Investigators and Dogs

This week we had some fun experiences here in Ecuador!

On Wednesday we had intercambios- where i get to go with another companion (a sister leader) for a day and serve in another sector. So I got to serve with Hermana Valdespino from Mexico in the sector called Nueva Jerusalen. I really enjoyed it!! She is a great missionary, and i learned a lot from her. One thing i learned was talk with EVERYONE! how else are you going to get new investigators, baptisms, and food? :) It was good to work with her for a day, and learn how to be a better missionary!

On thursday we had an interesting encounter with dogs... Here in ecuador there are a billion dogs. everywhere! so its common to have them all around in the streets. but we had an "interesting experience" with these dogs this past week. my comp and i went looking for a house that we had received a reference for. The family we wanted to visit wasnt home, and so we proceeded to leave but went out the "back" way through some trees. only to find out that we couldnt actually get out that way. so we came back down the path we came from... but this black dog found us on this path. and he started chasing us! we turned the corner and thought we were good. but we were not! he kept following us, AND called all his other doggy friends and we soon became corraled in by 5 dogs all barking and going crazy at us! any second they were ready to attack! i thought we were going to die!! i kept praying and praying! finally a man from across the street came to our rescue and kind of shooed the dogs away, and we were able to leave in safety! Wow! Heavenly Father does answer our prayers! And in this instance He answered my prayers immediately! 

This week we found an almost "golden" investigator family. The familia Delgado is very receptive to the Gospel, and are so sweet. They even came to church this past week!! The wife is almost always home, and so we have been able to teach her. and she wants to get baptized! but. they also have a grand problem. they couple is not married, and there are complications with them getting married... so we dont know when they can get baptized. But they are a great family! 

Sadly my comp got sick again this week (poor girl!) so saturday we werent able to work as much. but this week was good and we were able to teach and find 4 new investigadors! 

Interesting fact for this week. We usually only eat with spoons. yep spoons! even meat. so i have gotten pretty good at cutting meat with a spoon! haha :) Also i ate fish and shrimp (in a soup) this week and actually liked it! The flavoring was good, so i liked it! Who knew?!

muchas gracias for all of your prayers and love! i am grateful to be serving here in ecuador, and i know that Heavenly Father truly is mindful of us. He is pleased when we choose the right, and will always bless us when we keep His commandments. :)

Les amo,

Hermana Warburton

PS- Congrats Emma Buck on your baptism! :) What a great day for you that you will always remember! Great job at following the example of Jesus Christ!

Visiting a sick hermana

My favorite ice-cream

The apartment minus the bedrooms

The whole chicken we had at a member's house to make sandwiches

Sign that made me think of Ross

Semana 2 in Quevedo

Second Week in Ecuador! I am SLOWLY learning to understand the people more! I think i got more out of the conversations than last week... hopefully... :)

I have to say this week was a little different than normal. my companion got sick, so for a couple days i had to do "comp study" alone, and we didnt have a usual schedule. but she is feeling a lot better now. Also it was a little bummer of a week with not a whole lot of success with new investigators or the old ones. But its ok! This is a new week and we will work harder and do even better!!  :)

On Jueves we had interviews with presidente riggins. it was kinda a surpise, i think, and since i had an interview with him the week before when i got here, the interview was pretty short and to the point. he is a great presidente! you can tell he really loves the missionaries, and knows a lot about missionary work. his wife wasnt there, but she is also really great. both are really tall (haha), but good hard workers.

This week i had more new food... haha :) Patacones. They are fried banana things. Were you smush the banana and then fry it in oil. Ok and they are nasty. But i  have to eat them when i am served them! and one time hermana galarza in the ward gave me a huge plateful. you can also put cream cheese on top with them, so i ate like 80% cream cheese and 20% patacone with every bite hahahah!! they are a favorite food here, so im hoping i learn to like them more!! Also a really nice member bought rolls with this ham sauce inside for us.. it was interesting. But hey! im trying all these new foods , and its kinda fun! :) the members are always so so nice to feed us almost everytime we are at their house. they always share everything! 

