Email 04/20/2015 Here's a Poop Story for ya

    Well first off, I'm all good here. My companion and I are working very hard here in the sector and we are seeing alot of progress. Luckly my companion is a really good guy and we are always laughing while we are working. So that's all good.

    Okay so as embarrassing as it is I would like to share a ppo story with everyone. So the other day my companion and I went contacting and we were contacting well, with 2 new people and we were still going. Then suddenly as we were contacting one old man something just dropped in my stomach. A severe pain emerged from the darkest depths of my stomach and I instantly thought, "I need to poop NOW"... but unfortunately we were contacting a man and getting to know him the very first time so I knew I couldn't ask him for his bathroom. so I cut it short and started to walk as fast as I could. The distance from our house was about 20 minutes away sprinting....I thought about it, but decided I couldn't run at this crucial time or something would creep its way out. I looked frantically as I walked if there was any hope of a bathroom nearby..........There wasn't. So I yelled at my companion to hold on and wait as I jumped into a nearby cornfield.....Then I did my business and lets just say that World War 3 went down. Then while i was finishing up the thought entered in my mind. I DONT HAVE ANY PAPER!!!!!!!! So once again I looked around frantically, nothing but cornstock leaves and they have a bunch of splinters on them so that was a clear NO. I decided that I have to face the facts and use my hand.......No no that was a joke I would never use my hand hahahahah. But I did pull up my pants and waddled home with shame....

   Well tuat was my true story, sorry if it grossed you out but life is filled with ugly truths.

Anyway besides that everything is all good here. I'll send some picks.

LOVE YA ALL!!!!!!!

Elder Rodriguez 

P.S. We went bowling today...It was fun! 

Well I hope you can see but there is another Volcano in the distance, it's not the same one as the last time.   

Lunch time at a restaurant with my Companion.

Underwater shot with some of my district. 

Email 04/13/2015 Where am I?

   Well I'm here now in a place called Calderon, its about a half an hour away from my last sector but it's super different. Here our sector it huge and it's all dirt.....Fun stuff...Well my companion is Elder Roberts (he's from Minnesota) He's an alright guy with only 2 months in the mission so he needs alot of my help. Luckly in my district I have Elder Leong (he used to be my companion in Imbabura), and Elder Urqueta (he was my first District leader but now I'm his leader). The district is pretty cool and the ward for the most part is pretty cool also. So now I'm getting used to everything here but I still miss my old sector a bunch. 

   Well I have to say that this week was filled with adventures.....First of one of the companionships had a baptism this week so we went over to the chapel to fill up the baptismal font. Now all of the baptismal fonts I have filled up before have a certain point were the water just stops.....Well this one didn't, and we left the water going for 4 hours. So when we returned with an hour left until the baptism we returned to a flooded church building.....Whoops! Anyway somehow we got the flooded church cleaned up just in time for the baptism and everything went according to plan. So now all the missionaries are joking around that that day we had 2 baptisms, one was a little old lady and the other was the church. 

   And as I got to my sector my companion expressed to me how he was really sad that they hadn't had anyone attending church for over 3 weeks and had nobody progressing toward a baptismal date. Well this week we found 11 new investigators, 8 of which attended church and 2 of which have a baptismal date for the 2nd of May. DOING WORK.

  Anyways I feel a little bit better now. So thanks for all the support. I'll send some pics.

LOVE YA ALL

PEACE

Elder Rodriguez

Volcano in the distance. On a clear day in my sector we can see 3 Volcanos.

My new companion Elder Roberts and I. 

Email 04/06/2015 It's Been a While, and There Were Changes

    Well first of all I want to say sorry I haven't been able to write for a while. The first time I didn't write was because I went to visit a little girl in the hospital that was asking for us. I'll send pics. She had a really bad infection and was in the hospital for over a week but now she's back home and healthy. Oh and the second week I wasn't able to write because I had no money. Between my companion and I we had 1 dollar.......It was a fun time being poor ;). 

    Well in the weeks that have past everything was going really well, except the money situation, but everything was all good. I got a cool package from my Dad (Thanks POP). And we had 5 people progressing toward their baptismal date........But then everything all changed.

On Saturday and Sunday we watched conference and it was so good. But on Sunday night we received the changes. About a week before changes I talked with the Mission president expressing to him that I really wanted to stay in my sector and with my companion to see all the fruits of our hard work. Then on Sunday night we received the call that they would close our sector, leaving all the people who were progressing in the dust and that they would reunite the 2 zones to make one giant zone.....When the members found out a whole bunch of them came to our house crying there eyes out and begging us not to go.....And as they joined the 2 zones together  the mission isn't in need of as much zone leaders so I got dropped to be a district leader again with a new companion. His name is Elder Roberts and all they told me about him is that I need alot of patience......I have never felt like crying so much in my whole mission....It truely sucks right now, but I know the Lord will make everything alright and that he truely has the eternal perspective. 

