October 1994 – Quote Catch

October 1st, 1994 – Saturday

Today was a pretty good day. Elder Guarderas talked to the Mamita. I don’t know what he said but she’s back to her old self! That’s cool because she’s such an outgoing lady. Tonight we had our Open House. Quite a few investigators came and I hope they were touched in some way. I prayed for it and so I know they were. Today we found a few more people to teach. Ivan & Nataly are young but want the Charlas. I want to build this place up. Satan is working on Puyo. He can impede but can’t stop. ( I have diarrhea big time)

October 2nd, 1994 – Sunday

Today we got two more references this morning & we taught the 1st Charla. We ate at the Mamitas (Sister Estella). It was good & the other missionaries were there which is close to a miracle. I guess Elder Guarderas cried & apologized to the Mamita. He’s leaving tomorrow & he wants to. Fast Sunday was sweet. The testimonies were super strong & the spirit was strong. Primary was all right. The kids were rowdy. I baptized Andres today. Also a man named Amilkah. He forgot to bend his knees so I basically tackled him to baptize him. Tonight we showed a film to the family of Narcissa. We also taught the 1st discussion. They felt the Spirit big time. I’m sick of being sick.

October 3rd, 1994 – Monday – P-day

Today was OK. I’m tired right now. Fed up with the language. Fed up with not knowing anything. I know the only way to fix it is to study more. I hope my companion includes me & my suggestions in our program because he sure seems to brush me off when I try to talk. I’m just going to keep talking! Today we ate breakfast at Sister Belin’s house. After we had a charla with the Mom of Narcissa and her brother. It was cool. We’re getting a lot of references here. I hope the Lord continues to bless us. I need to change my attitude & have more patience & humility. I need to just chill & learn, then maybe I can be the man. Today I wrote 8 letters! Tonight we had a good District Meeting. I learned that I’ve got to study the Bible much more. It’s a must. Man, I’m nothing man! I hope the Lord blesses me with a good memory. I need it. Good night. I’m tired and have diarrhea. 🙁

October 4th, 1994 – Tuesday

Man, today we thought we were going to teach a ton of people. It seemed that every person couldn’t do it or people weren’t there! (I’m so freaking tired & drained because of this trash that’s in me. & Now my comp wants to leave to visit people). I’m serious. We didn’t even have FHE! The family wasn’t there. I hope we start having more success. I’ve got to pray for this town. It’s hard hearted. My companion does get on my nerves. But not big time. He’s just a know it all & never lets me talk or give suggestions.

October 5th, 1994 – Wednesday

Today was pretty sweet. We visited a lot of people today & tried resolving a lot of concerns. Tonight we taught the family Miranda and committed the Mom, daughter & son to be baptized. The Grandma still needs to pray & ask God. Man this work is up & down. Sometimes we have success & sometimes people just don’t want to talk to us. I need to talk more during the charlas. Elder Delgado just goes off all the time. I’m just going to interrupt him or something. I know this church is true. Each day I’m learning something. It has almost been a month & I feel I can basically communicate & speak & listen. I’ve been super blessed. I hope the Lord continues to bless me.

October 6th, 1994 – Thursday

Today in the morning we didn’t do jack! We visited a member but nothing else! Elder Delgado came home & slept until we went to the Mamitas & ate. We visited the Rodriguez’s. They started talking of their marriage problems to us. Brother Rodriguez thinks that he & his wife are committing adultery because they both divorced their previous spouses & are now divorced. I looked in the scriptures for an answer. The only ones I found were about – if a spouse commits adultery divorce is OK. But it says otherwise they should stay together. The President comes this Sunday. So we’ll let him talk. Today we taught Ivan. He’s going to be baptized this Sunday. His sister wants to too but her Dad won’t let her. With prayer he will! Tonight the Grandma Miranda said she won’t be baptized because she’s Catholic & her son told her not to. We need to help her & her son! Well, each morning this week Satan has done something so that I couldn’t get up early. So tomorrow I’m sure I’m gonna beat him! I just did a hundred clothes of wash. Really!

