This past week Sam and I took a trip to Ecuador. It was Sam's mission reunion (23 years), and a good excuse for us to escape for a while. We happened to be about 15 hours away from where Elder Jayden is serving, and it was a little tempting to just hop a bus to where he was. It was really cool to be in South America- in the same type of areas my boy is living in. The same sounds, smells, and sweet people.
I discovered that I have a super power! My body is super heat efficient. While everyone else was sweating puddles, I found the heat to be very comfortable, and rarely broke into a sweat. I think I was born in the wrong America.
I got to practice my Spanish a bit too, which was both exciting and terrifying. We attended church in South America. That is where I felt the closest to my Colombian boy. The church was the same there as it is back home- the same feelings, the same organization and ordinances, the same hymns with foreign words. The spirit can testify to your heart even if you don't speak the language.
Probably the coolest part about the trip is that practically every city we explored, we would run into missionaries! I was able to take photos, and send them to other missionary mama's. This church program is so inspired. These young people who serve really do stand out in a crowd. They exemplify His light, and draw people to them.
Monday came while we were driving to a city in Ecuador called Libertad. Before we left, Sam added an international plan to his phone so I would be able to catch Elder Jayden and his brother, Elder Brendan online. The other couple we traveled with have a sister missionary in Brazil, so both of us mamas were anxiously waiting for e-mails.
The wifi was sketchy, but it worked.
This post will contain both e-mails- from last week, and the one I got yesterday.
Here is Elder Wadley's e-mail from last week:
Well i am glad you are having a good time and that you have been able to
practice a little bit of your 13 percent fluency in Spanish! I am totally with you South
America is awesome! I absolutely love it! I am actually really jealous of
the gift that you have of not sweating! I sweat like a pig here! It is
honestly really gross! I only knew of one other person that never
sweated while we were in the coast and i thought he had something wrong
with him!
It is kinda different being in a church in south america
and doing everything in spanish! I remeber my first time haha it was
super different and i didn't understand anything! Really fun though! I
am glad you got a little taste of what its like!
Our week
wasnt a whole ton of interesting. We have an amazing investigator that
totally received her testimony and told us that everything is true! The
only problem is that had to move back for a little while to her home
town in a pueblito outside of Cartago but she comes down for the
weekends to study and is trying to get a job and everything here so she
can stay! She is really awesome! We have been able to find a little bit
more people to teach this week and it has been getting a little bit
better! Me and my comp have been trying to be really really obediente
with everything and i am seeing the blessings!
It has been a pretty decent week and i am loving it right now with my comp and everything!
I
will shoot you some pictures as well. We had interviews with President
this week and played pool!
Love you guys! Have a great week!
Les quiero mucho!
Saludos a todos!
Chao
Cuídense!
Elder Wadley
This week I greeted him in my e-mail with a slang term I learned in Ecuador from a local. "Cubo parce." I also asked him about a couple of South American fruits that we found and tried while in Ecuador.
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Here is his e-mail from this week:
Well glad to hear that you had a good time in south america! Just to let
you know it is Q´hubo parce. That is like the typical colombian
greeting i guess you could say!
Also i have tried both of those fruits and they are really good! Kinda slimey but really awesome!
My
week has been alright here! Nothing really interesting! We have been
getting some more people on the baptismal date and have been having a
little more success in our area. We are slowly seeing the fruits of our
labor i guess you could say!
We have been able to have some
really good spiritual lessons this week and my comp has been learning a
lot, he just needs to be able to refine it a little bit and he will be
really good!
Here in Colombia there are skateparks and
skaters it is not as big as it is in the states but it is here! In
Medellín there are two skateparks that i know of and here close in
Pereira there is another.
Oh i wanted to give you a quick
heads up that i started Doctrine and Covenants this week and it has been
awesome! It is pure revelation and it has been a good little bit of
reading! DyC 3:10
But
remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast
done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art
still chosen, and art again called to the work;
It hit me
this week, not because i have broken a commandment or anything big but i haven't been the best with the area book and a couple other things like
that and this scripture hit me saying that i can get better, repent, and
that i am still called to be a missionary and that these little things
are important but are not going to hold me back like crazy!
Well i don't have much to say. I am good! Having fun
and working at the same time! I am glad you got to see a little bit of
how south america is! Its awesome!
Love you!
Elder Wadley
PS Here is a taxi that caught on fire and blew up a little.
After spending a week with the Ecuadorean people, I fell in love with them.
They are humble and pure, with an innocent kindness. Those who have the least, smile the most. My heart is heavy that in four months Elder Wadley's service in South America will come to a close, and it will be time for him to leave these people.
I am quite sure this farewell will be harder on him than the one that separated him from us.
My excitement at seeing him again will be tinged with the painful tenderness I know he will feel from leaving the country and people he grew to love.
140 days.
Just a reminder, this is the Jeep Elder Wadley left back home. It's still running strong!
(Although it might be a little lonely for its original driver.)
