Cuencur

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

Welp, I´m back in the beautiful, cold city of Cuenca. I´ll be honest, I wasn´t really looking forward to being back here in the sierra, but it´s been a great blessing! My companion and I have already seen so many miracles! My companion is Hna. Price from Ogden, UT, and she has 3 weeks in the mission! I´m training still! Yay! I have so many hijas and hijastras, it´s nuts. It´s been so fun to be able to help her to have a good time on the mission and remember why she´s here. The beginning of a mission is really hard (the middle and the end, too, but especially the beginning). It is so important that people love the mission right from the start, or who is going to want to be here for a year and a half? (Or 2 years, for you elderes.)

This week, we´ve been trying to get to know the sector and it´s crazy because we are in the biggest ward out of all of Cuenca. We have two sides with limits, and then one side is the mountains, and the other side is until there´s no civilization. The Obispo said that there are members who live an hour and a half from here. El Presidente doesn´t want us to go over there unless we have an appointment with someone, but I don´t see the chances of us having an appointment an hour and a half away very likely.

This Sunday, we had a stake conference por satelite for all of Ecuador. It was awesome! The people who spoke were Marcus B. Nash, Rosemary M. Wixon, Jeffrey R. Holland, and Richard G. Scott! Hna. Wixon gave all of her talk in English (it was translated), and most of E. Holland´s talk was in English, but he started and ended in Spanish. At the beginning, he said, "No voy a continuar hablando en mi horrible Español. Es terrible. Es horrible." It was so great. Then at the end, he bore his testimony in Spanish, and it was incredible. It was simple, but powerful. I feel like that sometimes. My testimony may be simple, but I hope it´s powerful so the people can feel the truth of this message. He said, "Sin el Evangelio, no tenemos nada. Pero con el Evangelio, tenemos todo--luz, paz, y gozo. El Evangelio y la Expiación son los dones mas grandes en mi vida." I love the Gospel and I love the Atonement. I was so grateful to have that stake conference on Easter, because it helped me to remember the great and atoning sacrifice of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love Him. I know He died for me, and was ressurrected. I know He lives. He lives!! Elder Scott said that Jesuscristo should be the center of our homes porque se llenará de paz y serenidad. I love the apostles and know they are called of God.

Here, Easter isn´t really a big deal--just Good Friday (Viernes Santo). Kind of sad that the Catholics only want to think about the death of Jesus Christ instead of the resurrection. I´m so grateful that we focus on His life over His death. Thanks to Him we all can live again!

I loved this quote from Gordon B. Hinckley: "Qué grande será el día en que los miembros no solo oren por los misioneros de todo el mundo sino que también pidan al Señor que les ayude para colaborar con los misioneros que están trabajando en sus propios barrios." Work with the missionaries! They need the help! Also, your tarea for this week is to read the quotes at the end of chapter 1 in PMG. [HEBER J. GRANT: love = share the Gospel. GEORGE ALBERT SMITH: exaltation = share the Gospel. DAVID O. MCKAY: missionary work = love in action. EZRA TAFT BENSON: ward spirituality = missionary work of the members. HOWARD W. HUNTER: personal conversion = share the Gospel.]

Random happenings: (1)Guess who I saw this week?? KAYLA SCHVANEVELDT!!!!!!!!

I saw her at the Stake Conference!!!!!! I didn´t have my camera, but she took a picture with her phone. (2) At the Stake Conference, we also received other miracles--including one lady who had listened to the missionaries on the coast and came back here to Cuenca where she lives and wants to be baptized!! God is a God of miracles!!!!!! (3) There´s a family in our ward who is from the U.S. and it was so refreshing to be in the home of an LDS family from the U.S. THeir kids were loco. I felt right at home. :]

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Happy Earth Day tomorrow.

P.P.S. Elder Uceda comes this Saturday to Cuenca!