October 7th, 1994 – Friday

Today we looked for Amilkah (recently baptized) but couldn’t’t find him. Instead we visited an inactive & found a golden investigator. His name is Raul and he looks familiar. He accepted everything & said he’s going to read the Book of Mormon everyday. Wow. I pray for him. This afternoon we ate twice! 1st at Yannete’s and next at the Mom of Hermana Estella (Mamita). Man I was full! We then taught Ivan the 5th & 6th Charla. He’s going to be baptized this Sunday. His mom is coming along. Tonight we had FHE at the Mom of the Mamita. After we talked to Marco & he told us he didn’t want to be Mormon! OK. As you can see a lot of doubts or concerns. Tonight we talked with the Miranda family. Now there are only two left! The Grandma left & didn’t want to listen to us. OOOOOOK. Satan is doing his job. Today Elder Delgado got on my nerves. He kept telling me things (basically ripping me a hole) like I need to work on the language, learn the charlas, learn the Commitment Pattern better & have more confidence in me as a missionary. Ok. Anything else you want to say? The thing is……I know this stuff! I don’t need someone to tell me that I need to do this & this. It’s good but it bugged me. He’s always talking about his success & how everyone knows he’s such a good missionary. He doesn’t take suggestions from me, & I feel like he could care less what I think. Maybe it is just me who needs to change, have a pride check or something. One thing I know he needs to do is quit talking about what he DID & how sweet it is, but to do it better here. He’s got to realize that & I’ve got to realize a ton of things.

October 8th, 1994 – Saturday

Today we went to Ambato. We were 1 ½ hours late to the meeting. It was mostly my fault because I thought it was only a 2 hour trip but it’s 3 hours!! Oops. Man, today I was given super animo! (excitement). It was incredible. I’m so excited to apply all of these things I’ve learned in my mission. I’m going to share scriptures with more people, talk to more people & work through the Spirit. I have faith in Puyo. I know the Lord is going to bless us with what we ask for because we are in His work. The things we ask for are for the salvation of others, not for ourselves. He’s going to bless us if we’re obedient. I thought of this today. We need to leave at 9:30am each day. It’s a rule. The Lord has His own schedule. He knows where we’ll be every minute tomorrow & He’s arranging that we will run into the Escogidos (chosen). So we need to leave by 9:30am or earlier to be on the Lord’s schedule! I received a ton of letters today! It was so sweet! From Jason Andreski, BJ Hunter, the Fam, Amanda Bowman. She (AB) was telling me she didn’t feel good about what we did together. That’s good! Well, I best get to bed. This church is true! I love this work! (Leroy said the St. Louis Cardinals were looking for me). (Major League Baseball Team)

October 9th, 1994 – Sunday

This morning I talked to Elder Goettsche on the phone. He’s with Elder Salazar (old companion of Elder Delgado) in Florida. He’s doing sweet! Today all of our appointments were dropped. We had the baptism of Ivan today. I baptized him. It’s so sweet seeing people get baptized. I think Ivan is like me. I pray that he stays strong. He’s almost 12. The President (Farnsworth) came. So did 2 sisters. He talked for an hour in Sacrament meeting. He’s so smart with the scriptures. He talked about the Repentance process. I know the members give him total respect. He came with us to visit the husband of Sister Belin. He asked him when’s his baptism! I was like “NO!” But the husband said – 3 weeks! That just shows me the power the President has! I want to be like him! Tonight we visited Sister Laura & her daughter Anita. We ate, showed a video & hyped them up to share the gospel. We’re going to do this for everyone! Man, I’m so hyped up to have success! I’m so excited! AHHHHHHHHH I want to be the best MISSIONARY EVER!

Side Note from 04/16/2020. Later in the mission, I was probably in over 5 meetings where President Farnsworth would talk about this day. When he came to the baptism of Ivan, we went to the Puyo River and walked about 100 yards in, and ended up going to an area that the Elders would always baptize in the river. When I was about to go down into the river with Ivan, a man was passing by on the trail and stopped. He asked me, “You’re not going in there are you?” I said back, “Yes, I am.” He said, “You better not, there was a 30 foot boa constrictor that was spotted last night in the river.” He then took off. President Farnsworth looked at me and said, “Well Elder, what do you want to do?” I looked back at him, and said, “Let’s do it.” I went in the water, baptized Ivan and got out. I remember in the moment when President Farnsworth asked me if I wanted to do the baptism, what stood out most in my mind was the blessing of protection I had received from my Stake President in Florida and also Apostles that visited the MTC. With that knowledge, I had zero hesitation getting into the water because I knew without a doubt I was coming out unscathed.

