SHOWERING was LIKE a TORTURE CHAMBER...

Let's start with the bad so then we can get to the good.  Well this past week on top of my already bad
eczema and psoriasis, I developed a strep infection that covered my entire body (apparently it's not just a throat thing). Everywhere was red, crusty, sore, oozy, itchy, etc..  It was super painful to even roll over in my bed.  Showering was like a torture chamber.  I went to Guayaquil with Hermana Tanner, the nurse, on Tuesday to go see a doctor. (Let's just leave it at Ecuadorian med schools must be really sucky).  The next day I just sat in bed all day and had a mental breakdown. I just couldn't see how this disease was ever gonna leave my skin and I just lost it.  I cried all day.  Dark times, man. I'm still not completely healed (neither physically nor emotionally) but I am slowly trying to work my way out of it : )

In other news, despite the hellish parts of this past week, there have been some good parts as well! On June 14th, the 3 sisters we have been teaching, Lisbeth Aguilar Suarez, Dana Lliguin Suaraz and Yanela Lliguin Suaraz got baptized!!!  They are just the sweetest girls.  Ever since we started teaching them they were se accepting and so willing to follow Christ.  They live with their mom, step dad and other little sister in this tiny little cement-floored, 2-room house.  The bunk-bed where the girls sleep is in the kitchen, which is all right there when you open the door.  The girls' dad is in jail and they've had a really rough upbringing.  Their mom can't get baptized because she's not married. She wants to get married but she can't until she divorces her previous husband, which apparently she can't do while he's in jail.  So it's really just a super sad and unfortunate situation.

But the girls have been so much happier since they've started going to church and I hope that now having the gospel in their home will change the lives of this family for the better : ) Lisbeth is 15, Dana 11 and Yanela 8.  Their lil' sis, Brittney is 7.  Since  Lisbeth is in my Young Women's group, I've been working with her on Personal Progress.  She really loves it and has already passed off a couple experiences in Faith!  She is so awesome.

Well since I was barely able to move this week and was way depressed as well, not much went down.  But Hermana Nazer has really helped me through it.  She has been such a blessing to me and we really are like real sisters, or nanas, as they say here : )

So we had a funny fun experience the other day:  We walk up to this store to buy some pan de yuca, and there is a white guy looking back at us from the other side of the counter. (That doesn't happen in Naranjal).  So after we asked for our pan, I go "hey, you're a gringo." (But in Spanish)  But he said that no he wasn't; he was Ecuadorian.  But I just thought he was joking as there was literally no doubt in my mind that he was gringo.  Because it wasn't just that he was light-skinned, but he had gringo facial features, blonde hair, and had nice glasses and dressed like a gringo as well.  Heck, he didn't even talk like a Latino!  Like obviously his Spanish was great, but it wasn't a Latino voice.  So anyways, I kept insisting, like no, come on, tell us the truth.  Where are you from?  He kept insisting that he was from Guayaquil and I was just like well, I don't believe you. haha.  So finally I just said, "ok, you must have a gringo parent or something." He said no.  Grandparent? Also no. But I was still doubtful so I started to talk a bit in English. Ya, he definitely didn't understand.  It was so weird!!  haha.  So ya, we just invited him to church and then left, just dying of laughter the whole time over the false gringo.  Good times.

Things are moving along in Young Women's.  Its way hard to do the YW Program in this culture.  I planned a mutual activity on Saturday and no one showed up : (  Not even the other "leaders".  It was way sad.  But I just had them do the activity in class on Sunday to give them an idea of what it's like so they'll hopefully get excited and show up next week.  We made like diagrams of the Plan of Salvation with craft stuff and now they have to teach it to their family or a friend to pass off a Personal Progress Experience.  I hope they do it! There is so much I want to do with these girls but I lack the time, means and resources necessary.  But we're working on it.

Well despite the trials that this week brought, it also brought tons of blessings. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to be a missionary here in Ecuador and am so thankful for the trust the Lord has put in me. So I'm just gonna have to trust Him right back that all will work out in the end :) Thanks for all the love and support you all have given me, but I'm out of time so I hope to hear from you all next week!

As my dear brother Baylor always says:

BESITOS!

Hermana Abbie Harper

Eating super Patacones after the baptism

WE WILL SHOWER AFTER and HAVE the NEIGHBOR BRING his MOTORCYCLE to GIVE us LIGHT....

Hello Family!

