Sister Nelson in Ecuador: Happy November!

Hi family!!! How are you all doing?? I hope you are doing well! I am so tired and worn out cause today we went with our zone to hike to a volcano! Well we didn't quite make it because it was freezing cold and raining! Well not normal rain it was like a heavy constant mist. We were all soaking wet and cold and we met some hikers up there and they told us we couldn't keep going because it was too dangerous and we were all wet and could get hypothermia. So we turned around a came back down. But it was so foggy you couldn't see anything anyway. But coming down was the funnest because it was muddy and slippery and everyone was falling! Except Hermana Allen and I. The Elders were helping me though so I had an advantage! haha

Well this week was a holiday, well the 2nd was the Day of the Dead but everyone had the whole week off and so no one was here. The streets were all dead and so it was kinda a slow week work wise. We didn't have too much going on. We couldn't get a hold of Guadalupe all week but we called her Sunday morning and she was all ready for church and just about to leave!!! OMG!!! haha We are so blessed with her! Thank you for praying for her! She loves church! We taught her last night about the Atonement because she needs to give up smoking. It went fairly well but I think we have a lot to help her with to be able to give it up. I know she can do it though!! She is definitely prepared for the Gospel!

Saturday night we went to visit the Ases family after about two weeks and we invited her to church but she wasn't sure about it so we started talking to her and as it turns out she thought that we couldn't dance and she didn't want to sin if she went to church and then to a party or something! haha So we explained that we can dance and she understood and agreed to come to church! And she did! Her and Jairo and their little girl. She sent her husband to the market for her so that she could come. They sell fritado- a typical meal you can buy on the street here and so every morning she goes to the market to buy everything and she doesn't have a schedule and they are so worried about money that she works all day and it's hard to find them at home. Her husband doesn't want to listen to us at all anymore so I don't know really if they can progress. They need more faith but we can hardly ever find them at home to give them more faith!

There is a lady in the ward who is going through a lot of problems with her daughter and husband and she has been for a few months now so we would go about once a week to visit her and at first she had no hope at all that things would get better. She would just say but imagine all that I am going through and how I feel. But this week we went again and I printed the talk from Elder Holland in the April 2008 Conference "None Were With Him". So we shared a scripture, my companion gave her the idea to start a blessings journal and I gave her the talk. We went back that night to bring her the notebook to start her journal and she looked so much happier! And she told us that she read the talk about 5 times and knew she isn't alone and that she can get through this and be happy! I was blown away by her change of attitude and was so grateful for conference!! When I heard that talk for the first time I immediately loved it! I don't know why because it's not like I was feeling alone at the time or going through a major trial or anything but I have always remembered that talk. And so I thought about her and decided to print it off and it's exactly what she needed! The Lord was preparing me over 3 years ago to be able to share that talk with her! It was the highlight of my week to be able to see her with hope in her eyes!!

I love missionary work! Thank you family for everything you do for me! For all of your thoughts, prayers and love!! I hope you all have the best week ever! I love you!!

xoxoxXo

Love forever and always,

Hermana Nelson