SCHOOL

FAMILIA!!!!!!!!

Wow, already another week down. The weeks have been going by faster and faster. I honestly can´t believe it. This week, I want to wish you, Mom and Dad, a HAPPY 26TH ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!! I´m not sure if you've all gotten my letters yet, but I hope they come soon! Who knows how reliable the Ecuatoriano mailing system is...not I. But please know I love you both and am so glad you married each other for time and all eternity 26 years ago in the Logan Temple. The senior missionary couple that live next door to us got married in the Logan Temple, too! I attached a picture of them so you can see our lovely missionary abuelitos.

Also, this Saturday, we had a baptism for Noemi! She is so wonderful! Her husband was baptized about a month ago, and she was still having doubts about getting baptized herself at the beginning of last week, but we taught her with poder y autoridad, and she gained a testimony and a witness of the Holy Ghost so powerful that she couldn´t deny it. Ever since she made the firm decision to get baptized, she has been so much happier. And at her baptism, she was radiating. I´m so happy to be part of this work, helping Heavenly Father´s children prepare themselves to return to his presence.

We've definitely had our share of tests and pruebas, though, that´s for sure. We had 3 more baptisms planned for Saturday: Elena, Yamilet, y Paulina. Elena is the abuela of Yamilet and Paulina, and last Sunday, she and her nietas were so excited to be baptized, but then when we passed by their house on Monday, Elena wouldn't let us in, nor wanted to talk to us. Her aunt told her that she already got baptized and that it´s a burla ante Dios to get baptized twice. She listens a lot to what other people say, so she obviously took this pretty hard. She definitely has a lot of trials in her life, too--no job, 3 girls to take care of without any help from their parents, health issues--but she still doesn't understand that being baptized will help her will all of these problems! We´re still trying to pray and receive the revelation we need to be able to know how to help them, but it´s all going pretty slowly. We´re going to try and send some members of the branch to visit her and help her realize the importance of the gospel of Jesucristo in her life. She´s definitely received an answer of its truthfulness, so now we need to help her to follow that prompting.

We had our last training with Presidente Montalti on Tuesday, because he´ll be leaving at the end of the month and our new president will be Presidente Torres. He´s a doctor from California. Presidente Montalti is great. He shared Mosiah 2:22-25, 41 about obedience. If we want blessings, we need to be obedient. That´s all that Heavenly Father requires. That´s it! It´s like John 14:15 says, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Also, in a house down the street from the chapel where we had our capacitación was a lion! Someone owns a lion, and we could see it in the 4-inch space underneath the garage. I may or may not have touched its tail when I walked past...ok I did. I touched a lion.

Random compliment of the week: Someone told me I have a Greek profile and that my nose is beautiful. Thank you, Ecuador.

I love you all and hope you´re doing fantastically! Keep up the great member missionary work and help out the missionaries as much as you can! It´s key to have help from members! The church is true! Christ lives!

LES AMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Thanks again, Sunkist, forrr the email! Glad to hearrr you´rrre alrrright!

International Parker Ayer is Great Day!!

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

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS, PARKER ALAN AYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You´re the best ñaño who has 19 years that I´ve ever known! I hope you have such a wonderful day. Know that I love you and am thinking about you! Everyone says the best preparation for the mission is to read PMG, and it´s true...so just do it. I know you have, but do it more. haha

Also, HAPPY FATHER´S DAY yesterday!!! And this week, happy birthday to Brittany Howell and Megan Wernig! So many special occasions, and know that I love you all.

I haven´t read your email yet, so I don´t know if anyone gave a talk on Mother´s or Father´s Day, but I think I´m going to start a new tradition here on the mission...Stake Conference. On Mother´s Day in my last area, we had stake conference, and yesterday we had District Conference (ya mismo una estaca). Let me tell you, conferences are nuts here. We try to bring as many investigators as possible to the conferences, especially when Presidente Montalti is going to be there...and he´s been at both of these conferences. It was so nuts and we were really tired running around to all the people on our list, but today we finally get some rest.