What a week. Let's start with Friday. THE LUCERO FAMILY GOT BAPTIZED!!!! minus Evelyn because she's teenage and angsty and doesn't want to do what her family does, but would rather follow her dumb friends.  Teenager girls, man. But oh weel, I'm sure she will follow soon. :) So it was actually kinda crazy how it all went down. We found out halfway through this week that we were gonna be in Guayaquil all day Saturday for meetings because Elder Oaks was coming!!! cool stuff, well actually not so cool. It meant we wouldn't be here Saturday to do the baptisms, so we had to do them Friday. Daniel had work Friday and wasn't gonna be home till night time, and since we don't have a capilla with a font, we always have to do the baptisms during the day in the river. So long story short, we didn't know what to do.  We went over there Friday night anyways with the

Elders. After discussing for a bit what to do, Andrea just says, let's just go do it right now in the river down the street! Her husband was like what? it's dark? and that river is way dirty. But Andrea is like whatever, we will shower after and have the neighbor bring his motorcycle to give us light. So that's what he did! And let me tell you, this river was straight up brown. And the levels were really low so they  had to do it on their knees! So ya, they were baptized at like 8:30 at night and it was really cool!

So then on Saturday we left at 5am to go to Guayaquil. It was a 3 mission meeting with Elder Oaks! Guayaquil Norte and Oeste were there too! But just all the leaders, because it would be impossible to fit all the missionaries from all the missions in one chapel. So everyone is all anxious with excitement, until they start the meeting and Elder Oaks still hasn't arrived....huh? Elder Waddell was also there, so he gets up and tells us that the Oaks had plane problems and were stuck in Miami. Talk about a disappointment, but it was still a cool meeting. Elder Wadell and his wife spoke, and all 3 mission presidents and their wives spoke too. Along with another seventy named Elder Villejo and his wife. lots of talks haha. I learned a lot, but forgot to bring my notes to the cyber. :( oh well. 

So after the meeting everyone went back to their sectors, but being leaders of our branch in Naranjal, we had to stay for another meeting later that afternoon. It was a meeting with all of the stake presidencies of all of the Guayaquil stakes. Well we are just a branch but we are also our own stake! haha. Some of the members came up with us for it too, like our counselors and stuff. So anyways guess who had made it in to town for that?? THE OAKS!!! but the meeting was divided. Elder Oaks met with the priesthood in one  room and his wife along with Sister Wadell, and Sister Clayton and the seventies' wives trained the women on Relief Society, Primary and Young Womens. It was so cool!!!! and Elder Oaks did come in for like 5 min to talk to us! It was cool to be in a church meeting that wasn't only for missioanaries. haha Especially with  general authority wives! They are so nice and inspiring. 

Today we hiked some waterfalls!!! which is crazy cuz in my mission you never get permisison to do stuff like that on pday! but we got it! and we went! and it was so fun to hike again! Although we still had to do it in skirts and the Elders in shirts and ties. haha. It was an experience. I fell in the river and got my skirt all wet when i stepped wrong on a slippery rock. haha It was good times though. The place is called Las Siete Cascadas. Welp that's all I got for ya folks, CONGRATS TO RILEY AND HALEY ON THEIR ENGAGEMENT!! :) I am beyond so excited I will get to be there cuz it's in December !!!  See ya all next week....    Love, Hna Harper

Selfie of us eating this weird thing called Cacoa. They take those seed things, lay them out to dry in the sun, rake them so they toast evenly, it gets really stinky and smells so bad.....and then they somehow make chocolate out of it from there! don't know how. haha

Eating pizza as a zone to celebrate the 1 year mark of me, Hna Nazer and HnaTanner

IT was a SUPER COOL ONCE-IN-A-MISSION EXPERIENCE....

Hellooooo Familia,

So im still in Naranjal!! My pleas paid off :) BUT my companion DID have cambios last week, and guess who my new one is??? HNA NAZER!!! por fin!!! haha We are beyond incredibly stoked. 

So this week has been fun, but also wayyyyyyyyy overwhelming. The Lucero family fell on us. I honestly don't even really know why. They don't have like a big challenge or problem impeding them from being baptized. They have accepted all of the commandments and teachings into their lives. They just say that they don't have the desire in their hearts to do it right now. It's kinda like they're looking for excuses as well, because sometimes they ask us random irrelevant questions; its weird. But they still all came to church on Sunday. We were hoping President would talk to them about it, but he was busy so he just helped give Evelyn a blessing because she's been really sick and then had to go. But he told us to keep with them so that they can do it this week. I have faith that is possible, I just don't know what else to tell them or what else to do as I feel like we have pulled every card we know. So ya, that was really sad for me. They were going to be my first complete family. Andrea and Daniel, a married couple, with Evelyn and Andy, their 2 children that are old enough to be baptized. (4 yr old Dustin isn't quite there yet. haha) But anyways I've been doing my best not to get too discouraged.

