Final Countdown

"What are you doing home from your mission? Are ya sick pal? ........Are ya still worthy?"

"Dad, Im supposed to be home!"

Just a laugh, dont worry!  Just a quick update. We still continue with the Macias family with a date for the 10th but they didnt come to church. We even did a chapel tour with them the night before and still nothing.  Just gotta keep going.

Since this is my last letter that I will send home, I would simply like to share my testimony.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true.  I know that God lives and loves us all personally.  Christ is ALWAYS there to pick us up when we fall and help us fix whatever we have to fix.  I think that is the thing that I have come to know most on the mission. The Atonement is real.  There are many things that I was able to fix and get better at, yet there are many things to do in that regard.  No other Man on earth is capable of giving His life so that others could live forever.  

People CAN change.  I have seen hearts of rock turn to broken hearts.  Also drug addicts, alcoholics, and delinquents change their lives for this Gospel.  Repentance lightens burdens.  If anyone needs to repent, DO IT.  Dont delay.  I know that God forgives sins and mistakes.

Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.  The Book of Mormon is true. It changes lives.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is the current prophet of the Lord.  Leaders in the church are called by inpsiration, not application.  

Families can be together forever.  The Priesthood of God works miracles if used worthily.  Missionary work is the best thing ever!  There really is no satisfaction greater than helps souls come unto Christ.  How can this not be true?  I know that God answers prayers and makes things known unto us as we ask with real intent. Patience, obedience, and humility are traits needed to see miracles.  I know all of this to be true, and I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Lomeli

Couldnt help it :)

After he said he would come to church :)

Cow Pied

Oh hey father! Bless me for I have sinned!

I cant help you with that....wrong church.

Hey we did it!  We found people this week!  Saturday and Sunday we were blessed to find 2 families that accepted us to visit them!  We basically decided to not touch as many doors and look for old investigators in our area book.  Silvana accpeted a date for the 3rd of September and we are going to go by today and talk to her 2 daughters as well!  We also found the Macias and Masqui families.  

I cant lie though, its been pretty hard here for the last 2 months.  And I know that it will continue to be hard until the end.  Seems like everything in this world is getting more and more dificult.  Elder Wirthlin in his talks, mentions the law of recompensation.  We should never feel that our efforts, desires, tears,etc. are wasted in striving for worthy goals.  We may not recieve the blessing now, but we WILL recieve it. The little moments of joy we experience are way worth the years of struggle and strife.

Other than that, all the members here in Cayambe are saying that Im trunky and all that stuff, but I really dont feel like the end is near.  I do feel like I am a little more physically tired, but this work is too special and too true to even want to stop talking and sharing about it.  

On a funny note, this week me and Elder Chistama decided to play rock soccer while we were walking, scoring goals and the rocks passed between our legs.  So Elder Chistama thinks he is funny and kicks a cow pie.  BUT the cow pie was still wet.  Thus, he had a dirty smelly shoe, and I had dirty smelly pants.  Thanks compa.

Phillipians 4:13

Elder Lomeli "Lamoni"

Cow pie aftermath

The District SANPUNBE in the middle of the world

Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride!

Mock, yeah! Ing, yeah! Bird, yeah! Yeah, yeah!

Damas y caballeros, we went to Hawaii this week!  We had a super cool activity planned by me and Elder Chistama.  It was kind of a Plan of Salvation based thing with a Hawaiian twist. We watched some clips of a plane crashing then we said that everyone had died.  We had some activities where the people won or lost points and we then judged into the three kingdoms of glory.  And for the refreshment, I made grilled pineapple :)  Ecuadorians think its weird, but some said that they were gonna go sell some!

On a sadder note, that kid Kairon that we found last week told us to not come by.  He thought it was going to be like an Evangelical church, but when it wasnt, he said no.  Oh well though, what can you do?  Keep truggin along.

So yall know that my mission is coming to an end.  Today they sent me my travel itenerary.  Snap it all happened so fast!  Ill be getting home around 9 ish.  Never really thought this moment would come, but it has and now just have to roll with it and finish strong.  It has been pretty rough in this sector.  First time that I have experienced something like this in the mission.  Im going to take Elder Wirthlin´s advice: "Come what may, and love it".

Remember who you are, and what God expects you to become  -Thomas S. Monson

Elder Lomeli

Gotcha! 

Eating "La Merienda" with our mission leader Jackson

Whazzzzzup?

Wanna know how I got these scars? How?!?!?!?!......Otterpop

Who wants to know something cool?  If you dont Ill tell ya anyway.  We found someone with a baptismal date!  The other two families that we found arent married and one of them doesnt want to listen.  The new guy on the he block is Kairon and he is 18.  We found him talkin to them strangers and all, and he said that he wanted to be baptized like Christ was.  I think my mouth was open when he said that.  We wanted to make sure that he came to church to we went and took him with us!  He has a date for August 13th.

In our house, there isnt much to use to do work outs so we went out and made a barbel with cement and a steel rod.  Schwarzenegger watch out.  I am going to make my comp go running with me. Hope he can keep up haha.

