learned this week that as I pray with sincerity and urgency always, I will be blessed with the Spirit to help me know what to do, give me comfort when I need it (ie getting unexpected changes. ha.), and give me the power to discern my investigator´s needs and help them overcome obstacles. My testimony is stronger every time I feel the spirit and my faith in the Lord grows. President said something I really liked about how our testimonies change every single day. We are never the same as we were yesterday...we never stand still. So we´re either moving forward or backward. It made me think a lot about the importance of really working hard every single day and striving to learn something new or draw closer to the Savior in some way. It´s so easy to just get caught in a routine and not move forward, but as we do the little things each day, we will grow closer to the Lord and our testimonies of the truthfulness of His gospel will increase infinitely.

In other news...we almost got robbed yesterday and Hermana Needham karate chopped the drunk lady on accident. Remind me to tell you that story when I got home. It´s a good one and deserves to be told in person. Don´t worry...we are always safe and take very close precautions, but it was just a fluke thing and nothing was stolen.

In Machala this week there will be 4 baptisms. We had a miraculous week. Ten of our investigators came to church. A boy´s mom gave him permission to get baptized after not supporting him for a long time. We founda girl one night who is so anxious to get baptized she would probably go to the church right now and do it if we would let her. We went and picked up the familia Duran (the family that is getting baptized this week), and they were all ready to go in their Sunday best. They are absolutely hilarious people. In the principios del evangelio class the dad, Jorge, told a 10 minute story about some guy who robbed him at work. It was really...spiritual. Ha. We were also teaching this super rad couple, Maria Jose y Jonathen, who have lots of marital issues but need a change in their lives like crazy. We left them Elder Scott´s conference talk on Eternal Marriage and they ate it up. THey went out of town, so I am not sure what will become of them. Hopefully they will get baptized too and prepare to go to the temple.

Hm. What other funny things can I tell you. My freaking brain cannot function right now. I almost got bit by a dog while walking down the street. Also all I can think about is how chapped my lips are. Isn´t this place supposed to be so humid you never need chapstick? what the freak.

Okay. That´s all I´ve got. Sorry this is a lame email.

I love you all more than cupcakes and cheesecake and lemon merengue pie
Have the best week of your lives.