Yesterday for Father´s Day, we ate lunch at Elder and Hermana Hansen´s house. They´re a senior missionary couple that live 2 houses down from us and are practically our grandparents here on the mission. Hermana Hansen always makes us cookies and takes good care of us. Yesterday after lunch, we still had a little time left, so we played spoons and........DON´T EAT PETE!!!!!!! It was a little different of a version, but I made sure we chanted and everything. It was so great, and definitely a tender mercy from the Lord.

This week, we almost lost 3 baptisms. One woman we are teaching came out of our house and told us she didn't want to come to church this Sunday, and was flustered with everything, making every excuse in the book. It was a miracle because her nephew came to her house by surprise, and he´s a member. He helped us out and the Spirit was so strong when I testified to her of the truthfulness of the church. I shared 3 Nephi 13: 32-33. I know the church is true, and this was definitely a test of my faith and trust in the Lord. I know He is watching over each and everyone of us and loves us. If we put our trust in Him, he will help us in every aspect of our lives.

This week we have 4 baptisms. Pray that everything goes well this week!

I love you all!!


Hermana Ayer

P.S. I hope you´re having fun with Karen and Kirsten!

P.P.S. This week, another person asked if I was from Spain, and one asked if I was from Brazil. Nopety nope.

Motorpsycho Week

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

I can´t even tell you how much I love you. Christian, I can´t believe you´re a state champion! Way to go for your tennis team!!! That is so cool! As many sports as I did, we never won any state champion anything. I am so proud of you and your hard work. Way to go! Also, I can´t believe Kirsten and Karen are coming to visit! How fun! I hope all the preparations are made and everyone´s animado. And I wish I could join you for your trip to Nauvoo this summer. That´ll be so great to meet up with Brenda there, too. Aww full familia! Mamá, how did your singing go? Parker and Christian, what are you singing for Father´s Day? Also, is anyone giving a talk?? We don´t want to break tradition now! Keep up the good missionary work!

Well, guess what? I´M TRAINING!!!!!!!!! I have a daughter! Well, a daughter missionary. Her name is Hermana Arellano from Chile. She is so wonderful! She´s 19 and is so excited to work. She relies on me a lot, which is good for me because it makes me work harder. This week has been great. Opening up a sector. Getting to know the members of the branch (yes, I´m in a branch). Figuring out what we need to do to have éxito. All that good stuff. It´s been a great adventure and honestly I really like being senior companion. It´s been a tradition in my life to take a back seat when someone knows what´s going on more than I do, but then to step up to the plate when I´m the one in charge. It´s been good for me to finally step up to the plate. I realized how much of a back seat I was taking when I finally got more responsibility. I feel great, though. I like knowing what´s going on and I've definitely been relying on the Lord in all that I do. It´s been interesting, because this week, I've understood more than ever. The Gift of Tongues is REAL! Every cambio, I understand more and more, which has been a miracle...Moroni 7:33.

Also, found out today that our mission has the highest baptism record of any mission. My mission president will be ending beginning of July and has over 6,000 baptisms. And he´s so humble about it. Kinda cool.

This week, we worked hard to find new people to teach and to invite people to be baptized. We found a lot of great people, got a lot of references, but it´s been difficult because the majority of the people aren´t married...just living together. It´s hard to see, and the process of getting married is pretty difficult here, so most everyone just skips that step. I know marriage is ordained of God, and it´s essential for our happiness in this life and the life to come. I met a joven who we visited after he accepted a fecha, and he told me that his dad said he couldn't get baptized. I asked him, "But what do you want to do?" He said, "Yo quiero bautizarme." His testimony and desire to be baptized was so strong, and I just felt the love God has for all His children. Although his dad won´t let him be baptized right now, I know that in the future, he will get the opportunity. Heavenly Father wants all of His children to return to His presence and have the felicidad that comes from Eternal Life. I know that Jesucristo makes all this possible, but only through Jesucristo. We need to have faith in Him, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. That's it. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know He lives and He loves us. His arms of mercy are extended to all who come unto Him. I love the Gospel and I love serving here in Ecuador. :)

Les amo!!!!!!!!!! FELIZ DÍA DE PADRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Te amo, Papi :)


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Everyone who promised to write me, remember I only require ONE letter.