So a little about where i am. we are living in the center of Quevedo in a little apartment. its not too bad. there isnt much air, but luckily we have 2 fans per person. its just me and my comp in our apartment. we live on the 3rd floor... so lots of stairs each day haha. the water is cold, but i love it cause im always way hot (and i was told this was the cold season... oh boy). the toilet kinda doesnt work...also the milk here is different. haha but its a cute little casa!

we usually take taxi, bus, but the majority of the time we walk. we walk all over, but its fun to walk! and we will probably never get cars or bikes. the bug bites can be bad here... if im not careful i can get lots of bites in one night.. and oh how they itch! haha! 

cool thing this week: i was able to teach the first lesson of the Resturation to a less active family! and i think they understood most of it... haha! :)

learning more and more each week! I know this Gospel is true, and that through Christ we can do all things! :) i love you all lots! :)

les amo,

Hermana Warburton

1st Week in Ecuador

Hola everyone!!

I have arrived in ecuador! wow! it is all so different than the US, but its beautiful and so fun to be here!

i arrived last tuesday after a long plane ride. we then had some tranings at the mission presidents house, and the next morning we got to go to the temple!! it was reallyu neat. it was all in spanish but the Spirit was still there!

on wednesday was more traning, and igot my new companion! She is Hermana Valiente from Peru! she is so sweet and a spunkly little hermana, but im learning a lot from her!

on thursdaywas my fist day in my first area. i am 4 hours away from guayaquil in an area callled quevedo. it is chèvere! the first day i met various people from the ward, and it was quite funny watching everyone try to say myname. cause no one can. not even my companion! they just cant say it! so im "hermana misionera"! hahaha but all of the poeple in the ward are so sweet. they are very welcoming and loving! pero...... i can not understand ANYTHING!!! ANYTHING! oh boy. it is so hard! these cute people ask me questions and i just hope the answer is sì! because i have no clue what they are saying. and that includes my companion. i feel bad but half the time i just nod and hope that she didnt ask me to do anything important in the next 10 minutes! hahaha

the food is ..... different... the first day i was servd this soup with a cow hoof in it! ah! they said i didnt have to eat it because i was not accustomed to the food yet...So the funny thing is that its so hot and humid here, but they usually always serve HOT soup first and then a huge huge scoop of rice, some kind of meat, and a like potato salad thing (but its not potato salad...) and SOOOOOO much food. after each meal i think im going to explode! hahah  but the poeple are so nice, and i like having lunch with them, because they are fun to be with. and i have to share the spiritual thought after each meal... and its been going not too bad so far... thanks to the help of my comp!

on friday i invited a girl named katty to be baptized! ah! its one of the goals we have the fist week! we were talking with her (and i like cant understand anything) and i shared a scripture that through Christ we can do anything, and then my comp was like "invite her to be baptized" and i was like Ah!!! but i did. and though she has doubts, we gave her a date for the 31 of oct. i really couldnt understand aything, and i hope she understood what i said... but it was a good lesson!!

when my comp found out that i sing opera... so she tells that to all the houses we visit (well the members of the ward) and so then i sing a little bit of opera for them! haha its so fun to sing, and the members seem to enjoy it! I was asked to sing at the baptism of some hermanas in our zone, and so i sang a number... haha but while the candidates were getting changed after the baptism, they invited me to sing more... so i san 3 more songs!! haha but it was really fun! even though i cant speak the language, i can sing it, so right now its one way that i can share mytestimony!!- through song!

its fun to be in ecuador and experience new things! its all so different than what i would have imagined. but i am in a great ward, with great people. my companion is awesome! so im excited to see what things lie ahead! gracias for all of your prayers and love! Heavenly Father loves us, and know each of us individually! Invite others to come unto Christ and understand that love that He has for each one of us!! :)

Les amo!!!! :)

Hermana Warburton

Last Picture at CCM of Megan's District