I WISH I WAS A TOURIST

HELLO MIS QUERIDOS AMIGOS AND FAMILIARES

First things first, BAÑOS IS THE PRETTIEST PLACE I HAVE EVER SEEN. IT IS AMAZING. I took so many pictures, so prepare yourself. They don't really do it justice though, so all of you should come out here as a tourist. 

Okay, let me back up a bit. Last Monday was my last day in La Concordia, and it was a good one. It was also Elder Muentes' birthday, so we had a little birthday/farewell party with some members.  It was super awesome. They gifted Elder Muentes and I both an entire cake, and this Hermana makes the best cake that anyone could find in Ecuador, so we were pretty excited about that. 

Tuesday morning, we woke up and I caught a bus to a city called Ambato. My old pal from my home stake, Elder Ludlow, also got transferred to Ambato, so we spent the whole 5 hour bus ride talking and reminiscing about Texas, it was a great time. However, the good times didn't last. Instead of getting dropped off at the terminal where the other missionaries were waiting, the bus dropped us off at the top of a hill, like 15 minutes from the terminal. I also had the cake that the Hermana had given me in my hands, along with my 3 suitcases. Elder Ludlow and I had no phone and no idea where we were or where to go. We were just laughing though, it was fun. A taxi pulled up, so we were able to get a ride to the terminal, and found the other missionaries there waiting for us. 

Okay back to Baños. I already love this area and my zone. There are three missionaries from Texas and only one from Utah in my zone, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that this has happened in the history of the entire world. 

Some other great things about Baños; 

If I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm cold. I missed that feeling so much. I also finally have a hot shower, I forgot how good that felt. 

There are also tons and tons of tourists here, lots of Americans, Russians, Swedes, and just other random European countries. It's fun to see other white people because not all the Ecuadorians don't look at me super weird anymore. 

Whenever I tell people I'm from Texas, they ask me if I was a part of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or if I was a cowboy. Some members have difficulty saying my name, so they just call me cowboy, I love it. 

We taught a homeless man that has lived on the streets for 25 years, it took me right back to my Portland days. 

My companion is Elder Santiago and he's from Peru. He's 25 and played semi-professional soccer before the mission. He has one transfer less than I do. He's a good dude, I think we'll be good this transfer. 

In my Book of Mormon studies I have recently been focusing on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and his nature, and so far it's been super awesome. I came across a scripture the other day in 2 Nephi 6, a great chapter about Jesus Christ. Verse 41 says, "O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name."  I really like this scripture because it makes it really clear that Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation, and only through him can we receive eternal happiness. I would invite all of you to make Christ more of a focus in your lives, and to rely on him. He is the only way. 

Well, that's all for this week! Love and miss you all!

I'm going to send the pictures in a different email, just fyi.

Elder Spangler

I Have to Go to the Bathroom

HEYO what's up my friends and family!!

This week was finally all back to normal and we were able to work like normal without any limitations, so that was super nice. That list I sent last week had some fun things on it, but missionary work is a lot more fun. 

First things first.... I GOT TRANSFERRED. I will now be serving in an area called Baños, which is apparently the second most touristy place in all of Ecuador, so that should be exciting. There's a ton of waterfalls and really cool naturey stuff, so I can't wait to go. It is also cold, and you all have no idea how much I am looking forward to that. I am really going to miss La Concordia, this was my first home here in Ecuador and I will always love it. There are only 3 things that I am not going to miss. 1) That dumb dog that lives underneath our apartment that barks like crazy every time we get home and tries to bite us. 2) The dust. 3) The heat. Other than that, I will really miss La Concordia and the people that I have met here. 

Shoot, I just realized I don't have my journal, so I literally don't remember anything that happened this week. 

I think I'm just going to end here and send all the pictures I took this past week. Sorry, not the most exciting update but next week I will share all the great experiences with my new companion in my new area!!

Love and miss you all!! 

Elder Spangler

How to Kill Boredom

Hello everyone, it's me, Elder Spangler!

Sorry, I didn't write yesterday, our Mission President moved our P-Day today because of the stuff that was going on. 

The strike has officially stopped, so we should be able to go back to work like normal now. This past week was pretty brutal though, we had to stay in the house unless we had an appointment that was 100% certain, and every single day all of our citas (appointments) fell through.  So basically this entire past week we sat in our house. The following is a list of things I did to try to kill boredom;

• Made balloon animals (rather unsuccessfully)
• Experimented in the kitchen
• Slept
• Studied the Signs of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
• Jump-roped
• Read the Bible Dictionary in its entirety
• Studied the Doctrine and Covenants
• Studied The Book of Mormon in English and Spanish
• Played the recorder
• Made paper snowflakes
• Drew pictures
• Listened to BYU Devotionals and General Conference talks
• Listened to approved music and sang along
• Read the Liahona
• Cleaned
• Looked out the window
• Ate food

There may have been some other things, but this covers the majority.  It was a pretty uneventful week. 

I also ate chicken gizzard 3 more times this week, so that's terrible.  It still doesn't taste good. 

Oh, I also forgot to mention, the first day of the strike when we had to stay inside all day, we didn't have water.  We had to bathe with some 5-liter jugs that were in the house.  It actually wasn't too bad. 

We had a pretty awesome miracle this past week.  Our Mission President asked all of us missionaries in the Quito Mission to fast (refrain from food and water for 24 hours) that all the problems in Ecuador would calm down so that we would be able to go back to work.  We started Saturday after lunch and planned on finishing Sunday before lunch.  We got a call Saturday night from our Stake President telling us that we wouldn't be able to have sacrament meeting cause it was too dangerous, so things looked pretty bleak.  We were able to do a little sacrament service in our house, just Elder Muentes and I, which was pretty neat.  We sang hymns, took the sacrament, and I shared a little message.  I felt like I should share a scripture from Mosiah, Mosiah 24:15-16. It says,

 15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage. 

It really called my attention that it said ''on the morrow I will deliver you,'' because I felt trapped in my dang house and wanted to be delivered.  The next morning, one of the mission leaders called me and said, ''Elders, the strike has stopped. The Lord has heard our prayers and answered our fast.''  That was a super powerful testimony builder to me because the Lord gave us an immediate and visible answer to our fast, I felt super blessed. It isn't always that way, we often have to wait and put in a lot of work to get the answers we want, but I know the Lord always hears us. 

That's all I have this week! I hope everyone has a great week and remembers to trust in God and say their prayers! 

Love and miss you all! 

Elder Spangler

A cool sunset.

                                     I cleaned our stove and I am really proud of it.

So Let it be Written, so Let it be Done

Hello everyone!

I don't have any time to write today, so I'm just going to explain the situation that's going down here really quickly. 

A few days ago, the president of Ecuador passed a law and the gas prices shot way up as a consequence.  Buses are like the only means of transportation here, so all the bus companies are now on strike because they are mad about the raised prices.  People started protesting and things have gotten pretty crazy and scary in cities like Quito and Guayaquil. In order to combat the protests, the president passed another law, prohibiting people from meeting in large groups, so people got even more upset about that and started protesting more.  We have had to be in our house by 6 pm every night, but thankfully La Concordia has been really calm and we haven`t seen any problems or signs of protests or violence.  I am completely safe and sound, just a little frustrated to have the work hindered so much.  I'll most likely have a full 2 hours next week, so I will be able to send a more detailed update with all the fun stories and experiences and stuff. 

Please don't worry, I am doing fine, but I would appreciate it if you kept the people and missionaries of Ecuador in your prayers. 

I took some pictures this week, so hopefully that makes up for lack of content. 

Everyone have a great week and try to apply what you learned in General Conference!!

Elder Spangler