Carnival

Well, firstly, Carnival has not even started and my companion and I have been wet for half of this week that we just finished.  Today, is the first official day of Carnival.  All I understand about Carnival is that the people just like to get people wet and play games like it.  We have been advised to be careful during this time.

This week, I ponderized a verse in Mosiah 15:25.  Here I learned why we should all become as little children. As members of the church we hear we should be as little children, and this verse tells us why. 

We here in Compañia-Imbabura have an investigator that is progressing: "B".  We have been working with her, find a testimony about the Book of Mormon.  She is married to a member, and they want to be together forever. 

I testify that the Book of Mormon is true! If anyone doesn't know this, I invite them with Moroni to read, ponder, and pray, asking in the name of Jesus Christ.  I also testify that the family can be together forever, this is possible through the power of the priesthood and Temple of God.

Well, Hasta Lunes!!!  Kayakaman!!

Elder Draper.

Week one, new companion

Well, as I shared last week, I have a new companion: Elder Nielson.  He came from the Jungle, El Coca. He is from Monticello, Utah. He is on his last 6 months.  He is little bit taller than me, by about an inch.  It is interesting.  Two tall white Americans walking around Otavalo, where everything is shorter.

Elder Draper and Elder Nielson

This week, I had the opportunity to ponderize the verse in Mosiah 2:24.  The verse, talks about the blessings from God and how we are always and always will be in his debt.  That and we have no reason to be prideful. 

This week, we found a person.  Right now she has a baptism date for the 13th of February.  We will call her 'B', she is married to a less active member in the ward and they want to be married in the church.  Well in the church meaning in the Temple of the Lord. 

As a zone, this transfer we are focusing on growing our faith.  We, as a mission, have received some members of the seventy telling us that we need to grow our faith. We are in the Promised Land from the Book of Mormon.  There are a ton of promises for the people we are teaching, we can bring thousands to the gospel if we have the faith that miracles can happen. 

 Elder Draper.

Changes and a bunch of meetings

Well, yesterday the mission leaders gave the changes for the transfers for the coming 6 weeks.  Elder Morales is assigned to La Tolita in the Coast.  My new companion is Elder Nielson.  To be honest I don't know him because as I write this letter for all of you he is on his way traveling to Otavalo.

This week we had a lot fun this week!  Starting Tuesday we had a special training with President Richardson and his wife and as well the assistants to the President. During this training we learned to give commitments better to help the people come unto Christ more efficiently.  Wednesday we had a special mission conference.  This was for all of the world.  But because of transmission errors we were not able to receive. Thursday we had our normal weekly district and zone meetings.  In this meeting we receive every week a small training on how to better an aspect of missionary work.  

Friday we had a leaders meetings. The leaders of the zone get together every week to discuss the progress of the missionaries in the zone.  I am not part of this group but because Elder Morales was District Leader he had to be.  

We had a fun week of meetings!  

Yesterday in the La Compañia Ward I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting.  It was my first in the mission.  It went pretty good if I would say.  It had a topic of missionary work, teaching by the spirit. 

This past week I had the opportunity to ponderize 2 Nephi 32:4. Here I understood that we have all the words of the prophets and scriptures, and if we do not seek an understanding of what they mean, well, we won't understand what it means.  But I understood that it is important to understand the words of the prophets and scriptures with this knowledge we will be brought into the light.

Elder Morales and Elder Draper

Elder Godoy

First I want to express how happy I am to have been able to listen to what Elder Carlos A. Godoy had to say to us missionaries of the Ecuador Quito North Mission!  It was so amazing to be able to feel the spirit in this setting. Hermana Richardson spoke on how we can improve our studies, President Richardson on finding and teaching families, Hermana Godoy the restoration and the importace of the all the revelation we have received during the time since Joseph Smith, and last but not least Elder Godoy, a couple weeks ago we were given a talk to read andstudy and prepare. it was a talk from Pres Nelson in the seminar for new mission pres.  We talked about what we liked from this talk and he answered questions from us and with the scripture from Alma he showed us a formula to have lots of baptisms.  The four things we have to do are be repented. have good works and pray continually and the last is to have faith.  As a mission we are good with the first three, but we apparently dont have sufficient faith for miracles to happen.

NEXT MONTH ELDER HOLLAND IS COMING TO OTAVALO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week was a good week.  I had the opportunity to ponderize the verse: 2 Nephi 25:26.  I read this in my personal study last week and I thought that it speaks perfectly the job of missionaries. We as missionaries do this like it says that the people may know to what source they may find a remission of their sins.

This week we visited a family of investigators,  Familia Castañeda.  He was in a motorcycle accident about a month ago. We found him and his wife in their house the week before and we gave him a blessing of health.  This week we visited him and he asked us what the blessing was and what it meant. He has desires to learn more and it is so cool to be able to help the people build their faith in Jesus Christ. 

This week we have more meetings with President Richardson.  Wednesday there is a missionary Conference broadcast...How exciting!!