Monday, July 25, 2016

WEEK 44: VISIT FROM ELDER RONALD A. RASBAND - BAPTISM




6-13-16 letter

¿Como estan ustedes?
This last week will probably be one I will remember for the rest of my life. It was honestly a blast being able to have a training conference with Elder Ronald A. Rasband from the Quorum of the Twelve Apóstles(We werent allowed to bring our cameras). But Ill tell you more about that later in the letter.
So this week we had a baptism! His name is Ryam Tomala and his mom has been inactive for years. So we have been working with her and trying to reactivate her and this last week she finally filled all the requirements so we also prepared her son for a baptism! He is 9 years old. But funny story. So about 2 weeks ago the other Elders had a baptism..but the drain wasnt working in the baptismal font. So we get there Saturday and it is full of water and not draining. So what did we have to go? We emptied the whole baptismal font running buckets and dumping them in the bathroom. Now baptismal fonts are the same size here as they are in the states...so it took us about 2 hours to do it. As I am writing this I am still sore from that afternoon. So he was baptised yesterday (Sunday) and it was a great service. We had strong support from the members and great messages shared. So what did we do this morning at 5:30? We got to empty the baptismal font again! But this time we did it with the other 4 Elder in our house so it went a little bit faster. I guess in this ward it happens a lot so this week they are going to sent an email to the church offices to get someone sent out to fix it! So that is reason 1 why I am going to remember this week.
Another thing that is great about our ward is the food. The member here love to give us food and invite us to have dinner! Which is kind of rare here because Lunch is the big meal. Our mamita this week is a recent convert from the beginning of this year. And she cooks so great and always offers to have us over for dinner. The family is a blessing because they take great care of us as missionaries. Let me see if I can attach some pictures of the food for you guys haha.
Yeah so the conference with Elder Rasband was historic for a couple of reasons. So it was the first time that an Apostle had come to Ecuador to give a training to the missionaries. The other reasons are because it was the first time THE WHOLE MISSION was together for a conference. Even the missionaries in the Galapagos came  for the conference. And the other reason is because in the conference were the other 2 missions in Guayaquil. So Mission South, West and North of Guayaquil. So in total like 600 missionaries there. The training started at 10am but our whole mission was there early at 7:30am before any of the others arrived. It was crazy seeing the difference in missionaries from the other missions compared to ours. Were like an army of soldiers all with the perfect part in our hair haha but I love it. So we all got to shake Elder Rasbands hand and look him right in the eyes. It was definitely an experience I will not forget! The only other Apostles hand I have been able to shake was Elder L. Tom Perry at the huge BSA encampment years ago!
So what really impressioned me from the training is that everyone talked about the importance of our smile. Elder Montoya and his wife, and the Apostles wife also shared messages. They talked a lot about how all the people here in Ecuador have to see the smile and the sparkle in our eyes. Because before they accept the message they have to accept the messager. Elder Rasband also talked about how recently they opened missions in Turkey and Kasakhstan so thats cool too. He took questions at the end and someone asked him about how we can tell between what the spirit is telling us and what our mind or the enemy is telling us. He told us that we should always follow our first impression as missionaries because it is the Holy Ghost. We should never talk ourselves out of doing that first impression that came to our minds. Because thats when the adversary comes in to push us in the wrong direction.
He also shared a really cool experience that had to do with him assigning missionaries to serve in missions all around the world. He told us that only Apostles or the First Presidency assigns missionaries..nobody else does it. You can find more in one of his talks called ´´The divine calling of a missionary´´ I really recommend that you guys read it.

President Moreno gets here the end of the month...I think the 28th. Send me the picture of the whole mission together!
Love you guys!

