Los Esteros

FAMILAMILAMIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

¿Cómo están todos? Les amo muchísimo. Espero que todos lo sepan. This week.................I was transferred! I am now in the large city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, in the barrio Los Esteros. My companion is Hermana Pérez de Guatemala, who also transferred from Milagro where I was before. She is WONDERFUL! She teaches simply y con sinceridad. She has helped me a lot in my ability to love the people and know how to teach them in a way that they will understand and accept the compromisos. It's great because I always understand her Spanish, and she's always happy and ready to work. The people here are very relaxed, so a lot of the time it's hard to have a lesson begin and end in a timely way, but she is great at keeping people focused on what´s going on and help them to feel the Spirit. It's great. We live with two other hermanas in the same apartment, which at first was a little rough, but now it's great. The two other hermanas are Hna. Martinez de Perú y Hna. Lujan de Argentina--cerca de Mendoza! They're in the same barrio as we are, but we don't work together much. They have their program and we have ours.

Hna. Pérez y yo are opening up this sector, and it's definitely been an adventure. We didn't know anyone, where we were, how to get anywhere...nothing. Hna. Pérez was in an area close to where we are now, and ate at a member's house one time in this area and luckily remembered how to get to their house. So we started with this house, and went from there. Met the obispo, líder misional, misioneros de barrio, etc. We found a member to come around with us, and learned more or less where things were. And it's been great ever since. They're going to be splitting the barrio soon, so we're not exactly sure where we'll be, so we're just playing things by ear right now. In La Bellavista, I was the ward pianist, and I complained that the piano was out of tune, but I should have counted my blessings, because in our new building we don't even have a piano. Oh wellzies.

Hoy día, Hna. Pérez and a few other senior companions had to go to a capacitación, so 3 other hermanas y yo got to sit and talk and study our scriptures for 7 hours. Let me tell you, it was a long time. Buuut, I met an hermana who was in the MTC with Logan! Her name is Hna. Bytheway and she's from Sandy. She's been in Ecuador for a week, and when she saw me, she said, "Ah! You're Elder Bennet's cousin!" And we found out that she dated a guy from my freshman ward, and I'm pretty sure he introduced me to her once on campus. And then we talked about how much we loved Arthur. It was a great day even though I didn't do much.

Mom, sorry I don't have any recipes to send. I told people in my last ward that I wanted recipes for certain dishes, but forgot to follow up and now I'm gone. I would look on the internet for these foods, though: Seco de Pollo, Arroz con Menestra, Arroz con Pollo, Madura Frita, Patacones. So good!!! The food here really is great. I can count on one hand the number of days I haven`t eaten rice or had coca-cola, though. I have definitely tripled the amount of soda I've had in my whole life in the past 6 weeks. My teeth are going to suffer, I think. Also, we always eat soup, too, even though it's dang hot. Caldos and cremas. Yum.

Also, bonuses for being here in Guayaquil: I've gotten only 2 mosquito bites since I've been here, and I've had to use my sheets! Usually I'm dying of heat stroke during the night, but here, it's fresco. I love it.

The members are great and the people we are teaching don't want to commit to come to church, but they're great, too. We're working hard to bring people to Stake Conference this Sunday and I hope we can find some golden investigators. The work is hard, but it's wonderful! The church is true. Without a doubt. I love this Gospel, and I love being a representative of my Savior Jesus Christ.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Ayer

P.S. Did I mention I love you?