   Well Ill send some picks of our new adventures.

Until next time

PEACE! 

Elder Rodriguez

Package!!!!!

My New Suit.

My Restaurant. 

Visiting Nicole in Hospital (10 yrs old). 

It's pronounced Fosh....I don't know what it means.

The Family that cried for us.

And they came to see us Sunday night after they heard we were leaving.

One of our BEST Mamitas. 

The BEST Ward Mission Leader ever! Brother Luis Simbana. 

The last Zone picture of Zona Ofelia. 

Bond. James Bond (I had to sneak one in there)

Email 03/30/2015 I'm Good...just really poor.

Last Monday 3/23/15 I couldn't write because we went to visit a little girl who asked for us to visit. She was in the hospital for 5 days and was only asking for us to visit. And this week I'm only writing you, Mom because I don't have any money to write for more that 5 minutes. Tell everyone that I'm good just really poor. Bye until next Monday. Oh and yes I'm excited for conference.

Love ya

Peace! 

Elder Rodriguez

Email 03/16/2015 Spidersenses Tingling

   Well Hello eveyone, i hope that everyone had a fine week.

   Oh and Happy Saint Patricks Day......I think, I don't really know to be telling the truth, but shout out to my Uncle John, and also to my Uncle Ruben who just had theirs Birthdays. Have a good one.

  Well this week wasn't the best but we are working. For 2 days straight we didn't work at all. One day we went to the hospital for my companion cuz he has bad acne but he's working on it. The other day my companion was sick all day so that was fun......I guess. 

    So then one day at the end of the day we returned back to our house at 9. Now I went straight for the bathroom cuz some lady gave us a bunch of empanadas. So then I finished up in the bathroom and was leaving the room when I saw the biggest spider on the floor right in the middle of our bedroom..............It wasn't cool. So we killed that sucker with my shoe. The worst part about it is wedon't  know how it got in....Oh and also we live in the city, there shouldn't be giant freaken spiders!

    Anyways besides that we have a family that we are working with who have a baptismal date for the 28th of this month. They are a super powerful family that was truely prepared by the Lord. And this family always invites us to eat, I swear I can't eat anymore. It's delicious but it's just too much hahaha.

   Yeah so that is really about it. I don't have pics of my new suit this week cuz my pants are still being hemmed but I did buy some new shoes today that I desperatly needed, so I'll send some pics.

Love ya all Choi Choi un abrazo!

PEACE,

Elder Rodriguez

Our GIANT freaked spider

My companion colored his hair again with a marker but it wasn't the right shade of black.

My Zone.

At the Hospital.

My new kicks. 

Me just goofing around. 

Well my companion thought it was too good to pass up. 

Email 03/09/2015 Mission Council with President

   Well Hello everyone!!!!! How's it going there in the states?

   Well this week was really good for all of us. This week on Tuesday we had another Mission Council with only the leaders of the mission. And boy was it a good one.

    So the President of the mission pretty much asked each and everyone of us "What the heck is going on". So it looks like our mission isn't doing so good in baptisms right now so  he gave us the old Machete, and cut off our heads haha. Then he asked us how we would feel if the shortened our time to write our families from 2 hoours to an hour and a half. Well I think you can all imagine we didn't like that too much. So i don't know if he's gonna change that rule or not, but let it be the Lords will and not mine.

   Anyway after that council we had to take it back to our zone and spread the news. But he had the best mini conference in our zone. It was really tricky because pretty much all the news from the council was bad news but we didn't want to discourage the missionaries so we did a bunch of small games and used a bunch of videos. But it was all good and our zone did the best they had done in a long time.

   Well unfortunately that is about all we did this week besides working our butts off everyday. But we finally have a lot of investagators progressing and we even have a family with a baptismal date so we are stoked for this month. And I feel that the Lord is really reaching out for us in these past few days. In almost every lesson that we have at least one person cry. It's truly amazing to see the Lord working in the lives of others.

   Well that's about it for now. Sorry the letter of the week wasn't longer but I'll write more this next week. Oh I bought a new suit, but I'll send pics next week.

yup that's all folks 

Love ya all

Peace

Elder Rodriguez 

My big nose and a Unicorn in the background.

I think I can be a model.

My area in the background.

Email 03/02/2015 Going Bald??

   Well hello everyone how are things? Well I hope all is well, here everything is going just dandy.

   Well as I wrote in my last email, I have a new companion. His name is Elder Garcia, he's from Chile and he's a pretty chill guy. But he's kinda weird too. So my companion is going bald so every morning he colors in the parts on his head were he's thinning out. But he paints it with a Whiteboard marker........So that's why he's weird but other than that he's a lot better than my last companion.

