Dear Family!

It sounds like everyone managed to have fun and stay busy! Jacob, I´m glad that you had fun at MORP! and I´m also glad that are getting ready for Prom. Emily I´m so happy that you were able to get a good job! I´m so excited for you! You´ll make a real difference in the lives of all of your pupils. =)

Some weeks go by really quickly. This was one of those weeks! With all the zone conferences, and some other really crazy things going on in the office, this week went by at a blazing pace! 

I´m actually really relieved that the temple conferences are all over now. It was a really interesting element in our weeks, and there were only a few minor panic moments with people missing their buses to go home and having to stay extra nights in our house. But other than those minor setbacks the conferences went really well! I love hearing President Riggins speak.

Last Sunday to start the Easter week we had a devotional as all the missionaries in our zone, and it went really well! The spirit was really strong, and we met two new investigators that some members brought to the activity! It was a great way to start the week.

The biggest thing that happened this week was a visa emergency for six missionaries. Luckily my job doesn´t have to do with the visas, but because of a weird new law change, six missionaries' visas expired before they were scheduled for and they almost got deported! (One of them happened to be my old companion, Elder Alucema!) They had to take an emergency trip in a bus to the Peruvian border, cross the border and then come back across onto the Ecuador side. So know they are here in Ecuador on a three month tourist visa until their regular visas can get fixed. They needed all hands on deck in the office though, and it was pretty chaotic! 

On top of that, two sister missionaries almost got kicked out of their house because a house owner wasn´t getting her monthly payments. It turns out that she changed her bank account number without informing our offices in Quito. So Elder Butler our finance elder had to go up to Quevedo with my companion, Elder Norris for all of Thursday and Friday to sort things out! I got the chance though to know the sector of the other elders in the office. They have a ward that´s a lot smaller, but they know all the members. It was fun to get to know some new people.

Tomorrow is Easter, and I´m really excited. We´ve all felt the love of our Savior during this Easter week, thinking about all the things that Christ did for us. Tomorrow is the glorious day of the resurrection! What a blessing it is to have the hope and knowledge of our redeemer. 

I love you all. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. Have a fantastic week!

Elder Hales =)