This Week in Pictures

Well, more like the last month or so. Because I figured out I can, now.

Work for the Dead and Missionary Work

I learned something very interesting this week, primarily from this article, which I hope you can all read: https://www.lds.org/liahona/2014/10/missionary-family-history-and-temple-work?lang=eng

Wow! Isn't that cool? For me, it really got me excited to do temple ordinances for the dead! Sadly most of the Ord side of the family has already been taken care of, but there's lot's of work to do on the Scanlan side! I was particularly impressed by how Bednar describes the effect that the Spirit of Elijah can have in retaining members. It's pretty amazing, and how true it is! One of the statistics we as missionaries keep track of is how often we can get our recent converts to do work for the dead - and for good reason. When people have a chance to serve others, they are converted. The best way to serve others is through missionary work. And work for the dead IS missionary work.

Again, wow! Get involved, people!

And on that note, I'd like to mention how impressed I've been with the members here. There's are particular family here we've been able to go out with a couple times to teach investigators - the husband himself is a recent convert of only 6 months or so. But seeing them getting the chance to share the gospel has been incredible. They have strong testimonies that only grow stronger as they get to share the gospel. Do the same! And for those of you not from our church, find ways to serve! And maybe hear what we have to say. :) (On that note, I'd also like to quickly refer you non-members to this talk, also by David A. Bednar: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/come-and-see?lang=eng)

A quick funny thing about Ecuador. Maybe I'll make this a running thing: things I find chistoso about Ecuador. Well, this one's mostly about me. Every time I introduce myself, I have to explain, "I'm actually from the U.S." And then explain that my dad is from Samoa. It's good fun. Eventually, once my Spanish is better, it'll be even more fun seeing their surprise.

I'm loving it here! I hope you're loving it where you are!

 I tried to take this so many times. It's a good thing there were a bunch of signs that said "Quito" for me. 

 In Quito proper.

A view from our sector. That's Quito out there. We're kinda in the "suburbs," more or less.

A guagua de pan! (Refer to a couple e-mails back to learn what the heck that is!)

A typically dusty day in the outskirts of our sector. I think there's a horse or a donkey in that picture. Can you find it?

This reminds me of a Lucot powerpoint. "Parrillada," or essentially a mix of barbecued meats, veggies, and bananas.

Crushed it!

THAT my dear friends, is a chocobanana. It may look like a various number of things but it is actually delicious, and only 25 cents.

 A couple days ago the skies were miraculously clear, which doesn't happen often here, and we could see ALL of the volcanoes that ring Quito. I have no idea what their names are, but here's one of them.

My first baptism this past week! Wooh! It was great! (We all had a good laugh at Jeremiah in this picture...apparently he is yawning? Pretty normal Jeremiah behavior-that's our boy.:))

 I love the graffiti here and I have the pleasure of looking at this work of art every day, as it's right by our apartment. There's not much of a law here against it and so people battle over the same wall. If it's a good piece of art, it stays there for a while. This one's been here for a looong time.

An example of the buses here. On this one I had to crouch a bit because people here are short and not everything is accomodated to Americanos. I've already hit my head several times trying to get off the bus.

Well, this is the actual middle of the world, as calculated by GPS. Not big monument, but pretty cool. I have a video of a demonstration the tour guide did - you know that thing about the coriolis affect and water spiraling in different directions? We stood on that line and emptied a water basin and it went straight down. A couple feet to the right and it went one way, a few feet to the left and it went the other. Yes. IT HAPPENED.

 I am at the middle of the world. Yes. I am.

Pink bananas. Yes, I do take a picture of practically everything I eat. And record it in my journal.

Maquinas!

Somos maquinas! We're machines! That's what we were, a couple days ago. Tracting! Our District Leader came to help us with tracting and every time we got a contact he would say "somos maquinas!" Contacting is one of my more least favorite things, of course...but I'm trying to learn!

