Email 02/24/2014

Well hello everyone!!! I wanna start by saying sorry because I don't have more pics this week.

Okay lets carry on. Well I found out my companion has night terrors.... So that's fun. It's not a big deal for me having lived with my brother who has the same. So I just laugh evertime it happens. Me and my companion are doing good though, we get along real well. This week we even had a bit of a miracle.

So we go to this one members house and his son who is 3 had a terrible fever and poxs. These were so bad that the kid was crying in his sleep and he couldn't stand up. So we get in there and give him a blessing. Less that 5 minutes later the kid is up walking around and smiling. It was really powerful.

Then the rest of the week was pretty miserable. Between the contant rain and mud. Then one day I stepped in mud and it ate my shoe. So that wasn't to cool. 

This Sunday we had church only for an hour. It was election day here in Ecuador and we had to stay inside our house all day long (except for the hour of church). I guess it's really dangerous during elections especially for missionaries. So that day was filled with sleep, study,sleep, study. Then on March 1st to the 4th we have to stay inside also for Carnival, I don't know what I'm going to do hahaha.

Ha but this week has been good for my Spanish, I'm starting to see a lot of progression. Especially when we had interviews with the President this week. I met another Elder who has 7 months more than me in the mission field and I was speaking better than him.

So thats how my days went...I hope all of you are doing really good. Send me lots of pics and keep me updated!

With much love,

Elder Rodriguez

Email 02/17/2014 New week in the Mission

So this week I got my new companion. His name is Elder Ramirez hes a 25 year old Peruvian who is shorter than me. But I really like this new companion he's a really funny guy. He doesn't speak a lick of english but thats fine right now. For this month the mission President asked everyone to sacrifice something this month in order to recieve miracles for the next month. so I decided to stop spoken english. My companion said hes just going to sacrifice a dog..... Funny guy. 

This week has been a little tough because all of our old investigators dropped us. Fortunately my new comp is super hard working and likes contacting, which is great for me. I feel like I have learned more in this past week than I have in the entire mission so far.

This Sunday I had another talk and so did my companion. He was super nervous because it was his first talk at church in his whole life. But he does only have 3 years in the church anyway and 1 year of it he was nonactive.

Then in church we contacted this 13 year old that has been attending church for only 3 weeks now. So we go to his house for a lesson and the first thing he says is "I want to be baptized". So we are like, AWESOME. He even knows who he want to baptize him as well. So that's pretty solid.

Also I think I have a new dog here in Ecuador. Everyday this dog follows really close to me for more that 5 miles. And this dog crosses super busy streets and listens to everyhthing I say. Its funny because the dog doesn't like my comp very much haha. So that's all I got for this week.

LOVE ya all and hope all is well

Elder Rodriguez

Email 02/10/2014 Changes this week

Well Hello everyone here from Ecuador. Well I'm writing right now waiting for my new companion, another Peruvian named Elder Ramirez. I have heard he is very quiet but he's a great missionary, oh and he doesn't speak English as I have heard. I'm also staying in the same area which I'm kinda bummed about but it's the Lord´s will not mine. 

So this last week wasn't to much work just because Elder Luque wanted to take pictures everywhere. We went to one place that is in our area but I have never been until that day. I'll send pics of that. Elder Luque is still in my zone but in another area on the beach with my pal Elder Linderman. I really feel bad for Linderman.

Anyway so this week I fell pretty bad. I was just walking along and felt like someone pushed me. So yeah my knee is kinda jacked up. For the first two days I could barely bend it without feeling severe pain. But I can feel it getting better. Anyway that's really all I have to report.

With this new companion I'm kinda scared because I feel I can barely speak Spanish and I don't know my area real good. But It's an incredible time to learn, so wish me luck.

Love you all

Thanks for all the pics of the Family

Elder Ivan Rodriguez

 Well this computer won't let me send the pictures so I will try again next week.... Sorry.

Oh and I forgot to tell everyone that this past week I went to a preschool and did service for 3               hours drawing on their walls. It was pretty fun but they kept wanting more and more stuff.

Lucky I'm gifted with talent and I can provide. I forgot to take pictures of all the drawings but they were really cool. When I was doing it many people on the street stopped to watch me. Cool stuff.

Well sorry that's it. 

Oh shout out to Mitch and Abigail who just got married. Congrates and I send my best wishes.

Many people here don't like to get married even when they have been together for 40 years, so enjoy it

Love you all once again

Email 02/03/2014 Hola Familias y Amigos

Well this week has been kinda boring as well. Except for yesterday. So yesterday 

I took a crazy picture of the sky and in the picture there were no people at all, just the dark clouds. Then with my camera I was messing with the lighting and it revealed 3 dark figures. Its actually freaking scary, I don't like it at all. I'll try to send you both the pictures. The figures are in the lower center. 

Well this week has just been work as usual. Still struggling with the language but this week I have really been hunkering down. And just when I was doing good one of my favorite members met another American missionary and pretty much said I suck.

I can't lie I thought about killing him in that second... I'm kidding.

Well no baptizms this week but I believe the next week we will have maybe 2.

Changes are coming this following Sunday. My companion is more than likely going to be changing since he has been in this area for 5 months straight. So I'm probably not going to be changing areas but I'm praying I do. This area really isn't a good area to learn spanish in, since they speak a different spanish than everywhere else...... Thanks president.

I'm really hoping for the jungles even though the food will be more difficult for me. Anyway not much else going on. Oh I got another package which was really cool. You have no idea how great American candys are compared to here. Oh if anyone wants to send me something I'm requesting one of those basketball hoops and a ball for doors. One thatdoesn't  require nails. I know I shouldn't request anything since its not Christmas or my birthday but, what the heck.

Anyway that's all. Sorry I didn't write more but nothing else has been going on.

Love you all. PEACE

Elder Ivan Rodriguez