October 10th & 11th, 1994 – Monday/ Tuesday – back to the Blue Journal

I left my journal when I left the MTC so go to the Maroon journal. I’ll write starting from this day (Maroon Journal has from Sept 7th to October 9th, 1994). Yesterday (Monday) I wrote a ton of letters to people. We went to Hermana Belin’s house & tried recording videos but it didn’t work. Elder Moulton tried it. Next time, I’m in charge. Yesterday we left at 4:00am to Banos. It seemed forever on that bus, but the ride is beautiful. Green- jungle like mountains with waterfalls. The only thing is we drive about 2 inches from the edge & it ain’t too funny! We went to Pelileo 1st & our FHE (for Zone) wasn’t there. We went to Banos & had a short FHE. It was aight. There’s a huge volcano in Banos that I guess explodes every 70 years & right now its been 70 plus years since the last eruptions. We stayed the night there (that’s where I got this journal plus my big dictionary). A rooster was crowing from like 2:00am until 6:30am and it was right outside the window. We came back to Puyo & got here at 9:30am. We did a lot of work today. I have a lot of excitement! We’re working hard. We gave 11 presentations today. We also got two more references! I feel we can do more, but there is always room to improve! Today we went on a bus to the city center & it was so packed. People standing and sitting and hanging out the sides of the bus! Anyway, I know the Lord will bless us with our efforts. If we work hard & obey the rules – He’s bound! He’ll help us complete our goals! I love this work! I’m spiritually hungry for it!!!

Side Note from 04/16/2020. I may mention it later in my journal, but the rooster that would crow apparently never took time off. The Zone Leaders who lived there (Sampson & Hurst) had vowed to kill it and eat it because they were so sick of it keeping them up every night. There was an incredibly old woman that lived there, most likely in her 90’s, that was blind and treated the rooster as a pet. She would kiss it, talk to it, hug it. Anyways, they made good on their promise before they left and ended up eating it. They said the old lady was looking for it for days.

October 12th, 1994 – Wednesday

Today was tough, man. This morning we went to Washington Delgado’s house & he told us he didn’t want to listen because of his wife Alexandra. But we have an appointment for this Saturday. We’ll see. We went to the Miranda’s house and sanded wooden parrots for 2 hours. We next went to Isabell’s house & did some yard work & she fed us. After this we went to the Miranda’s and Elder Delgado talked with Elizabeth for like 1 ½ hours. We missed a reference because of this. I hope it was the best decision. The Lord will help us. We got a reference (Angela) and talked with Hermana Belin’s husband. Tonight we went to Shell, ate for an hour and talked to one investigator. We were totally discouraged because yesterday we rocked & today we didn’t do jack. But, the Lord knows when to cheer us up! We went to Rodrigo Don Naranjo’s house & taught him the 1st charla. It was incredible. He is going to be baptized. I’m tired but still want to do more. The Lord has blessed me a ton. I pray that we can have incredible success here in Puyo. I know the Lord will help us.

October 13th, 1994 – Thursday

Right now we’re about to surprise Elder Luna for his Birthday. He looks mad, and I told him to come but instead he said he was going to pray. OOOOOOK. We just went in there and gave him his cake. I hope he cheers up. He’s a special guy. Today was sweet. This morning we talked to the father of Elizabeth Miranda. It was sweet. The Spirit was strong. Today we rode bicycles around & got a bit done. We need bikes man, we can get around super quick. We went to Rosa Velasco’s house and there was a man there named Alejandro. We talked a bit then he asked me if I “knew that man.” Pointing to Jesus Christ. I thought for a second and said, “Yes I know him. Not face to face, but I know him through prayer.” That hit me hard. I realized that I need to get to know Him even more. I think that that was the 1st time anyone ever answered him this question positively because he had talked to a lot of other religions. He was very receptive to the charlas and I know he’s an escogido (chosen). Tonight we talked to Nieve. I feel very good around her. She’s a daughter of God and is an escogida (chosen). The lord has blessed us so much today. If we (Elder Delgado & I) keep working hard, obeying the rules we’re going to have a ton of success. This church is so true. It’s scary, but wonderful to see the work of the Lord.