Small Miracles

Have I mentioned that they happen every day? It's absolutely crazy how many there are! And I get a front row seat to seeing them! For instance:

-We like to contact taxistas (taxi drivers), probably because of the story in Preach My Gospel of a - well, you can look it up yourself. But anyhow, it's great, because they can't escape, and neither can we. May as well contact! (Well, my companion does. I'm still working on the courage and the Spanish. But it's getting much better!) So we contacted one and left him a pamphlet. A few days later we were late to a cita (appointment) and had to catch a taxi. At least three or four passed by and for some reason wouldn't stop for us. Then, finally, one did. We climbed in, and it took me a second but then I realized...IT WAS THE SAME GUY. This time we left him a Book of Mormon! Who knows what'll happen next?

-Our very first contact that day with the District Leader just let us in and was like, yeah, yeah this is awesome! as we taught him Lesson One! What??

-And more!

The Ward

Some quick notes about how things work here in the Church in Ecuador:

-So many people are converts, it's not even funny. I don't know if I've met a member yet (a parent, at least) that was born in the church. It's a bit daunting for me, but also exciting. That's the impact I can have.

-Not many people can play the piano, if any. We just use a little electric keyboard (I really need to offer my services, actually.). And so nobody REALLY knows how to sing the hymns, and so sometimes they just make it up. It's kind of fun, some of their interpretations. It just throws me off. And I'm the only one harmonizing. Sooo sometimes I don't sing much heheh.

-Our ward we're in, Moran, is pretty great. The hard part, like so much of Latin America, is that there are tons of inactives. That, and as missionaries we have to work hard to keep recent converts involved, etcetera. For instance, we have to teach all the lessons to a less-active and they have to have an interview with the Obispo (bishop) to be considered active again. Oh, and tithing is it's own separate lesson. But it's great! I'm really coming to love the members here, even if I can't speak to them all the time.

This week I've been thinking about weaknesses, a bit. It's incredible the promises extended to us in Ether 12:27 ("And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them"). It's a verse I'd always kind of looked over, but now it's come to have a new meaning for me. It's something I NEED to learn as a missionary. There is always that hope, that I can get better, that things WILL get better. It begins with a faith in Christ, and the changing power of his Atonement. The Gospel is all about change. That's the central message. That none of us are static, that we can only get better and better. I also found this verse today that I love in Alma 31:31 ("O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me"). Our souls can be comforted in Christ, no matter how sorry they are. That is what I love. Ciao, for now!

Hey, any of you that have questions about Ecuador or missions or whatever, preguntame! And spread the blog! (Mr. Lucot, Mr. Wagner, Mrs. Schuster, are you reading this?)

FOOD!

Lamentably I have no pictures. Somehow I keep forgetting my cord. Satan is after me, for sure.

ANYHOW we're going to talk about FOOD today! One of my more favorite topics, right? I'm really coming to LOVE the food here in Ecuador and for many reasons. Let's begin with...

FRUIT

Now I knew I would love the fruit here, and that it was the capital of the fruit world in many ways, but I didn't exactly understand how much I would! First of all, there are all sorts of cool things I've never seen before that I just love. For instance, tamarindos (tamarinds?), which kind look like big brown peas - you crack them open and there's a great citrus-y fruity part inside that you suck off the seed. Also, there are so many types of bananas here I still can't get them all straight! My FAVORITE, so far, has been Verde (Green, literally. The ripe version is called Maduro, or mature.). Well, Verde itself is no good - it's a really big banana, but it's starchy, rather than sweet. BUT what you can do is cut it up, cook it in oil, smash it, cook it in oil AGAIN and it makes the best, thickest, most delicious chips I've ever had.

I'm already missing it. Hey, keep a tally of things like this that exist in the states so I can know what I can make when I get back.

FISH

Everybody says the food in the coast is the best, and that seems to be true! All of my favorite dishes I've eaten at members' houses included a coastal element. One of which includes fish. It turns out I like fish eyes! They're kindy chewy and for some reason taste kind like an egg. Really, it's not gross at all.

And the King of Kings is encebollada, a coastal fish soup, essentially. I've only had it once, and I've heard that it's only better in the coast. Soup is a big part of every meal, and this is the best kind. They also like to put banana chips, popcorn, all sorts of things in their soup to add a crunch to it, too.

The Samoan side of me is so happy.

