Dec. 21, 2015

Hey everyone,

Ecuador still hasn't gotten any less crazy. 

On Saturday we had our ward Christmas party. At the last second, my comp and I were asked to sing in front of everyone, The First Noel. I don't know why but I only have my Michael Buble voice when we are at home getting ready for bed so it could have gone a little better. Wednesday we have our big mission dinner. Antonio Maridueña is excited for his baptism on Christmas. Julian didn't go to church again and Juan hasn't been very motivated with the stress lately. Its likely this is my last week because we finish the training with elder Acarapi this week.

I strongly invite each of you to please make a conscious effort to remember Christ in all you do this week. Look to serve others to show more appreciation for Him. We do owe Him everything. A while ago I was thinking how it would be to be with Christ during His final week and to be by His side to help support Him through such tough trials that he was put through. Then the thought came to me of Him looking at me and saying, "Dillon, if you want to help me, then go help someone else in need, ..feed my sheep. The best way of serving Christ is through acts of charity for our fellow men and Christmas is the best time to do so!

If you haven't already, visit Christmas.mormon.org and see the videos there. Share them on Facebook and spread the message! A Savior is born. I testify that it is true and that He lives.

Elder Rawson:)

Dec. 28, 2015

*..For like one year I have been sending my emails to the same big list and I don't know if half of you read them. So if you see this send me a little note saying that you got this. (Aw he's feeling a little forgotten I think)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays, snow, and family time! We had a great week. Went to the temple Tuesday and had our Christmas program and dinner Wednesday. Spent a good Christmas. Antonio Maridueña was baptized and in his testimony after his baptism told everyone he wants to serve a mission! He's progressed a ton! We got the call last night And I got transferred. I am now in a place called Babahoyo in the Chopitea ward! Im with Elder Ascanta from Bogota, Colombia. He has about 4 months in the mission. Seems like a great guy and we will do great together! I always have felt like I would be sent out here. Babahoyo is kind of like Quevedo. It'll be nice do be out of the city again:)

Take advantage of the New Year to make the changes and set the goals to be more happy! After all, that is why we exist. Here they have a tradition where they make big, human-size doll figures. They put things they want to leave behind written on paper and put them inside the figures .... then they burn them! They also fill them with fireworks and stuff to make noise. Its crazy but based on a good concept.. 

Love you all!

Elder Rawson:)

The new comp at 4 guys:)

Dec.7, 2015

It's been a fine week. Even though there's no snow or presents, there's still always a bit of trunkyness in the air. But Elder Acarapi and I are still killing it working out here, doing the best to get people to remember the real reason why we celebrate in the first place. 

The other day we were out on the job finding people to share the great tidings of this special season. We stopped by a house to share the "A savior is born" movement that the church is doing. She said she was a Jehovah's Witness and doesn't celebrate Christmas. We explained that we respect her beliefs and culture and that she could just see the videos on the site to hear a message about Jesus Christ and why He is important. She was actually very nice about it though I don't know if she did end up visiting the site. But during the contact as we talked with her, her enormous black dog came out. I guess my comps black bag(that he always puts on the ground when we stop) called the dogs attention enough to get him to go and mark his territory on it. So yeah, while contacting a Jehovah's Witness her dog peed on my companions bag. Luckily its waterproof so it didn't do any damage but it sure made an awkward situation to laugh at afterwards!

The work is still going on. We don't know why but each Sunday morning something happens and the 15 or so people we had to go to church can't make it. But this week we'll be speaking more directly so there's no way the people can not understand the importance of church. We are going to the temple tomorrow morning for a zone conference so I'm stoked for that.

Love you all! Don't forget the core of what we are celebrating this month! Merry Christmas

Elder Rawson

Dec. 14, 2015

This week one day some appointments fell at about 4ish, so we decided to stop by our house (we almost never go home in the afternoon) to call a list of referrals that we had received from the Internet. So as we were making the phone calls I saw out the back of our house a person climbing over our wall. I yelled "Hey" and ran to the back. It was some dude (druggy) sitting on the wall with the deer in the headlights look. I said "que hace?!" and he just kinda slowly pretended to play with the fruit as if he was getting fruit and didn't respond. A few days later we did an exchange and I went to another ward with Elder Carranza and his comp, Elder Johnson from Springville, came here. Well after the Exchange they told me that Elder Johnson had left his sandals by my desk and they disappeared. (Yes, we have already been looking for a new house to move to...)  Heres the evidence..

