Email 01/27/2014

This was so weird and I sent a message to the misión president. 

Oh um one problema this week. This week my companion & I went to a payphone that only takes change so I gave my companion 2 dimes.

But each one the phones spit them back out. Then 2 children walked up asking for money but as usual we kindly turned them down. The the youngest one gave my companion a nickle to try in the machine but like the dimes it spit it right out.

Then the strangest thing happened. When the kid asked for it back my companion said the machine didn't give it back. The kid had the most distraught look. Then my companion started walking away. So I demanded my dimes back and gave the kid one of them. Know I have not talked about this experiance with Elder luque. Because frankly it was shocking and I don't know what to do.

Elder Rodriguez

Email 01/27/2014

This week honestly has been really boring. Nothing much going on to tell you the truth.

Well the rain has finally stopped and the work always continues.  We had a family and a man without a leg that all had set dates for baptism.

Unfortunetaly we had to cancel it becuase they did not come to church.

This week has consisted of a lot of up hill walking. Many of our new investigators live super high up. Bummer.

Anyway this P-day was pretty cool. Our whole zone went to this one light house ontop of this Cliff. To tell you the truth the hike was horrible with the sun beating down and the Cliff is almost 90 degress oh and also grass that was taller than me the whole way. My arms and legs are all sun burnt and cut up from the grass. But once on the top is was nice and cool. I sent some pictures of the experience. The White Elder is my bud from the CCM Elder Linderman. The latino that is not my companion is a Bolivian named Elder Urceta or however he spells it I don't really know. Elder Urceta is our district leader, companions to Elder Linderman and he was companions to Elder Luque.

It was really fun doing that Little adventure today. In our zone we have 2 new sister missionaries and they were pretty funny. They were surprized that I spoke good english. That's when I told them "I hope so, because I'm an American." Anyway that's really all that happened this week. Really boring.

Anyway Love you all

I hope and pray for the best for all of you

PEACE

Elder Rodriguez

Email 01/20/2014 Oops forgot one thing...

This week on Sunday My companion & I had to give talks and I had to take part in a special musical number.

Yeah I was pretty nervous. I had to give a 5 minute talk on missionary work. I decided to not write down anything and see how it would go. I talked for what turned to be 15 minutes on the attributes of Christ and how we need them in missionary work. Haha I was afraid I wouldn't have much to say since I don't know much spanish and I ended up having to much to say.

The musical number was good. I sang "Lord I Will Follow Thee" in spanish with the Ward Mission leader and his son. It was really good. And it's funny because last Monday my companion was yelling at me because he says I don't sing at all in church and when I do it's not loud enough. Well I was invited to sing because the ward mission leader says I always sing great and loud. My companion wasn't invited to sing. So that's you ¨In Your Face¨ moment of the week.

Okay that's all sorry missionaries should act like this hahah.

Elder Rodriguez

Email 01/20/2014 Robbed?

Well this week started out pretty great. I helped a blind man cross the busiest road and then later on in the day got robbed. Yeah, super.

It was pretty sketchy though because it started with a nice teenage boy coming up to us and saying hi while his 5 friends watched. Then he asked me to take off my watch. Yeah that wasn't going to happen so we just kept walking. But he kept walking with us telling us to give him all of our money. Then his friends came up from behind us. One of them dug his hand in my pocket, the pocket with all my money in it, but didn't pull anything out and all my coins didn't make a sound. Then we were blessed to have a random bus come out of no where and we hopped on.

No but seriously this week was actually pretty great. It was raining all week and the mud made it nearly impossible to walk to most of our investigators, not to mention I fell in the mud. But some how through all of that this week there wasn't a moment were I wasn't happy. I have no idea why.

Then this week we had a little companion switch just for a day in which I was paired with another Peruvian named Elder Miranda. He didn't speak English but he was actually really cool and teaching lessons with his was great.

This week somehow we have had alot of success finding new investigators and then they even came to church. Well that's really all for now. Not much else happened this week.

