PAPA!!!!! ¿CÓMO FUE TU CUMPLEAÑOS?

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

PAPA!!!!! ¿CÓMO FUE TU CUMPLEAÑOS??? I hope it was great, and that you felt my love all the way from Ecuador. It was a far way to travel, but love has no boundaries. Ok, that was cheesy. A letter is on it`s way to 25 October Lane, but I`m not sure when it will get there.

This week, we worked really hard to find new people--especially families--to teach. As I`ve mentioned before, finding families in Ecuador is like finding a clear hair elastic on our bathroom floor. Really hard. Mom would know. She can explain it to you. They´re few and far between, but they´re there. It takes a while, and sometimes you need help, but with faith and prayer, you can find it. We have been having lots of faith and lots of prayer to try and find the families God is preparing to receive the restored Gospel.

We have found a few families, and this week taught one the Restoration. The other week, we talked to this kid named Luis and he told us he wanted to come to church and have us teach his family. So we passed by and made an appointment to meet with the mom. We went and found out that she has a strong religious background, and has desires to come to know him even more. She´s gone to a few churches in the past, but hasn´t felt like any of them are the true church. We taught her the restoration and she was very respectful and receptive of our message. We presented the Book of Mormon and taught about the power it has to change lives and how it is the evidence of God´s love for us. She said that she will read and pray, and hopes to know it´s true. Unfortunately, their family is going to visit the United States this week, so we won´t see them for two weeks, but she seemed interested to watch the Conferencia General online at least. I hope she does!!

This weekend, we also had a baptism! Francisco is the son of a menos activo named José Luis. We found them looking for a different family, but God obviously led us to their door. Jose Luis served as a missionary in Quito, but married a Catholic woman, and since then hasn´t had the support of his family in his desires to progress in the Gospel. As a result, he has had times in which he´s been menos activo. His sons had desires to be baptized a few years back, but the mom wanted them to do the Primera Comunion, and haven´t gone to church since. When we found them the younger of the two sons, Francisco, was so excited to be baptized. The older son, unfortunatly, had some problems after this experience and now doesn´t believe in God. This is a lesson for us all, that we need to teach our children from a young age to obey the commandments. Alma 37. That will help us in the long-run. Long story short, Jose Luis has made steps to reactivity, and was able to baptize his son on Saturday. it was beautiful, and the Spirit was so strong. I know this is the true church with God´s authority!

This weeek, we have to work really hard to bring as many people to General Conference as possible!!!!!! it´s gonna be nuts, but with God´s help and direction we can do it. The Conferencia is when people can hear the voice of a prophet of God, and so much quicker receive a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. Bring someone to conference! Or invite someone to watch it in our house. Don´t be selfish with such a great missionary tool we have been given!

Random thoughts: (1) This week there was another tremor apparently. As usual, I didn´t feel a thing. (2) We had to teach a lesson in English! It was really hard. Props to all you English-speakers. (3) Before, people only needed 2 asistencias to be baptized--now it´s three. (4) An old guy told us to come back to the true church--the Catholic. haha (5) I broke my ankle on Wednesday, now I have a cast. April Fools.

Well, I hope you have a great April Fools and Rabbit Rabbit! I´ll probably forget to say rabbit rabbit tomorrow--April Fools. Have an awesome day and week! General Conference is going to be boring--April Fools!! It´s gonna be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Tell Sunkist hi from me. April Fools, tell her meow.

Birthday Week

FAMILIA!!!!!

Wow, I can`t believe this is the first email I`m writing you at the old age of 23. I feel antigua, vieja, mayor...all of the above is what I feel. I feel one year older and wiser too, but also more rickity, more dèbil. Just kidding, I feel the same as 22. I just don`t like the ring of 23 as much as 22. Besides the fact that over the past few years, 22 has become one of my favorite numbers. (And not because Taylor Swift wrote a song about being 22. I never even heard that song while I was 22. Kinda weird.) But now I have 23 years, and you just gotta put your behind in your past, as they say.

