Time flies like the wind, and fruit flies like guineo (bananas)

FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Highlight of this week: playing the piano next to a dead body.

Let me tell you, what a blast. What a great time, indeed. In all serious, folks, the fact that I play the piano is something that isn't done here. Not even many missionaries who have come through play the piano, so they have to use me while they can. The son of a member in the ward died this week, so they had a funeral service for him...outside, like all funerals here in Ecuador. A member in the ward brought his electric piano and asked me to play. He then asked me if it would be alright if I he put the piano next to the casket...open, of course. Him asking me if he could do that was not a question as much as it was a statement...there was no where else I could have played. So I had to sit there, playing hymns with a horrifying smell right next to me. Luckily the Spirit was able to testify of God's love, even with the obvious distraction I was facing.

Also, can I just say that in one week, I will complete 8 months? In one week, I will complete 8 months! (Which also happens to be a very halfy day.) Time flies so fast. And remember that website I read that said Ecuador had Spring-like weather all year-long? Yeah. Lies. All of them. Maybe in Cuenca, Quito, y Loja... but that's 3 cities out of thousands! I want July back when it was "cold." That was Spring-like. This week has been hot. Pretty dang hot.

But that's not to say that the work has stopped! This Saturday, we had another baptism! The older brother of Naomi, Anita, and Andrea...his name is Luis. At first, he didn't want a thing to do with us. He said he would go to church, but never went, so every time after that when we went to his house, he would hide in his room. A few weeks later, he felt pretty embarrassed, and confronted us, saying that he really wanted to get baptized, and he apologized for hiding from us. Obviously there is no problem with a person who wants to get baptized and shows true repentance!! He would have gotten baptized last Saturday, but he drank coffee during the week. But he was a converso de oro.(Golden Convert)  Prepared, and had great desires to follow Christ. I love the Gospel and how it changes lives!

Oh and during the baptismal service, all the missionaries (we're 6 in this branch) were singing I Am a Child of God as a special number. As we were singing, there was an obnoxious fly buzzing around my compañera's and my heads, so I tried to shoo it away, but ended up hitting my companion in the face. It was so hard to control our laughter!

Other funny story from the week. There was a black guy who drove past us in his car the other day. And right as he went passed, he rolled down his window, waved at us, and yelled, "Gringa!" I waved back and yelled, "Negro!" Only in Ecuador. Also, I've gotten into the habit of inviting people to be baptized when they say creepy things. Por ejemplo, "Hola, guapas." "¿Se bautizará?" "...." (For example, "Hello, beautiful." "Do you want to be baptized?)   Works every time.

But this week, I realized how much Satan is working to tear down the family and make us sin. A girl in the branch who always teaches with us and has a powerful testimony one day just decided to run off and live with her boyfriend (which is kind of ironic, because I gave her a Ley de Castidad (Law of Chastity) pamphlet for her birthday as a joke and she was kind of offended. Now I know why. 1 Nephi 16:1-3. We have to be STRONG! Helaman 5:12 We have to be steadfast and immovable. Mosiah 5:15 We have to be examples of the believers. 1 Timothy 4:12 We have to let our light shine. Matthew 5:14-16 We have to pray always that we can conquer Satan. D&C 10:5 We have to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places! Mosiah 18:9 This is the life and time for us to prepare to meet God, when we have to do our work and repent! Alma 34:31-34 If we don´t endure to the end, we can´t return to God´s presence. (3 Nephi 27:16-17, 2 Nephi 31:20-21) So ENDURE TO THE END! And ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!! Mosiah2:41

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Ayer

Alma 26:12

P.S. Can´t remember what I wanted to say here........Chao!