11/24/2014 - CHOCOLATE

The Stakes here are working with the mission president to do a big missionary chior with all the missionaries in Quevedo for Christmas.  We had our first practice yesterday.

All the missionaries in Quevedo in one place means:

Found him!  He was a little surprised that I knew he was in Quevedo because he had only given his mom that info. He's a pretty cool guy.  We talked for a bit after the practice.

So, I don't know if you guys changed the name of the blog yet.  I am serious about it, and the title "I hate busses" is a serious suggestion.

The other day, the missionaries of Buena Fe were waiting for one of the four busses that go to Quevedo.  The four lines are BOLIVAR, BUENA FE, CITAR, and SUCRE.  After only a minute of waiting a Buena fe came rushing around the corner and stopped for us.  The conductor jumped out and said "Get in fast! the Bolivar is in front of us!"

Turns out that our bus and one of the Bolivar busses were racing each other.  Which was ok because it got us to Quevedo faster.  We passed the Bolivar while they were stopped to pick up passangers, but as we were going a steady pace the Bolivar passed us on the road like we were standing still.  I think we lost the race, but that's ok, I was only trying to get to Quevedo.

We visited Carlos and Gissela in the finca the other day on the promise that they've been making chocolate.  They walked us through the process of how they do it.

Remember this plant from before?  This is Cacoa.  Almost everyone with land grows it...

...Inside of the fruit are little gooey white seeds, these are fun to suck on because they're sweet and kinda fruity tasting...

...The process is to let the beans dry in the sun and then let them dry some more.  The grind them down.  After that you can make the powder into little balls and save them for when you want them...

...grind the balls into powder...

...Put it into some milk over the stove...

...And you get some nice hot chocolate! ..

...Which is great for drinking with some green bananas gone yellow! Which are different from bananas, verdes are different.

......it took me a couple months to understand bananas too, don't worry too much about that last part.

Things here are pretty normal; it's hot, I'm tired, but I could never be anywhere better!  I got a little Tips Christmas flavored air freshener for the bathroom to try to make it smell like Christmas... it helps but only a little.

I hope things are good back home!

I love you all!

~Cameron 

11/17/2014 - CHRISTMAS before Thanksgiving!

It´s Christmas time! ...or at least here it is.  Thanksgiving isn´t an Ecuadorian Holiday and there´s aren't any major holidays after Halloween, so people go strait to Christmas!  Anyone who has money decorates the front of their apartment with lights and other people buy a little Christmas tree.  I was in down town Quevedo today and I saw a lot of other crazy Christmas decorations there as there´s a little more wealthy population over there.

Christmas season is just barely starting up, but I can already tell that it isn´t gonna feel much like Christmas.  There´s something about the cold, the hot chocolate, the fire, and the decorated city centers that make Christmas awesome!  That and family, family completes everything.  Just remember, I love the cold.  You´re all telling me that you´re jealous of me and my hot weather, but I´m over here singing ¨I´m dreaming of a white Christmas¨

It´s actually been really cloudy here lately.  We COULD call it winter but I´ve been told that there´s only two seasons here: winter and rain.

Right now it looks like it´s going to rain every day, but never really does. And it´s STILL HOT, and the clouds are only a lot of the time.  The rest of the time is blunt sunlight.

...It has just come to my attention that I didn´t take pictures this week.  ...dang...

...I´ve got nothing else to write...

I hope everything is alright back home!  Drive safe out there, I remember those roads at this time of year and they aren´t pretty.

Love you all and... yeah.

-Cameron

11-10-14 - PURE SUGAR

HOLA.

I was just remembering the other day that I named my blog "Cameron's Guayaquil adventure."

Looking at my mission, this title is no good.  I've been on my mission for seven months and I've come to know that there is much more to this mission than Guayaquil, especially sense I've never spent more than a day in Guayaquil.  Therefore, it might needs be that we change the name of the blog. I'm open for suggestions.  Mine is something like "I Hate Busses" or simple "Cameron's Mission Blog" or "Two Years of Rice, Bread, and more RICE."
Any of the above will do, or something else?

Speaking of pictures, I'm gonna send a few.  I hope all is well back home.  All is well here!

SO, I remember back when I was a little younger and would go shopping with mom.  I remember the cereal isle and begging for Captain Crunch. Mom would always respond "That's just pure sugar"

*Ehm*

Dear Mother, last week an investigator of ours cut down something that was in his backyard and gave it to us...

...This is Sugar Cane...

...People here like to cut it and suck on it. 

Mother, THIS is pure sugar.

;)

We Have another investigator that makes and sells statues out of paper maché

Me and another missionary said that he could work for Disneyland.

We went to visit Carlos and Gissela at Gissela's mom's house last weekend, we found that they were having a neighborhood block party.  They were playing fútbol, musical chairs, and also there was this thing...