Something really cool this week is that on Friday we went to the temple with the branch!!!! We missionaries and about 20 or so of the members loaded onto a bus at 6 am and headed on up to Guayaquil. We were just in the baptistry obviously since they are all recent converts, but we still got to put on a white jumper and help out with the name cards and towels and what not. It was fun. The Torres family came too and their kids did baptisms as well. We ate in the cafeteria there afterwards, took tons of pictures, and then headed back to Naranjal. It was a super cool once-in-a-mission experience, that i feel so fortunate and thankful to have had. It was way cool to see all these people who have just joined the church within the past few months to be inside the house of the Lord, participating in temple work. Talk about awesome :)

So Sunday was the craziest day of my life. So you know how I'm Young Women's President? Well Hna Nazer is Primary President, 2 huge responsibilities. And then on top of that we have to take care of our investigators and converts and the members, etc. I tried introducing the Personal Progress program to the girls this week and it's just hard to get them to understand.....They don't really listen too well because it's loud in the room. It's just one big room with a class in each corner. So they don't focus too well and therefore don't comprehend anything. But oh well. My goal is to help them complete their value experiences of faith, and start the mutual program. We shall see how it goes :)

Think that's all the news I got this week. Loved the parable of the skunk. Can't believe seminary is ending and soon after that the school year. And this week I hit my year mark! My how time flies. My skin has gotten a lot better this week than in the weeks previous so thanks for all of your prayers! :) 

Being in this tiny branch here where the church is just starting makes me feel very inadequate a lot of the time, but it also gives me a stronger motivation to do my part and hasten the work. I love the people of Naranjal so much and only desire their salvation! But the kicker is that sometimes they seem to not want it...but the only thing we can do is keep on trying.  Elder Tad R Callister said in his famous talk on becoming a consecrated missionary that these missionaries are willing to pay the price of repeated rejection for the hope of a single conversion. Whatever the world throws at them, they throw back a smile, because they know they have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Love that so much. Every time I'm frustrated, I try and throw a smile at the world instead. It's pretty affective. Well, next week should be pretty crazy as well so I'll be sure to give you all a full update this coming Monday. love you all!!

xoxo Hermana Harper

The Lucero Family

I FEEL that the LORD is CONTENT and HAS ACCEPTED OUR OFFERING....

First off, so you can stop worrying, my camera was found! It had apparently fallen out of my bag in a restaurant we always eat in and they found it and gave it back to me! There really are still nice honorable people in Ecuador!

This week has just been a crazy roller coaster. So we received a bunch of references from people. We contacted them all, had some crazy good potential people who we were so hopeful would progress.....and then Sunday rolls around and when we go to get everyone they act like we are crazy for thinking they would go to church with us, even though they had all committed to going earlier in the week. Ecuadorians, I tell ya. So we are all sad (and in my companions case, angry since that's how Latinas roll) and we pull up to church in our empty, other than us, taxi and President's car is parked out front....I freaked out. We were going to be showing up with literally nobody. In Naranjal, where the work is going like crazy, not acceptable. 

So we still had 10 min, so what did I decide to do beside the begrudgingness of my companion?Knock on the door of every house on the street behind our capilla to try and find someone who wants to go to church. I was praying so hard that there would at least be one person who would accept our invitation. and you know what? Not one of them came. But do you know what else? I felt so good and satisfied for having given the Lord my all up to the very last minute that church started. And although we walked in the door with empty hands, the Lord blessed us with 4 investigadores attending sacrament meeting. 

A recent convert we have been visiting brought her son, his wife, and their 10 yr old daughter. They aren't married for real and he drinks a lot, so they can't really progress right now. But I know they felt the spirit and it was a big blessing for the recent convert Hermana to have them go with her as she has been having problems in the home. And then another member who we work with had invited a co-worker to church earlier in the week and he showed up alone. Even the member was surprised he showed up! haha So hopefully we can start teaching him. 

But even though we don't have any investigators progressing right now, other than the Lucero family, who if all goes well will be baptized this week, I feel that the Lord is content and has accepted our offering. And regardless, Eduardo was confirmed in sacrament meeting cause he had gotten baptized the day before!!! wooo!! I'll send pics for sure. He is stalwart.  His member girlfriend, Hermana Olga, didn't even show up, but it didn't faze him at all. He was just like well, that's ok. I know it's what I need to do and I want to be baptized whether she's here or not. SO AWESOME!! He has such a strong testimony of prayer and the Book of Mormon it's insane. 

