Monday, February 21, 2011

Where's Wallace?


Hey everyone!  Sorry for not writing last week!

Yeah, the rumours are correct.  I am now in the zone of Riobamba, working in a city called Guaranda.  My sector is enormous!  It contains everything south of Guaranda, right down to the limits of the Guayaquil North Mission.  It´s a three-hour bus ride to cross my sector!  It´s a bit different from my area in Esmeraldas, where I could cross on foot in 15 minutes.  I´ve also moved from sea level to about 13,000 feet.  The trip kind of did a number on me, but I am doing well now.  We´re working with more couples now, who also need to get married.  Luckily I´ve got quite a bit of experience in that area now!  My new companion is Elder Sotomayor from Guayaquil.  He´s been in the mission for about 14 months.

So... I´m not sure what to say now, because I haven´t been in this area long enough!  I guess I can tell you a bit about what it´s like here, as opposed to Esmeraldas.

1 - It´s COLD!!!  No more sprawling out on my bed without a single sheet.  I´ve got to bundle up now!

2 - I don´t have to worry about tsunamis anymore!  I´ve got volcanic eruptions to worry about now!

3 - The members here are awesome!  They have such a great desire to help us, and they sincerely care about the mission work.  It´s a district here, with only branches.  Our branch looks a lot like a ward because it´s really successful.  A bit different than my previous ward, which looked like a branch.

4 - No more Evangelical churches on every single street.  We´re up to our necks in Catholics.  I´m pretty grateful for that because they tend to be more receptive.

5 - We found a married couple yesterday.  Imagine that!

6 - I have a bit more responsibility now.  I had to give a baptismal interview last week.  It made me kind of nervous at first, but all went well.  His name is Francisco, and he is now baptized and confirmed a member of the branch!

Well, there are some differences that I´m adapting to.  Any questions?  I hope everybody is well at home.  Thank you all for the birthday wishes!  

Love,

Elder Wallace

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