Week Forty-Seven: Rollercoaster rides and food

Otavaleñas...we got creative a rented costumes :)

Hola mi Familia!

Wow what a week it has been! Andrea got baptized!!!!!!! Wow we are so excited! She definitely had an amazing conversion process! It´s such a blessing to be able to see the changes of the people we visit through the Gospel! From her health to her family, she has been fighting every day to make it to baptism and she did it! It was pretty scary because she didn´t show up until 7, and the service started at 7...and on top of that President and Hermana Christensen decided to come to our baptism, so it was a pretty big scare. Not to mention that the font started to overflow....it was quite the rollercoaster. But the service turned out great, and like 15 of Andrea´s family members showed up! It was a miracle! 

On Friday we had our super fun ward activity! It was a cultural event with each organization representing a country with a typical finger food. It was the BOMB! Just imagine, the goodness of South American food from ten different countries put into one room and everything FREE. A lot of people showed up. Haha. It was such a great feeling to be able to help put together the event because as you all know, I like putting on events, haha and its something our ward really lacked. We already have plans for the next activity! 

OH and speaking of the next activity! I'LL BE HERE FOR THE NEXT ACTIVITY! WE DIDN'T HAVE TRANSFERS!!! WOOHOOO! Oh man Hermana Herrera and I are so pumped. It's going to be a great change. We do have changes though. We get to change apartments! We're finally moving. Our house right now is really dark and dreary and way too big for us. We found a brand new mini apartment and we were supposed to move in today and so we packed up the whole apartment and had everything ready to go like the Elder told us to do and then he called us to tell us that we have to wait until Friday....so I'll be literally living out of my suitcases the next few days...but hey, I'm moving so I'm still really excited!

We've got so much work to do this change. We set a goal of 5 baptisms! 3 of which are already set up to go. We're praying that all will go well and that our other semi-eternal investigators are going to accept a baptismal date soon! This work is the best!

This Saturday we're going to have an Open House for the Mission Work in our Stake! You're all invited! Hahaha But man am I excited for this event. We've been planning it for a while now and we're super excited. Our Stake Mission Leader told me he was really hoping I wasn't going to be changed, so I could be there for the Open House and believe me that I was so happy to hear that I'm staying specifically for this event. We're hoping that everything goes well!

It truly has been a rollercoaster of a week. But if I've learned anything, it's that having a rollercoaster kind of day or week doesn't mean that you have your highs and lows, but that you have moments of anticipation, preparation, and then when you reach the top you can experience the thrill and rush on the way down.  Sometimes we're thrown to the left or right without warning, but if we remember that the scare that we feel in the pits of our stomachs are only for a brief moment, that's when we can truly enjoy the ride. Life is like a rollercoaster ride as cliche as it is and sounds, but it's the coolest rollercoaster ride ever and if we allow ourselves, we're going to have a blast!

I hope you all have a blast this week! Share the gospel with someone new! The ride is always better with two!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Beutler

how I felt this week. ;)

Our Ward mission leader and his wife on the right and on the left the Criollo´s...in the middle some random natives from Otavalo

PERU - we made some kind of sweet quinua drink. it was pretty tasty. 

USA! No bake peanut butter cookies

EMILY she´s so cute!

Santiago explaining Uruguay for the Young Men

Super excited to eat food!

ECUADOR

MEXICO! Jenny and Cesar smiling for the paparazzi.

Santiago! My tan little brother

Emily explaining Ecuador for the Young Women

The Young Women won! They´re so cute!

Andrea and Sarahi

Some of the family that came to the baptism. 

Julio! My little man got baptized! He´s the son of our Stake Mission Leader

Julio y Nahomi

hooligans!

The Lascano Family!

Super hooligans

Week Forty-six: Amazing fruit

 Hola mi familia!

Thank you everyone for all of the birthday wishes! I´m trying to respond to everyone but I don't have enough time! So just know that it means the world to hear from you all and thank you for the emails!

To start off with a fun yet embarassing story...so this morning we were in our language study and I sneezed really loud. But I mean really loud, as if I hadn't sneezed in years. And right after from the level below us I hear our landlord yell back "SALUD!" (bless you) hahaha it was SO EMBARASSING! But it was really nice of her so I yelled "thanks" back. 

Well this week has been yet another fantastic week! Andrea came to church on sundayand so she's still set to go for this Saturday! The sad part is that she's diabetic and didn't eat that morning...she had to be driven home. She was about to faint after sacrament meeting. But now she's doing a lot better and we're going to see her tonight!

My companion is the best! She has been helping me a ton this week and we've been making a lot of progress in the sector. We have baptisms set up for the next three weeks! It's so exciting!

Today we enjoyed the "big day" by studying, cleaning the house in record time, going to a huge mall in another part of Quito and eating in a gigantic food court. I told my companion that all I wanted to eat was meat and ice cream. It's kind of a weird craving I know but if you know me you shouldn't be surprised. haha. We chose pinchos (meat skewers) and they were the best ponchos I've had yet! SO YUMMY! And then I enjoyed some mint chocolate chip and coconut ice cream. I'm a huge coconut fan nowadays. We also printed out pictures from the mission that we're going to use on the 6th for a big Mission Work Open House! I´m SO EXCITED! It's going to be great! I really hope I don't get changed so I can stick around for it. OH and this Friday we're going to have a Food Exposition in our ward and we're going to have each organization represent a country and they're going to make a typical dish or food from the country! We really excited and we´re hoping that it'll be a success. We're working hard to excite the members about the work! I've been learning so much in this change about member missionary work and the importance of working together with the ward. It changes everything! It makes me wish I would've taken part of missionary work before the mission! We all have to be missionaries! What are you going to do this week to be a member missionary?

