FAMILAMILY!!!!!!

It is so good to be back here hearing about your life and being able to tell you a little bit more about mine, although nothing really changes around here, so I don`t know why I do.  First of all, I want to start out by mentioning all the important days/holidays I missed in my last email:
February 20th:  MOM`S HALFY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!  I can`t believe I forgot to write that in my last email!  It was written down in my planner but never made it to the screen.  I am so sorry, Mom.  I hope you know I was thinking about you!
February 28th/March 1st:  WILLIAM`S HALFY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!  I hope you had a very exciting milisecond of half birthday-ness to celebrate and know I was thinking about you, too!
March 1st:  RABBIT RABBIT
March 2nd:  Dr. Seuss`s birthday, and all those 22-year-olds who share his special day
March 4th:  The Most Progressive Day of the Year!  I didn`t fail to inform everyone of this very well-known and important holiday, though it was a little hard to explain to the Latinos
It`s pretty loco to think that I will only be here for one more week!  Exactly one week from today, I will be on my way to Ecuador.  Actually, by this time of day, I`ll probably already be in Ecuador!  Kinda nuts, but I`m ready to leave.  This place makes you go crazy after so long.  I feel like I just arrived here, while at other times I feel like I`ve been here for my whole life, and other other times I can`t believe that I`ve been here for 5 whole weeks, and other other other times 5 weeks seems like nothing...it`s just a weird phenomenon that can`t be successfully explained over an email.  It really hit me how long I`ve been here when I had my second Rabbit Rabbit out of the States.  So nuts.  But the next time I write you will be when I`m in a different South American country!

Dad, I`m glad the doctor said you should eat more Frosty`s and bacon.  I need a little bit more of those in my life down here.  Actually, what I`m craving the most is your homemade popcorn.  I really need some popcorn.  Can you send that to me?  I`m sure it would still taste delicious.  Maybe just at least send me a picture of you eating it, then I can eat it vicariously through you all.  That`d be great. :)  Mom, how`s your class going??  I`m glad you and Christian were able to play some fun Wii games together.  When I played Harry Potter with Christian, I would usually just jump on him or Parker and/or shoot water at them.  Glad we have the same brain.  Christian, how`s the breathing going??  I can`t wait until Mother`s Day when I can hear your new breathable voice!!

Nothing too exciting has been going on here, except when we were at the temple last week, all the lights went completely out for a minute.  That was quite the adventure.  We got 8 new N. Americans, and 2 elders from Provo.  They love it here at the CCM more than the Provo MTC, but here are the two things we get ripped off by being here (1) we don`t get our own personalized Spanish scriptures and (2) we don`t get devotionals from general authorities.  Other than that, Peru is the bomba.  Last week during soccer, I got kicked in the face by the ball and my jaw hurt for a little while, but then healed pretty quickly.  I honestly can tell that my soccer skills have improved.  One of my teachers watched us play for a little while and he was surprised I was playing because apparently not many girls play soccer down here.  It`s seriously what I look forward to every day!  Also, since I don`t have a companion, the missionaries always call me "Forever Alone."  I guess I`m just the running joke of the CCM.  Forever Alone and Hermana Yesterday.  Oh!  Other fun fact, I met an elder named Elder Salazar, and all I could think of is Salazar Slytherin.  He`s from Ecuador, too, so hopefully I run into more Harry Potter characters while I`m over there.

Sorry I don`t have more exciting news and sorry this email is kind of jumbled.  I have an investigator named Cristhian, which makes me so happy because I think of you, Christian.  I`ve been trying to work on receiving revelation for my investigators so I know how to help them, too, and it`s cool to see how even though these investigators are just my teachers, I can feel God`s love for them as I teach.  Got loves all His children so much, and we have a responsibility to take care of them.  We watched a devotional of Jeffrey R. Holland on Sunday, and one of the things he talked about was when the Savior went back and "recruited" His apostles the second time to "feed His sheep" and asked Peter if he loved Him 3 times.  (Sorry, I`m in a hurry, so this is a very bad summary...)  And one of the things Elder Holland mentioned was that when we are called to feed Heavenly Father`s sheep, we are called for a lifetime, not just for a moment.  I have been called to serve as a missionary at this time to bring Christ`s gospel to the people of Ecuador, but I am not just called for a year and a half.  I need to make sure I am working to feed His sheep every day of my life.  And you can all do that, too.  Remember God`s love for you and for the rest of His children, and how important it is that each of them make it back to Him someday.

I love you all and know that this Gospel is true.  It is only through the Gospel that we can receive happiness in this life and in the life to come.

I`M PRAYING FOR YOU!!!!!!!


Hermana Ayer

P.S. This first picture is of my morning teacher who just got married last Friday, which means he`s no longer my teacher.  He does basically everything.  And he choked a whale.  So don`t even think about trying to one-up him.  The second picture is just a bus shot.  We were going over a speed bump there.

P.S.S. The only things I can think of for you to send me for my birthday are love, handwritten notes from everyone in the family, notes from anyone else who would like to write me, a few pictures, and some love.  Nothing big.  Just love.  Thanks!  Love you!