P.P.S. But I´ll hold you to that one letter.

P.P.P.S. Wedding announcements count.

P.P.P.P.S. HAPPY FATHER´S DAY in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.P.P.P.P.S. PARKER´S BIRTHDAY IS IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.P.P.P.P.P.S. I thought I´d share some pictures. A typical Ecuadorian dish. Me with Presidente Montalti. (Ignore the fact that, yes, I´m becoming a gordita.) Me and Hna. Arellano.

P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Oh motorcycle week. Good times. Every day in Ecuador is motorcycle week.


               A typical Ecuadorian Dish


            Sarah with President Montalti


               Sarah and Hermana Arellano

Missionary Work

Familia!!!!!!

I love you so much. I hope that you know that. :) You are all the best ever. Mom and Dad, thank you so much for being such excellent examples to me of faith and diligence in the Gospel. I love you. Also, Dad, did your message on the Howie Carr Show Chump Line get played? Maybe you already told me in your email, but I´m going to read that after I write. How have you all been? And will somebody PLEASE tell me how Sunkist is????!!! Thanks,

Here in Guayaquil, we have been working wicked hard to talk to EVERYONE! We have investigadors who are awesome, but then they don`t come to church, or they don´t read, etc. So we´ve been trying hard to find new people to teach. We have this one family who is great. The dad got baptized a loooooong time ago, and has been inactive ever since. The mom and daughter are wonderful and love having us come teach them, but weren't able to come to church this Sunday. We´re a little worried about what happened with her, because she seemed really distant when we visited her on Saturday, but with faith she´ll keep progressing and preparing herself for baptism. This work is crucial and life-changing. Also, the mom of this family taught me how to make corviches, so hopefully I can make them when I get home.

Also, I´m pretty sure I´m being transferred to Santa Rosa. This is the last cambio before the splitting of the missions, and I´m staying in Guayaquil South. Also, I´m pretty sure I´m going to be the senior companion, but we still have to see...BAH! I know that I´ll definitely need God´s help to lift me to the level I need to be at in order to have success, and I´ll definitely be seeking that help in all that I do.

This week, we had interviews with Presidente Montalti, and after, he gave Hna. Pérez permission to go to the temple to buy new garments. While we were there, we stepped inside the temple and I felt such peace come over me. I know the temple is the house of God. Without a doubt. I love that here on earth we can feel the spirit so strong. It is important that we always remain worthy to enter that holy house and always attend so we can receive that spirit siempre. The Spirit will never lead us astray. It will always testify of truths and help us make good decisions when we are worthy to have the Spirit. But remember that it`s in the little things that we stay strong: reading the scriptures, praying, and going to church. I can´t say it enough.

The other day, someone asked me if I was from Spain. My hair every day is getting blonder and blonder, and my skin is getting tanner and tanner. I´m not myself anymore. But don´t worry, my inward change is for the better.

I know the church is true without a doubt in my mind. I know Christ lives and loves us. Por medio de su Expiación, podemos ser limpios del pecado. I love the Gospel with all my heart and I love preaching it to God´s children.

Con oraciones de amor,


Hermana Ayer

P.S. Picture of Piedad`s baptism!

P.P.S. Other picture of my zone!

