Week Sixty: El Dorado

Esperanza! The cute little old lady that I can´t believe smiled for the picture!

Hola mi familia!

I have learned SO MUCH this week! So some have asked what I'm doing in my assignment right now and we basically take care of the sisters in our respective zones. We go on splits with them to see how they are doing to report the needs to President and work to help them out. We also give trainings and go to a Leader's Council with all of the zone leaders, assistents, and President and Hermana Christensen to talk about the needs and goals of the mission. 

This week we did splits with some sisters and it was really fun! I already love this. And today we did a halloween activity with all of the sisters and we had a ton of fun. We played games and practiced contacting "trick or treat" style and it was fun. If we did an efective contact we received a candy. It was great. 

In our sector we have Bryan who is AWESOME! He is getting baptized on the 19th of November. His dad is really Catholic and his mom is inactive but his cousin is the Bishop of our ward and so we are working with him a ton to get him ready. His parents are supportive even though his dad doesn't agree with what we teach. But I am so grateful for the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and to know without a doubt that the teachings of Christ were restored by Joseph Smith. We were able to testify of this restoration to his dad and I know without a doubt that he felt it. I know that every person that ever existed will hear it and know that it's true! I am so grateful for the Gospel!

I love this quote by Elder Holland...

"It's not wishful thinking, it's doctrinal hope, that God's grace is sufficient that if we come unto Him, that everything that was broken gets fixed, that's the great promise of the Gospel" 

I know that Christ lives! I know that His Gospel can fix everything!

con mucho amor,

Hermana Beutler

Spent the whole transfer gaining Edith's trust, and then I had to say goodbye. When I got there she didn't even want to look at us, but then when I left she didn't let me leave without giving me chocolate. She's so cute. Ya miso she's getting baptized. Miracles happen.  

The coolest oldsters on the block! The Garcia family! I love them!!!!

I love the little boy's face!

Seconds later he started attacking my ear...

Familia Sierra! The best little family in the world! I love them so much! 

. . . trick or treat contacting practice in the park

We had an activity with all of the hermanas today! It was great!

Halloween isn't halloween without a ghost lollipop.

They never warn me when it´s a silly picture!

Week Fifty-Nine: SISTER POWER

My posterity...

Hola mi familia!

Guess what happened this week! We had a Conferencia de Hermanas and it was the BEST. THING. EVER. I got to see everyone! It was like a little heavenly reunion. It was so much fun. Oh and we learned a ton too! All of the Hermana Leaders gave trainings and the spirit was SO strong! SISTER POWER! I loved every bit of it. 

This week we rescued Oscar and Cecilia! They are the less actives that we have been working with this change and they were finally rescued! It was the best! I can't wait to be in their sealing in the temple one day. :)

We had transfers today! So, I'm not in El Dorado anymore :( which is really sad because I won't be there for Esperanza´s baptism, but I'm excited because I am now serving in Turubamba as a Sister Training Leader with Hermana Martinez! She is the best! She is from Virginia and is finishing her mission this transfer. If you're going to ask me how I feel, I probably won't be able to respond because I fell a million different emotions about this but I'm happy, nervous, terrified, excited, and very humbled. :) I'm so excited for all of the things I'm going to learn from the sisters here. I have learned that the Lord calls the weak so that they may become strong. I know that this opportunity to serve the sisters will help me to learn and grow SO MUCH! I am excited!

The best part about this all is that I've done about a gazillion of divisions here in this sector from the beginning of my mission so I've already met half of the ward and it's just time to get to work! 

I love being a representative of Jesus Christ. It's the best calling this world and the entire universe has to offer! I know that He lives! He loves us! We need to get to know Him more! Let us all read the words of Christ that are found in the scriptures to get to know who He is and all of the blessings He is waiting to give us! I love Him! I am forever grateful for who He is and what He did for me! 

Don't forget to say your prayers and read the scriptures!

I love you all so much!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Beutler

Hermana Brimhall

Hermana Paredes. The funniest human being on the planet.

Hermana Gardiner!

Mis panas

My bff Hermana Morán! 

We're just a tad bit excited to be roommates at BYU. 

​I met my granddaughter!
Can you see the resemblance?

Hermana Riley and Hermana Sheldon!

Hermana Wyson said something really funny and made me laugh mid picture.
I wish I could remember what she said....

Look closely. This is a four leaf clover PLANT. Not just one, but a whole plant!

SO MUCH LUCK!

Amelia teaching my companion how things are done.

In Amelia's kitchen to make the famous chocolates. 

SHE'S SO CUTE! AND SHE'S 94 YEARS OLD!

She melts my heart she's so adorable.

Our little abuelita

Hermana Martinez

Week Fifty-eight: Esperanza la peleona

​Me quede...pero rellena

Hola mi familia!

