#16

Family and Friends,

The end is slipping ever closer. Today I started the last Change of my Mission. In the entire 2 years of the mission there are 17. 1 is spent in the MTC (for language purposes) and the other 16 are spent in the Field. I started today #16. Each change has 6 weeks and each week has 7 days. I will be leaving the mission 2 days after the next change begins... (so if you do the math correctly you should know how many days left until I get home!) It is strange to think that all the Elders and Sisters I knew when I entered the Guayaquil Mission is now home. Even stranger is to think that I will be next.

This last week was an absolute blast! Elder Calderon and I tore our sector apart. We started to average 6 lessons a day and we started talking to anything that moved in the street: moldy dogs, garbage, and a few people now and again. We were informed by our leaders that President Nash (President of the South America Northeast Area) will be visiting the mission next week and that President Montalti had arranged for the MTC in Peru to send the new missionaries a few days early. 

In the mix of things I had an interchange with Elder Hebdon. Elder Hebdon is among one of my best friends here in the mission. I lived with him when I was serving in Milagro (KM 26) and we always had some of the most amazing conversations. I am now once again his District Leader and I fully enjoy the oportunities I get to visit and work with him. Tuesday after the district meeting we started the interchange. I had a lot of work to do out in "Jardines del Salado" so we made our way out there to eat lunch and to track. 

We were out by the swamp looking at the crabs and the iguana when we made our way into a side street and started going house to house yelling "Ha Ver!" (equivalent of knocking on doors). I saw a pitbull out of the corner of my eye and thought to myself: "I hate dogs, and I don´t want to disturb that one." Again I yelled, "Ha Ver!" and I patiently waited for some sign that there was someone living in the home. My patience paid off: I saw life! It was running towards me... At full speed! As the pitbull approached I thought I was going to die. I took a step back and the pitbull jumped for us... and then the strangest thing happened: after the lunge the pitbull put itself to the ground and started whimpering. I didn´t know if I should´ve ran or laughed. My heart was beating fast enough for me to run a 5k. Elder Hebdon turned to me and said, "The 2 things I always pray for every morning are: 1. Not to be robbed and 2. Not to be attacked by a dog." As we walked away we started talking about how strange of an encounter it was we had with the pitbull. We came to the conclusion that it was divine protection that saved us (or the dog). Maybe I understand a little bit more how David played with the Lions in the Lion´s Den.

Thursday night we were called for the Changes. Elder Calderon was changed to Cuenca! He is now serving in Totoracocha (the ward next to my old sector Tomebama). We arrived at the Bus Terminal at 8 Friday morning and I was informed that I would be training for my last change! I was stoked. I still am stoked! 

Elder Calla is my new companion. He is from Peru and has been a member all of his life. He is excited to be here on the mission and is far more prepared for his mission than I was when I arrived to Ecuador. I am excited to train for it will force me to work hard for the last 6 weeks of the mission. He is excited to work and to learn and I am excited to work and finish hard.

The weather here has finally turned wet. Torrential rains have been hitting us every other day. I like the rain for it makes the days less hot. Yet the humidity it causes... need I say more. We trudged home last night through the flooded streets. That was really hard on my shoes. I hope the leather holds out.

I had a really amazing spiritual thought that I wanted to share with you all: and I forgot what it was. It came from the Book of Jacob and had something to do with the Gospel. Maybe you can all reread the Book of Jacob and understand what I am trying to say.

To all of you who feel that maybe I haven´t written in a few weeks or are waiting for letters to arrive: I thought I was sending letters. I hope they are making there way safely to the States. And for those of you that want more information out of me: I promise to load my last few emails "chucky jam full" of whatever I can.

The Lord loves and blesses his Missionaries. Especially the Ward Missionaries.

Love,

--
Elder Robinson

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