And now, Dad, I want to wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope it`s the best birthday ever!! The ripe, old age of 53. I can smell the wiseness. Thanks for always helping me to learn each year. Thanks for helping me get to the point I am now. Thanks for you and mom making me do those Summerbridge books when I was little even though I didn`t want to. It was all so we could be one year older and wiser. Keep ponièndose las pilas.

One thing that was weird for me to read in your last email was that you mentioned if there would ever be a need for flip flops or shorts ever again. I was appaled that thought could cross anyone`s mind! How could anyone ever feel cold ever?? I was thinking the exact opposite...would there ever be a need for jackets or sweat pants ever again in my life? What is this strange thing used to make people hotter than they already are? Why would they want to suffer through that? The only real cold I ever feel is when they have the AC on at church. Brrrrrrr. I hope you can all get out of this cold wave fast and heat up like I do every day.

This week has been a great one. One of the focuses of missionary work is teaching families! Something that is pretty hard to find down here in Ecuador. There are a lot of strange, untypical families. If there are a mom and dad, they`re usually not married. Asì que, it`s been hard for us to help these families live the restored gospel, but this week, we found quite a few families! None of them were able to go to church, but we`re excited to teach them this week and help them accept the commitment to be baptized so that one day they can seal themselves and be a family for eternity!

On Thursday, we were looking for a menos activo who hasn`t been visited for quite some time now. We went to his house to find that he doesn`t live there anymore. So we decided to talk to the neighbors to try and find the address of where he lives now so his records can be transferred to his current ward and he can be reactivated. While calling upon his neighbors, 3 kids came out and started talking to us in English! It was so great! They had recently moved from the United States and will be living here now. Their three kids are all above the age of 8, and they parents are married. They live with aunts, uncles, and cousins, and after talking to the kids, they were excited to come to church with us. The mom will be coming here in a few weeks, so we`ll see if they can be a future eternal family!

Here in Ecuador, during the summer there are places that do something called a Vacacional....aka where kids go during vacation to keep learning/doing stuff. They have swim lessons, English classes, dance, etc. Our ward decided to do a free vacacional that all kids could go to. It started on the best day of the year, and will happen three days a week for the next month. It has been a great way for kids to get to know the church, and to receive lots of references. This week, we`re going to visit all the families of the kids who have been going to the vacacional so their families can learn a little bit more about que trata la iglesia and how they can receive the blessings of the restored gospel! In the Vacacional at the church, they`re teaching dance, self defense, painting, drawing, music, guitar, basketball, etc. I want to be part of it, but it`s right during our study time in the morning. An idea that maybe we could do in the future in our ward? Just an idea.

Remember Giovanna who got baptized last week? When we visited her on Saturday, she told us that she had her first post baptism temptation. At her work, they gave everyone beer for free, and she refused and gave it to her boss! She said that she felt the Spirit helping her to make the right choice. She`s so great! Then we taught her about temples, and she got so excited to do her family history! She`s really great and I love how the Gospel changes lives. Keep letting it change yours.

I love you all so, so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :]



Hermana Ayer


P.S. 1 Nefi 19:9

ST. PATTY´S BIRTHDAY!!

FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe how fast time has gone?? I sure can´t! Just to keep the awe of time tradition going, I thought I´d start my email así.

First, I would love to wish you all a very happy St. Patrick´s Day! O Día de San Patricio. I am wearing the same green shirt I wore last year on St. Patrick´s Day, which was my first Sunday here in Ecuador. Now I´ve lost track of the number of Sundays. Time flies. Today, I´m going to make patacones, which are made out of green plantain, and which they juts call "verde." Since there´s no food dye here, it´s really the only green thing readily available.