Elder Solari

WEEK 43: NEW THINGS


Apartment family of missionaries

Greenie
6-6-16 letter
Well the end of this week I am going to reach 10 months in the mission so thats awesome! This week was a great week. Some cool things happened. So a new missionary got to the house and one of the other Elders is training for the first time. I like living with a new missionary because it makes me think about when I was new and learning about how to be a real missionary in the field. So this Saturday Elder Rasband is coming so the mission is getting all excited. It is honestly going to be one of the highlights of the mission im sure. How many times in my life am I going to be in a training conference with one of the 12 Apostles? So I was finally able to get some photos taken so Ill send them over.
I am still here in Guayaquil in the same sector but we did get a new Zone Leader! His name is Elder Salvatierra and he is from Bolivia. And the new missionary that got here is Elder Ibanez and he is from Peru..like more than half the mission is from Peru haha. We all get along super well in the house.
I feel like some of my letters get kind of boring because I basically write the same thing every week haha.
Weve been working on finding new people that want to come to church. Because we have a ton of people we are teaching during the week and everything is going well...and then they dont go to church Sunday so its kind of a bummer. So we are searching, and yesterday they called a bishop so that should help the ward out a bunch! Saturday we gave the first English class and it was a success, like 6 people came but 2 of them are investigators. This Saturday we are hoping on atleast 10 people! In the mission they have these cool English teaching books that we use to help the Latinos learn English so we teach out of that.
Thats super awesome to hear that Jack ended up having a great season! And that the Giants are doing great!!! #EVENYEARMAGIC I know theyre going to win it again hahaha. And that you guys accepted an offer on the house thats sweet too!
Ill be sure to fill you guys in on the visit with Elder Rasband next week...And I studied a good conference talk this week. If you have a question, ASK THE MISSIONARIES. They(we) can help you with any and every question about the gospel. I love you guys! Keep it real
Elder Solari
Elder Solari

WEEK 42: SOY GUAYACO

5-30-16 letter

Well this last week was super great. I am still here in barrio Amazonas and I am loving every minute of it. We have been working really hard to get to know a bunch of the less actives and inactive members of the ward. We have a huge list so a lot of the week we were searching for their houses and visiting a lot of members so that we can keep finding more people to teach. Our sector is pretty small too. Its like 10 blocks by 8 blocks. 

So almost all of the people here have talked to the missionaries at least once. We are trying to strengthen the ward and have more activities. There are like 80 people going to church every week and over 300 members in the wards list. And if we have more activities, the members will bring their friends and we will have more people to teach! So this week we are going to start having English classes Saturday at 3pm.

So the other 2 Gringos in the zone are both from Utah. St. George and South Jordan. 

And no we still do not have a bishop in the ward. They have been without one for sometime...and its hard not having one. Because is the bishop works, the whole ward works and does their visits. But since we dont have a bishop, nobody is working so were trying to motivate the ward. 

So I dont have a whole lot to write or any pictures because were here in Guayaquil...But I am doing great out here in Ecuador. 

So in my personal study I finished John in the New Testament. It was honestly so cool studying Christ´s mortal ministry. Being able to study the 4 gospels and really compare them and learn so much more about His life and what He did for us. I want to invite you guys to do the same and study our Saviours life. I know that Christ lives and that He loves every single one of us. And that we, too, can overcome all trials in this life. I love you guys!


Elder Solari

WEEK 41: GUAYAQUIL




5-23-16 letter

Well not a whole lot happened this week. 

Yes we are getting ready for when Elder Rasband comes. Last week we all had to print out a talk he had given and we have to read it and study it before he comes. Its called ´´The divine calling of a missionary´´ Its super good you guys should pick it up and read it. I think Im just going to ask him some questions about his experience on the mission and the things he learned. I love hearing stories from other returned missionaries because in every part of the world the mission experience is different. Do you guys maybe have a questions or two you want me to ask him? I think we are going to be there with over 300 missionaries so I am not sure how its going to go haha.

The teaching pool here in Guayaquil is awesome. We are teaching a couple families right now and some couples and then some individual people. We pass the whole day teaching and visiting investigators so we do not have to knock a whole lot of doors. The ward is cool. We havent had a bishop in this ward for almost 6 months so they are looking desperately for someone to call. So right now its just the 2 counselors working. Yeah you guys can pray for them that they can keep progressing that would be awesome. The Garcia family, The Avellanos, Julio Roncillo, Carlos Mendoza, Lucia Sanchez, Freddy Gomez, Ryam Tomala, Maria Vistero, Ubaldo Montoya and Alejandro Ramirez. We could use all the prayers possible so they can keep coming to church and that their desires can grow!

