Feliz Navidad!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

I am officially here in Ecuador. The last week in the Peru MTC was fabulous. It is hard to believe that my MTC experience has ended and now it's the real stuff from here on out. Saving souls....finding the injured....seeking the elect...etc. It's big time. I am working on realizing that I have been prepared for this experience and that Jesus Christ is with me in His work.

This has been some experience so far. Where to begin? First, the bug count has gone way up. I have seen a rat, cockroaches *I feel you Elder Garlock!, unidentified little bugs and ants, mosquitos every night, and I saw a spider within the first 12 hours of arrival. And so, my bug count has come to an end. I am here for a different work and as much as I would like to keep you updated on the bugs I have seen, I am afraid this is all I would have time for! You can count on hearing though if I see anything really crazy.

My companion's name is Hermana Rosas and she is from Costa Rica! She only has two transfers left and I expect we will be together for both of them. It seems that the sisters stay in one area for months at a time. Hna Rosas is a wonderful companion. She has a positive attitude and compliments me often, which I appreciate. We are opening a sector or something like that. The other missionaries in our area finished their missions so we are starting from scratch! We have had some interesting days so far. My nose is often in the map as we try to find the next place. I am pretty sure Heavenly Father has a sense of humor and that He laughs with me everyday as we try to navigate our way through the streets. Believe it or not, compared to many Latinos here, I have a sense of direction!!!! Unbelievable.

We live in an apartment with another companionship who are the mission nurses! I love them. They are way fun and I'm thankful for their friendship and knowledge of the city.

The city I am in is somewhat interesting....I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. Let's just say one of my goals this week is to find the beauty in the city. One thing I love is that there are hens! Similar to Sister Farnes' hens! I love these!!! One is making a lot of noise right now. The city is very noisy at times with sounds of people, animals, cars, and music. So far I like the food even more than the food in Peru! Bananas here are five cents. Incredible.

The work is going well so far. We found an older gentleman named Gio and are teaching him. He keeps us on our toes! Our ward I believe is called Bolivar. The members here are very supportive and I am sooo thankful for this. It helps a ton! We are praying to find find find.

This has been the biggest adjustment of my mission so far. Hermana Salmon was sent to another city 10 hours away and I am here in the main city in Guayaquil! I miss Hna Salmon dreadfully but I have hope we will get to see each other again later on in our missions. She has been such a dear friend to me throughout my mission! My heart is full of gratitude for her. The first day we arrived we all went to the beautiful temple in Guayaquil. It has been a bit of a whirlwind and I am excited to get to talk to you all on the phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU For the ELFudge cookies. They are half gone. We love them. Thank you for the Reeses. Holy cow. Love them.

I love you and am thankful for your support and prayers. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true and what a special treat it is to be a missionary during this time of year. I love it.

Love,
Hermana Garlock