BREAD

There are so many bakeries here it's not even funny. It's the way that Ecuadorians do it, really, they just set up shop outside their house, and so there are many who specialize in bread. It was absolutely horrible yesterday as we were fasting (fast Sunday!) walking past all the open bakeries with the sweet smells wafting out.

One thing they have here that's seasonal is called "guaguas de pan." "Guagua" (wahwah) is the word in the indigenous language here for "baby." So, bread babies. They're shaped like little wrapped-up babies with frosting on top with a face and everything, and jam or caramel or the like inside. So good!! I'm planning to get a bunch today before they're gone.

Hey everybody, keep sending me things you want to hear about Ecuador! I'll have to respond to them slowly, I only have so much time to e-mail, after all. But don't you agree this was an important topic to start off with?

The Lord Works In Many Ways

I was reading Hna. Wahlstrom's letter (I read all of yours, by the way, Nick, Sidney, Richard, Zach, and the rest! They really help me!) and she mentioned how she was reading in the chapters where the Anti-Nephi-Lehies believed so strongly they willingly gave up their lives and thus many Lamanites were converted. And how the scriptures say, essentially, "and thus we see that the Lord worketh in many diverse ways for the salvation of his people."

It's something I've been thinking about. There are so many ways that we can help, and we never know what action of ours can change the life of another. We simply can't have fear to share the Gospel (Something I'm still learning! I don't like to contact much.). For instance, just this morning we were on the trolley and a guy got on - he looked right at me and I quickly looked away. It was uncomfortable. And over the next five minutes as people got on and off he got closer and closer to us until he was right there - and my companion could tell he was looking at us, and so made contact. And it turns out he'd heard of the church before, in Madrid (he was white, which is becoming really peculiar to me) and even willingly gave us his business card so we could have some missionaries contact him! (He lives outside our sector, in Quito proper.) Wow! And here I was, afraid. I shouldn't have been!

I'm trying to learn to walk by faith. I know the Lord has prepared a way for each and every one of us. We just need to rely on Him, solely on Him, praying and searching the scriptures. I'll figure this out. I will, because the Lord has given me all I need and knows how much I can handle!

Ciao! (Is that how it's spelled?) Les amo!

Elder Scanlan

Quito!!

Jeremiah seemed to be short on time, but we are so glad to hear from him! The attached pictures were sent to us from Sister Richardson. She also told us his companion is Elder Budge "a very happy and good-hearted elder from Utah". In a quick note to me, Jeremiah said his companion is "fantastic". We appreciate your prayers and thoughts for Jeremiah as he adjusts to life in Ecuador.

I'm sorry this will be very short. My companion (mi padre, my trainer) has been sick so we had to go down to the offices today, and we didn't get back until late.

Wow, all the things that are happening down here! It's a very different place. The area I'm in I believe is called Calderon. It's a very big sector (for the city, at least) - maybe as much as 20 minutes from end to end by bus. It isn't in Quito proper, it's probably what equates to suburbs here. So, I'll just list a whoie bunch of stuff about the area and maybe that'll give you an idea of what it's all like.

-Most people just work in little stores they have in front of their homes. There are supermarkets and whatnot, but they're few and far between. All of the shopping we do in the week (like, if we need something badly or want a little something to eat) is done at these little stores. And they use American money here, which is really convenient. Some of the coinage is different, though. And they never use one dollar bills - always coins. Which I think is pretty cool. They've got the gold Sacagawea  ones, but also for some reason the first 20 or presidents. My goal is to collect them all by the end! I've got Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and I think John Adams so far.

-There are tons of stray dogs. All you have to do if they start barking at you is pretend like you pick up a rock and are about to throw it at them, and they'll back down. But it can be a bit scary sometimes.

-It's pretty crazy how many people they can fit into a bus sometimes. No wonder it's so easy to get robbed here (apparently they have a few cases each month with the missionaries)! I haven't so far, but I'm being careful. I looked like a fool the first time I got onto a bus, flopping around as I tried to hold on. But I'm already getting the hang of it - it's our main mode of transportation here, other than the occassional taxi.