October 14th, 1994 – Friday

This morning I got up at 5:00am (Have been the past week) and I think it has caught up with me. Today my throat hurt and was DEAD tired! At one point I was so tired. It was after we went to check a reference. I said hi to the man. He said he was of another religion and I basically said – OK. Have a nice day. It was funny because I didn’t try resolving any concerns. The next time I’ll say – other religion? Great so you believe in God, etc. It’ll be better. Today we ate at sister Teran’s house (Mama of the Mamita). I’ve finally realized that every meal we’re going to have soup (with potatoes and some sort of meat floating) and then rice with a slab of meat and something else on the side. I think it’s tough to say who’s the best cook because every meal is the same style. Today was a little frustrating. I had no energy or excitement. We’ve been super blessed. I just always have a drive to complete our goals. It eats me up. We’ve got a lot to do these next 2 days to complete them. I pray the Lord gives me the energy and help and also the way to do it. He will, it’s for Him.

October 15th, 1994 – Saturday

Today we did quite a bit. We actually didn’t do much but what we did was effective. We talked to Cesar today and he responded very well. Our charlas are going slow. Every single charla has been the first. We’ve not taught a lot of charlas but have taught a lot of families. Everyday I learn more and more in the language and in the work. I’d like to be a little bit more organized but that’ll happen when I’m in charge. Today I had an idea to visit Maria Hippi. We went and there was Cesar. I think the Lord blesses us with ideas in our minds, and if we follow them He’ll bless us! This church is true! (I got a sore throat and runny nose!)

October 16th, 1994 – Sunday

Today was busy! We went to Shel this morning & commited the father Vega Valencia to be baptized. It was sweet. I hope he sticks with it. He will. We ate at Laura’s & Anitas. We went to church. I gave a talk on gossip & how bad it was. I hope I helped some members because it is a problem. Primary was better today because we split into two classes. After church I wrote the family. We went to teach Cesar. Maria was there. We taught her the 1st discussion. We then taught the 2nd discussion to Cesar & committed him to be baptized. This made all the hard work pay off. He couldn’t even describe how he felt. It was so sweet to see the Lord work & to know without a doubt this church is true! Also 3 other people came to their house & we talked to them. The Lord is having them come to us. It’s incredible. We’re starting to receive a ton of blessings! I’m happy for what we’ve done this week but I want to do better! (Today a lady was breast feeding during a chara. Nice spirit)

October 17th, 1994 – Monday

Today we got up super early and left to Ambato to play games. We stayed there all day (until 3:30pm). It was pretty fun. I realized that there is a lot of gossip in the mission & I don’t want to be a part of it. Especially about other companions. Elder Delgado was ripped by others today but I let ‘em know. I got a letter from Mere. She’s gonna get married (or she’s dating an RM). It takes 3 hours to get to Puyo. We go through mountains that are covered with jungle like trees. There are waterfalls and volcanoes. I’m in fantasy land. This week is about to start. I hope the Lord gives me strength to do all I need! That’s all I ask. I hope I can learn the language & charlas quick! I want to be more effective.

October 18th, 1994 – Tuesday

Today was so sweet. This morning I was kind of down with thinking of our failures. Not many, but a few. I was noting everything that my companion did to put himself on an upper level. It bugged me. I talked a lot with the family Mirando. They aren’t too excited for the sospel and it’s very sad & frustrating. They just aren’t doing their part! Today We did a ton of things. We got a ton of referencias. We taught a few charlas and the Lord just was blessing us like crazy. Miracles every second. It’s all from the Lord. Today we found out that Don Naranjo wants to be baptized. We visited him and gave him a blessing! I told him he’d be healed according to his faith. I was prompted to say it. I know the Lord will bless him. This work is sweet! This church is true! No Duda! (No Doubt)

October 19th, 1994 – Wednesday

Today was aight. We started out pretty slow. I got a haircut from a dude named Manuel. We talked to him a bit, and the other Elders think he’s gay. Whatever. I’ll give everyone a chance to hear the gospel. Today we had pretty good success. I still get frustrated because my companion takes his time to get ready. He’s always joking about being late but it really is a problem. He jokes a lot. Even after someone bares their testimony he tells a joke. That’s not cool – Bye Bye Spirit. He’s a happy go lucky guy but he just overdoes it – Big Time. He tries to live up to a comedian. What he needs to do is chill out & teach the gospel! Tonight we went to Shell. We can start a program in Shell. We got 3 References tonight in Shell.