Second, I would love to thank you all for the birthday wishes! I cannot believe I´m turning 23 tomorrow. What a milestone--23. Now I can do so many more things. 23. Wow. I´m just happy that I´m twenty free and ya mismo my dad´s fifty free. Time flies when you´re having fun. Dad, your reccolection of my birth almost made me cry. Thinking of William with pollen all over his face just makes me laugh, and I really miss those wonderful times when we were young, all those home movies. I´m so grateful we´ve always had the Gospel in our lives, and I want to thank you, Mom and Dad, for raising me these 23 years of my life, and teaching me how to love God first. Really, when we put Him first, we always will be happy. We´ll always have success. We´ll always be blessed. We´ll always be filled. We´ll always have joy. We´ll always how to know how to resist temptation and overcome the challenges of this life. Always. God is our loving Heavenly Father. And I´m so grateful to Him that He's given me loving earthly parents. And loving earthly brothers. I love you all!!

A couple comments: (1) I love that you always comment on the RS/Priesthood lessons from this year. We´re on the same lesson here, and I¨ve felt that the manuals of the church just keep getting better and better. I love how simple yet powerful the Gospel is!! (2) I showed a menos activo a picture of our family, and Mom, he said you were guapísima. I´d have to agree. (3) A bird pooped on me this week. The first time that´s happened to me in my whole life. Check that off my bucket list. Actually, put it on my bucket list, then check it off, because it´s not there. (4) There was apparently a temblor this week. 5.1. I didn´t feel it. I never feel them!

As you can tell from the pictures I sent, we had a baptism! Giovanna se bautizó! She´s the miracle who came to church alone and said she wanted to get baptized. She´s so awesome. So believing and so

ready to accept the gospel in her life! She was just glowing at her baptism, and after she was baptized, she said, "Me siento diferente. Siento un alivio." She´s so great! Her friends who told her about the Gospel came to her confirmation on Sunday and it was beautiful. I´m so excited for her to perseverar and to keep making more covenants with our Heavenly Father in the temple! Some people in the ward have been trying to play matchmaker with her and another chico, so we´ll see how that goes.

This week, my companion and I struggled to find new people. We had quite a few people committed to go to church, but when we passed for them on Sunday, they were all either leaving to visit family, or drunk, or asleep, or cooking, or waiting for a visit, or.................a number of things. I hate that things of this world often get in the way of the spiritual things. We always need to put God first and do His will, and then He´ll help us in every aspect of our life! It´s so vital that we go to church so that we can feel the spirit, be truly converted, and renew the covenants we made at baptism by taking the Santa Cena. It's so important!! God´s way is perfect. We won´t always understand it, but that´s why we need to be obedient. When we obey first, we show our faith, and then receive the testimony. Ether 12:6.

Also, a Chilean hermana just got tranferred here after serving in Rincagua, Chile for a little while as she patiently waited her visa (sound familiar, Parker?), and guess who was her zone leader?? DAVID ARCHULETA!!!! WHAAT? Pretty cool. Apparently he´ll be finishing his mission the end of this month.

I hope you all know how much I love you! As Maid Marian says, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." I didn´t think I could ever love you more than when I was home, but now I have felt more love for you than ever as I´ve been serving the Lord. Stay strong in your commitments, coventants, and callings. The Lord will bless you as you faithfully serve His children! Moroni 9:25-26

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


Hermana Ayer

P.S. This week, I got a Franklin Pierce dollar and a NH coin! Tender mercies from God.

It's a magazine that costs 50 cents.

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

I can´t believe another week has come and gone. I think I start all my emails with surprise at how fast time flies by. But hey, that´s life. What´s life, you might ask...?

