Week Forty-Two: Meet Hermana Herrera

Hola mi familia!

Mi Hija! Hermana Herrera!

Meet "my daughter", from Peru

Wow! What a week it has been! My companion's name is Hermana Herrera! She's from Peru. She has two brothers and only herself and her younger brother who is 12 are active in the church. Her dad is Jehovah's Witness. She's AWESOME! I've honestly never met a missionary so prepared to start teaching and working before. Granted she's already got the language down and all haha, but she's great. I'm learning a ton from her and we are working hard! She is a very happy person. We celebrated her birthday on Thursday (her first day in the field) and we ate a TON! Everyone gave us food to welcome her to the mission. It was awesome. The Albán Family surprised her with a cake and she cried. It was so thoughtful! Especially when the economy is doing pretty bad here. Jenny doesn't have work still but the dad (who´s kind of out of the picture but trying to creep back in) found out that it was her birthday and bought the cake. They're the best!


The other night we went to visit them and they invited one of Emily's friends over. His name is Jonathan. He's 17 years old and has lived a pretty rough life. He's been involved in drugs and hasn't really had a support system at all in his life. We taught him The Restoration and it was one of the most memorable lessons I've experienced in the mission. The spirit was SO strong! He told us that he had never heard the Savior´s Atonement and purpose explained in the way we did. And that he didn't know that that type of change would be possible for him. He accepted baptism and came to church yesterday and loved it! We are so so so excited for him! Definitely future missionary material. :D


Well, if I've learned anything this week, it's that hard work brings miracles. It always does. God loves His children so much and He wants us to be HAPPY! At times we forget that it's our choice. We can wake up every morning with the determination to make today better than yesterday and to be positive people. I've never met anyone who has regretted being a positive person. It increases our health, stamina, and the spirit we bring with us. In all of the opposition I've faced in the mission I've learned that we choose our emotional outcome. We might not be able to choose the outcome of the event but we sure can decide how we handle it. Let's choose to be happy! :D

I hope you all know that I know without a doubt in my mind that the church is true and that the Book of Mormon is the most powerful book on the face of the planet. It changes lives. I know it because it has changed mine. I love being a missionary and I love all of you! I want you to know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us! As we get to know Him more we can truly enjoy of His Atoning Sacrifice and become someone new and improved!

Les quiero con todo mi corazón! 

Hermana Beutler

Mother Daughter Shot

Hermana Herrera turned 20 on her first day in the mission field!
Us celebrating with some cake and juice.

Hermanas of the district

Taste Tester

Her first Ecuadorian meal was an Encebollado.
I´m pretty proud of that. Starting with the good stuff.

Encebollado selfie

Fiesta!

She´s so cute!

It was probably the best cake I´ve had so far in Ecuador
(the cake doesn´t quite compare here to the box cakes in the states...)

Cake Selfie

Off to work!

Exhausted but happy

We still had a little bit of energy left in us.

Week Forty-One: I'm going to TRAIN! WHAT?!

Hola mi querida familia! 

I'm going to TRAIN! WHAT?! Crazy right?! I still can't believe it! I'm so excited! I've always wanted to train but I honestly thought it never was going to happen. But it's real. It's happening! I´m so nervous! Haha. It was really hard for Hermana Riley and I to receive the changes because we really didn't want changes to come and we received the phone call in the house of the Alban Family. Many tears were shed to say the least. Changes are hard. But what I have learned is that the Lord knows us SO well that He knows exactly what we need to progress. At times we get comfortable where we are at so He decides to shake things up a bit. So this week is going to be interesting. Right now Hermana Solar (an hermana from Chile) is staying with me and Wednesday morning we're going to head to the center of Quito to meet the new sisters and receive training. I'm so excited! I know I am going to learn a TON and that it's going to be a great experience! 