 Carlos pointed it out to me. It looks as though their Crucifying food and household goods.  But what's REALLY going on is that they've told the little childeren that there's $15 and as well as all the goodies that can be seen here. All they have to do is climb the poll and get it. 

One of the Misionaras here told me that it's call a Monigote.

Most of the kids here have the ability to climb polls without problem.  The trick is the blue stuff that's on the poll: it's greased...

...They were out there for a good half hour trying to clean the poll off so they could climb it....

...Eventually they got a kid up there.  He quickly pocketed the $15 and started dropping the goodies down on the people below.  And there was much rejoicing...

...And...

This is the ugly little chicken named Mariposa

...and- here I am!

This is me

There's no where else on earth I'd rather be.

*Badly quoted a Bryan Adams song that no one listens to*

Yeah, that's everything for this week.  Love you all!

~Cameron

Testimony

HEY, how was Halloween??

I wanna hear about it because Ecuadorians don´t do anything for Halloween.  Basically what happens here is that some stores sell cheap masks and wings, but they don´t really do anything with them.  No trick or treating, no parties, no dancing...

...I did find some fun stuff in Hermana Maura´s house, we had some fun taking pictures.  Don´t tell anyone.

Also, about this time of year everyone makes a drink called Calada Morada.  Which is basically a raspberry drink made from some sort of flour and filled with whatever sort of chunky fruit imaginable.  Pineapple bits, apples, orange peals, ect.

It´s not for Halloween, but it´s something they do at the same time as Halloween, so I think it counts.

HEY!  I got the package!  Thanks for everything included in it!




So, I´ve been out here for almost seven months.  I´ve come to learn many different new things and come to greater knowledge about many different old things. One thing is this, I cannot deny that the Church or Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints is the kingdom of God here on the earth; just as it was when Jesus Christ established the same Church in his ministry on the Earth.  This is not another Church established on an idea.  This is the Church restored by a Prophet directed by Revelation of God.  I have come to know that because the doctrine that we follow is the doctrine of Christ, it has no flaws.  The flaws that you can find are only the flaws of men; and men have fallen.
Of the first 12 apostles of the restoration, only 3 were always faithful, the fall of an apostle isn´t new though, Judas, who walked with Christ, also fell away.

Here and back home I have met so many members of the church who have fallen away because a member isn´t acting how a member ought, they don´t like the bishop, the stake president did something terrible, an apostle fell away, a prophet did something that they didn´t like.  Here´s the answer that I´ve found for all of that.  MEN ARE NOT PERFECT.  The only one who was perfect was Christ, and he was more than a man.  Our mission president once said that there wasn´t a single Prophet who was perfect, nor will there be.  Yes, the Church is run by men;  Therefore, you will find fault if you look for it, but that is not what you should focus on; focus on the fact that this is the Lords Church, and that it will not fall again according to prophecy.  It´s the stone cut from the mountain and whether or not you follow it it will keep on rolling.  But as a Missionary of this Church I say that the invitation is not to join or not join, the invitation is to follow Christ, repent and be baptised in his name, endure to the end; because the end will come when we least expect it.  Procrastinating the day of repentance is for nothing if we are to die tomorrow.

The bottom line is that this doctrine of Christ is perfect, I have a testimony of that.  I´m also a wittiness of the power of God that has been established on this earth;  I have seen MANY miracles in my short time here.  I know that the Priesthood is restored, I know that God has called prophets and apostles to lead us in this last dispensation, I know also that the book of Mormon is the word of God and it is true.  All of these facts become apparent through study of both the book of Mormon and the Bible.  You wont find all the doctrines that the bible teaches in any other church, and you wont find the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ anywhere else either.  I know these things, and I cannot deny it less I be blotted out of the book of life.  For I´ve felt the testimony of the Holy Ghost, and there is no sin greater than denying the Holy Ghost.

This is what I have learned here, and so much more.

When you dedicate yourself to the service of the lord, the lord will melt you with heartache and love to help you become the person you can become.  All we need to do is be humble and realize that man are nothing without God, and that with him, we can do all things.
I am far from who I could be, but I´m getting there, I promise.

Love you all,
have a great week.

Cameron

10/20/2014 Its Raining... its Pouring

Hey All!

This week it's been raining a bit more than normal, only in the nights though.  The Boy scout in me has been helping out a lot; ever since me and Elder Pagoada got stuck at night a mile away from our house in a thunderstorm without rain gear, I've been carrying my rain jacket in my backpack whether the sky is clear or not.  This week we got caught in an unexpected rainstorm and I was able to pull my rain coat out no problem, my companion was not as prepared.

It's coming down hard in this picture, but all you can really see is that everything is really really wet.