This week flew. Monday started out with Consejo de Líderes. I learn so much from my Presidente de Misión, Presidente Torres, every time he speaks. He is incredible. I love the power he has and the inspiration he receives for all of us from our Heavenly Father. I know he is inspired so that we can be guided and help God´s children to find the truth. The message we bring is one of happiness and joy!! If we obey the Gospel, we will be happy! As Kip would say, always and forever. Monday was Carnaval, but no one was in our area, so no one got us wet. Some hermanas who were finishing up the mission came and stayed with us for the night. My companion didn´t think it was real. How could anyone actually finish the mission? Being at the beginning, you think a year and a half (or two years) is foreeeeeever! And that it will never end. But I´m here to tell you, folks, that it does. It goes by fast. Hay que disfrutarlo al máximo y trabajar duro. Moroni 9:6. I can´t believe how fast my time here has gone. I still have a while left, cuidado, but really, I can´t thank God more for this opportunity He has given me to serve His children with all my time, talent, abilities, heart, might, mind, and strength.

Tuesday, the most progressive day of the year, turned out to be the least progressive day of the year. That was the last day of Carnaval, and NO ONE was here! Everyone was still in the playa soaking up the last bit of sun before they had to go to work again on Wednesday. We visited the investigators we had with a fecha bautismal, and then tried to find other people, but with little success. We did get hit by one water balloon, though, while we were leaving our house. And then we were walking on the sidewalk and a cute family drove by. As they slowed down to pass us, they rolled down the window, and shot us with this soapy spray thing. I saw it coming and ran, but my companion got nailed. It was a great day.

The girl who showed up to church and said she wanted to get baptized is named Giovanna. I want to tell you how loving and miraculous God is. He had been preparing her for one year to be led to this moment. I can´t beleive how grateful I am that God thought it wise to lead her to the church right when Hermana Arnold and I were here. Giovanna has a friend who is a member of the church, but part of the Guayaquil Norte mission. He had been telling her for a whole year that she needed to go to church, be baptized, etc. and that that is where she would find her happiness, joy, etc. For about a month now, she has really had desires to go, but something came up every Sunday, so she couldn´t make it. Just last Sunday, she made it. She showed up early, and got to know some of the members. She asked the bishop when she could be baptized, and he told her she had to listen to us first. She asked us when she could be baptized. March 15? Yes. This Saturday, she will be baptized. She is as prepared as can be, and the Spirit is so strong every time we teach her. There are people prepared in this world who want to accept the Gospel NOW. So what we have to do is invite everyone so we can find the chosen ones. I know they´re out there. God is a loving Heavenly Father. His work and His glory is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life! That´s what He wants for all of us! If we want to be on God´s team, we have to do what He´s doing, and help in this glorious work of Salvation.

On Wednesday, we finally got to know the mom of a kid who wants to be baptized. His dad is a member, returned missionary, and less active. His wife is Catholic, and has listened to the missionaries in the past. They have two teenage sons who also listened to the missionaries before, but the wife never watned them to be baptized. We happened to find this family by a miracle, and the youngest son was so excited when he found out he could be baptized. Wednesday, we got to know the mom and found out that she supports her son in his decision. She realized she couldn´t force another religion on him, and that this is what he really wants to do. This Sunday, the parents and that son came to church together! It was beautiful to see the importance of reactivating menos activos, as well as unifying families. We now just have to help the mom obey the word of wisdom and humble herself enough to join her family in this glorious gospel!!

On Friday, I renewed my visa! I can´t believe it´s already been so long since I got here. March 12 will mark one year from leaving the CCM and arriving in Ecuador (as well as Britt and Shawn´s anniversary!). Time flies. Speaking of holidays: Happy Women´s Day last Saturday, happy Ides of March this Saturday, and Happy Pi Day on Friday (make a pie and eat it in memory of me). On Friday, I talked with some elders who are serving in Loja and they said their neighbor is a girl from NH! They couldn´t remember what part, but her name is Heather. She believes in a greater spirit, but couldn´t accept the divinity of the Book of Mormon and used some pretty profane language with the missionaries. So proud of my state. haha Her heart will be touched some day.

I hope you know how much I love each and everyone of you!!!!!!! Never stop being missionaries! Share the Gospel every day in every way! You will receive greater joy than you ever thought possible!!!!!!!


