Email 12/29/2014 Casi Feliz Navidad

  Merry Christmas everybody. I hope everyone had a great Christmas filled with good food, good friends and lots of family time. 

  Here in the mission it was an almost Merry Christmas.........As in it was super great, but it's never the same far away from the family. But it was great that I was able to talk to all my family this Christmas! Especially my Mom, Dad oh and my Grandpa and Granma Rodriguez (who I haven't seen forever).

  So anyway this Christmas was spent for the most part with the Cortez family, who are just super awesome. They gave us a great feast. Then once it was getting late we headed home and had a bit of a game night, playing cards, poping balloons filled with talcom powder (don't try that it hurts your eyes) and eating junk food.

  So thanks for all those who were able to gather around for my Christmas calls, it really meant alot for me. 

  Here we too were able to give to a family. Last week we found a family of 3, which consists of a single mother, her 12 tyear old daughter and her 4 year old son (who is speacial needs and could die at any second). This Christmas they had only each other and no gifts. So we pulled some money together in our little trio and we able to bring them some toy cars for the son, a Monopoly set and a bunch of sweets. You should´ve seen the happiness in there faces. And the happiness in ours.

  Then that brings us to today. The Cortez family took us to the center of Quito to a bunch of Museums and to the house of the President of Ecuador.... Pics to come. 

Well that's all folks.

Love ya all

PEACE!

Elder Rodriguez

Oh P.S.: Shout out to the Half Blood Beckham for having his birthday this week.

Myself and the lonely street dog.

The Cortez Family on Christmas Day.

Our home made Christmas Dinner in our house "fried rice".

Zone Leader action (oh and we bought Pizzas for Christmas to share with the Zone).

Some missionaries from our Zone. 

The center of Quito, Ecuador. 

A selfie of me.

Sometimes ya gotta be a man and guard stuff all day.

Remember that Angel that I went to my very first week in Ecuador, well there it is again!! 

Here are some HUGE live "grubs" that my companion ate. I didn't want a raw one cuz I know for a fact that they usually eat them fried. (Definition of Grubs: the thick-bodied, sluggish larva of several insects, as a scarab beetle) 

That's pure gold behind me.

Email 12/27/2014 Navidad

Here we are with the Cortez Family on Christmas with my 2 companions.

Pictures from our Christmas Lunch with President Richardson.

Our Zone decided to buy scarfs to wear to the party.

12/25/2014 Second Christmas in the Mission Field

Elder Rodriguez Skype his family on Christmas Day. It was fun to see and talk to him. We were able to say hello to his two companions and to the family that feed him Christmas Dinner. The Sanders, his Aunt DeAnn and Uncle John were at home so we FaceTime them and held the cell phone to the screen so Elder Rodriguez could talk to them as well. 

We miss him but know that he is doing important work in Ecuador. We look forward to talking to him come Mother's Day. Elder Rodriguez also told us that his release date is 09/22/2015. Let the count down till he comes home begin.

Email 12/24/2014 Feliz Navidad

First off MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Now I want to make a shout out to my mom, Thanks for the package.

Now for a shout out  to my Aunt LaVonne for my new camera, it didn't just make me happy but also one of my companion's that didn't have a camera. I gave him my old one so he can hold on to some memories on his mission. 

  Now this past couple of days haven't been filled with to many new things. Not many people have had time to listen to us but we have been doing a bunch of services. We helped one family move out of there house because their property manager kicked them out by surprise then we helped a family do some cementing again......The biggest thing that has happened is Christmas. I bought a new camera so you all can see me better, my companion got my old/new camera, then I bought my other companion Bopit....He's super happy now, I just won't have any food for this coming week hahah..... Seriously. But I'm super happy here and everything is going well. Oh one missionary that I haven't seen for about 6 months sent me a new name tag.....It's white for baptisms. I'll send pics to everyone.

Thanks again! MERRY CHRISTMAS 

PEACE,

Elder Rodriguez

New Camera (shock proof & water proof) 

My White name tag

Black & White

Jenna bridge at a members house

Where the studies go down

Email 12/15/2014 The Gift

 Well this week was really hectic for us here in Quito. This week we had a bunch of reunions  and also we had to go to the center of Quito for the Christmas lunch with President. 