We've also had to sit and listen to some preacher guy screaming with a microphone in the street to his congregation.  They blocked off the main road for his sermon.  He yelled things like "HOLY GHOST" and "GOD IS POWER, GOD IS LOVE, GOD IS MIGHTY" and "THE BIBLE IS THE LOVE OF CHRIST!"  but he never really screamed anything of depth.  Nothing pure and clear as the doctrine of Christ is.  As he was yelling about how everyone should follow the words of the bible I wanted to go outside, take his microphone, and read Mathew 6 to him.  It's no wonder that the Lord called them all hypocrites when he was talking about the people who pray in loud voices.

ANYWAYS, apart from the apostasy here... I was walking down the street and I saw the firetruck in front of the church.

  I knew that this wasn't any cause for alarm though, it just meant that the church was having water problems again and the fire department was helping the Elders in the other ward fill the font for a baptism.  This is the third time they've done it and they do it for free

....because they don't really have much to do here.

A member took us WAY out to visit his campo and to see a popular waterfall and swimming spot. We rode in the bed of his truck (as is the way here)

Other than normal stuff I've been reading Jesus the Christ.  THAT BOOK IS CRAZY.  For anyone who wants to double their knowledge about Christ, the gosple, and test thier volcabulary while they're at it should read that book.  It'll blow your mind.  It is, however, very hard to read.  I recomend it though.

That's about it, I'll talk to you all next week!

Love yas

~Cameron

P.S. BONUS PHOTOS!

(The photographer in him never dies...) 

Cameron has a thing for birds

10/13/2014 - Chocolate keeps the Missionaries alive

Hey Familia y Amigos!

We've been getting hungry over here, we always forget to go shopping so we've resorted to hunting Cocoa en El Campo...

...ok, no, I'm eating pretty good.  We stop and buy Pan de Comubia almost every night because there's TONS of Panaderias de Colombia here, and the bread is so dang good... I also eat good breakfasts.

OH HEY!  Speaking of eating, I got the package!

Yes, we enjoyed the taste of home.  Thanks for everything that was included!  My eggs in the morning and now 10x better with the tabasco that you sent.

Things here are great as anyways.  Roller coasters are interesting.  The ups and downs sometimes make you scream, but you always come out laughing in the end.

I can't say that the mission is anything less than a roller coaster.  Investigators build your faith and break your heart, some lessons are amazing and others consist of three fully nude little boys trying to attack you and steal your pamphlets while you try to teach their distracted little sister about Jesus. (I had a day yesterday... No I did not take pictures)

Between all the lessons and planning and work, there's hardly any time for fun and games...

...And no, we don't have more mandarinas than we can eat.

Dia de bruja is coming up.  (day of the witch) I really don't know what people here do for that or what the missionaries do during that time... I guess I'll find out.

How are preparations back home for Halloween? Has anyone tried to put Bill in the front lawn yet?

Love you all!

~Cameron

COCOA BEANS

10/06/2014 Adventures in the Jungle!

Hola!

Conference was cool!  I was able to watch all the sessions!  All the talks that weren't in Spanish had a Spanish guy speaking over the audio of the actual speaker.  Which was cool but I sometimes missed the voices of the leaders I love.  Although, President Packer sounds a TON more youthful in Spanish. And the lady who was translating for the lady who spoke in the first session started choking on tears half way through the talk whereas the original speaker's composure was completely normal.

I saw mom!  We all did! We all had a fun game of "Spot Elder Howell's mom" During the sessions. She was on Music and the Spoken Word a ton!

So, I got a lot to send but not a lot of time, AGAIN...

I'm writing so late because we went on a P-Day adventure today and got back a little later than planned...   I'll get to the adventure in a second. (Get ready for a ton of pictures!)

RIGHT, so we baptized Jorge!

Jorge is a poor man who lives in a little shack, but I realized something in this picture...

...LOOK AT THIS! If Jorge was born in the US he could definitely be a movie star.  LOOK AT THAT PHOTOGENIC FACE.

Ok... onto the adventure...

So, Elder Martínez pointed out that we don't really have much to do for p-days in Buena Fe. We decided to ask members if there was anywhere cool to go.  And the ward mission leader of the other ward told us he knows a place that's in the zone and that he knows a guy.  So the eight missionaries of Buena Fe all went here today.  SUPER COOL PLACE!  It's basically a resort built in the jungle with a bunch of hiking trails.

COCANE PLANTS!!

After the hike we all ate in the lodge. The Food was really good! and because the administrator is a friend of the missionaries it didn't cost more than $5 each for everything!





AND that's it.  Tomorrow we're going to have interviews with the President, AGAIN. and on Friday the area authority is coming to talk to the mission.  Also on Friday I complete 6 months in the mission.  WOOT!

I'll talk to you all next week! I should be getting my package from the office tomorrw.  Love you all and I hope the best for everyone!

Chao!

~Cameron