Picture of Piedad's Baptism

Zone Picture - Ha, Ha

Memorial Day

FAMILAMILY!!!!!!!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I´m sorry to hear you´re not camping at the Joseph Smith Memorial this week.  I was thinking about that on Friday and how much I want to go camping there right now.  I love camping!  But not a huge fan of snow camping.  If you want, though, we can change our climates for the weekend so you can go camping and I can get a break from sweating.  :)

This week has been terrific.  We FINALLY had a baptism in this ward!  And it was so beautiful.  Nuts to plan, but wonderful once it finally took place.  The person who got baptized is named Piedad and she´s the mom of a joven in our ward who recently got his mission call to Colombia.  She works every day of the week all day except for Thursday and Friday, so we´ve been teaching her on those days for a few weeks now.  On Wednesday, we happened to call her and asked when we could stop by on Thursday, and she told us she was at home because she had Wednesday off instead of Friday because Friday was a holiday (and she was planning on getting baptized on Friday).  So we ran to her house and were scrambling for ideas on how she could get baptized this week, and we figured out that she could get baptized the following day (Thursday), and still be confirmed this Sunday.  The problem was that she needed to have her interview still, so Wednesday night and Thursday morning was a rush of calling the Líderes de Zona to plan when we could have her interview and who would do the interview and running around to talk to the Bishop and the Ward Mission Leader to make sure the agenda was finished and the assingments were given....  It was a little bit nuts, but everything worked out perfectly and her son baptized her (his first baptism!) which was wonderful.  The spirit was so strong and she bore her testimony of how strong she felt the spirit and how she felt so clean after her sins were washed away.  I just love the Spirit and the power of the Gospel.  The Gospel is simple: faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, enduring to the end.  So easy and essential for salvation.  I love the Gospel and the opportunity I have to share it.

After the baptism, though, Hna. Pérez, some people in the ward, and I were walking out of the chapel and I ran right into a pole.  haha I´ve never run into a pole before, but there´s always a first for everything.

Speaking of firsts, June 1st is a holiday here...Día de Niño.  That means you have to do something great for Parker and Christian.  All these years, we could have been celebrating children...  Another first, I watched the old Restoration video in Spanish for the first time and it was still as awesome as ever.  With the lady that says, "I believe!" and the light that looks like snow...ah.  Classic.

There´s a song here that´s really popular.  It´s called El Pollito Pio.  You should look it up!  Also, a singer named Prince Royce.  Everyone listens to him in the streets.  In the CCM someone was listening to music outside of the CCM when we were trying to teach and I was getting so distracted.  My teacher told me it´s worse in the field and I thought there was no way it could be...but it is.  I have to concentrate so hard, and everyone is always listening to music.  I need to work on not being so ADD, I think.

Also, there´s a place here called Manavi where there are lots of white people.  Sometimes I joke and say I´m from Manavi, and I feel so good when people believe me!  Because that means my Spanish sounds legit.  Still not perfect, but definitely improving.

Dad, you´d be happy to hear that Hermana Bytheway quoted Master of Disguise the other day.  Every day I´m with her, there´s more and more we have in common--especially our sense of humor.  She and I were singing Caillou randomly the other day, too, which was just awesome.  She wrote down the moves for Insanity and Ab Ripper X, so we´ve been doing 15-min workouts of that in the morning which has been great.  haha 

Well, my time is up, but I want you to know how much I love you and how much I know the church is true.  This is the Church of Jesus Christ.  He directs the church in these latter days por medio de Thomas S. Monson.  I love him!

CON AMOR,

Hermana Ayer

P.S. I thought earlier this week about how when I look at my watch, the seconds are never on :00, but every day since then, at least once a day, I´ve looked at my watch and the seconds are on :00!

P.P.S. I used someone´s bathroom the other day that smelled just like Grandma and Grandpa Ayer´s bathroom.  :)  So grateful I can see them again someday!

Good, ol' Guayaquil

Hola, Familia!

This week has been a little bit nuts because in our apartment, we had a cambio on Thursday and a cambio this morning!  Hermana Martinez got switched with another Hermana Martinez, y Hermana Chacón got switched for Hermana Bytheway!  So now there´s another gringa in our apartment.  Things are getting all changed up to prepare for the splitting of the mission and change of mission presidents.  It´s crazy, but it´s fun.  My companion is still Hermana Pérez and we´re still in Guayaquil.