So had to go to Guayaquil again today to talk with President about my skin. He didn't say anything for sure, but he implied that he might transfer me because of my skin. But honestly, even though it's killing me I haven't let it affect the work. If I have transfers because the Lord says my time in Naranjal is up, then so be it. I accept it.  But I would hate to have transfers just because of my skin. I feel like I have so much unfinished work here, especially with the Young Women and with the Lucero family, my first complete family. I will seriously cry and cry if I get transfer calls tonight. So please pray I will be kept here till at least next week!! But I guess I will have to be ok with whatever happens. 

Well I think that's all for now. I have learned a lot this week about dealing with trials and accepting that the Lord gives us them to make us stronger. Something I learn more about and gain a deeper testimony of every day! HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!! sounds and looks like you all had fun at Sano. Miss those days. Love and thanks to all of those who write me! Until next time....

Love from Naranjal,  Hermana Harper

I SCREAM, TURN AROUND & SEE a RAT FLYING THROUGH the AIR

Well Fam it has been a long interesting week,

I've been sick for a lot of it so not much happened. Stupid bacteria and parasites gotta stay outta my system! haha And on top of that, I went to Guayaquil Thursday to see a doctor. She tried telling me my Aquaphor causes cancer? Ya, the health system is not so reliable here. Later met with President and the nurses in his office. I have more creams and pills but nothing is doing anything. But on the bright side, I found out that eczema is also called atopic dermatitis. Sounds more official, no? Well my atopic dermatitis is eating me alive. I feel like I'm more red than white! So lots of health stuff this week. But hey, a cool thing is that President was already planning on going to Naranjal so when we finished up at the office, we got to drive back with him in his nice air conditioned car and not in the smelly bus! So that was a plus, and he even treated us to lunch. haha

Ancelmos and Nancy didn't get baptized. Nancy says she wants to but she can't right now and says she can't tell us why. Super mysterious and vague but what can you do? The girl has her free agency. and Ancelmo keeps dodging us so I just don't think he wants to, but he's Ecuadorian so he can't just tell us that like a normal person. So that was a huge letdown this week, and a little discouraging, but life moves on. 

I'm feeling really confident about our baptism this week. Eduardo Cuello. He's a great guy and has been enduring despite all the trials. Not sure if I mentioned his background before but basically there are members in the church who like hate him and don't want him there because he is dating their brother's ex wife....which is stupid cause their brother cheated on her and it's his fault they got divorced. and now Olga, the girl he's dating, wants to break up to not cause problems with the family of her children. It's really sad cause he's like so in love with her and so good to her and it's just so sad. Olga was really surprised when Eduardo still showed up to church on Sunday despite all the controversy going on, which just proves that he's doing this for his salvation and not just for her! He already has a strong testimony and prays and reads the Book of Mormon by himself all the time. He's like halfway through it! It's crazy. 

The family Lucero will either be baptized this week or the 31st. Their fechas are for the 31st, but we have a branch temple trip on the 30th!!! So we are gonna teach about temples and animate them and encourage them to do it sooner so they can go to the temple! We will see how it goes. But I love the Lucero family so much. I have felt from the very first time we met them that they have potential to be a strong stalwart family in the church here in Naranjal. :) 

Funny story of the week: we were standing in the kitchen at night and Hermana Nazer was microwaving something and I was talking to her. She was telling me something random about her Swedish grandma and all of a sudden she screams in English there's a rat in the house! and I scream and turn around and see a rat flying through the air, landing on the floor and running under my companion's leg, who was sitting at her desk, and then disappearing into the other room. We never did find the rat....nasty creatures. But it was pretty funny, even though the latinas didn't understand, they could tell something was wrong and started freaking out too. haha

Also, I think my camera is lost. Long story short, we almost caught, killed, and ate iguana one day at a member's house but then it rained so we couldn't. But I had my camera with me to take pics of the iguana experience, and even had it out at their house to be prepared for the iguana before the rain started and ruined our plans. I'm like 90% positive it got left at their house. We left in a hurry because we had wasted so much time there already. My zone leaders called them and they said it's not there. I'm planning on stopping by myself tonight to look for it.  Pray that when I go over I will find it. I've been way stressed about it for these past few days :/

Well that's all i got. Hna Yñonan has 17 Miracles so we watched it today on pday. Always makes me cry. Shout out to all of the pioneers. Enserio, when compared to all of their hardships and trials, all that they endured and suffered, what I'm doing here in Ecuador is NOTHING. It's a good reminder and always very humbling as well. So grateful for them and all they did for the church. I know the church is true. There is not a doubt in my mind of that. If there was, I wouldn't be here in Ecuador on a mission, just as the saints wouldn't have trekked across the plains if they had doubts in their minds of the truthfulness of this gospel. This work is  the work of the Lord; it is greater than us. Even though it can be hard, I'm so grateful to have been given this opportunity to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord for this short amount of time in my life. Love you all, until next time....