October 20th, 1994 – Thursday

Today was a tough one. This morning we did a split (illegal) (I won’t do this). It was OK. I talked to Elder Moulton a bit, griped about the pride that my companion has, how he looks for praise. Hermana Alexandra Velin Teran called us and asked us to give a blessing to Bonita Velin (3 anos – 3 Years Old). This 3 year old girl asked for the Elders to bless her. We went there, and performed the blessing (She was pretty dang sick) In 10 minutes she was up and running. That little girl has faith! The night before a doctor came to look at her. She told her mom that the Doctor wasn’t what she wanted, it was the Elders. That’s such an example of faith for me. Elder Delgado & I had a rough time today. I got pretty frustrated when our investigator had a lot of doubts. My companion talked the whole time. He didn’t give me one chance to say a word & I had a lot of promptings to say some things. I got ticked. I’ve talked to him about it. I hope things will work out, that we’ll work together. Today Elder Delgado was big time depressed. We talked to a sister who basically spilled her guts to us, and he was really worried. I gave him a blessing. It helped me feel better too. He was crying. I hope I helped him. I love him. I need to put back all my harsh feelings. Nobody is perfect. Everyone is an individual. Today was tough. Tomorrow I pray the Lord will bless us. I know He will.

October 21st, 1994 – Friday

Today was another day of learning. We did some service at the Familia Miranda. We sanded down some wooden parrots. That family doesn’t like to keep commitment. It’s sad. They’re so cool and I love them, but they just can’t see it all. Sometimes when I’m giving a discussion and I can tell people aren’t understanding I pray for them. I pray for them to recognize this plan. They’ve heard it before (pre-existence), we’re just there to remind them. They have doubts or concerns that the charla has already answered. Man it’s so sad because I know that they’re my brothers & sisters, and I was with them in the pre-existence. The Lord is really testing my faith. We’ve had so many families ditch appointments. It’s ridiculous. We have a whole afternoon set up with appointments & no one is there. I pray the Lord would just make them be there. It’s very frustrating, but I know I just need to endure to the end, even if I have to walk uphill, against the wind, with my eyes shut. I’m going to press forward. Today I related missionary work to Sports. We were sitting around doing nothing. I kept yelling at my companion telling him we needed to leave. I feel like if we aren’t outside “making something happen” then nothing will. I don’t know. I’m so tired. This is tough. I pray for enthusiasm, faith and everything I need. I’m so weak. I need to shape up (spiritually).

October 22nd, 1994 – Saturday

Today seemed good. We painted a room in the house of Hermana Estella (Mamita). If you ask me it looked bad. The paint was thin and the wall looked like it was waterpainted. We ate at the Familia Rodriguez and gave them a charla. We taught Cesar the 4th Charla. He’s so awesome! He’s really excited about his baptism and he is so happy to know the truth. It’s so special to see his reaction. Today we went to Shell. We taught the son & daughter of Vega Valencia. We taught 2 charlas! (1st and 2nd). We took a break in between. Those two accepted all commitments and are going to be baptized with their father. It’s going to be beautiful to see. The Lord is blessing us. It seems every time I get down the Lord lifts me up. The family Vega Valencia are sweet people. I’ve realized how special it is to have the Gift of the Spirit. There’ve been many times that I’ve had ideas pop in my mind that are directly from God. It’s so sweet. This work is true. It’s tough. I always want to do more. I wish the Lord would make it easier for us, but that’s not the way it should be. He needs to keep us humble! The Church is true!

