Apples to.....Onions?

Elders are like onions. *sniff*.  They stink? Yes....NO! Oh, you mean you leave them out in the sun and they start to sprout curly white hairs!  NO!!!  Elders have layers...HUH?  We just both have layers, you get the picture.  Cakes! Everybody loves cakes! Do cakes have layers?

Well another week has come and gone ladies and gents.  Things are rolling here in Propica for sure.  One morning this week Elder Liendo got up early to make breakfast.  He made pasta and a plate full of chopped onions.  I wondered what I was supposed to do with them, and he takes the worlds biggest mouthful of raw onions and washed it down with a teeny bit of pasta...  I think soon he is going to eat onions like apples.

We were also able to have an amazing tour of the chapel this week with an investigator named Daisy.  We ended in the sacrament room and we asked her to take some time to ponder and pray about if the church was true or not.  When she had finished she started to cry and the Spirit smacked us in the face like a ton of bricks.  She said that she felt that the church was true, and the next day she brought 4 of her family members to church!  In total we had 6 investigators come to church and 12 less actives!  But we still struggled to get them to commit to baptism becuase no one wants to get married here.

And to make the week even better, we found this kid named Eduardo contacting.  We taught him the Restoration and he accepted the baptismal invitation.  We got to know him a bit better and came to find out the he plays BASEBALL.  I was so struck I almost hugged the kid.  He is a pitcher like me so we will definitly be working to get this guy closer to Christ.

We have lots of big plans to take this ward up to the top.  Please pray that we can find a FAMILY that will be able to progress in this perfect Gospel.  I know that its true.  It is perfectly outlined to help the family become Eternal.  I just love being that blonde haired white missionary, in a pool of black people.  Its awesome!  Gotta try it sometime!

Have a grrrrrrrrrrrreat week! -Tony the Tiger

Elder Lomeli "Lamoni"


Get this guy some Sploosh :)

Got His Dad's Nose :)

Hello.....Hi.  So, uh, whens the baby due? Baby?! What baby!?! (wack with a purse in the gut)

Weighing in at 110 pounds and 5 ounces, measuring 5'4", and all the way from Tacna Peru, my son is Elder Liendo!  

I got to Quito and it was SUPER cold.  I am definitely more of a costal person.  Me and cold dont mix at all.  I was at a missionary hotel (house of a ZL in Quito) with Elder Colfack (also from LP) to recieve our children.  The night before we wanted to order pizza.  We called at like 9.30, check all the prices, tell them the address, and place our order. Long story short they said that it was too late and werent gonna give us pizza.  Dominos is 110% more reliable in the states than in Ecuador.  We all just considered it an unplanned fast haha :)

As I was thinking about who my comp was gonna be, it though I was going to get a gringo.  There were a lot in this group.  But, I was totally fine getting a latino, preferably not from Peru because all my latino comps have been from Peru.  But there must be something that God wants me to learn from Peruvians becuase he gave me yet another one.

Elder Liendo is great.  He is very intelligent and loves to just talk and converse about the Gospel.  He looks Asian becuase his mom is chinese.  His mom is currently a less active member and his dad isnt a member.  He is truly here on his own accord and had to go through a lot to get here.  He is teaching me more than I am teaching him.  I am very excited to be able to help him be the best missionary possible.

In the sector we are struggling with investigatos attending, but we have faith that they will come.  We find new people almost every day.  That is what is great about this Gospel.  We always have a chance to change and get better.  And the Atonement is just what makes it all possible.  This really is the true church.

Come what may, and LOVE IT.

Have a great week!

Elder Lomeli


Mi Hijo ✌

Baby on Board!

Rockabye baby, on the tree top, when the wind blows, your cradle will drop. When the bough breaks the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, crying and all!

Well if you cant tell, my new companion this change is going to be a newborn.  He is entering the final stages of labor with his mother in the CCM as we speak.  He is scheduled to be delivered in Quito tomorrow around 2:00 p.m.  Then after some time in the NICU with the doctor (President) he will be transfered to the hands of his parent.  I dont know who he is or where he came from, but I already love him and am willing to help him be the best he can be.

This week has been full of finding finding and finding.  But, sadly most of the new people we found werent able to come to church.  But, we did have 10 less actives come, so we hope we will be able to get some rescues very soon.  Please pray that we may be lead and guided to those that are prepared to hear the Gospel.

