Exactatude

Hey there!  Happy Easter!

So, everything here is going good.  As far as I heard they basically drink wine as a family here for Easter, otherwise, I don´t think there´s really an easter bunny.  Here they call it ¨Samana Santo¨ or ¨Holy Week¨, everyone here loves Jesus, we´ll see what happens.  However I´m pretty sure there will just be a little wine and dinner shared between family.

My camera did die, however I think I´m behind on sending pictures so I´ll see if I can get this computer to read my card.

So, this week we got to go to the temple and listen to Presidente Riggins talk to us.  He explained the scripture where Cain´s sacrafice  was rejected by the Lord , he explained that yes, Cain did do as the lord ask by offering a sacrafice, however Cain did not do it under the lords requirements.  He explained that we often do what the lord asks but we don´t do EVERYTHING that the lord asks of us.  In these cases we need to ask ourselves, is our sacrifice good or will it be rejected?  Our God is a God of exactness.

Some say ¨I don´t think I´ll go to hell for shopping on Sunday¨

The answer is: No, but you will for your rebelion.  Remember that Satan was cast out of heaven for rebelion, God asks for our 100%.

We can take this same thought to our questions or doubts about some of Gods comandments.

It´s posible that we don´t see the harm in getting a peircing or drinking coffee.  However that doesn´t matter; You wont be condemed for the coffee, but you will be for rebelion.  Remember that our God is a God of exactatude.  REPENT YE!

Erm. anyways, this computer isn´t loading my SD card...dang it.

I gotta go... Sorry if this was short but I need to buy some food before pday ends.

Love you all!

-Cameron

Rice Bellies

Hello!

Mom has been asking about my health, which I suppose is natural. I'm pretty sure I'm doing alright, although she says I've been getting thinner...

I've come with full intention of telling you all that I'm pretty sure I have a belly, I think it's a side effect of rice:  people a thin everywhere except of the middle aria.  I've seen tons of guys with big arms and round bellies. Apparently that's what we call a beer belly but I'm on the theory that rice does the same thing.  ...freaking rice...

I've actually come to be acostomed to rice and the food here in Ecuador.  I eat a lot and I eat really fast.  Between me and the fat guy, I usually finish first.

I've noticed however I'm always tired, and normally when I get tired I get grumpy.  I don't like being grumpy so I've been putting a little thought into how I can help me stop being tired.

Being tired is a natural symtom of missionary work as it seems.  I've never met a missionary who didn't say he isn't tired.  However, I've been thinking about my diet, I eat a lot of bread and milk products, mostly because I barely have any time in the morning to make more than eggs and toast, toast with eggs, tortillas, or a PB&J sandwich.

I've opened my eyes a little bit and noticed every single fruit in existence is avalable to me fresh out of the feilds.  I can make smoothies in the morning, I just got to figure out how to do it.  Maybe you guys could help me out with finding and sending some awesome smoothie ideas?  Exotic isn't a problem.  We have dragon fruit, passion fruit, and a big veriety of fruit that you have never even heard of.

Emotionally I've been doing ok too.  The work isn't easy and people break your heart every single day.  I've been kinda grumpy but that's because I'm tired, I'm working on ways to be happier.  It's been awhile since we've found anyone who actually wants to progress in their lives.  The only people who actually want to live to gosple is Tony and his family, but we still can't baptise them and it's possible that we wont be able to for a very long time. 

I'm doing alright, it's hard but there's nothing betting to be doing right now.

and I mean that as something.  Many people say "there's nothing better to do" because they have nothing else they could be doing.  I mean that was I have a ton of things I could be doing but at this point there is nothing better than being out here getting my butt kicked by the work of God.

I'll send pictures when I can, however, this computer wont read my SD card.  I've also been using my camera less because it's slowly dying.

Right, I gotta go buy something to eat this week.

Talk to you all later.

~Cameron

Questions and Concerns

One time in Buena Fe me and my companion were finishing a lesson,

At the end of the lesson my companion asked the investagator if she had any questions, and she said no.  I then asked if she had any concerns and my companion cut me off and said questions and concerns are the same thing.

I've lately come to believe to that is more or less a lie. Over the last couple weeks I've found a couple of things in the doctorine that don't make complete sense to me.  This hasn't been the first time that I've come accross things that don't make sense to me and I am certain that it wont be the last.

There are lots of people who come accross these types of things and see it as a reason to not believe that the church true and to not join or leave the church. This is sad, because I've come to learn that these things always had answers. With all the things that I've come across, I've taken them to be questions rather than concerns.  And as questions, I looked for the answers through study and asking the people around me, and I've found some incredible answers that have helped me understand the plan that our father in heaven has for us a whole lot better.

If I were to take these questions as concerns or doubts, the doubt would do nothing but wear a hole in my testimony and probably spawn more doubts. 

As a missionary I would never be able to help anyone understand this thing that I myself don't understand if I let that thing personally become a concern. 

Concerns are different than questions, but it's true that they're similar.

However, if someone DOES have a concern about the doctorine of the Church of Jesus Christ, I encouage them to turn that concern into a question and take that quesiton to scripture study and friends.  Try to find the answer.  The cool thing about the church is that the doctorine is perfect and there is always an answer to the questions that we have.

It's true that some things are hard to find, not understandable, or hidden from us.  But what we need to understand is that God's plan is perfect and has no fault.  More, the Church is true everybody, that too is very important.  :)

Cameron 

Elders in the house

Hey there!

So, you guys have been asking about my new companion and the other two guys living in my house.

