My Dear Family!

It`s so great to hear from you again this week! I`m so glad your back is doing better, Mom, and that`s so cool that Dad is now praying in Spanish! That was one of the first things we had to do in the MTC as well, and it was nerve racking.  Prayer has its own language that`s a little different from normal conversational Spanish to imply the will of the Father, (that`s why you say te pido que bendigas, and not bendices like you would if you were just conjugating normally.) If you keep studying like you are, I`m sure we`ll be able to speak just like normal when I get home!

Mom, I`m glad you`re keeping busy with all of your RS duties, and I`m so greatful for all that you do. Here in Ecuador one of the biggest problems of the church is that there aren`t very many leaders, or people willing to be leaders, so I`m so touched by the great example of thoughtless service in our family from you and Dad, (and Emily, goooo misioneras! =) ) 

This week we made a goal as a new companionship to work with less active men that hold the higher priesthood, and we got the list of them from our district secretary. We`ve been having a lot of success so far! We`ve even found a couple of families with children that still need to be baptized, so when they reactivate, the dads will even get to see their children participate in their first convenant of the Gospel. It`s very exciting!

Elder Medina is an expert in fortifying small branches because he had a couple of callings in his home branch before he came out, and it`s really exciting because the members also get excited to help with the work when they can see the long term vision. Most of our new investigators are non-baptized family members or neighbors. I hope the spark sticks with our new branch president that the rumor says we`ll have next week. His support is so crucial in the development of the branch.

The rain has not been too bad, but when it rains, it rains very hard. There are a lot of superstitions of the people here about how to tell when it`s going to rain, but so far I haven`t found one that is a 100% sure haha =)

That`s all that`s new for us here, and it`s crazy for me how the Lord is hastening His work. I love the invitation in D&C 84:106. Him that is strong in the spirit, bring with you that is weak, to be edified with all manner of meekness so that he may be made strong as well. (or something like that, I had to translate it haha) 

Lots of love and luck from the south,

Elder Hales. =)