It was raining a lot this week, and it was the last week we had together as a district.  We were all really close, so we wanted to live it up a bit.  We wanted to play soccer erryday and just keep the laughs going.  The soccer court here is of cement, and when wet, is a great trap for Elders that think they are better at sports than they really are. The court took its revenge out on us, and we went back to the house wet and dirty everyday.  And to top it off, the one day that it was dry, it decided to slap us in the face by still making us slip and fall.  Been a good week for sure.

I am currently in the process of obtaining the recipe of the best encebollado here in Esmeraldas to make back in the states.  Anyone ever heard of yucca?  Before coming here I never had, but its like the potato. Start looking so we can have a bit of paradise later on!

Something that has been on my mind this week was a quote from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. "Come what may, and love it".  Sometimes we think that we need to complicate humility to live it.  Its as simple as Elder Wirthlin said.  It has started to change the way that I see and respond to things.  I know that it can do the same for all of us.  Just love life and learn from it. Dont complain, its part of the journey that God has planned for each and every one of us.

Hope yall have a good week!  Congrats to Dylan for yet again winning the championship in football!  LPOD

There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.  -Thomas S. Monson

I'm an Actor

"Youre the one that I want, HOO HOO HOO! Hunny" -Grease

Well thats the start of the new career folks!  I dont know if you knew, but I played Sandy in that movie.  I just barely made my welcome back appearance as a young blonde.  Our ward had a talent show this week, and me and Elder Arrieta joined the Elders Quorum for their act.  We did a RM presentation, and I played the ditsy blond girlfriend that somehow, magically, mysteriously waited.  The bit was that the RM wanted to say a prayer for EVERY little thing he did. To sit down, stand up, enter a house, etc.  The RM and the girlfriend go to eat and she goes off.  She wants to end the relationship, and the RM says "Lets at least end with a prayer!".
It was a fun night.  I had to embarrass myelft a lot but we gained the confidence of a lot of ward members.

Another highlight of the week is that we were able to give a lot of service.  We helped a less active who is also a RM paint a store.  Then on Saturday, Ecuador celebrated 50 years of the church being in the country.  We were able to clean up a park and paint all the benches and make it look pretty.  We all wanna serve God, so to do it, gotta go serve that fellow man o´er yonder wood.  Youll get blessings I promise.

I ponderized my first scripture this week (yeah I know, I started late), but its Alma 32:27.  Sometimes we are confused as to what faith really is.  If we can have a desire to believe, and expound upon the desire, it will turn into unshakeable faith.  So just start with that DESIRE to belive!

I just got back from a very exciting PDay walking around a grocery store for an hour and a half and eating less than decent KFC.  It really tastes better in the US.  We are going to work hard this week to leave tons of investigators for the missionaries that will be here next change.  We have started to work with the older brother of Hans who was baptized in August whos name is Boris.  Please pray that he will have the desires to go to church!

Well, time has gone fast yet again, and I must depart (dramatic right).  The neighborhood keeps asking me where is my RM....  Keep reading the Stick of Joseph.  Its a pretty cool book.  It has pictures and stuff (in back).

Have a great week! Eat some scones and chili for me for Halloween!

Elder Lomeli

Here is the clan. Sandy is in the middle :)
Dog named Mr. Weenie that lives in the first floor of our apartment

1 for the money, 2 for the show, 3 to get ready and GO GO GO!

Im glad they called me on a mission......Now that Ive grown a foot or two!........Wheres a map. -Dallin Martin

What a great week this week!  We just got back from a little hike to the lighthouse so we are nice and sun burnt and scratched up.  Gotta love it. 

So we recieved some very suprising news Thursday night at ward council.  The Espinoza family wanted to get baptized Saturday!  That left us with only two days to find the clothes and make sure all was taken care of.  Luckily this time I didnt have to climp into the celing, but I was willing to do it either way.  Irene and Neila were able to make the covenant of baptism.  I had the honor of baptizing Irene (the mom).  It was a great service and they shared powerful testimonies after they were baptized.

I dont know how many of you remember Jorge, the guy that we found in Agato with Elder Kimball.  He was the one who got to the day of his baptism and decided not too.  Elder Kimball just advised me that he was baptized this last week too!  Miracles do happen!  It has been a really good week for sure!  I knew that Jorge would be baptized and I am glad that one of us that found him could be there for it.

On Wednesday we had a training from President Richardson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He focused more on repentance and endure to the end.  We wre able to watch some clips of Rey León (Lion King) to help us understand.  We all just laughed for 10 minutes at Rafiki the monkey.  Funny guy.  They also fed us a grilled cheese lunch.  The Latinos were disappointed but the gringos had a BALL. We ate NORMAL FOOD!

