Caridad

FAMILIA!!!!!

I´ll be honest, I didn´t work that much this week in my propio sector... Monday was pday, so we only worked from 6-9 pm. Tuesday, I did an intercambio with some hermanas in my zone, and I was the one who went to work in their sector. Wednesday, I worked the whole day in my ward (Monay). Thursday, we had a capacitación en la mañana with the two zones here in Cuenca, then I had to travel to Guayaquil with the other Hna. Líder de mi zona y los líderes de zona. Friday, we had Consejo de Líderes in Guayaquil, and in the afternoon, we just worked in Centenario (Guayaquil) instead of going back to our propio areas. Saturday, we had an awesome Capacitación con Elder Waddell, then travelled back to Cuenca, and I had time to work in my area from 6-9 pm. Sunday, I worked in my area the whole day. That`s 2 days in my own sector. Kind of nuts, but this week has been incredible, en serio. I feel so uplifted!

But first of all, I want to clarify the point of my funeral story from last week. The reason I talked about how I had to play at the funeral was because something funny happened. As a little backstory, the Bishop always calls me Hermana Yesterday instead of Ayer. So at the funeral, he told the hermano directing the service that I was going to play. When the hermano went to open/begin the meeting he said, "Y en el piano, la Hermana Yesterday." I about died...no pun intended.

Also, this week, an elder from UT tried to make the point that his state was the best and said, "Por lo menos vivo en un estado que existe." Oh, don`t you worry, I defended my tierra (como Moroni...Alma 46:12, 48:10). I opened my mouth and it was filled (DyC 33:8). This Sunday we ate with the Bishop, and I showed him and the elders where it says New Hampshire on the movie Joseph Smith: Profet of the Restoration. Conviction feels good. I would have to agree with John Kerry on this one: I love NH.

But more than NH, I love the Gospel. And I love my Savior Jesus Christ.

This week when we had our Consejo and capacitaciones, all the liders talked about our Jesus Christ and how we need to be more like Him. I felt like they were talking to me. He came to this earth so that we can be saved, but not saved in our sins, sino from our sins. That`s why we have the Gospel! Thanks to Jesucristo! The Gospel is the ONLY thing that will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. It`s the only thing that unites families for eternity. It`s the only thing that will give us happiness in this life and a fullness of joy in the world to come.

In the capacitación on Saturday, Elder Oaks was supposed to be there. He wanted to have a meeting with the three missions/líderes of Guayaquil (Sur, Norte, y Oeste), but wasn`t able to make it because of a delayed flight. Elder Waddell from the seventy (who`s in the Presidencia del Area) came and told us to think about it...Elder Oaks wanted to have a meeting with the three missions, but God knew he wouldn`t be there. Why? It`s not like He got up this morning and said, "Oh no, Elder Oaks`s plane didn`t make it! Why didn`t you tell me sooner? Now what are we going to do?" It was funny, but very true. (All the missionaries there were very disappointed to not hear Elder Oaks...including me.) But God has a purpose in everything: He needed all three missions to get together anyway. We have NEVER had a meeting like that before.

Elder Waddell said that Guayaquil is the city that baptizes most in the WHOLE WORLD! (And since Guayaqil Sur always baptizes more than Norte and Oeste, he basically told us that ECUADOR GUAYAQUIL SUR is the BEST MISSION IN THE WORLD.) He congratulated us for our efforts and that we`ve been an example for the world. Then he said that now we need to convert ourselves into the city who most retains and reactivates those people who have been baptized. If we want to have more baptisms, we need to reactivate more people, and retain the fruits of our labors. "Misionero 2.0 convierte, retiene, y reactiva." We need to become those kinds of missionaries.

He also said that baptisms aren`t the measure of our succes--it`s the person we become on the mission. I feel as though I haven`t had as much éxito as I would have liked here on the mission in terms of baptisms, but it`s not about the numbers. It doesn`t matter if I never got to serve in the best places in the mission (aka Galapagos). It`s not about the place. I need to be a representative of Jesus Christ. I need to have His attributes. I may not be able to do what He did, but I can do it like He did. Elder Waddell said, "Dificultat es una excusa Dios no aceptará." The trials of this life are to make us grow stronger, to be more like Jesus Christ, to refine us into that pearl of great price. Hermana Waddells shared Helaman 5:12, and said that this [the mission] is our time to build our foundations en Cristo, because it will strengthen and carry us throughout the rest of our whole lives! I hope that in this last month of my mission, I can give it my all and really come to know my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, and become liek Him. More patient, more humble, more diligent, and most of all more charitable. Because charity is the PURE LOVE OF CHRIST and it endureth forever. Moroni 7:45-48.