Where the deed was done..

The curtain was moved.. (theres no window or door)

Piece of wood... (he used a long pole of bamboo to reach the sandals)

Where the sandals were left before the crime

My note that I put on the back.

Antonio Maridueña, the son of the Maridueña family that got baptized two months ago or so has decided to get baptized on Christmas.He was always nervous and was never really sure about the decision I guess. During the exchange My comp and Elder Johnson had a cool experience in a lesson with him and he received the answer to be baptized and he is so much more excited and it looks like a new light has entered him! He even says he want to serve a mission. He's 17 so hopefully we can get him on that! 

We went to the temple again this week and another conference with president.

Elder Carranza and I after the exchange.

Elder Jared Galarraga went off to the Birmingham, England mission this week! We said bye on Wednesday. Good guy..

Nov. 23, 2015

Hello everybody!

Great week. We've taught some great people, shed some great tears, and learned some more great things of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

This week I've understood more that stress is a Spirit killer and keeps one from keeping charity in their heart. I had to admit that I've been holding a lot of stress deep down and has kept me from feeling the Spirit constantly and has affected my patience a bit. When I confessed it to myself and to God I then received the answer to the problem. I learned and noticed that I hadn´t been making a conscious effort to be in constant prayer or fasting as usually as I had been before. Earlier I was trying to do a fast at least once a week to keep myself more aligned with the Spirit but had stopped. We did a fast this week and I have tried to be in prayer more consistently and I have seen a big difference! Our investigator _______ didn't attend church and we still don't know why. When we went by his house before church his sister said he was showering to go but never showed up. We are sure it has to do with work because he has been worried about it and money lately .  Juan  and his wife attended and are excited for their baptism on Christmas if it comes out! Then the Chica Torres family also attended with us and are awesome!

Lovin the mish and thankful for the prayers! Happy Holidays and love you all!

Elder Rawson=)

Titanic with Elder Wahlen on the lighthouse today.

gettin loco in guayaquil

At church with the Chica Torres and the Tobar Bonilla families!!

Maybe the best fish Ive had so far out here with the Mero family!

"el candado de la muerte" -the lock of doom(death) which means they arent home..

Nov. 30, 2015

"A Savior is Born" (go to lds.org)

Hello!

So this last month of November my comp and I didn't have quite the results that we hoped for but things are looking a lot better for December! I'm still pretty amazed that I'm about to spend my second Christmas in Ecuador! I think I've been hearing that the snow will actually be falling this year up North, as will the rain down here once this storm called the Niño hits in late December. My companion, Elder Acarapi is a great guy and will probably be a patriarch. He's fresh to the mish but already knows the scriptures a ton. He's probably the most patient 18 year-old I've ever met! He also told me that before his mission he taught all the lessons to 3 of his friends and baptized them. the missionaries only needed to verify the things that he had taught them! He came prepared and it makes me wish I would have come more prepared to the mission! 

Julián, our tall investigator, texted us yesterday morning saying that the University called him saying he had to make up some time that he had missed before December so he couldn't go to church. He is still doing great though. This week we also found out that he has an addiction to a drug. He had stopped smoking and drinking ever since we have been teaching him but when we taught the Word of Wisdom, we found out there is something else he has been struggling with which is probably the reason he and his wife separated. But we fasted with him this week and gave him a blessing at the end of the fast. I felt the Spirit very strongly giving the blessing and it looks like he has been clean from the problem ever since! So we'll pray that he continues to free himself!

The mission is great and I love you all!

Elder Rawson=)

Eating at the chifa:)

Pics from the temple on Friday when we went with the ward!

The temple to me is clear evidence that this church is more that just an organization established to help people live better lives, but the very Kingdom of God on Earth in preparation for the second coming of Christ.