  2 zones went to that lunch and we had to prepare a messege to present at the lunch. So we got together with the other zone leaders, the district leaders and all the Sister leaders in the 2 zones and prepared a skit.  We performed a skit off of the night before Christmas story..... It was my idea.... It made the mission President cry.... I was actually surprised he didn't send me home hahah. I´ll send some pics of the lunch. It was really good we had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and green beans with a delicious gravy. I couldn't get enough of it. Oh also as a zone we all bought scarfs to wear at the party. Each companionship wore one red one and a white one. But since we are a trio we looked like the Peru flag.

 So that was fun. Well besides that we didn't do much. Literally we didn't have time to work.

Oh we have a new mamita who washed our clothes. She's amazing. She ironed all of our clothes and she repaired rips and tears in my companions clothes. Only one problem..... She stole my pants to my suit....... But I'm not sure if she stole them or she was nice enough to send them to a tailor to get them fixed, cause they did have a huge tear in the crouch.

 Well besides that all I am really grateful. All of the missionaries here are happy with Christmas coming up. For the 24th we will have a P-day instead of that monday but we have to enter the house at 6 and then we can't leave. Then on the 25th we will have a normal work day but we will end it short at 5. So it looks like we won't be having a spectacular dinner but the three of us will find something to do in the house to keep us entertained.

Well that's it. Merry Christmas to all.

And try to do some service this Christmas and feel the joy of the holidays.

Love ya all PEACE,

Elder Rodriguez

Email 12/08/2014 Inner City Pressure

Well how y'all doing out there? Me? Well I'm doing just great out here in the city.

  Well let me describe my area to ya so you can get an idea of where I am. Here in Carcelen it's dirty, it's the poorer area of Quito, the food is alright, and the people are a little tough. I'm actually loving it alot.

  We haven't been contacting to many people this last week but every single person we talked to has become an investagator or completely acted like we don't exist.    

  My companions are really cool too. The other Zone Leader is named Elder Artero from El Salvador. He's a good guy with lots of experience. He came from a Peru mission where he was an Assistant to the President of the mission over there. This is also his last month in the mission then he goes home. So you can imagine that i'm just trying to learn the most I can from him. I also have another companion right now, Elder Quintana from Peru. We call him the Secretary Leader. He's here with us because he was flirting a little to much in the coast, but he really is a good missionary. Anyway I'll send ya some pics of my companions.

  So as a Zone Leader I have to tell ya, it's a lot of teaching other missionaries, filling out paperwork and looking good. (joking on the last one, that's just me). Also this Tuesday we have to go to the center of Quito for the Leadership council. That means an 8 hour meeting with all the Zone Leaders in this mission..... Fun stuff.

  Anyway I'm doing great here. Don't worry about me, just send money 

   I hope everyone is ready for Christmas coming up soon I know we are.

Well that's all folks.

Love ya all PEACE,

Elder Rodriguez

P.S. Shout out to Abigail and the Rubster having their Birthdays and stuff! 

Well when ha gotta mall in your sector ya gotta hit up that McDonalds...especially since it's been a little longer then a year since I've had some Mcdees!

A bit of my sector.

My companion Elder Artero

Other companion Elder Quintana

 

Email 12/01/2014 Zoning Out

Well first off I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

 We sure did here. Elder Valentine and I decided to make a family pancakes.....They liked them so much they were eating like monsters, well that's what it looked like when people have never tried pancakes before. They were so grateful that they gave my companion and I bugs to eat, they made us beanies and they made me a suit....out of pajamas. (I'll send pics). 

  Anyway changes came today and it caught me by surprise. I was made Zone Leader and now I'm in a part of Quito called Carselen, Ofelia. I finally made it to the big city y'all. And the weird thing is, is that the President usually calls the people to make them Zone Leaders the night before....Not with me. My new companion is Elder Arteros from El Salvador and he's about to end his mission. I also heard he came from a Peru mission where he was the assistant to the President, so I have alot to learn. 

  The last night I was in Iluman the members were telling us how much they loved us. And that there had never been missionaries there before that they trusted more. That made it really hard to leave, but I know the Lord needs me in other places. So as a district Leader I was in charge of 5 missionaries, now as a Zone Leader there are 24 missionaries on my shoulders that's all. Wish me luck and pray for me.

  Well thats all FOLKS 

PEACE

Elder Rodriguez 

P.S. Congrats on the graduation mom!! 

It's a Waikís Pony Tail beanie that I designed.

Second beanie that was handmade and given to me by the De la Torre Family.

Me looking good.

Chicken Foot soup.

My pajamas suit. 

My son Elder Valentine waiting for some missionaries.

Chubby cheeks Antony making his mean face.