-Dusty, dusty. I don't really know why, but it is in this area.

-Two things you'd never see in the States: payphones and pay...internet? That's what I'm using right now, actually. Lots of stores have little desks where you can pay to use the internet - I guess because not everyone can afford a computer here! that's for sure.

President Richardson is great, and I can really feel the love both him and his wife has for us. I'm sad I won't be able to serve with them the entire time - I'll have a different President for the last couple months.

Sorry I don't have any pictures today! No time.

The most important thing I have to learn is losing myself in the work. That is the Character of Christ. I can't think of myself, I have to turn outward and help OTHERS. That's where I'll find true joy. I love you all!

Elder Budge and Elder Scanlan

New Missionaries and their companions

President and Sister Richardson with Elder Scanlan

The newest arrivals to the mission

Dinner at the President's home

CCM Wrap Up

 We heard from Jeremiah just as I was posting this to his blog today (he sent this email last nite). He made it to Ecuador safely! He says it is very pretty and at least people drive in their correct lanes.:) He will be in the mission home for a few days and will receive his new companion and area assignment on Friday.

Man, what a crazy six weeks this has been! I have LOVED my time here in the
CCM. Nowhere have I felt more spiritually fed, every single day. I don't
think I even realize how much I'm going to miss it. I'll probably have
withdrawal over the next week or two. We'll see. But I am SO ready to
leave, and can't wait to get going to Quito! My plane leaves at 2:00 in the
morning tomorrow. I hope I can get enough sleep. It's a little harrowing to
be going out into the real world, where not everyone is Mormon. The CCM - I
don't know if I ever explained this - is a walled-off, gated part of Mexico
City. And not one of the particularly nice parts, either, apparently. I've
only had contact with "outsiders" maybe three times - when I went to the
temple, and the two times we taught TRC, which is when we teach volunteers
(the rest of the time it's either teachers or other missionaries). But hey.
It's gonna be great.

Elder Neil L. Andersen

I keep forgetting this even happened not two days ago - that's a testament
to how spiritual this place is that I forgot that I SHOOK THE HAND OF AN
APOSTLE. Well, it was super quick because he wanted to shake the hands of
all the missionaries and we had a giant line that they kept moving pretty
fast, but hey. I did it. This is only the second apostle I've ever had a
change of being close to in my life, the first being Elder Bednar who I
recall gave a fireside or some sort many years ago up at the Greentree
building (am I remembering that right, people?).

Also, I got to be in the choir, which was awesome, because I got to stand
pretty much right behind Elder Richard G. Maynes (who was along for the
ride with Elder Andersen I guess) and thus not more than five feet or so
from Elder Andersen. We sang I Stand All Amazed (in Spanish), which was
also great because it's one of my favorite hymns.

No pics, sorry, we were specifically told not to. That would've been a mess.

And not surprisingly I suppose, Elder Andersen decided to talk to us about
the Atonement. It was a great devotional.

I think that's one of the most important things I've gotten to learn about
here. And what I've learned is that I'll be learning about if for my whole
life. But I am so grateful for a God who loves us so much He sent His only
Son to atone for our sins. That is the message I want to bring to the
people of Ecuador. I relearn it every day, and in the most unlikely of
places - but maybe that's not unlikely, because it's something that can
touch every one of us. I hope it does.

Everything I Needed In Life I Learned In Band

The other thing I'd like to mention is a little I've learned about
dedication. I've gained the reputation here in my district as the
hardest-studying missionary - I won't say it's undeserved, I suppose. They
asked me why I can do that so easily, so easily dedicate myself to
something and I thought about it a lot and this is what I think is the
answer.

I learned it in band.

(Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Matchett, Drew, if you're reading this you have every
reason to feel validated, and maybe share this in a pre-game pep talk or
two.)

I seem to remember a poster or piece of paper stuck up on the band room
board that said this, or something like it. And you know what, I think it
WAS in band that I learned how to do this! All of my study habits and
ability to focus came from pushing through those last minute attention
drills or the countless hours I spent trying to get that stinking trumpet
lick in Chester under my fingers. Because I learned that process of
relentless practice, I knew how to apply it out here - and it was just
second nature. I slipped right into to it, because I'd been taught to
expect nothing less of myself and that dedication. And I enjoy, it too. I
know the results come because I've seen how they come in the past from this
kind if practice.

