This was a really weird week

So Monday we had one of our investigators do something really cool. We went in planning to teach Sabbath Day and Tithing. When we got to her house, she said she had a couple questions cause she read For The Strength of Youth. She wanted to know more about the Sabbath Day and Tithing. It was really cool to see her want to know more.

Tuesday was pretty much normal. We were super busy which was good.
Wednesday was when things started to get really interesting. We had a zone conference in Babahoyo. So it was four zones and Pres. Amaya talked to us. Because of this we had to get up at 4:20 in the morning. We traveled there and it went well. We learned that its official if i'm here on July 1 i'm in the north mission. Another change on July 1 is we will no longer eat lunch with the members. This is because some elders are spending too much time. We will eat in the restaurants  Starting in May we will get 12 more dollars each time to pay for this. I'm not excited.
On the way back from the conference we had a guy preaching out of an English bible and translating it for the people. He got it right but it was weird. Then our bus got stopped cause it was like 8 at night and we all had to get out and they asked for our papers. I hadn't gotten my green card yet so i was worried but they didn't seem to care and let us all back on.
Thursday we went to Guayaquil to get my papers. This meant a 4ish hour bus ride out there. Me and Elder Brady just chatted the whole time. There we were excited to talk with Elders Gray, Erickson and Costello. We came back and got back at like 9:30. So that is two days in a row without any lessons.
Friday and Saturday we did our 3 interviews. (the other wants to be baptized with her sister in a couple weeks) and they all passed. Saturday was the service and at the time of it, none of the investigators showed...
But finally 1 showed up like 20 minutes late and i got to baptize him. It was really cool. Turns out that the other two could come and we couldn't contact them cause their mom is sick and in the hospital. So we will see about them in the future.
Things are going pretty good though. Definitely hard.

Elder Moore

Things Are Moving Along A Little Bit

So things are really tough. This past week i was pretty bummed out most of the week. Wednesday was great and the rest was really really bad. I felt like we are losing investigators left and right. Then the language was just really frustrating.  I also am sad that Elder Anderson (my ZL) got transferred this week. The intercambios were always a highlight of my week cause i actually had someone to talk to consistently.

We are probably going to get 4 baptisms this week. They are all doing really well and progressing. Not like the 6 from last time that were kinda iffy. They all have their challenges but they are moving really well.

The whole thing in Boston really freaked me out. Especially when i couldn't understand the news and i just saw the video of the explosion. Its a blessing that Mckelle Boren´s Mom and Irfan are ok.
Pretty much i'm getting used to the work but its still hard and i need to work on my patience. Nothing really bad has happened.The young men and young women in the ward want me to teach an English class. I told them maybe but they would have to invite nonmembers and less active members. They agreed but i dont know if we could do it cause i just don't know how to teach English haha. I could mainly teach Spanish in reverse haha. But one sister in the ward gets her mission call Tuesday and she said that if she is going to the US she needs me to teach her English I figured that would work cause its gospel Spanish i know the best haha. Everyone should send me letters through Pouch. I didn't get the chance to get me letters for this week yet but they always make me way happier to read.

Pouch Address:
Elder Mason C. Moore
Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission
POB 30150
SLC UT 84130-0150

Getting In The Groove Of Things

 So the plan was to have 6 baptisms this past Saturday. Tuesday to Thursday really messed with that. Tuesday we called 2 of them to see if we could visit to teach them but they will be out of town and their mom isn't really supportive of their investigating. So that brings us to 4. We had trouble getting hold of another. He never seems to be there. He then got hurt on Thursday on a bike crash and cut his leg. Now 3. One lady (the mom of the boy who was baptized my first week) had Dengue all week. 2. Wednesday we tried to find an 82 year old referral who had the lessons in the past, started coming to church and wanted to be baptized. We took a taxi out and could not for the life of us find his house. We ended up looking for an hour and then waiting for a ride back for another hour. Then on Friday we found out that he had died. Really Sad stuff. 1 person made it to interviews. She had had trouble with word of wisdom and only came to church a bit. Then in the interview she told the ZL that she doesn't want to be baptized. So we did not have any baptisms this week. Really tough stuff.
This week we had another intercambio with the ZLs. they said we do them a lot and I'm glad. they really help me stay upbeat. I am always with Elder Anderson. Its good to be able to speak a bit of English. He's been out for 21 months now and is a super great guy. He gives me a bunch of tips about the mission.
You can let Cody know that Elder Anderson said we don't really have to worry about getting robbed. He hasn't been and only knows of a couple elders that have been. Just be smart and you'll be fine. People are really respectful of religious people.
Things are going fairly well though. The weather has been weird this week. it will be sunny and clear in the morning and at like 6 or 7 just start pouring rain. But that was only like 3 days this week. Its really pretty cool though.
I got some letters today from Grandma and Grandpa Heiner, You guys, and Simon. It was really good to hear from everyone and its awesome that Simon knows Duzzett and Edmonds. I hope to get in touch with Duzzett after the mission and that's awesome that we will have the 3 of us. It was also really cool to hear about how the ward is sending out so many missionaries at the end of the semester.
The pouch letters got here in about a week. I was really surprised by that.


Elder Moore
Ser constante es la puerta del exito.
(Being consistent is the door to success)

Getting In The Swing Of Things

Hey so its good to hear that everyone is doing pretty good.