Other than that we passed our time in meetings, and I went on divisions witht he Elders in Punyaro.  I went with Elder Brown who is from AZ and let me tell ya, if you got a cow farm he will make you rich.  Does a cow call like none other.  He carried on a 5 minute conversation with a little calf hahahahaha.

Today for Pday the Wauki in Agato invited us to lunch and he invited us to lunch again in three weeks and he is going to make us cuy! Its guinea pig for you who dont speak the celestial language. Too pumped!

I know that this church is true!!!!!  A little tip for youth preparing for a mission.  Alma 4:19 is the only way to do things.  Just share your testimony!  

We make weights to get big.

FHE in Cayambe

The Machine that Washes

It was my fault Lloyd, I did it, you heard his last words......Not if you count the gurgling sound. :)

Hey so good news! In our new house we have a machine that washes our clothes and makes them clean again!  No more mamitas or scubbing them on cement to clean! Yay!

You know how our sector just got a ton bigger? Yeah well, we have been super busy teaching less actives and we got a rescue this week!  Her name is Bertha and she is one of the pioneer members here in Cayambe.  We kinda got scared when she went into her interview that SHE was going to interview the branch president instead hahahaha.  She is awesome and will help to turn the branch around.

We were also able to find two couples that accepted a baptismal date!  The first one is Leonel and Vanessa and the second is Miguel and Rocío.  They all accepted to be baptized on August 20th, but neither of the coulpes are married. Ugh.  We are still going to work hard with them though and not let them go.

Now that there are sisters in my district, I have to always be extra happy and willing to support them, so we went to their baptism on Saturday! But the weird thing was that there were a ton of young women there from Iluman (where I was when I first went to Otavalo almost 18 months ago) and they remembered me. It was kind of werid so we got outta there as quick as possible.

The Sexy 6 still goes on.  No visible results yet, but ya mismo.  Elder Chistama is doing well and kind of camera shy.  All his pants were wet one day and he had to study in shorts, with a shirt and tie.  He locked himself in the bathroom to avoin the photo.  That photo was gunna make me famous!

Anyways, the book is blue, the church is true, and Moroni is always on the ball.

Have a super great week!

Elder Lomeli

All hail the machine that washes!

Bus names are super weird here hahahahahahaha

The Sexy 6

There is traditionally a bad habit that missionaries fall into.  Its something called "Moms not here so Ill eat whatever I want".  The consequence of this is something called love handles, double chin, and kankles.  I fortunately do not suffer from any of these.  However, I gotta whip myself into shape, hence the last 6 weeks of sexy.  No more salchipapas!

Well, I survived changes and its offical, I will DIE here in Cayambe and Elder Chistama will kill me.  We are now also the only two Elders in all of Cayambe becuase they shut down the other sector due to lack of missionaries.  We also got to move into the bigger and better house that has a washing machine!  We are going to worship that thing so hard.  And for the first time in over a YEAR, there are sisters in my district....Any advice?

This last week we had our first meeting and interview with President Murphy.  He seems pretty cool and is kind of a crier.  He expressed though his love for us and hopes to elevate the mission even more.  He will do great.

Me and Elder Chistama also spent three whole days in Quito this week.  I was dying from parasites, so I got checked out.  HAHA NO IM KIDDING.  Elder Chistama had to get his visa so he could stop being here illegaly then we had a verification meeting since he is new to the mission thing.  But one of the days I spent in the house of one of the ZLs (Elder Plant from Riverton and also from my group) while my companion went out to work.  Elder Plant got his wisdom tooth taken out of his face to I got to babysit him while he was loopy.  He wasnt that loopy though becuase they only gave him a shot in his gum and yanked the little sucker out.  Good times.

The work goes forward in Cayambe.  Still no investigators coming to church, so we are pushing for that.  We also are going to be focusing on the less actives as well.  Pray that EVERYONE, young and old, male or female, will come to church.  

Hasta ver,

Elder Lomeli

Fritada (fried pig) BEFORE the Sexy 6 BTW

You saved my life, I am eternally grateful #DotheDew

Made In America

"He loves his wife, shes that wife, that decorates on the 4th of July, and says,

every day is independence day!" -Toby Keith

I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July!  Hotdogs, baseball, fireworks, popcorn, popsicles, and pop music.  Makes the US awesome.  I cant lie though, Ecuador is pretty dope.  I love this country, I really do.

This week was a bit better than the last.  We are still trying to find people to teach, but this week we found some people that are more willing to listen.  We just need to keep praying and finding is all!  However, here in Cayambe the other two elders baptized a great family!  The Zambrano family is from the coast and they passed through lots of trials to make it to the waters of baptism.  I had to buy quite a few of the siser´s delicious empanadas so they could get married.  They were so happy after!

Us gringos were super excited for today to come, so on Friday in the well-being meeting, we sand the Star Spangled Banner as the opening hymn.  You could say that patriotism never dies!

I have been reading a small talk by Elder Ballard about mental toughness.  I dont quite know how to translate into english, but the last phrase that he states is "Think you will baptize, and you will baptize!"  It has animated me a ton to keep going.  

Joshua 1:9

Elder Lomeli

Got da shooz shined :)