Hermana Ayer

P.S. MOM!!!!! I GOT YOUR LETTER!!!!!! All the way from November. It was awesome! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!

Missionayeries and Carnaval

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

First of all, HAPPY CARNAVAL!!!!!!!!!! This weekend was the start of Carnaval, and it endstomorrow. Carnaval basically is a time when everyone gets everyone wet. Wet, wet, wet. They could throw normal water on you, or dirty water. It all depends. Our area is pretty tranquilo, so we haven´t been made wet, but you still have to keep your eye out. Presidente said that if they´re getting a little out of control, that we should stay inside our houses. I don´t think we´ll have a problem in our area, but we´ll see as the next couple days come a long. Yesterday, we didn´t have a ton of people in church, though, because everyone went on vacation--members, investigators, etc. They all went to the playa, and there were few left. Yesterday, we actually had to stay inside the house as mandato del Presidente, so I got to catch up on some crafty projects I had started, read in el Libro de Mormón, wrote in my journal, watched The District, etc. It was relaxing. Happy Carnaval!

This week, I´ve been enjoying especially all the different ways people pronounce my last name. People say in in the typical spanish "ayer" pronunciation, and others try to make it English-sounding by putting the emphasis on AY-er, but say it like EYE-er. Others pronounce it like they do in the west "ire," and every once in a while there are those who say it like "air" or "prayer" without the pr, as it should be. I just love my last name and am very proud to be an Ayer. Thank you for giving me a good name, and I hope that I can keep giving our family a good name. After all, that name is on the same plaque as that of Jesus Christ. I am a representative of Him. I will keep giving Him a good name as I go forth in this faithful service.

Also, I want to wish you all a very happy Most Progressive Day of the Year tomorrow!! March Forth is a day never to be forgotten.

Fun thing from this week, I tried cow hoof! It was pretty nasty. I´ll be honest. Our mamita wasn´t able to make us lunch on Wednesday, so we went to a local restaurant. They had cow hoof soup. We all were thinking to just eat the soup, but there was an hermana from Perú who started eating her cow hoof, and we were thinking, You can eat that???!?!?! So she taught us how to open it up and what parts to eat, not eat, etc. To me, it had the texture of a gummy bear, but definitely not the flavor. I don´t think I´ll be going back to cow hoof-eating any time soon.

This week, we´ve been working on finding new people. I don´t know if they have this where you are, but here the area has given us a list of 20 names of people who are menos activos and they can´t find their dirreciones. They have addresses on the list, but it´s not seguro that they live there. So what our mission is, is to find these lost sheep. It´s a way to help track down these menos activos and to also get referencias from their vecinos, family members, etc. We looked for one hermano menos activo, and it turns out that where his address was, lives ANOTHER menos activo. It was such a great [un]coincidence--obviously God led us to his house. The Lord works by means to bring to pass great things. We visited the hermano, and found out he served his mission in Quito, but his wife is Catholic and his children aren´t baptized. We invited him to church, and invited one of his sons to be baptized. His son accepted and they went to church yesterday! Now we just have to help the mom and the other son so that in a year they can all go to the temple and be sealed!!!

My comp and I also have been feeling that we haven´t been seeing the fruits of our labors. But we kept moving forward with faith, and yesterday, a miracle happened. We got to church after having run around for all our investigators with little succes to find that a girl had shown up on her own and said she wanted to get baptized!!!!!!!! That is a true miracle. Ether 12:6. I know God gives us miracles, but only after the trial of our faith. We need to be faithful!!!!!!!!!! And obedient!!!!!!!

Well, I´m out of time, but please know how much I love all of you!!!!


Todo mi amor,


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Last week on Sunday was voting day, so we only had an hour of church. They have a law where you can´t drink the day before you vote. Do we have that in the U.S.?

P.P.S. Today we had Consejo de Líderes. I was there with two of my three hijas!!!