This week we got to see Santiago and Cesar receive the Priesthood! And their dad came too! It was a miracle! They're such good kids. And they've been a great example to their dad. He's spending more time with his kids now and as a couple they aren't fighting. MIRACLES! It's absolutely amazing to see the blessings of the gospel in the lives of those you love, and I really love this family! They are so special to me and even more special to our Heavenly Father. He really does bless His children when they obey. He always keeps His promises. I love Him so much! I'm so grateful to have felt of His love and to come to know of a surety of that He exists! I know it's true! 

We visited the grandma (who's not a member) of some of the young men in our ward. She was a reference of the bishop and we went not really knowing what to expect. Turns out that 2 weeks ago her daughter was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She told us that it had turned her whole world upside down and that at times she laughs on the outside but at the same time she is crying on the inside. She has a few granddaughters that she takes care of and she mentioned that she had to hold everything in because she can't let them see her crying. When they do see her crying she tells them that she has a headache and so they run and grab the pills to help grandma feel better. It was so hard seeing her break down to us explaining this all. We were able to share with her the Plan of Salvation and that she would be able to see her entire family again, and that they could be together forever. As we shared and testified, I felt so strongly the spirit confirm to me that His plan truly is perfect. I know that He loves all of us and wants us to return to Him. It requires faith, a lot of faith. But if we remember that faith isn't to have a perfect knowledge of things but a hope in that which is true, we are going to have just enough to be able to feel of the redeeming love of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

I love this gospel and I know that it is true! I have felt it, I have seen it, and I know that you can too! 

Don't forget that He is just a prayer away! 

Les quiero a todos ustedes y espero que se encuentren super bien! 

Con mucho amor y abrazos,

Hermana Beutler

The Zone

The elder got creative with this picture

The hermanas! and a random elder....

They're so cute!

Zone gone wild!

Zone Selfie!

Pao! The strongest women I´ve met on this earth besides you mom!

Suni! He requests that we play ninja every time we see him. Pao & I accidentally matched on Sunday! It was pretty awesome.

Don´t ask how everyone got pink lipstick on their faces...

Bishop´s birthday party! He picked the Ninja Turtle theme.

You know you´re tall when you get asked to hold up the piñata at a birthday party...no...I didn´t get hit....but I was scared jaja

Tamal de pescado=YUM

DANA! The bishop´s daughter who speaks better English than I do now

Aaron!

Santiago and I won! These are our excited faces...

Jenny y Santiago

Hermana Riley! I already miss her!

Random cool looking house on the outskirts of Chillogallo.

Week Forty: Baptisms in Chillogallo

Hola mi familia!

Hey! The Alban Family got baptized on Saturday! It was the best baptism ever! Oh man. I can't express how much I love this family. Their testimonies were the sweetest thing ever. They truly have converted to the Savior. We have seen such big changes in them. Thinking back to the struggles that Santiago and Emily had receiving their answers and seeing them now...wow. This truly is the Lord's work. 

Those kids are SO funny too! We were prepping the chapel for the baptism and Santiago went up to the pulpit and said  "I'd like to bear my testimony that..." and then when he saw that we were listening we started encouraging him and he said "I've got nothing! I'm cold! Nothing's coming to me!" hahaha. Later Jenny asked him what he was doing up there at the pulpit and he said "estoy acostumbrándome" (I'm getting used to/comfortable) hahaha. Everyone is already saying that he's going to be the next bishop. 

Cesar the other day was introducing himself when we brought the bishop over for a visit and we were sharing our favorite food and he said "I like any type of food it doesn't even matter where it comes from...unless it's from China!" hahaha. He cracks me up!

They really have progressed though. They are such a miracle. Yesterday they all had interviews with the bishop and right afterwards the boys went up to the secretary and asked for tithing envelopes. WHAT?! AHHH! They're the best. I'm so excited for them!

OH! And Steven has a baptismal date! FINALLY! He's the nephew of a member that I'm pretty sure I've told you about. Well we've been working with him for this entire change and he FINALLY accepted a baptismal date! We're so excited!

Funny moment of the week. We experienced dejavu today. Just like last week we left the store and it started hailing...well...it happened again. I think we need to stop going to that store on Mondays....

