25 OCTOBER LANE DÍA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you know that this whole month of October, I have been waiting and waiting and WAITING (as Vicini says, "I´m waiting!") to celebrate 25 OCTOBER LANE DAY!!!!!! And this is the week!!! I´m so psyched! I´ll be wishing everyone a feliz Día de 25 de Avenida Octubre on Friday. I´m so excited.

Fun things from the week I would like to share...

I have a new nickname. Guess what it is? Hulk. That´s right. Hulk. These little kids were playing soccer (with a mini soccer ball) and kicked the ball off the field toward me, so I picked it up and threw it back to them. The kid who I threw it to then started yelling, "Hulk! Hulk!!" I know I´ve eaten a lot of rice, but really?? It´s like they don´t know what throwing is.

Speaking of throwing, I saw some kids playing with a football!! An actual football! Like fútbol americano! It was so refreshing. Of course they couldn´t throw it at all, but it was so awesome! I wanted to join them, but we were just passing in a moto taxi.

A dog almost peed on me.

But really. A dog came up to us as we were talking to some people, sniffed me, then paused. And luckily I´ve seen enough dogs pee here in Ecuador that I noticed that pause. I pulled my leg and skirt away JUST in time. Honestly, if I had waited even a milisecond longer, I would have been a goner.

My investigator gave us new skirts! Mine´s zebra. We wore them yesterday and used that opportunity to take some pictures. 100% Ecuatoriana. He´ll be baptized.

My convert Katherine wants to pay her tithing! Next Sunday she´ll pay that because she forgot the slip this Sunday. And my convert Anita wants to go on a mission. I love my converts! They make me so happy!!! D&C 10:18

This week, we met a Jehova Witness from Switzerland. He´s been on a mission here for 30 years! We went to visit a man who we had invited to church, and he was there with the JW reading the bible. Right when we showed up, we greeted everyone with a smile and a handshake and then he gruffly told him they would finish up so he could deal with us, basically. Poor guy. He didn´t seem happy at all.

I´m just glad we have the truth. If there´s one thing I´ve learned on the mission, it´s gratitude. We have been given so much. We have the TRUTH! Have you ever thought about that for a second? The fact that it is so incredible that we, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the truth! The fullness of the Gospel!! I am so happy and so grateful. It really hit me this morning in my personal study how wonderful and incredible that we have the truth in our lives. We have a living-day prophet. We have the BOOK OF MORMON! I LOVE this book so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! It´s my favorite! More than Jane Eyre, more than Harry Potter, more than Hunger Games, more than Pride and Prejudice...it doesn´t even compare! It doesn´t compare to anything! This book changes lives and we have to read it EVERY day!!!!!!!! It´s changed my life and I love reading from it´s pages every day. It gives me such peace and such guidance. Read it. Never stop reading it. Read it always. How many ways can I say this?? Pull a Nike and Just Do It. :]


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Red Sox in the World Series?? Whaaat?

P.P.S. To clear up some confusion, I´ve been in Santa Rosa for 3 transfers and am 2 weeks into my fourth. I just go to Guayaquil for Leader´s Council once a month. While there, we write in the bus terminal in Guayaquil.

P.P.P.S. There are lightning bugs here! They´re called luciérnaga.

P.P.P.P.S. A new elder in my zone--E. Henline from Logan--was best friends with Jarom Rae growing up. Small world.