Keep my in your prayers to better learn this language.

Your are all in mine.

Love ya all

Elder Rodriguez

Email from Quito, Ecuador 01/13/2014

Well this week me and my companion traveled the 7 hours to Quito for my verification and his english exam.

The great part about that trip was when i saw all of my old district from the MTC. That was so great seeing how everyone has changed and hearing the experiences each one has had here. It was the funniest thing seeing the elders that were on the heavier side that got sent to the jungle. All of their clothes are really loose now haha. And one elder showed me a video of him eating grubs which was so gross to watch. Then we found out we were missing someone. We found out that an Elder Parsons who was in our district went home before Christmas. It's a bummer because nobody knows why and it wasn't medical because I asked the mission nurse. 

After the verification we went and stayed with the Presidentes office workers. They are really great elders. So me and my comp went with one of the elders to go teach at night in Quito. During the lesson I began to feel sharp pains different then I had felt ever before. After the lesson I rushed to the bathroom and puked my guts out. 

That's when my troubles started. We went straight to their apartment after that. Then the next day we went with different elders and I was feeling bad. After walking 15 miles up and down the hills of Quito we arrived at their apartment where I passed out from 4 until 6. At 6 I awoke with the worst headache ever and just a horrible pain in my lung. I took a headache pill and passed out again until the next day. The next day I had no appetite and had no energy to do anything which was fine because all we had to do was to take the exam for my comp and travel. So that's how my week went. But all is well because I feel so energized now back in Esmereldas.

The pictures that I sent were on the day of Verifications. I can't remember the name of the place but it represents how the arch angel will conquor satan in the last days. It was really beautiful.

Hope everyone is doing really good love you all

Elder Ivan Rodriguez

Hey mom I really missed you this week as I was sick. I just wanted so bad for someone to take care of me. But the work always has to continue. I love you lots mom. lots

Email 01/06/2014 Another Email

Anyway this week me and My companion with be driving down to Quito once again.

This time it is so my companion can take an English exam. Honestly I kinda hope he fails to learn a bit of humility. Everytime he asks me what something means in English and I tell him he says ¨No I dont think so¨. I speak English, I know these things. Sorry that's bad but it's true.

So this week has been rainging every now and then. And rain here in Esmereldas means a bunch of mud everywhere. Oh well that just means my wife will be extra beautiful. Which of course I like.

Our water in our house is finally working good.That's a plus. And that's about it. Language is still hard but I'm actually having conversations with people and they are understanding and me too. Every now and then I will ask a yes or no question to an investigator and they will reply with ¨clearly¨....That's super discouraging. Oh well I'm just trying my hardest.

Well thats all.

Thank you for all the support every week

Love ya all bunches

Elder Rodriguez

Email 01/06/2014 Happy New Year

Well Happy New Year from Ecuador!!!!

I sent some pictures of just some random things. Some of our 2nd baptism of a young kid named Jaison(yeah thats how he spells it), our neighbors man that he burned for New Years, Some people they were selling for New Years, the view from Jaisons house and I think thats it.

 

Well this week has been alright. We were supposed to be inside all day for New Years because it's dangerous but we spent it with Hermano Liedra. He's an old man who is all alone. But he is the best, he calls us his sons. He cooked some really great turkey and rice for us. I was truely delicious. He does alot for us all the time so I bought him a tub of Oreo Ice cream. You should have seen his face. He was so thankful and overjoyed. Then when we got home we got to see our neighbor burning his person. It was actually really creepy for me.... I don't know why.

 

Anyway this week has been kinda slow for us here since everyone is out of town. So not many people to teach. We had another baptism which was great. It's always great to see the joy in peoples faces. Oh and in our baptisms I draw a welcomeing picture on a white board. Everyone is amazed by them it's so funny. They were all taking pictures of it and taking pictures of the kid who got baptized posing with it.

 

Anyway not much else going on. I'll email again later today with more if I think of more.

PEACE LOVE YOU ALL

Elder Ivan Rodriguez