Family, Friends, and Neighbors,
Or in other words, "The Changes Touched Naranjito." We will explain this in a minute.
Shout Out: ELDER SPENCER DAVID ROBINSON! (Padowan) ok, so maybe your not an Elder yet, but Wednesday you get your call and I am freekin´stoked! To bad that I have to wait until next Monday to find out where you are going. But that is just it... I know where you are going! It is obvious that Ecuador Guayaquil South is the best mission in the world... but they can´t give that to everyone. And even though I would love it if you came here... I am thinking you will go somewhere else: Peru! (or Chile). You can´t go to Bolivia or Venizuela and you really don´t want to go to Quito or Columbia... and in Argentina they speak funny. Our family does not speak Portugues, so Brazil is out, and Paraguay and Uraguay are far to small. But the sure fact is... YOU ARE COMING TO SOUTH AMERICA, it is just "a Robinson thing" (take from the Skousen Reunion "It´s a Skousen Thing"). Anyway, Nos Vemos! When you do fly into Guayaquil, roughly the 4th of Augost, I will make sure to see you, even if I am in Cuenca, or Loja (12 hours away from Guayaquil) Chao!
(Please send me an email titled: My Mission Call. None of this, "Hey" "Guess What" or "News!" stuff. I keep thinking you got your call.)
My week: The change has officially ended. I am now into my sixth change in the mission. WOW! After this change I only have 10 more to go! (60 weeks excately). We ended with yet another baptism and I can´t send a photo and I will later explain why.
States of Change 5:
Number of Lessons: 160 (exactely)
Number of Investigators at Church: 41
Number of New Investigators: 68
Number of Baptisms: 5
It was an AMAZING change. Naranjito was great.
Oops, I used that "was" word again.
Alas, last night, the Assistants us called. Elder Bradshaw has been called upon to train a new missionary. This means that Elder Robinson has to leave. I was sad, but life moves on, packed up and we left for Guayaquil at 5:00 this morning. At the terminal we met with a ton of missionaries and the Assistants told us where we were going. I am now OFFICIALLY in Guayaquil for my first time! I am in the branch of "Indipendencia" in the stake of "Cisne Salado."
Just to be brief, and to get to the point, I am in the most dangerous part of the mission (by far). There are no Sister Missioneries even close to where we are.
As we drove to the house it was really cool because all the streets were flooded and our taxi turned into a submarine (almost). I was surprised we could drive through all the water. At the house I umpacked and refound the ring that Amy gave me (one of Dan´s wedding rings) and decided to put it on. We then left our house (which is protected by lockes, barbed wire, window bars, and bolts). Our sector is right next to the "Isla Trinitaria" (Trinity Island) which is just on the other side of a bridge from us. I have always heard that the Isla is the most dangerous part of the mission so I felt like I should take of the ring that I had just put on my finger. We waited for a bus on the side of this HUGE 8 lane highway that goes through the Isla and part of our sector, my companion told me how every night there is something that happens by this road. We took bus #35 (if we want to go downtown we have to use #20, 35, or 119...I hope I can learn all 150 numbers before I leave Guayaquil and where they go...). We were on the bus for only a mere 2 minutes when two men got on. One black, the other really black. One had a gun and the other just robbed us all. THE ENTIRE BUS! The weird thing: I didn´t feel nervious or scared... or anything. I only watched as this man started at the front of the bus collecting cell phones, purses, and money while his companion blocked the exit with a revolver. When they got to me he gave me a whole body patdown and decided I had nothing of value. Good thing he does not know to look behind my plack in my "White Bible." There is about $60 in there at the moment. Anyway, he then finished robbing everyone else and he and his partner left. So I actually was not robbed, but everyone else was. Fun stuff... welcome to Guayaquil.
This is why no one will get pictures from me... I am not taking the camera out of the house. I actually had plans to write a few people some letters today and send a package, and even a really cool picture I have with a "tipical" tie I received from a friend (which all the missionaries I live with want to know where I got it...it is such a cool tie). But, I really can´t do that at the moment, I am a little lost and confused but happy as usual.
Things I have learned as a missionary:
1. For only $2 you can buy lunch, work for an hour on a computer, take a taxi, and buy a snack. Or travel for 2 days using mototaxis.
2. Your companion is your first investigator. Work with him, make sure he is alright, have fun, be his best friend. All the work just "flows" after that, when you have unity.
3. Miamades just arn´t worth your time. Almost not worth smiling at, they just take it the wrong way, and missionaries always smile.
4. Go with the flow. Even when you are being robbed.
5. Just because someone was looking you in the eye when they talk to you does not mean they are telling the truth.
6. President´s always lie. Actually, they never lie, just don´t read too much into their words. Because remember, they are not in control, the Lord is. (He said that I could "count on" being in Naranjito for 1 change more).
7. Dogs: never let your children play with them.
That´s the mission!
Love you all! I will try to figure out where the Post Office is today so that I can get some letters and a box out.
Chao!
Elder Robinson
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