Nov.02, 2015

     This church is the best:)

Hellllllo

Great week. me and my comp have been working super hard and staying busy. We found some great people and taught great lessons doing so! We've also found a bunch of people that were really opposed to the church and expressed their feelings openly to us. Its sad because they don't know what they do... Someday though. The deeper and stronger your testimony gets, the harder it is to accept when people reject your message. 

Thursday we organized a little movie night to watch  Joseph Smith, the Prophet video at the church. Getting things ready was kind of stressful because the church didn't have cords we needed and things didn't seem to work. We were starting late and it looked like not  a lot of people were arriving. I told myself I was never going to try to put an activity together like that as a missionary again, but eventually it started. When the movie ended I looked back and a ton more people had arrived and like half the people were crying from the Spirit.  I guess I could do it again and just be more prepared next time! Its a holiday weekend down here and a lot of people were out of town and many people we met couldn't attend church because its like memorial day here. But we are going to continue to improve teaching people about the Sabbath and committing them to church for 3 HOURS. (I hate when they leave after the first hour...) 

But the mish is great! do it if you can!

Elder Rawson=)

Elder Measom found out about my Bday late but still wanted to celebrate:)

chicken foot soup

..Here's a few snaps from the zoo today:)

 Nov. 9, 2015

Whenever I see a "just do it" shirt, I contact them :)

First time eating Caldo de pata:) (cow foot soup)

So based on the mission so far I just want to start by supporting the prophet's words when he said ever young and able man should serve a mission,and with the lowering of the age for the sisters it's worth the consideration!

It was another great week. Many of the lessons that we taught this last week were very spiritual and we were able to share some great experiences with people! I have noticed that there is always a very special spirit present as we teach and talk about the atonement. I honestly don't understand how or even completely why the atonement was carried out, but I know it is true and that I can be saved because of it. 

 For the investigators and the work this week we visited Juan and his wife and had a great lesson about faith and they committed so strongly to go to church. But yesterday morning when we stopped to pick them up he had left a note on the door saying he was sorry for failing again but had an emergency with his mom's health. That really bummed me out and shook my faith a little but then we got over to a new investigators house named Julian , a big white man taller than me. We taught our first lesson Friday, he committed to church and when we got there Sunday morning at 9 he was already out front shining his shoes for church! He is great and we invited him to be baptized the 28th of this month after church! He accepted. Now it depends on us to do our part! We have met a lot of great people. Satan has kept them from going to church but we won't give up! The Church is true!

Elder Rawson:)

I smell trunky in the air!

Julian at church,He's taller than the gringo!!

Painting a member's house:)

Aprovechando la colada morada mientras está en intercambio con É Carranza:)

Nov. 16, 2015

Jaun came to church :) :)

Hellllooooo,

I hope everyone is doing great and will be enjoying the holiday season coming up! Time is flying down here! Found out barely that the whole family went on a big cruise vacation.. Which is great and all but not quite like sharing the salvation with souls:) 

Yup the subject above is right! After like 5 weeks, Juan C and his wife made it to church! We only stopped by their house once this last week because they weren't going to church. Sunday we passed by the house at about 8 and he told us to return at 9:30 to go to church. We did and they were ready to go! His foot is still a little bad so we took taxi over to the church.  They stayed the whole time and were very attentive. Julián is still great too. He always keeps his commitments and went to church on his own yesterday. He even took his 2 little girls with him to church! The mission is nuts and I wish I could share everything that has happened but we'll see how well my memory is after the 2 añitos:) 

Les quiero a todos! cuidaos:) 

Elder Rawsoñ

 la familia Rivas Navarrete 

Juan  y Jennifer a la iglesia ayer! still wonder why latinos dont smile in pics..

My boy Jared galarraga got his passport to serve in Birmingham, England next month!

Goodbye barbeque for Elder Crisp from our zone that started here 2 years ago wih the Lozano family

The Face.... that the crazy drunk puts up in front of our house! (These are the things I mean when I say some things will have to wait after the mish..! haha:)