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


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Guess who`s giving a talk this Sunday?? HAPPY FATHERS` DAY!!!!!!! The tradition lives on.

P.P.S. Who`s the presidente of BYU? Someone told me it`s not Cecil anymore...?!

P.P.P.S. Everyone in Consejo told me I talk like a Cuencana! Ahhh! No!! Except I don`t say my "rr" like "zhh". That`s the only good thing. The Cuencan accent is a mix of Mexican and Bolivian. It`s very distinct. I don`t say "azhhos" o "comprarsh" like they do, though...just the fluctuation of my voice is the same.

Guinea Pig

FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I had cambios. I am now in Barrio Monay aquì en Cuenca, todavìa. My new compañera has 10 weeks in the mission, so I`m finishing up her training still! She`s from Snohomish, WA, and she`s awesome! Hermana Prete. She had emailed me in enero asking about the mission and some basic questions because she found my blog (and said it looks awesome--thanks, Parker!). And now we`re compañeras! She`s so great and speaks FULL ESPAÑOL and looks a lot like Lauren Bennett! Seriously, she knows so much and has a such a great desire and muchos ànimos para enseñar. We`ve been inviting everyone to be baptized, and no one has accepted, but that doesn`t get our hopes up! The people here are so duro, but we`re going to find the escogidos.

Our ward is HUGE!!!!!!!! There`s this part called El Valle, that is GIGANTIC! I don`t know if you can go on Google Earth and look up El Valle, Cuenca, but that might help you get a glimpse of all the area we have to cover. We`ve been focusing our efforts on one area called Rayoloma. It`s been good, and we have more investigators, and bastantes picaduras en nuestras piernas. We talked to a familia de Catòlicos this week, and they didn`t want to believe the bible in how baptism should be. They just wanted to argue and make sure our bibles said the same thing. Chao. We`re not here to bible bash nor to convince...sino convertir.

We went to the church on Friday because the ward was going to have an activity, but it turned out they had a funeral instead, so I had to play impromptu for another funeral in the mission. This week, the sun came out a lot more and it felt so good!!! We went out to visitar con una hermana, and she said, "El sol es malo!!" So serious, too! I would have to disagree, but I decided instead to shut my mouth.

We live with my hija, Hermana Argueta, and also Hermana Adams, who I`ve spent casi all of the mission with!! We`re going to be pals despuès. It`s been so fun! We always speak spanish in the house, though, so my hija from Guatemala doesn`t feel bad, and because English has slipped from my brain a lot.

Yesterday, we had a good rabbit rabbit and Dìa del Niño. Except that because of the Dia del Niño, all the schools had programs for the children, so none of our investigadores could come to church. Kind of frustrating. Satan works in mysterious ways that I don`t like. But that doesn`t mean we have to give in. We just have to always stay strong, do the right, and never make excuses. God has His commandments laid out before us. We can chose to obey or to disobey. It`s simple. If we obey, we get blessings. If we disobey, we get consequences. Also simple. Choose to obey. It makes life so much better and so much happier. I love the Gospel. I love the simplicity. Don`t be confused because of the easiness of othe way. Just obey and be happy and you`ll have eternal life! 2 Nefi 31:20

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


Hermana Ayer

P.S. We ate cuy this week. My compañera was sad because her sister has a guinea pig named Chester.

P.P.S. I didn`t know Skate Eskate burned down along with Little Ceasers!!?? I never even got to go to skate escape! So sad....

Tiernas Misericordias

FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!

Well, this week was a rollercoaster, if I do say so myself. First of all, let me just give the good news first, WE HAD TWO BAPTISMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CRISTINA Y KARI SE BAUTIZARON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Such a miracle.

At the beginning of the week, we weren´t sure if they were actually going to get baptized or not. They're both overage, but their parents still said they wanted to give their permission if they live in their house, which I respect. I´m sure you, mom and dad, would want to know what I´d be doing, and still have to give your consent. So I was doubting a little, but I studied every day in my personal study to know how to help the parents come to understand the importance of baptism and the truthfulness of the church. My compañera and I even did prácticas con los líderes de zona to practice what we would do to help them. Thursday came around and we were sick of hearing, "No, we haven´t talked to our hijas yet, we´ll gave the answer tomorrow." So we said, no, today is the day. They are going to give permiso and God is going to change their hearts miraculously. That day, we get a call from Cristina saying she had talked to her parents that morning, and that they wanted to talk to us to let us know their decision. We were feeling a little uncertain, but we went to talk to them. At first, the mom wasn´t took excited to give permiso, but as the dad was talking, he came to say that he felt that it was a good decision for his daughters and that if they wanted to get baptized, él les apoya completamente. WHAAAAAAT????????!!!!!!!!! We were so excited! And right in that moment, the Spirit came in and testified that what he had just concluded was right and good and true! It was incredible!! He wrote a note to his daughter that said, "Cris, te amo. Está bien que se bauticen. Todos vamos a prepararnos como ustedes." So sweet!!!!!!!!!!! Their family doesn´t talk much because the parents work a lot, but this has truly brought their family close together. The baptism was beautiful, and we had the help of many miembros.