October 23rd, 1994 – Sunday

Today I was so tired & right now even more. We taught the Vega Vencia family, and Hermano Chicaiza. Today my mind wasn’t working too well. It was frustrating. My throat is raw because I talked for 2 hours in Primary then more in the Charlas. I know the Lord won’t let me lose my voice because I need to communicate the gospel. Ecuador is sweet. It’s pretty. It’s a ghetto in the jungle. The people here are normal but don’t realize what it’s like to live good. But they’re happy. One thing I remember was today a boy with ragged clothes & who lives in a wood shack was praying for the poor. Kind of makes you think. To me, they’re poor but they don’t think so. I’m tired. G’night! Tomorrow we’ve got 3 appts on P-day! I’m on my mission to work, not rest!

October 24th, 1994 – Monday

This morning we got up & taught Hermano Chicaiza at 7am! It was sweet and the Spirit was there. I wrote 4 cartas (letters) hoy (today). We ate at Hermana Velin’s house. After we visited Don Naranjo in the hospital but he was super drugged. I washed some clothes then we went to Nieve’s house. Oh man, her little dog (so cute) was attacked by a Doberman! The poor thing was limping around trying to play. He couldn’t even scratch himself! His eye was bit too! It’s so sad. Well, we gave Carolos (husband of Nieve) a blessing. Her daughter was crying and so was Nieve. It was a strong Spirit, and I hope they realize the power of God.

October 25th, 1994 – Tuesday

Today was an OK day. I felt like we were late to a lot of appointments when we didn’t need to be! It bugs me so bad. I’m never going to be late unless there is a perfect reason! Today we gave 16 presentations! We didn’t give any charlas which bugs me. We need more families too! Today I got letters from Kamee, Kristin Polous, The Family, and Maestro Ballado. I tell you what, my Dad is an incredible man. He sent some of his journal entries from Puerto Rico. What he wrote hit me hard. He wrote that he has “Bound” the Lord to do what he asks. My Dad is obeying all of the commandments and denying all chance of Satan to mess with him. Because of this and extreme faith, he prays to God and asks for something. With fasting and faith he knows he’s going to receive his answer. He bound the Lord twice – to not have a war in Puerto Rico, and to let him be home by a certain Sunday! And they both happened. I need to analyze myself. I need to obey all commandments so that the Lord will be bound. If I could bind the Lord I could be a very successful missionary. My Dad’s a great example. I love my family. Leroy wrote me too! I miss our good times, but there’ll be more.

October 26th, 1994 – Wednesday

Today was a na-na day. We really didn’t do jack! Our schedule was messed all the time. All of our appointments were stood up. All. Satan is such a punk. One day we’re going to beat him. Puyo has so much potential! I’m just waiting for it to explode. The ground is broke for the chapel. The Lord has blessed Puyo. Today my companion & I talked a lot. I realized that I need to study the charlas and language so that I can train as soon as possible. I’m going to pray for this help. I know the Lord will bless me.

October 27th, 1994 – Thursday

Today the Lord answered our prayers. We got a golden reference. His name is Wilson. We taught him the 1st Charla. He reacted very good & positive. I feel like he’s going to progress a lot! Today we once again had every appointment cancelled. People just aren’t there, are busy or sick. Check this out – Don Naranjo is in Ambato with heart problems, Carlos (husband of Nieve) is in the hospital with a hernia, and Abdon has an allergic reaction to something. Satan will do all he can. Each of these men are potential Priesthood Leaders, and when they’re baptized the rest of their families will follow. Also all of our appointments the past 3 days have been cancelled. Not one has been kept. Christ will win. We will win. I need to have patience. Today my companion & I discussed North Americans & Latinos. North Americans (gringos) have got pride problems. It says in the scriptures that the Lamanites are going to carry the church in the last days. And all the gringos do is rip on them and talk gossip. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to avoid it. I want to change the gringos attitude. I think I can by example. The Lord has blessed me to be able to communicate. He’s awesome. Today we were teaching Wilson and there was a guy hammering. When we were watching the 1st vision, it was close to the part of the vision and I knew it would touch him. Also the people were getting rowdy. So I said a prayer in my mind and said In the name of Jesus for this man to stop hammering and for everything to be peaceful for the Vision part. 5 seconds later the man stopped hammering, the baby stopped crying and everyone paid attention to the video & was touched. Right after everything important was said in the video the noise started again. I know the Lord answers prayers. I realized a little bit that with faith and in the name of Jesus Christ I can do a lot of things. I also did the same for the Miranda family the 1st time we taught them. It was raining on their tin roof & we couldn’t hear the video. I prayed & it stopped raining. It started again after the video. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. The Lord wants everyone to know this.

