WE DECIDED TO TAKE THE LOVE ROUTE...

Well family it has been a loooooooooooooong week.

First of all, Leonor didn't get baptized :( She started listening to her family members and old pastora who forbidded her to talk to us and to be baptized. and it's so sad how much Satan can have an affect on us when we don't make ourselves spiritually strong and are therefore weak to his persuasions. Leonor was soooo so so excited for her baptism, and then overnight she completely changed and wouldn't even let us in the door the next day. Super super sad, but maybe it's just not her time. We have hope that in the future she will come around and return to those truthful feelings of the spirit that she has experienced. 

But on the bright side, the Morocho family is progressing nicely. Have I told you about them? Probably not. The mom Alexandra, is a single mom with 3 kids, Jonathan 14, Justin 10, and Jocelyn (will be 8 in a couple weeks) Also Alexandra's sister Sonya, who has 2 kids, Daniela 7 and Pablo 3. They all live together in a very humble home and they are a really special family for us. They had baptism dates a couple months ago but they fell because they never went to church. They told us they felt too pressured by the constant talk of baptism and nothing else. In fact they were so weary of the past missionaries that when we went to visit them the first time they didn't even let us in. They just talked for a bit with us at the door but nothing else. So we decided to take the love route. Not pressure them into baptism but just kindly invite them to church and gain their trust by sharing sweet and simple messages. Well it was a slow process. After a few times of just standing at the door talking, they brought chairs outside to chat there. And then after a couple times of that, they finally let us inside!! That was a great moment for us. That first Sunday they all came to church, the 2nd Sunday only Alexandra and her kids but then this past Sunday, all of them again! They say they love church, and this past week Hna Martin and I were planning out the best way to bring up baptism again without offending them or losing the trust we had gained. 

As we were in the process of working out the best way to do that, the Elders show up to lunch on Wednesday being all giggly and weird and when I asked them what happened, they just said nothing. Then they start asking me about Alexandra and if we think that they'll get baptized and we told them firmly, yes, they will. It's just a matter of going about it sensitively. Then they're like oh well do you still wanna work with them? We said yes, of course. Then they said oh well they have fechas for the 29th. -_- . I was so incredibly angry. The nerve they have to go see our investigators without even asking us, nor notifying us. And then the nerve they have to put fechas without even consulting us, telling us, or going with us!! And even worse, he's my DL and the Zls went with them to do it too. Needless to say, I felt way betrayed and lost lots of trust in my leaders. Luckily we were able to go see Alexandra and do some damage control and now they actually do seem to be on track to be baptized the 29th, which is this Saturday. So luckily, it didn't do too much damage, but I just definitely would have liked to have been notified and to have been present as well. But through prayer, and chats with my leaders, I have gotten over it. They aren't bad Elders, in fact, they are good ones. They just sometimes get too caught up in breaking records and having as many baptisms as possible in their zone regardless of the situation. But my goals lately have been to be humble, let go of my pride, and just love everyone. It's hard, but its the better route. :)

So apart from that, we found some cool investigators. Some college students who live together in a pretty nice house and they just have jam seshes all the time because they have a drum kit, an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, acoustic drums, a banjo, etc. It's pretty legit. Their names are Javier and David. They came to church on Sunday but left like halfway through the Sacrament meeting because they had family come in town. So we shall see how that goes. 

Another cool thing this week is that we helped and old gringa lady in the ward sweep her floors! She just had surgery (in Ecuador, sketch right?) So she can't do much. Afterwards, she made us some really yummy tuna salad and then she told us that she had found a legit cafe!! So we went today for Pday. It's an American family from Virginia. The mom is the chef and she makes awesome desserts. Like I'm talking rich chocolate fudge cakes, etc. And the food is my FAVORITE. Yummy paninis, soups, and salads. I can't eat the salads but paninis and soups are good enough for me! They even have bread bowls! and pesto! and 90% of the clients are old white retired people so you pretty much only hear English. We basically feel like we are in America when we are there. Like some sort of time vortex. It's pretty cool; I kinda love it. 

There are soooooo many old retired gringo living here in Cuenca. So mom and dad, if you can't afford to retire in the states and need to live out of the country, Cuenca is where it's at. haha So another piece of Cuenca gringa news....we found a lady in another ward, from Sacramento, who has a beauty salon in our sector! I've been wanting to cut my hair for a while now but was always too afraid to just go into a random place off the street and have a Latina do it. Explaining hair in Spanish is just sketch. So I went to Sister Lord, the white lady! and she did a great job. and since I had been wanting to cut my hair, I was waiting to take my 9 month pregger photos until i did it, because it's like a cliche for pregnant ladies to have short hair. They're pretty funny, have fun with those pics. (Mom note: I didn't know this but I guess Sisters take pregger pictures at their 9 month or half way through point.  Whereas the Elders burn a white shirt.  Lolz)

Welp I think that's all the news I got for now. I have learned a lot this week about humility, patience, and love. All 3 are great attributes of Christ that I am trying to work extra hard on developing. Whenever I feel myself getting upset I just try and remember what Christ would do if he were in my situation and usually my anxiety and stress rates slow down a little. It's so crazy to think about how much Christ endured and suffered during his short time on the Earth and how he endured and suffered it all with the utmost poise. Never losing his temper, never getting annoyed or impatient, always treating everyone with love. He really is the greatest example of all, and should be who we look up to, our role model, for everything. I am so very thankful for My savior and redeemer and the bar that he has set for me to try a little harder, to be a little better each and every single day. and that luckily, I don't need to reach perfection, because through the grace of his atonement, trying is enough. as long as we are always trying :) Love each and every one of you so incredibly much and can't wait to hear what you all have to tell me about your lives next week. Love hearing about it! Keep up the good fight... Love from Cuenca,

Hermana Harper