The mission is the best. It always has been and it always will be. I don't think anything can ever top this in life. I love being here in Ecuador and I love all of you!

Keep striving every day to be better. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that through Him we can become the sons and daughters of God that we were made to be! Keep praying and asking for help from our Heavenly Father! He wants to help you and He WILL provide the way!

Eso es todo por ahora!

Les amo mucho! 

Hermana Beutler

My Ecuadorian Family

Santiago wasn't ready . . . 

Baptism selfie

The Cerezo family, the referral family with the Alban family

Emily's baptism

Next stop . . . TEMPLE

Super excited in my new dress my comp gave me! New clothes on the mission is better than finding gold! Thanks Hermana Riley!

Hermana Riley and I 

Week Thirty-Nine: Freezing cold in Quito, but fantastic

Hola mi familia!

Another week has come and gone here in freezing cold Quito! And it was a fantastic week! Filled with trials and challenges but nothing that prayer and a positive attitude couldn't fix! We were able to break some of our records too! It was great! And we didn't even realize it until the end of the week. Those are always the best weeks, because the work isn't about the numbers, at all, but it is a good reflection of the progress one can make in your sector. My companion and I are super excited and we have plans to do even better this week!

The Alban Family is doing AWESOME! I am still at awe of how great they are! They really were prepared to receive the gospel at this time in their lives. Emily's back is still doing really bad but she was able to go to school today so she's made progress. We'll see how things are this Saturday for the baptism. We got to help them on Saturday move houses and MAN AM I SORE! It's been a while hahaha. Luckily the district came and helped out and we were able to get them moved in just a few hours. My companion and I had a great time! We're so excited for them! They've become like family for us. 

The mission really is the best decision I have made in my entire life. I will never be the same thanks to this decision. I've reflected a lot this week on the words of President Monson in his talk from this last conference. The good decisions are always the hard ones and the bad are easy but the best decision is when we choose to follow the Savior. At times it turns out to be the hardest decision because it requires change and much faith, but the biggest blessings follow when we follow the one who showed the way. I love having the opportunity to learn more about Him, study His life, learn of what He did and what He has done for us. It truly is a blessing to know that we are children of our Heavenly Father and to know that our Savior lives! 

I love this gospel and the things that I have been able to experience in my time here in Ecuador. I can't believe the 9 month mark is coming up this week. It's unreal!!! I still have so much more to do and so much more to learn! So I´m going to head back to work now but I want you all to know how much I love you and wish the best for you this week! Don't forget how special you all are. God wants you to be happy! Don't forget to say your prayers and read the Book of Mormon!

I love you all so so so much!

Con todo mi amor,

Hermana Beutler

She´s the famous hermana (mom of Dorci) that I told you all about. When I told her I wanted to take a picture with her she started fixing her hair and everything and got super excited! She`s so cute! We went to do a service for Dorci. (To help her for all of the things she does for us) I love service projects!

Aaron and Andres (friends of the Alban family) all painted up for el día del Niño (June 1st)

These hooligans are the best! They´re the little brothers I never had! Cesar (in the back) and Santiago (right next to me) had already taking of their faces but didn`t quite get it all off haha.

Santiago - the coolest 11 year old almost 12 year old in the all of Ecuador. He likes rollerblading and saying the prayers during our lessons. He also has the wisdom of a 50 year old haha

Aaron is the best friend in the world! He´s a deacon and when the boys first came to church he got them all their Duty to God books and let them borrow his Book of Mormon to read. Don´t let the smirk deceive you! He´s a big sweetheart!

Cesar all dressed up and ready for his interview.

I scored this sweet poncho for $3!!!!! They normally sell them for $50 supposedly.

Nathaly! She´s one of our new investigators that we met at church on Sunday haha. She´s awesome!

The whole clan heading back home.

This always happens to me in the close up pictures with flash at night with Ecuadorians. I spend all day in the sun and it hasn´t changed a thing! Hahaha. 

On our way to lunch on Sunday. I love Ecuador!

So this happened the other day.

Random hill in Quito. 

A quicklook of a part of our sector.