Then Sunday came along..........all was good and nice and tranquilo, and we were excited to have the confirmación. We went to the house of the Familia Puma to make sure they were awake, which they were, and then we left to go pass by for other people who were planning on going to church. Then we went back to their house at about 8:45, ready to head out and go to church. We knocked, we called, we yelled, and they didn´t come out. Finally Kari came outside for a second to try and open the door, but when she went back in to get the keys, she didn´t come out. We waited and prayed and waited and prayed some more for about 45 minutes, wondering what God´s will was in all of this. It turned out that the mom had gotten angry that morning at some little thing and didn´t want anyone in the family to go to church. Satan works sooooooo hard to stop us from reaching our potencial and making sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father! He knows they´re sooooo important, that he will do whatever it takes to keep us from making them and having the spirit with us. Evenutally, with a lot of faith, they came out, and the whole family, minus the mom came with us to church. They got confirmed and it was beautiful. It was a battle, but we won. Well, God won. And He always wins. And will win forever.

Happy Memorial Day, and a rabbit rabbit on Sunday. Also, dad, both our baptisms have your birthday, but one was born in 1994, and the other 1995. Also, isn´t it weird that the last futbol mundial lwas when Will was on his mission? And now the next one is happening when Parker and I are both on ours. Cool.

Parker, I had all those EXACT same feelings/thoughts when I started the mission. It was so fun to read your email and reflect on my first few weeks here. At least you don´t have to wash your clothes by hand....or do you? Also, where the heck in Brazil is Juiz de Fora?? Everyone asks me, but I have no idea.


This lady cut up a whole chicken right in front of us this week. My comp was enjoying it...mas o menos.

This is the true church!!!!!!!!! Go to church and renew your baptismal coventants!! The spirit will tell you all things what ye should do!!!!!! 2 Nefi 32:5

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


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Mas amor...for all of you.

Domingo de Milagros

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

Well, I don´t have much time to write this week because I had to print out a talk for a lady we´re teaching, but I´ll make this short, sweet, and to the point.

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FUTURE ÑAÑA!!! I hope the 21st is an awesome day!!

Second of all, this week was a week of miracles!!!!!! Guess how many investigators we had in church?? Guess! THIRTEEN!!!!!!!!!!!! 13!!!!!!!!!!! It was a miracle! La familia Puma all went!!!!!! Well, except for one of their daughters because she had to do practicas because she´s going to be a nurse. It was such a miracle! The whole family loved it, and I was so grateful to be able to see them all their! Now the parents just have to be excited and ready to change and accept the restored Gospel, as well!

This week, I cut my compañera´s hair. It was so fun! The first time I´ve cut someone else´s hair. And it actually turned out pretty well! She was pleasently pleased...as was I.

On Friday, we went on a hike. It didn´t mean to be a hike, but we went to visit a menos activa family, and it turns out that they don´t have an actual road to their house, just a random path that goes past corn, animals, other houses, barbed wire, dogs, etc. It was quite exciting, and it was lucky that the family wasn´t there when we got to the top, because it de repente started raining, and we had to get down pretty quick, or else we would have been mud sliding down. When we got at the bottom, though, we ran into a woman who needed us right when she saw us! Her son has been missing, and she´s lost almost all hope of finding him. I know that the restored gospel can help her, so we shared scriptures of aliento and love. And we gave her a book of mormon. There was a noteable change in her countenance at the end of our encounter. THe gospel changes lives.

Funny quote, my zone leader this week said in our Reunion de Distrito, "When I think of humility, one scripture always comes to mind. 1 Nephi 4:31."

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


Hermana Ayer


P.S. Alma 13:27-29
Alma 26:12,16,35-37
Alma 29:9.10,13-17

Pictures!

The first picture is a llama sweater I bought last Monday.  It´s so cozy!!!!!!

The second is my zone here in Cuenca...well, it was my zone.  3 missionaries got transferred since then.

The third is my compañera´s and my planeamiento semanal.  So fun.