I am quite a bit taller than Elder Mayta. But either way its all good i'm taller than pretty much everyone.
I talked to our ZL and he said that we are in the farthest north part of our mission. Like the next city down the road is in the Quito mission. Its nice cause we are higher elevation. Not a lot but a bit. So this is actually the coldest part of our mission. I had noticed that the heat was not the problem at all here its just the humidity. Either way we have a "cold" season too. Its in Junish to like September. Apparently the sky's clear up and the humidity goes down and its supposed to be really good weather. I might be here for that cause Elder Anderson (ZL) said its likely that we will train right after we finish training and it would be in the same area. So who knows.

Conference was a struggle and a victory at different times. Saturday morning we went and one of our investigators who has been super excited about the church didn't end up coming. I was excited to hear about the Cedar City Temple. Everyone asked me if i lived by it. But I was able to understand a lot of the messages of the first session. Until we lost internet about a hour and fifteen minutes in. So they fought with that before realizing they couldn't fix it and call someone who said they would come 40 minutes later. So that was the end of that session for us. We went back and ended up taking a small nap cause there was only 45 minutes till the next session. We woke up and it was pouring rain. We went to the capilla and they didn't have power. The entire section of town had had their power cut for work on it. So after 30 minutes there we called our ZLs and got on a bus and went to watch it at the stake center. We caught the last 45 minutes of it. With about 15 minutes left a member came and asked if id rather watch in English  I didnt want to be a bother and so i said no. I didn't know that elder Brady and Elder Anderson were watching it in English in a different room there. So i wish i had done that. Then we went back and watched the Priesthood session at the capilla cause the got hold of a generator. Everything worked fine and we could listen to all of it. I understood what they were talking about but not well enough to take it to heart. I didn't like the Pres. Uchtdorf and Pres. Monsons voices weren't the same. I hoped they could find a German who spoke Spanish to translate. But they did not. But was we walked back i felt really excited and ready to go and filled with the spirit.

Sunday Sessions were different for me. we started the day with watching the Saturday afternoon session at 8 am. I couldn't understand it near as well. I really didn't get anything from it. We then went and got an investigator to come watch the 11 o'clock session. I understood pretty much nothing from this one too. pretty much just what they were talking about (ie. atonement, missionaries) but not what they had to say about it. It really started to get me frustrated. I had trouble focusing during it too. I was tired, frustrated, little kids were trying to talk to us, and the room was packed and loud. The afternoon session was the same without the packed room. Only Sunday morning had a full room. Everyone thought it was the same thing played 5 times. But it was frustrating that i didn't get anything on Sunday so i ended up being in a bad mood for the rest of the day. 

The Work is going good though. We had an investigator who told us we could meet her at 6:30 one day. We got there a bit late and she wasn't there so we started to teach her sisters and cousin. Then she sprinted in the door covered in sweat and seemed really happy we were still there. So we taught her. She is way cool. She told us about how she goes to the Jehovah's Witnesses but feels like its not complete. She doesn't like how much other religions talk down and insult the beliefs of the others. She seems to be really interested and now her sister is too. I think they could definitely be baptized soon. We don't have a date yet but i think she will be completely willing. 

Elder Mayta is pretty cool. He has been a member for about 5 years now and has been out 15 months. His family has been slowly baptized and now they almost all are members. He is super quiet and its hard to start conversations with him. Its tough to keep them going too. But he has mentioned David Archeleta a few times this week and how he bets that he is super successful cause he is famous. I told him that Kelsi met him and he seemed a bit surprised but i think he thinks all the Mormons in Utah know each other.  But overall i'm starting to hear him a lot better now and understand more. Still not a lot but more.

My pres. is pretty strict. No reading or writing letters except on p-day except we get the mail on tuesdays. No emailing anyone not family. 

Starting it off in Ecuador!

Well i am finally in the field. I don't know if i'm excited or terrified. The CCM was cool and the people there where super awesome. But overall i am glad to be doing something and not just sitting around and talking about what i want to do. The work is tough. We don't have bikes or a car so it walking everywhere and a bit of buses.

The area i'm in is called Buena Ventura. The City is Quevedo and the sector is Buena Fe. It was a three and a half hour bus ride then a 15 minute car ride with the stake president to our apartment. Its pretty cool and just what i expected. its fairly poor but not horrible. The people are super loving and nice. Also all the members know St. George. I say Utah and then they ask what part and when i tell them they talk about the tithing talk that pres Snow gave. Then they ask if that happens a lot or how often it rains etc. But overall the people are way cool.

The Spanish is on its way. I can understand most of what is being said but not all that's for sure. I pretty much know what they are talking about but not the specifics. I told Elder Mayta (my trainer) that i want to talk as much as possible so he gives me plenty of opportunities. He is a quiet, fast mumbler. Its difficult to understand him most of the time. Hes from Lima and has been out 15 months but i'm his first norteamericano compañero. He's pretty easy to get along with.

Sometimes i forget that i am pretty tall here. I have to duck to get in and out of the bathroom, i'm normally the one of the tallest in the room or on the bus.

Easter is huge here. its called the semana santa and everyone takes the weekend or more off. They show videos about Jesus on TV so every house we went to was watching those. Some are about Mary too. Mayta told one of the members that these videos are "apostasy." i guess they might be i can't completely understand the message they have.

So sabado was a first. It was my first baptism. now it wasn't really mine cause i walked into it but mayta said i should "count" it. It was of a 17 year old boy who is really excited about the church. There was supposed to be a 12 year old boy too but two days before his dad told us not to teach him anymore. But the 17 year old boys name is Luis Eduardo and now his mom has a date for baptism on the 13th. we have like 10 people with the date but only 3 are on tract to really be baptized. 3 are kids who the mom doesn't want them baptized, 3 are a family that is really casual about the church, and 1 is a lady who doesn't want to follow the word of wisdom or come to church. but the 3 that are progressing are doing great.