First of all, there's Elder Sanchez

He is from Concepcion, Chile

He was born in the Church, and been in the mission for 20 months

He has an odd obsession/attraction to the color green and small fluffy funny things, for example he loves the movie Ice age because Scrat is in it.  In other words, he finds his kindred folk to be very wonderful.

He likes working hard and working well, therefore, we get along pretty well.  Our house is also pretty clean because of him.

As for these guys... This is Elder Scribner and Elder Maturano.

Elder Scribner is from Orem Utah, he is a choir guy, his grandpa is ex MoTab and his mom is about to try out for it.  His whole family sings.  He is pretty dang smart and really quick with Spanish.  Hes been here for 7-ish months and speaks a whole lot better than me.

Elder Maturano is from Bolivia, he has been in the mission for 23 months and is just a few weeks away from heading home.  He is at the point where most missionaries get a little trunky/antsy/stop working hard because they are going home soon, but he is doing a great job at running until the end.  He is a great worker and a cool guy.  and very funny.

We have good times in the house, we never know whats going to happen next.

Talk to you all next week!

Cameron
P.S.  Here are some bonus Pictures I took!

This first one, I didn't photo shop the light just hit perfectly!

We are doing Spanish Study on our house window.

Tony

Hey there,
At this point I don't really know what to write.  Everything going on with our investagators is either too sensitive to share or not too exciting.  However, we've been working with a guy named Tony and his family since I got here.  In the last twoish or threeish months he has cut his hair with my trimmer to feel better about going to church (It was down to his shoulders, now it's a clean buzz), quit smoking, drinking, and use of all harmful substances in a matter of two weeks, and recently he read the Book of Mormon in two days without us knowing. He has skimmed the Bible, and is just now starting to read the Doctrine and Covenants.  He's incredible!  As to why he isn't Baptized is the sensitive part that I'm not really supposed to talk about in my letters home.  

He's super super awesome and the ward has helped his family out a whole bunch.  His family got food from the Bishop's store house, the ward is helping him find work, one of the members gave him a suit.  and lots and lots of cool stuff.

As for me, the normal.  Life is alright. Though I'm always tired, that's normal.  Tony tried giving me a super energy drink with raw eggs, I couldn't get myself to drink it.

As for my companion, I'll send you a picture of his personality.  Tony still thinks he looks like King Julian.

and that's everything.  I'll write next week, as always.

Love you all!

~Cameron

New Companion

So I had a really weird moment sitting here in the cyber having the realization that my sister just got married and that no one is going to be about to update my blog for at least four week.  Yeesh...

It weird, but it's cool.  I'll suppose I'll meet this guy someday.

I've been having a great time working with Elder Sanchez over the last week.  Elder Taylor will be missed because every single day he did something crazy that always made living in the apartment interesting.  However, Elder Sanchez is awesome and has a unique humor, I imagine however that his humor is probably similar to mine, very sarcastic.

He's from Chille, he's been a member his whole life and his parents are converts. He's been in the mission for 19 months a knows a whole lot of things.  I've learned a ton from him over only this last week.  I like to think that we work pretty well together.

I forgot to bring my camera with me today so I don't have a picture to send.  He's a little guy, one of our investigators said that he reminds him of King Julian from Madagascar, on top of that his voice sounds like Yoyo (from the Hoops and Yoyo cards) without drinking caffeine, it's kinda funny and the Greenga missionaries always laugh when they call him from a daily report.  He says he doesn't know why they put him on speaker and there's usually four of them giggling in the background, and I tell him I don't know either.  But I'm pretty sure it's a mix of his voice and his dry humor.

Things here are going pretty good, we've gone through both hard times and good times during this week as far as the work goes.  But in the end of everything, if we do all we can to do this work, there will always be satifaction.

Like I said, I don't have my camera so I don't have pictures, but I'll do better next week.

I hope all is well back home!

Love you guys.

~Cameron

Carnaval!

Hey,

This week was pretty interesting and is continuing to be interesting.  Carnaval has been a happening event here in Guayaquil: Carnaval is basically when people either 1.  Go to the beach and have a full big party.  or 2.  Stay at home with family and put out a little pool out in front of their house for the kids to play in and then drink large quantities of beer and dump water, eggs, paint, and everything else on each other's heads and yell "CARNAVAL!".

Apparently it used to be worse; from the stories I've heard; the street was a war zone and anyone was a legal target.  Now-a-days people can call the police if you assault them and people are a little more careful.

Carnaval is a big pain in the butt more missionaries because everyone we teach and half the ward are at the beach or visiting family somewhere faraway and all the stores are closed until Wednesday.  That and the streets are more dangerous. Meh.

Last night we four were looking out over our deck and a kid started squirting us with his water gun from below.

Firing first was his error.

We then got our water bottles and buckets in the house and commenced returning fire.  The rest of the kids, seeing that their friend had started something that he couldn't finish, gathered their water guns and water balloons to back him up.   It was us four against the kids on the street, however, we had the high ground and didn't get very wet.  As it got to be our bed time we told them that our house was out of water and to have a happy carnaval.

As we went inside, the phone rang, and we discovered that everyone but me had a cambio/(change). Which meant my companion, Elder Taylor's, time had come and I was to receive a new companion on the morrow.  Therefore, I spent most of my day today waiting for the three new guys who are living in our house.

My new companion is Elder Sanchez from Chile, I really don't know too much about him yet, all we've done so far is eat lunch and buy food.  I'll let you all know more about him next week.  I'll also have some pictures.

I hope all is well back home.  Talk to you next week!  Look forward to hearing about the wedding.

~Cameron