   Anyway this week was pretty good. We have not had too much success this week but then again I was showing him around his new sector here in Ofelia. Then some Sister missionaries had a baptism so I finally got to try out the waterproof part of my camera. But we decided to make a joke out of it. 

   So the day of the baptism the Sister missionaries were all stressed out, preparing everything so we made a little plan. I had my companion standing next to the baptismal font and he asked me for my camera. Well I said okay and toss my camera to him but he doesn't catch it. Just let it go straight into the water. The sister misisonaries were freaking out. But it was a good time.

  Oh so with the changes of last week practically my whole zone was changed. But thankfully everyone in the zone are chill missionaries and also hardworking.

Well thats all for now. Not too much excitement this week but I'll keep ya posted.

Love ya all

PEACE

Elder Rodriguez 

P.S. I found out Elder Kerby (from Queencreek Arizona) decided to go home on the 22nd of September also. So we'll be flying into Arizona in style.

Dead RAT on the wall at a converts house.

Pictures from under the water. The other guy is my companion.

Email 02/23/2015 Changes!!!!!!!!

   Well changes came and went. But I'll leave that until the end to keep ya all on your toes.

   Anyway this week was pretty good I guess. Well the last P-day we didn't do much but I did buy a new Ecuador futbol shirt. I bought it from marathon sports and it usually costs $30 but I bought it for $6...... Good deal if I do say so myself haha.  Then for the majority of the week we were contacting doors left and right. I was seriously sick and tired of it but sometimes ya just gotta do it. Then on Wednesday we had our normal meetings but with a twist. So normally during our reunions we learn something then we do some practices. But when it was my turn to practice some random guy decides to walk in and ask about the church. So instead of doing just another practice I taught the guy infront of all the other missionaries.....I'm just a beast to teach I have to say its like watching a puppy being born, pure majic hahaha. But it was cool and he was a cool guy. So that was fun............................

    So that brings us to Friday. Well Friday I did some divisions with an elder in my zone named Elder Pinto (he's from Honduras). It was really fun actually because he served in one of the sectors that I served in, on the coast. He was telling me about all the people that I baptized there and some of the people that I helped return to the church. It was awesome to hear how well all of them were doing. Then  Saturday came and I went to my house. And I went with excitment in my heart to shower becuase I had'nt been able to shower in the other house. Then when we get to the house my companion tells me that he doesn't have the keys................We live on the second floor and the only other people that live in the house come home at night. So after 3 hours of doing everything possible to get in the owner of the house comes with some keys....They were the WRONG KEYS. So another hour passed and I just decide to climb the roof of one of the neighbors and and jump from there house to the roof of ours. My mom would be mad if she saw the distance in between the houses but I was desperate to shower. So I solved the problem. 

   Then that night we helped some missionaries with a baptism and I was asked by the bishopric to sing a solo during that...Not fun.

   Then sunday came, and not much happened on sunday.

   Then that brings us to the Changes. Well I didn't get changed anywere but my companion got changed and I'm so happy. Now my companion is Elder Garcia from Chile, and he's a pretty cool guy. So we are going to work super hard this change, thats the plan at least. 

  Oh and one of my old companions in this zone. Elder Cahaujaman got sent to the jungles with one of my other old companions, my beloved son Elder Valentine. I told Cahaujaman to not ruin Elder Valentine cuz he's a good missionary. Well thats all folks.

Love ya

PEACE! 

Elder Rodriguez

View from the Top! 

In the distance in that Valley is the middle of the World, longitude & latitude 0'0. 

Email 02/16/2015 Only a Matter of Time

   Well hello everyone. i hope this week was all fun and games for y'all up there in the states. So as I was thinking alot about when I should come home I finally got an answer......and it came directly from the prophet but I'll tell ya about that towards the end.

    Anyway for the most part this week has been really boring, we weren't able to go outside for about 4 days because of Carnival. Here during Carnival they run around with squirt guns, guns that shoot out foam, and throw water balloons...it would be really fun if we could participate in all the games but we are confined in our houses...And we found out that here in Quito the law prohibided all these games so we were practically in our houses for nothing. Fun stuff. Well with that I caught up on my sleep.

    Then this week we had interviews with the mission President. It was really awkward for me. My companion had his interview first then I went in. Now during the interview President said something that was really weird. He said, "Elder I feel like telling you that in this mission we don't return home after lunch to take naps. In this mission we are working as muich as we can". No to that I felt super clueless, cuz I don't do that. Haha so I said to him, "President from what you just told me I'm in question to the revelation in which you recieve, because I don't do that". Well to that he was just silent. I think my companion was telling lies during his interview, but whatever. I'm here to serve the Lord not my mission President or my companions.