Hermana Harper

He Actually Thinks he is Jesus and it's so Weird...

Mother's Day Skype

Familyyyyy,

Well once again Happy Mothers Day to my sweet mommy :) It was so awesome talking to you guys yesterday but it seriously feels like a dream or something and that it didn't even happen. A whole hour but yet what did we even talk about? don't even know. haha But it was nice to feel for an hour like we were all hanging out talking around the kitchen table like it normally is in the Harper household and that my fam is still as weird as ever ;) love it. Can't wait to do it for real in 7 months. 

So this week was a blur, as with the transfers the week before evreything got mixed up a little. I can't remember if I told you that my new comp was just in the other companionship of sisters here in Naranjal so she just had to change rooms...and investigators. haha and then Hermana Nazer came to be with her companion. 

So as I already mentioned during Skype we had the first branch conference here in Naranjal as Elder Uceda has officially declared us a real branch. So we are finally recognized by church headquarters! haha But I think I already told you guys that. For the conference President Torres and his family came and spoke. But since it was Mothers Day the church attendance was really low because here everyone drinks and parties on Mothers Day while the mom cooks up a bunch of food for everyone. go figure, right? haha So that was a let down. 

Our investigator J, who I may or may not have told you about was totally drunk when we went over there to get him for church and that's like the 4th week in a row that has happened. It makes me really sad. Especially since we have really spiritual lessons with him and I can see in his eyes that he really wants to change but he still gives in to temptation every time it's presented to him. Seriously so sad the amount of people Satan has control over. The Second Coming really is so near. Any second now Christ is gonna come again I'm telling you. 

But the Lucero family is doing well and so is Eduardo. (not sure if I've told you about these people.) Nancy and Ancelmos are still mas o menos so we shall see if they get baptized this week or not. I really hope they do. They both want to but they are both just scared. So pray for them! 

Funny story of the week. There was this weird crazy dude dressed as Jesus who went aroud setting up shop to preach the word in differnet parts of town. One time he set up right outside  our apartment so I took some pics out the window. He actually thinks he is Jesus and it's so weird. We didn't talk to him though cause we didn't wanna start anything. haha

Well honestly since we just talked I don't think I got much else for you...oh but I think I forgot to tell you guys yesterday that I am now the Young Woman's President! haha They even announced my name when they read through all the presidency stuff how they always do in ward conferences and stuff. so lolz. Oh and they had to put my records here to do it so now I officially don't exist in the Las Flores ward, so that's weird. haha

Alright, well it sounds like you all had a fun 5 de Mayo! Keep on updating me on the California adventures being had back on the home front. Want to hear from all of you! I pretty much now only get letters from Mom, Dad, Grandma, Izzie and most of the time Riley. and some of my missionary friends and home-forwards. All of my other friends have bailed on me. cool beans. but that's ok. We have the atonement so you should all repent and write me next week if you're even reading this ;) I know this gospel is true and that Christ is our savior. Apply the principles to the gospel to your life on a daily basis and you will be happier and you will be blessed!! This I promise and leave all of my love in the sacred name of Jesus the Christ amen :)

Love from Naranjal,   Hermana Harper

Hermana Nazer's Birthday

Getting a little emotional when it was time to say goodbye

SO BEAUTIFUL......

Hey fam, literally no time so here are some bullet points:

Hermana Herrera had transfers. I'm still here in Naranjal and they told me Hermana Nazer and I were going to be companions, Hermana leaders together. Needless to say I was stoked! Well Hna Nazer is here and we are Hermana leaders of Naranjal together but we aren't companions :( They broke us up with the 2 hermanaas that are already here. So I'm now with Hna Arizala and Hna Nazer is with Hna Ynoñan. crazy stuff.

Isela got baptized!!! So beautiful. There's a mini waterfall where we do it. It was dusk though so the pictures are kinda dark and blurry but oh well. Ancelmo didn't because he lacked a church attendance but I know that he will be soon! I also hope Anncy will soon too! 

These pictures are with a new family we found, the Lucero family. They are so awesome! I'll tell you more about them next week :) but it was the daughter's birthday so we made a cake it was fun. :)

See  you Sunday for Mother's Day!    Love Hermana Harper