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Familia y Amigos!

Shout Out: Temples! I was at the temple of Guayaquil today. Time of my life. Something about putting everything back into perspective is what every missionary needs every few months.

My Week: We are working hard to get Kevin and his sister Yulexy Lino baptised NEXT WEEK. We had thier baptism programed for this week but they didn´t go to church. This is what happens when you try to work with kids... they don´t have a ton of say and they have to leave town when thier parents decide to take them with. Todavía they are reading the Book of Mormon and saying thier prayers... I think everything will turn out right.

We are working a lot with José Albuja. He is/was a less active member that we activated recently. With his help we baptized his niece and the other day he took us over to his friends house. His friend and his wife were SUPER interested in the message. It feels really good to have an entire family back into the program. I personally think they can progress and WILL progress. How could I think otherwise. As Preach My Gopel teaches... we* should always work closely with the Recent Converts and the Less Actives because they are often a source of MANY references. I can testify of that. (*Note: "We" refers to missionaries. All of YOU should work with people so that they NEVER become Inactive.)

My companion and I are working hard to finish ALL of Preach my Gospel before our time together runs out. This is a fun activity... because we don´t know how much time we have left together. We are studying every page, every quote, every prinicple, scripture, doctrine, theme, etc etc... I am learning a lot. I thought that I had read Preach My Gospel enough times... but that is where I had error. 

I also studied a lot about Prayer this week. I was reading in True to the Faith on the importance of prayer and how we can make our own prayers more personal. I am trying to put in practice everything I learned. I personally think my prayers have gotten a whole lot better, I feel greatly strengthened after each one, and I understand more about what Father wants me to be doing with my time here in Independencia. 

Funny Stories:

1. So my companion is the most unlucky Elder I have ever met. I can´t tell you how many stupid things just happen to him: stepping in dog poop, staining his shirt, getting food on his shirt, having a cake blown into his tie, loosing money, tripping, breaking our fan as we were putting it together, getting sick, throwing up, eating to much hot sause, asking questions you should not ask (though in this culture you can talk about things you CANNOT talk about in the US culture)... the list goes on and on... and every single item on the list is an individual story that would take far to many of my 30 mintues (oops, I meant to say UNLIMITED TIME- Sorry Elder Robinson (II)) on the computer to tell. So in short... my companion is a series of unfortunate events.

2. We have started working in the "dangerous" part of our sector. I don´t know if you can get any more dangerous from the average "dangerous" that you find walking around our streets... but in spanish it is: PELIGROSISIMO! We had received a reference to go visit one Jesica Mina. We found her and started a lovely conversation. She was interested in what we had to say and was surprised that we, as Americans, would willingly walk around her street. She asked us what we do when we get robbed, or if we had ever been robbed. My companion. In his all infinite wisdom. Boldly anounced to her, and her family, and the next door neighbors that were listening in, that we give out money when we are robbed and that we will never fight back.

 I bit my toungue.

Speaking in English I told him: Don´t say that.

The blood drained from his face as he realized what he had just said. The conversation and the neighborhood went oddly silent. We practically ran home and I don´t know when we will be going back there... hopefully when people forget that the two "Mormon Missionaries" give out free money when attacked... and they don´t fight back. We laughed about it... and then I told my companion to think before he talks.

So if you think that any part of this letter was interesting... way to go. Because more than this... everything is the same thing every single day. But that is what I love about missionary work. 

I love you all.

Keep up the faith, 

--
Elder Robinson

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