I blinked and I'm here writing you all again. It has literally been the fasted week of my entire life! Times flies when you're having fun being a missionary!

This week was great! We enjoyed a lot of different food and a ton of different challenges. All came down to our weekly planning session when we realized HOW MUCH PROGRESS we've made here in this sector in such little time. And all thanks to much prayer, fasting, and hard work. I am SO grateful for a terrific companion. She helps me a ton. We decided today while we were talking that we will no longer be in a duo but a trio. This week we are going to make sure that the spirit is ALWAYS guiding us and leading us where to go. It's the best way to work!

We had a HUGE miracle this week that filled our hearts with inmense joy. So two weeks ago we started talking to Esperanza, who is a little old lady that always says she's a fighter. She's the best. When we taught her I invited her to try and fight less and when I asked her if she was going to do it she looked me straight in the eyes and said...NO...I had to put all of my effort in to not laugh. I love her so much. But anyways. Her niece is a less active that we're teaching, and we started teaching Esperanza and we taught her the Plan of Salvation and we felt the spirit SO STRONGLY in the lesson. Her niece mentioned that one of her daughters passed away and when we testified to her that she could see her again she began to cry and cry. She then decided to be baptized and we set a date! Then comes the tough part, her nephew (who's a little bit crazy) took her away to live with him almost two hours away! We were so sad. And so was her niece. So one night this week when we were visiting the niece we felt strongly the need to kneel down and pray together for Esperanza so that she could come home and not be in such a bad environment. Well on Sunday the less active came to church for the first time and told us that thirty minutes after saying the prayer the nephew called and said that he was going to bring her back! All of this after basically keeping her safely tucked away in his house to receive her retirement money...Well last night we went and visited Veronica (the niece) and at the end of the lesson Esperanza got home! It was such a happy little reunion with our little fighter, haha. One of the first things she asked us was when she was going to be able to get baptized :) 

I am so grateful for the power of prayer and for a loving Heavenly Father who listens and helps us to grow in our faith and determination to serve Him every day. I love this work and I love being a missionary! I hope it never ends!

I love you all so very much!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Beutler

The best shot we got with the Chavarria Family. 

Sitting down to enjoy our Bandeja Paisa

​Blurry picture but still so very cute.

I never get tired of making funny faces with my little best friends.

My two favorites.

Richard, the Great

Mia, the Fabulous

Week Fifty-seven: Hair cuts & the Work of the Lord

Hermana Mosquera and I enjoying the streets of Quito.

Hola mi familia!

What a fast week it has been. Wasn't I just writing you guys? Well. It's been an awesome week that's for sure. Today we went with a member to see the Cambio de Guardia at the President's Palace. He usually goes outside to wave at everyone but today he didn't. That was kind of a bummer but the show was pretty cool. I took some videos. Then we walked around to see all of the fancy and semi-scary churches. We ate a super yummy lunch and then headed off to buy groceries and get a hair cut! Yes. I chopped my hair off again. It was much needed. I'm learning to trust in people more. It was hard at the beginning of the mission cutting my hair because I've been spoiled my entire life with a mom and sister who know how to cut hair. So coming to a foreign country and handing over my hair to someone unknown was kind of hard at first, especially because in the US a $3 haircut is a bad haircut haha. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out today. Later today we're going to have a family home evening with an investigator and it's going to turn out super fun I'm sure. (the games are the best part ;) It's sure to be a great day. 

This last week I gained once again a testimony of the importance of tithing! In our companionship studies we have been practicing how to teach the commandments. Then yesterday we had the opportunity to teach a family of less actives the importance of tithing and fasting and we felt the spirit SO strongly! We were able to help them see how this commandment truly does bless us in life and in the eternities. I know that the Gospel has been restored and that we are very blessed to have the guidance of our Heavenly Father and His commandments to help us make it back home to Him. The church is SO TRUE! 

We had interviews with President last week and while we waited our turn the Assitents gave an awesome training! It was the best. One of them said, "never in the mission we are going to experience a day when we're walking down the street talking with our companion when a family passes by and says "hey! sisters! contact me! come teach me the gospel" nor will we ever have a member call us saying "hey elders! I have a reference for you. I already taught him the five lessons. He's going to be baptized this saturday. Can you come meet him?" mission work doesn't work like that!" And it truly doesn't. The work of the Lord isn't easy. It's going to be hard every day. But every day we see blessings and miracles of all types. I am so grateful to be part of this work! I love being a missionary and I love all of you!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Beutler

We went to go see the cambio de guardia today.

I´m not quite sure what I was seeing, but it was pretty cool.

Ecuadorian horses that look like they should be on My Little Pony :)

Happy because it´s P-Day!

The church that costs 5 dollars to enter because it´s filled with gold on the inside...

El Convento.  Look how pretty!

Leaving out into the rain