October 28th, 1994 – Friday

Today we got up early because we had an appointment with Hermano Chicaiza at 8:00am, and Wilson at 9:30am. Elder Delgado decided to cook for the Mamita before the appointment. I told him it wasn’t a good idea because we should make sure we were on time or early to Chicaize. He told me not to worry. To make a long story short we were 20 minutes late to the appointment which is not cool. Then after this, Elder Delgado wanted to eat at the Mamitas (How many times do I need to tell him??) We ended up being ½ hour late to Wilson & he wasn’t there. His mom in law was kind of mad. So I hope Elder Delgado learned a lesson. I told him straight up a lot of things. He’s probably sick of me, but I’m just trying to make him better like he does me. Today I realized that I need a lot of work on the Charlas and the language. I pray the Lord will bless me quick, that I’ll decide to follow the best paths of study to learn quick. With the Spirit all is possible. Today, Cesar told me he wanted me to baptize him! He’ll be my 1st real convert. Kids are real too, but one that I saw the change happen. It’s incredible. This week we haven’t achieved many goals, but I know the Lord has blessed us. I want to do better & I know the Lord will bless me for my righteous desires!

October 29th, 1994 – Saturday

Today Ruth gave me a few wooden parrots to send to the family for Christmas. That’s so cool of her. Today we didn’t do much. I’ve got to change my attitude. We need to find more people. Man, I get upset when I don’t feel we did as well as we should of. I hope the Lord forgives us for things we didn’t do. Tomorrow is Cesar’s baptism. It’ll be neat to do. I’ve got a lot to learn. I pray the Lord will open my mind so I can learn quick. Today we carried boxes for Ruth & Isabell for an hour. It was a good workout.

October 30th, 1994 – Sunday

Today was sweet. Church was really good. Cesar was real late. I didn’t think he was going to show up. He did. We organized the Primary a little better. I feel the church wheels rolling. The Lord will bless us. Today I baptized the best convert I think I’ll have: Cesar Hermino Garces Cannelos. I felt so good. The Spirit was very strong. Before his baptism, he had that look that everyone has before being baptized. A look of eternity and a beginning of a new life. Cesar is going to be a strong member of the church. (after baptism, I took a picture on a vine and it broke & I fell – it’ll be sweet) Tonight we talked to Wilson. We taught him the 3rd Charla and he became contentious. He told us that he’s seen people healed, and speaking in tongues. He and Elder Delgado were going back and forth when I decided and felt to bear my testimony. I asked him how many church’s Christ had. He said one with a ton of synagogues and messengers. I explained to him the fall of this Church of Christ & the Apostasy. He agreed. I then bore testimony that Christ restored the church through Joseph Smith, that Jesus Christ once again was the head of His church. That we had synagogues (churches) and messengers (missionaries throughout the world). I bore the truthfulness of the church & of Joseph Smith. His face changed from contention to peace & said he needs to find out for himself what is true. I told him he was exactly right & explained to him how to receive an answer. The Lord guided my thoughts & words. I know it. I pray that he can bless me with wisdom everyday of my mission.

Side Note: Written at the very bottom of this journal entry was this: Hermana Canter went home. She never did get to Ecuador. Sad.

October 31st, 1994 – Monday – Halloween

Today was P-day. I wrote the family & others. I had to send letters through Ecuador mail because I have no stamps. I need them. Today I sent 2 packages full of souvenirs home. It cost 40 mil (about 20 bucks). Man, it’s pretty steep. Because I’m white gringo = $$ …is what the Ecuadorians think. Today we had a party for El Dia de la Bruja (Day of the Witch). It was cool but the thing was we were an hour & a half late. I felt bad for the members. They were mad. This all happened because we didn’t “plan”! Another lesson to learn. Tonight we talked as a district about Elder Moulton & Elder Luna. They’ve had problems & I hope we’ve helped them out. I feel we have. I hope there’s no more obstacles. Big one’s anyway. This month of November we have a goal of 10 baptisms. I think we can do it. With the Lord’s help we can. I love this work. I’m so lucky to be a servant of the Lord. I hope he blesses me with success.