As Carnival was ending, I got transferred back to the coast, to a city called Machala. I´m back in the heat! Seriously I sweat hard every day. A couple weeks ago, we had to stay in the house for four days while "Carnival" was going on. This is when everyone chucks water at each other in the streets. Sometimes they throw oatmeal, flour, and eggs (and other gross things like animal feces and pig blood sometimes too). Unfortunately, we were not allowed to play. I was in the apartment with four other fairly new sisters, as three of them were waiting for their companions to arrive. They were from Perú, Guatemala, and Brazil. It was a blast. We each made a food from our country. I succeeded in making brownies in a toaster oven and made some things (like patacones) from Ecuador that they had not tried yet. I also learned some words in Portuguese from the Brazilian sister. She had a good laugh as I was trying to read her Jesus the Christ.
Yesterday we had a lesson with a young woman named Ruth. She´s had a few lessons and has accepted a date for baptism. She´s super sweet and very humble. She is a little bit timid, and have some fear about getting baptized, but yesterday, she told us that she had read parts of the book of Mormon and prayed, and she heard a voice telling her that The Book of Mormon is true. It was one of those lessons where the Spirit was so strong, that my face was hot. Those are the moments that make it all worth it.
Everyday is a blast here in Machala. I lots of people willing to listening, we just have to find the people who are willing to act on their faith to. Love the Gospel and love the mission. God really does listen and answer our prayers, as long as we pray with faith and align our intentions with God´s will.
Les quiero,
Hermana Blazzard