So I love the sector here. In our house live 6 Elders in total. So my companion Elder Egoavil(Who lied about having changes last week hahaha) and I, Our Zone Leaders Elder Williams and Elder Bleazard and the Elders from Maricaibo, Elder Prado and Elder Chota. So there are 3 gringos and 3 Peruanos in our house. Its pretty fun living with a bunch of other Elders because all the other houses have only been with my companion. So P day we all play Uno and we go and eat togethers its super tight. So this last week was my companions birthday so we ate a bunch this week. Theres a picture with his cake and then one with a member that went on visits with us on his birthday. 

So this week a bunch of missionaries are ending their missions so this coming week 14 missionaries should be getting into Guayaquil. Everybody in the house is convinced I am going to be training one of the new missionaries in this sector so we will see how it goes. Its because our sector is a little bit safer than the rest so Ill get you guys know what happens. Another thing that happened this week is that we got a new AP...which is actually a huge deal in the mission. Because the other 2 had been there for over 9 months and end their missions the end of this month. The new AP is Elder Smith, who was my Zone Leader for those 3 months In The Pradera stake. 

I just wanted to share my testimony about mission work. I know this is the most important work here in the world and that Im here in the right place. In the middle of earthquakes and signs of these last days. Its why everyday we have to give it our all here in Ecuador because the Lords coming is soon! I hope that we can all be prepared in every moment for when he comes...I love you guys! Stay strong!}


Elder Solari

WEEK 40: BACK IN GUAYAQUIL & LOVING IT!

5-16-16 letter

Well guys I was only in Cuenca for about a month. So this last week President Torres came for his last training before he finishes his mission! And it was a great day being able to hear from him and learn a lot. So this last Friday night I got transfered again! I am back in Guayaquil, and it may be hot but I am loving it here! I am in the Centenario Stake, the Amazonas ward. So as of right now I have served in 3 of the 5 Guayaquil South stakes. It is literally right across the river from where I was born in Las Acacias. I am honestly so happy and grateful to be back here again. I just love the people here in Guayaquil, theyre so open and love talking to just about anyone. So its great for sharing the gospél. Its like the opposite of the people in Cuenca haha. And I already know how to work in Guayaquil so we are getting work done!
Being a district leader is pretty cool. In Cuenca there were 3 other companionships in my district. 2 Elders and 4 Hermana. So Really it just means that during district meetings every week I share about how the district can get better in teaching, finding and inviting people. So we always do a lot of practices. I am also like the middle man between the missionaries in my district and the Zone Leaders. So if they need anything theyll call me and then I can informe the Zone Leaders or we can take care of it. So what is happening in the mission soon is that a bunch of people are ending their missions. In the next 2 months over 50 missionaries are ending their mission...and I dont think we will be receiving enough to keep all of the sectors open. So the APs and President are getting a bunch of the Elders ready to be Zone Leaders and Trainers.
So here in Guayaquil my companion is Elder Eogavil, he is also from Perusalen (Thats how they call it in this mission) There are more missionaries here from Peru than from any other country. He has a little bit over a year in the mission. But the APs just called us RIGHT NOW and now he has changes. So I will be getting another companion later tonight. Which means I do not have a lot of time to write because he has to go back. The transfers are super weird because President Torres has only like a month left! And I only have 3 days in this sector and I do not remember where anyone lives. We are just going to have to rely on the Lord a bunch this next coming week hahaha.
So the training with President Torres was awesome because it was only with about 30 of us. So we were able to ask a bunch of questions. So he talked about one of the goals of the mission, and that goal is that we become disciples of Jesus Christ. He talked about the difference in being a member and being a disciple. That a member keeps the Sabbath day holu by going to church, but that a disciple keeps the sabbath day holy for 24 hours. And that a member pays their tithing, but a disciple pays their tithing and a generous fast offering. He made a bunch of comparisons that were super eye opening for us. He is already set apart as a 70 and has already had chances to leave the mission on church business in Peru.
I know that this gospel is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that we need to read it, meditate on it and study it every single day! It is something I am going to be reading for the rest of my life...because everytime I read it I learn something new and grow. And I know you guys can too. It is the most correct book of every book that has ever been written and if you guys do not have a testimony of the Book of Mormon I personally invite every single one of you to pick up a copy and read it! I know you guys can come to know its true.

Love you guys!