I learned that this week Elder Arrieta was in a military high school.  And there, the higher the grade you are, you have TOTAL command of those lower than you.  He said that in his last year he only had to say he was thirsty and someone would buy him a drink of his choice.  He said he was pretty much a drill sargeant.  Hope he doesnt try any of that stuff on me haha.  We get along great and we actually cook quite a bit and make good food. Well, good for our time and resources ;)

I love this Gospel.  I love being a missionary.  I know that God directs this work and we are His instruments.  As it says in PMG and in the missionary handbook, I am having the happiest moments of my life up until now.  I love helping famililes find the truthfulness of the Gospel.  Go share it!

Peace out girl scout

Elder Lomeli

Monkey Business

Mormons can be Buddhists too....._ Danny (Sons of Provo)


This week FABULOUS!  To start things off, the Espinoza family passed their baptismal interviews!  They are going to be baptized on the 24th of October and they are super excited.  The dad sadly decided to wait more time to see if he wants to get baptized or not.  It may be a little struggle though becuase they work and study 2 hours away and they daughter now has school on Saturdays.  It will all work out though.

The elders of the sector right next to ours had a baptism this week.  Their chapel for some reason does not have a baptismal font, so they come to our chapel for their baptisms.  We show up and the font is locked and the closet with all the baptismal clothing.  Our bishop happened to be in Ibarra (5 hours away) with the keys to the two doors.  So what do four elders to when there are no keys?  Turn into monKEYS.  I was chosen to climb up a ladder into the cieling to jump down inside the font to open it up.  It was super dirty and small up there, and I almost died jumping though the metal frame, but the font was filled, and the father-daughter pair was baptized :)  Really neat experience that I will never forget.  Just remember that missionaries will do ANYTHING and risk EVERYTHING to make sure a baptism happens.

We just go back from a zone activity where we played soccer and made burgers.  Me and another elder from Arizona made "Rodeo Bugers".  We fried onions and filled the meat with BBQ sauce and even more flavor explosions.  The Latinos were kinda weirded out, but us gringos got a little taste of home :) "BAM!" -Emeril Lagasse

Oh and I was able to give a talk this week in church.  Talked about love, and may or may not have edified a few members :)  Sometimes these things are necessary.

Hey, just remember that no matter what, things will all work out.  That is why this Gospel is so perfect.  We have the Atonement and repentance to make us who God wants us to become.  Lets trust Him.  I love this Gospel and know its true.  To proclaim it, we dont have to shout in every city bus that we see (We have had that all this week from some Evangelical church....super annoying).  Share the Gospel 
by EXAMPLE.

Have a great week and read your scriptures!

Elder Lomeli

Me and Elder Arrieta and out new haircuts :)

Amazing!....But No Cinnamon Rolls :(

Let me give  some advice to all you haters out there "GIVE BROTHER JOSEPH A BREAK!" - Neil L. Anderson (he did not say haters)

This conference was amazing!  It was litterally on a high....a spiritual one that is.  All the talks strengthened my faith and testimony that those men really are called of God.  They are His mouthpieces on earth.  My favorite talks were by D. Todd Christofferson and Neil L. Anderson.  Oh and I am too pumped for the three new aposltes.  My bracket wasnt a winner, but we as children of God were!  I am excited to hear from them and recieve their counsels.  

Right now I am in Quito renewing my visa.  Im sure that not many of you knew that I have been illegal here for about three months.  My visa isnt valid, but all that will get fixed tomorrow.  Cant wait to be legal! Yay!

This week has been full of weird foods and fun times.  We had a zone conference with President RIchardson where we talked about our personall appearance, how to sectorize better, and how to cook more healthy.  That meant that we spent an hour and a half with Hermana Richardson cooking some delicious food.  Best zone conference ever.  And on Wednesday, we went to the mamita and she gave us a huge plate of rice and beans.  To go with it, she gave us each a pitcher of tapioca pudding.  The only drawback was that it was the color, texture, and flavor of pepto bismol... I dont know what they put in the food here, but that one was a first and a last haha :)

The Espinoza family is doing very well.  Thank you all for your prayers on their behalf.  The dad is not wanting to be baptized yet, but still listens and reads the Book of Mormon.  We will keep working with them to make sure they can make these covenants with God.  We have also found lots of new investigators this week to keep us busy.  So good when people accept the message seriously.  We all should preach to feel happiness and joy.

I know that this church is true.  I know for sure that God knows the desires and needs of our hearts and will answer in His own time.  We need to be RELENTLESS in defending our faith.  Now more than ever we need to be strong in the Church.  Challenge accepted.

Have a great week!

Elder Lomeli

Conference gringo style

Pres. Monson fan club