This week, we worked hard at putting new fechas with investigadores and inviting people to church.  This has definitely been the desafío aquí with these people--not wanting to come to church.  But yesterday, we had 7 people en la reunión sacramental!  It was a miracle and I was so happy.  Some of these 7 have fechas, some don't, but we're working to help them all see the importance of the Gospel in their lives so they can accept una fecha bautismal.

This Gospel is the only thing that matters in this life if we want to have happiness and live with God and our families for eternity.  I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the fullness of Christ´s Gospel and the authority to perform these ordinances.

I hope that everyone has been doing well and that everyone is healthy, etc.  I don´t really have any interesting stories to mention, but know that I love you.  Someone this week asked me to teach them English...not really sure how that´s going to work out or if it´s even going to happen, but I´ll keep you posted.

Here are a couple pictures for your enjoyment.

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

Hermana Ayer

P.S. In Spanish, it´s P.D. instead of P.S.  Fun fact.

P.P.S. How´s Sunkist??

Mother's Day

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

Wow, I can´t believe it´s already been a day since I´ve talked to you.  It was so wonderful to hear all your voices and know that everyone is doing well.  I love our family so much and I´m so grateful we can be together for eternity.  What a blessing to have the Gospel in our lives, and even though "If You Could Hie to Kolob" turned out sounding like a round, it was so wonderful to sing with you all and pray together even though we´re so many miles away.  William, I´m glad you were on Skype.  I love technology.  But not as much as you, you see.  But I still love technology.  Always and forever.

Well, my companion had another capacitación this morning, so I´m with Hermana Bytheway again, and we got permission to take our waiting time and write our families.  My English is a lot better after having talked with you all yesterday, and today Hna. Bytheway and I were talking about all the funny things about Ecuador.  Dogs roam the streets at will, modesty isn´t really a thing, people are so honest, people don´t get offended when someone calls them gordito.  It´s just great.  Definitely a big change from the United States, but I love it.

The thing my companion and I are having a hard time with is getting people to come to church.  Everyday of the week, they say "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I´m going for sure!" and then Sunday comes around and they´ve mysteriously disappeared, or are sick, or are busy, or something.  It´s definitely frustrating.  But we have two people with baptismal dates (the other 5 fechas have fallen through over the past week because they didn´t asistir a la Iglesia), and they´re both strong.  One is for this Saturday.  His name is José Miguel and we found him two weeks ago because he works in the Cyber where we write.  He had listened to the missionaries about a year before, had a Book of Mormon and everything, but never went to church, and apparently didn't even know there was a church close by.  He is so great and the only problem he had was that occasionally he liked to drink coffee.  But that was easy for him to give up.  Thank goodness!  We have been having the hardest time with people accepting compromisos, but he´s doing so well.  Compromisos are the only way people can make changes in their life (aka repent), which is why they are so important.  He has accepted everything, and we´re hoping and praying nothing will impedirle a bautizarse esta Sábado.

I know the church is true and it´s so vital that we always do the little things: pray, read the scriptures, and go to church.  If we do these things everyday, we will stay strong and never fall away from the church.  That is a promise.  If you don´t read your scriptures everyday...DO IT!  If sometimes you skip church...STOP IT!  Go to church!  Read your scriptures!  Pray!  These things are so easy and yet we receive so many blessings for doing them.  Thank you so much, mom and dad, for setting an example for me and helping me know the importance of these three things.  I am so blessed to have parents who have brought me up in the ways of the Lord.  I know that the Gospel is key to our eternal salvation.  What greater gift do we have?

To answer some of your questions, yes, we eat with members every day except for Monday.  I don´t have control over soda, so sorry, Mom.  Here, you have to take what you get, and the only other meal we eat is breakfast.  I buy bananas, apples, and oranges, so that´s pretty good, right? haha  I feel like my Spanish is so much better than when I started, but still I have a ways to go.  I just need a bigger vocabulary I think, but I understand pretty much everything, which I am grateful for!  We´ll find out in July about the mission changes.  Hermanas don´t go to the Galapagos, though, unfortunately.  That would be so cool!  That would be great if you could send me more GummiVites. :)

I love you all and I´m praying for you.

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Ayer