Elder Solari

WEEK 39: NEW COMPANION AND MOTHER'S DAY!



5-9-16 letter

Hey fam! It was great being able to see and talk to all of you yesterday. I hope you all had a great Mothers Day! Mine was awesome. So my companion had transfers, now he is in Santa Rosa. Now I am with another Peruano, Elder Guevara. He is from Trujillo Peru. He just reached a year in his mission this last Friday so he only has a little more time than me here in Ecuador. Hes a great missionary and we get along super well and work hard. We have a similar sense of humor hahaha. So I dont know if you guys remember my second companion, Elder Diaz, but they are from the same group. It was cool, when he skyped I got to talk to his family for a little bit. I love seeing pictures from the wedding! Nate is now married!

So this P day we wentup to Azogues again but with our new companions. These are the elderes in our district. We went up to one of the high points in Cuenca where they have one of these HUGE statues of ¨The Virgin of the Clouds´ Im pretty sure its a catholic thing. But it was super cool. The climb was pretty rough but the view was way worth it. Im sure you could look it up on Google to see how high it really is because im not sure. But we could see Cojitamba where we went last week and we were a lot higher today. So that was our P day adventure this week. 

So transfers this last week were crazy. I was in Azogues helping one of the missionaries in the district and had brought stuff to stay the night. So we get called by my companion at like 7pm and we had to go back because they would both have changes. So we hurry back as fast as we can, my companion gets all packed and we had to be at the bus terminal at 4am. So we go and we are put in a trio, Elder Milne, Elder Tomlinson(my dad in the mission) and I. So we finally get back to the house at like 5.30 and then the elder there calls us and tells us he still had the cellphone so we had to go back and get it. It was super funny because we got like 30 minutes of sleep that night. Heres the funny story of the week... So when we were coming back from the terminal at like 5am we were talking with the taxi driver about the gospel. So being super tired the first thing I said to him was ´´Como esta su hermana´´ And I meant to say ´´Como esta su manana.´´ So I asked him how his sister was doing...It was so funny we all started cracking up super hard.

Another cool thing that happened this week, I just got called to be a district leader TODAY. So Ill let you guys know how that is next week. 

PE Christ is the only Mediator between us and Heavenly Father! We can only be saved by Jesus Christ and nobody else. I know that he lives and that he loves us and wants us to be happy! I love you guys!


Elder Solari

WEEK 38: CUENCA Y AZOGUES:



5-2-16 letter
P-day in Cuenca



So this last week we did not work a whole lot like I would have liked but we did get some things done. So what happened is that my companion got super sick several months ago and now he has a problem walking. So we were stuck in the house for 2 days and he could not leave and work. I took advantage of the time though, studying so much in the New Testament and Doctrine and Covenants. Another thing that happened this week, some sister missionaries arrived in Cuenca Thursday because one of them was super sick. So when they got to the hospital we had to bring them food and help them out a bunch. Our leaders here in Cuenca always tell us that the Elderes priority is the Sister missionaries...and I learned that as well this last week. But dont worry the Sister is fine now and my companion is feeling better too. He only has like 3 weeks until he finished his mission. So I am just trying to help him a ton so he can finish his mission strong. 

So today for P day we went to Azogues. Its like right outside of Cuenca, and the other Elderes in our district serve there. We went and hiked some cool mountains and took some cool pictures. The place was called Cojitamba. It was like an old indian site where they lived a long time ago. We were up over 10,000ft!

Marcos is doing great, his baptism is scheduled for this weekend. This Sunday was super special because I guess he told the Bishop he wanted to join the church...and later the bishop shared this with us. Its such a great thing to hear because he has been investigating the church for some time. But that really sealed the deal and we know now that he is ready for sure. 

I wanted to share one of my favorite quotes with you guys today: 
´´Una religion que no requiere el sacrificio de todas las cosas nunca tiene el poder suficiente para producir la fe necesaria a fin de llegar a la vida y a la salvacion´´
Im not sure but who but I think its Joseph Smith. For those of you that dont speak Spanish: A religion that does not require sacrifice of all things will never have power sufficient to produce the faith necessary to reach eternal life and salvation.´´ Something like that.

I dont have a bunch of time today to write sorry guys!

Love you!

Elder Solari