     Oh and during the interview one of the missionaries in our zone got super sick. His name is Elder Cahajuaman (he used to be my companion) and we found him in the bathroom just crying out in pain, and he said his head was about to explode and he couldn't feel his arm...I thought he was having a heartattack. So we called the nurse and she tells us for him to drink some water.....Thanks......Anyway so in the moment we gave him a blessing and everything passed. So that was cool cuz seriously I have never seen someone look as bad as he did.

     Okay now for my decision. So as I prayed and prayed as to what date I should go home. I got a call from the offices. It turned out that my ministers card (gives me the official right to preach) just arrived, which I should have had my whole mission. So I went to the offices and picked it up. Well on this card it has the signeture of President Thomas S. Monson and 2 dates. The date in which I started my mission and the date when I finish. The 22nd of September.

Thats all folks!

Love ya.

Peace,

Elder Rodriguez

Official Ministers card.

Donkey in the Streets.

I'm so famous it's crazy!

Email 02/09/2015 The Goober Gang

Well this week was good. I hope all of you had a splendid week over there in the States or wherever you are.

    Lets start this thing from the beginning. Monday, well it was our P-day and we did a small activity that I talked about last week so nothing new on that one. Then Tuesday we had another Mission council with all the leaders of the mission. I have a pic I'll send but right now practically all of the missionaries from my group are leaders. It's awesome because it's almost like a family reunion to go to these councils. Oh then President gathered up only those missionaries in my group and gave us an ultimatum. He told us our choices to go home is either the 22nd of September or the 3rd of November and told us we need to decide by the 23rd of this month. As of yet I have no idea but I'm gonna talk to him this Friday. So anyway with that I have nothing more.

     So this month in the mission we have been all asked to sacrifice something so see greater miracles. So as I was thinking of sacrificing a dog (thats a joke) in our house the lights go out. So now I think I'm gonna sacrifice using electricity. This whole week has passed without electricity. And honestly it wouldn't be that bad if our shower wasn't heated by electricity, or if everything in our kitchen worked by electricity.......So we are living it up like the pilgrams here in Quito, the big city.

Well that's all for now I have to go.

Love ya all,

Elder Rodriguez

Council of Leaders (we have a meeting once a month)

The Leaders from my MTC  group who came out into the mission field with me. 

Studying by candle light.

Email 02/02/2015 Among the Elect

Well this week was all good in Zion.

First off this week was a bit tough. This week consisted of many planned meetings that just didn't go so well. At the beginning of this week I had some divisions with an Elder Kimball (from Texas) and I had the best day planned and within the first hour of our divisions everything that I planned went to the dump. But being a Zone leader I had to come up with something fast. We went contacting ahh yeahh from door to door from rejection to rejection we had a long day hahah. No but we found a girl, we contacted her, she was interested and she accepted a baptismal date, so now we are working with that. Then in another missionaries sector we did an invasion (we went there to find people for them to teach) and it  was awful. During that time I did some more divisions with an Elder Perry (from Utah). And let me tell you he is a weird guy. Before the mission he used to live in Korea for 3 months every year to study. So he speaks Korean, English and Spanish now..... I need to step up my game a little bit haha. Anyway with him in the matter of 2 hours we talked with 48 people and not one wanted to listen to us. But we had fun and the spirit was there so I can't quite complain can I?  But after all the hard work of the week I think the Lord felt sorry for us because this sunday at church everysingle less active member came to church. #TenderMercies Then at church the weirdest thing happened. So during Sunday school I teach a class for all the new people, getting to know the church, known as Gospel Principles. The theme of the week was Charity and how we should love our neighbor. Well in the middle of the lesson one old guy raised his hand, so accordingly I let him talk. Bad Idea. He then stood up and pointed to the guy next to him and said, "For the past 10 years I have been the worst friend to this man right here and I would like to ask him for his forgiveness". Then  he gets down on one knee infront of the other old man and begs for his forgiveness with tears rolling down his face. I looked around me and everyone was crying and or with tears in there eyes. During that whole time I was just thinking, "What the heck is going on".

So that was my wierd experience for the week.

  Well this week I had a pretty cool experience. I got to spend an hour with Elder Craig Christenson of the Presidency of the Seventy. He came down here to Ecuador to talk to us, only for an hour but I learned alot. And he spoke really good spanish so that was a bonus.

 Now the last part worthy to note for this week is today. For P-day as a zone we had a huge waterballoon fight... Fun stuff, Oh and we ordered a bunch of pizzas again!.

Well love ya all

thats it 

PEACE

P.S. no pics this week sorry

Elder Rodriguez