Happy Mother's Day!

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

I can´t believe it was just AYER that I talked to all you AYERs! It seems like time has flown faster than ever. I don´t want my life to go by as fast as these past few months have...and how fast the next few months will go. Christian, I am so proud you´re keeping up the family Mother´s/Father´s Day talk tradition. It´s a good tradition. They probably always call on one of us to talk because we have such good parents and they want the speakers to say uplifting things that help everyone to be as good a parent as one of ours. Happy Mother´s Day, Mom!!!!!!! Thanks for being the best mom ever, and for letting me serve a mission, and for letting me grow up with the Gospel, and for teaching me correct principles and letting me govern myself...I hope that´s gone alright for all of us. haha Just know how much I love you!!

This week, a recent convert found a menos activo from Peru who´s living with a lady who´s not a member of the church. The problem is that they´re not married, but they went to church on Sunday and absolutely loved it! I hope they can figure out their life and live the Law of Chastity!! 4 Nefi 1:10-11

I also met a man from NH on Friday! He was wearing a Southern New Hampshire University sweatshirt, and I had to stop and talk to him. He wipped out the cigaretts right when we went to talk, but he seemed fairly normal...besides the fact that he has a girlfriend who doesn´t speak English and he doesn´t speak Spanish...oh, and his girlfriend is LDS! Kind of a funny combo.

El Presidente Torres put a lot of emphasis this week on the importance of our albedrío. Our decisions not only affect ourselves, but EVERYONE around us! It´s such a great and important gift, but we have to use it wisely.

Maria came with us to visit a family and her testimony was so strong! She said the closing prayer on Sunday and it was beautiful! She went to the temple on Saturday and wants to be a temple worker!! Ahhh!! She´s awesome!

The familia Puma´s daughters are getting baptized this Saturday! They´re so excited! Pray for them!!

That´s all I have time for, but I was so happy to meet you yesterday, Stephanie! Thanks for being a great addition to our family!! I love you!! Parker, rock Brasil!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!!! CRISTO VIVE!!!!!!!!!!


Hermana Ayer

P.S. I love you!!!!!!!!!!

Upsies and Downsies

Familia,

Just so you are all aware, I might shoot this keyboard from being so annoying and

hard to type on. Shoot, might not be appropriate, so I´ll just keep doing what I´m doing, which is type has hard as my fingers possibly can.

Getting that aggression out of the way, I´ll get on to say, that I CAN'T BELIEVE PARKER IS IN BRASIL!!!!!!!!!!! It´s so nice to finally get to tell people that he´s there and not have to explain the whole visa-waiting thing, because believe it or not, it´s kind of a hard concept for people here. I also can´t express how much joy it gives me to say that William is engaged!! I just get happier and happier every day that Will and Stephanie are going to make this step in their lives. It´s even better that I´m going to be there! Also, I want to wish you all a Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Not a holidaiy here in Ecuador, but my companion and I are still celebrating it up and eatingth e candy I got in my package! (Thanks, padres! It finally came!)

 AAaaaaaand............HAPPY MOTHERS´ DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can´t believe time has already passed for me to be speaking to you again! Timeflies and I can´t wait to be able to hear your voices and express my testimony in words in vez de writing, becausethis is rather dificult right about now. English and keyboard issues.....THe church is still true, though!

This week, we had a baptism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maria is an extremely blessed and prepared daughter of God. Her baptism was beautiful, and the chico who baptized her is a recent convert and was so excited to baptize. The water was cold, but they still feltth e warmth of the Spirit. She bore her testimony in her servicio bautismal, andt he Spriit was so strong! She said that she wants to be an instrument in God´s hands to help all His children know the truth and that she wants to be una persona útil en la Iglesia!! She's also going to the temple this Saturday with the ward! So great!! :)

The familia Puma has been doing really great. Yesterday, they all came to church with nice Sunday attire! The children are 20, 19, 15, and 14. They have another younger sister who´s 9 and tyhey live with both their parents, but they´re a little bit more duro. Their cousins are members. THey love church so much! In Relief Society, we talked about For the Strength of Youth, and when we visitedthem inthe afternoon, they asked usa bout modesty and music because they have desires to change!! The oldest daughter also had a piercing under her lip, and she took it out on Sunday!

My companion and I seriuosly have been so blessed to be teaching these people. Keep praying for Laura that her heart can be softened andth at she can readthe Book of Mormon. Pray that we can alsofind newpeople to teach!!

I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The church is true! Christ leads it! He LIVES and LOVES us!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hermana Ayer


P.S. I guess, I'll just leave the rest for Sunday.