Well tonight we were invited to about a gazillion parties. My companion kept blurting to the members about my birthday....we'll see what happens. I'm excited but nervous about all of the potential cake I'll be eating...wish me luck! haha

I love you all and I love being here on the mission! Thinking back to a year ago I wouldn't have been able to believe all of the experiences I had ahead of me and the things that are yet to come! Serving the Lord is the BEST!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Beutler

Look what they gave us mom! 
When we were leaving the lesson the husband hurried and grabbed a bag and just started filling it up with all of this for us! And we just met him that night! The people here are so nice!

Super happy, but exhausted faces.

The little kids in the street always stare at me and yell "¡Ella es gigante!"
It always makes me laugh because to me I´m the size of an Ecuadorian...and then I saw this picture hahaha.

This bag is heavier than it looks.

A growing papaya

"We´re pretty cool." faces

Sofia, the cutest little girl ever 

Noche de hogar con amigos

Week Forty-Five: Los Juegos Olímpicos de la Zona Chillogallo

Hola mi familia!

La Zona Chillogallo!

Every week just keeps getting better and better! Yes, I still love being a missionary. It's the best thing in the world. We had some awesome experiences this week and are really scared that we're going to get changed in two weeks. I think I'm going to go through mother-daughter post separation disorder. My companion is the best! She is progressing every week and we are seeing miracles!

So Andrea was going to get baptized this Saturday and then didn't show up to church yesterday....we had to change her date to the 30th but it turns out that she needs this time to be even more prepared and converted to the Lord. We thought she was ready but the Lord always knows better. We were pretty stressed out and sad but we kept a smile on our faces and focused on the positive while we were at church and we saw MIRACLES!

Just to name a few...

One of the less actives that we're always trying to meet with finally came to church on Sunday. Yesterday morning we were calling people to remind them of the time change (we now meet at 8AM:) yes mom...I do get up earlier now...) and his name came to mind. We called just hoping a praying that he would answer and he did and he showed up to church with his cousin that's also less active and really hard to meet with! Haha. Hugo, our investigator, is their step-uncle...and he has almost three months assisting to church but never wanted to get baptized and he finally accepted baptism this week! It was a MIRACLE! He has yet to accept a date but we're working on that ;) 

Steven is also progressing. He also was going to be baptized this Saturday but had some struggles and now has a date for the 6th! We're hoping and praying that he'll be ready for this date. 

The Elders were walking down the street on Saturday and a lady called to them and said "hey, you guys are from Peru right?" and since they're both from Peru she invited them in to hear what they had to say. Turns out it was a huge family and one of her daughter in laws accepted baptism and lives in our sector! She came to church yesterday and is SO AWESOME! When we asked her when we could pass by and visit her she said "whenever you want! you can pass by everyday if you want. I'm always in my house!" uhhhh what?! MIRACLE! We're going to visit her tonight and see how we can help her progress because she isn't married to her husband yet but says that they have plans. SO MANY MIRACLES. 

Teaching moment

We had a few other unexpected investigators and less actives in church and were super excited for the progress we've seen in the past few weeks for our sector. We've got a lot of work to do! I feel like we're just getting started here. I really hope I have another change here but if not, then I know the Lord will put me where I will be able to learn and grow the most. 

OH! Another small but gigantic miracle that I just found out about...well I just heard today from Hermana Chipana (my second trainer) and she told me that Pamela (from Ambato) is doing great and so is Paty! And the biggest miracle of all was that supposedly José Luis went back to church and was going to get baptized in May! WHAT!?! Do you guys remember him? That seriously would be the biggest dream come true of my entire mission. She let me know a little bit of what happened and why his baptism fell but I have to confirm it before I say anything. That was such a huge heartbreak when his baptism fell less than 24 hours beforehand. We cried and cried and cried but now we can rejoice! I really hope its true. Not sure how I'm going to find out if its true but I'm going to ask around and I'll let you all know. He's seriously a future bishop! I'm so happy! It's once again a huge testimony for me that the Atonement is real and our Savior lives! I know it's true!

The mission is the best. I never want it to end. Seriously. I can't imagine what life would be like without my name badge. I love being Hermana Beutler!

I love you all so much and hope you have a fantastic week!

Con muchísimo amor,

Hermana Beutler

¡Ya se van! I got to see these awesome hermanas during verification! 

My sister from a Guatemalen mister is leaving me!
I´m going to miss her a ton! 2 weeks left...:(

Happy to get back home to open my package!

Guess what i found.....;)

SO HAPPY!

​LIFE SAVERS! THANKS MOM!

A table full of weird but yummy foods all made from soy...

Cute little plantitas

Yummy and pretty. Sadly, it wasn't a taste tester...

Emma-my new bff/enfermera and I in the Health Fair our stake held.

I got scaled and it turns out I've lost weight!
I even checked on two different scales!
Miracles are happening or all the scales in Ecuador are messed up....

What do you guys think of my new proselyting look?

Team Beutler-Herrera ready to battle in los Juegos Olímpicos de la Zona Chillogallo 

Bread eating contest! I placed second in my round. It was some tasty bread.

La Bandera y premio 

Mummy what?

She cracks me up.

We lost this round...should've bought the more expensive toilet paper that doesn´t break every two seconds.

Of the ten companionships we placed 2nd and ALMOST won this sweet flag. :(​

Hey look I´m from Peru!