So, join marching band.

I'm surprised at how much I miss it. I really miss music and being able to
make it. I love how music can be used to praise God - like singing in the
choir!

Well, if that wasn't the geekiest way to end an e-mail. I have so much more
to write about but...another time. Next time you hear from me I'll be in
Ecuador! Hasta luego!

Elder Scanlan

 My classroom...I'll miss it, but I won't! I practically lived here for the past month and a half.

 The district and our teacher Hno. Juarez! He'll be going to BYU - I'm going to hunt him down there.

 Teacher and first "investigator," Hno. Medina!

Understand Your Purpose!

This e-mail will be short, but I hope you learn something from it.

I've been thinking a lot about what I need to do to be the missionary the Lord wants me to be. At times it's hard to forget that all of you back home are enjoying Super Smash Brothers and Five Guys. I'm deathly afraid of not being able to do the work here, but I've felt very unfocused at times, and find it hard to want to teach lessons to our "investigators."

Here's what I learned: I will overcome that when I understand my purpose.

My purposed here is to invite others to come unto Christ. To have faith in Him and His atonement and the plan that God has prepared for us so we can live with Him and our families forever. When I truly remember all the things God has done for me, and the love that I've felt from Him - because it is real, and don't you ever forget that, and if you don't know it yet, pray to Him and read his words and you will feel it - when I remember that, I can remember my purpose here. To share that with others.

Then, I can do anything. That isn't to say it won't be difficult, but when I understand my purpose, I will want to go out every day and leave everything behind. It's why I came here in the first place. Because I want to show others the love God has for them. So many, as the scripture says, have been kept from the truth because they know not where to find it! It´s very daunting, at times, to be a missionary. All my life I've looked at them and said "wow, I can't believe they do that. It must be so hard to do what they do, and they are at the center of so much of what our church can offer." And now that has to be ME.

I need to devote all my time and energy here, and in Quito in a week! I can't wait! This might be the only e-mail for two weeks - I leave from Mexico City early Tuesday morning, and I don't know if I'll get to send anything when I get there. There are 20 of us going. Can't wait!

Also, we got to visit the temple grounds this morning. It's a pretty sweet temple. Check out the pics. Sadly, we couldn't go inside, because it's under construction, but we got to go through the visitor's center this morning. It was funny for me in a way - I've been to the Washington DC temple and visitor's center. It's really crazy how different these two world capitals are! And yet, it is the same Gospel.

Oh, one last thought: goals and planning are awesome. I'm starting to learn that. Actually, I might've talked about this before. So I'll share a goal with you: when I get back, I'm making it an ACTUAL GOAL to learn Japanese! We met a Sister missionary here at the visitor center who speaks Spanish, French, English, Russian, and Castellano. how cool is that! Set some goals, and achieve them! It feels pretty great.

Mexico City

Mexico City Temple

Exchanging ties with an Elder in the CCM

General Conference

For those who may not know, General Conference is a semi-annual meeting of our church. It is broadcast world-wide and contains many uplifting and edifying speakers. You can find more here
 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?cid=HPSU100514465&lang=eng.
  

Jeremiah seemed to be short on time this week, but we are so happy to hear from him. There weren't any captions for the pictures, so I tried my best.:)

Man, how awesome! I took a good 20 pages of notes (in my little notebook, so I guess it's not THAT impressive). I don't even know what to share, honestly! I think I'll share my overall impression.

It seems like the theme was "listen to the prophets." I think it's rather timely and very applicable to all of us. The point here is that prophets are the mouthpiece of God (Amos 3:7). We must listen to their council, no matter how hard it is to hear. I've been studying the first bit of the Book of Mormon again, and it reminds me of how Laman and Lemuel were always getting worked up because Nephi was simply telling the truth. Likewise, we shouldn't murmur. We have to decide where we truly put our trust - in man or in God and his teachings. It's really as simple as that. It's very hard to follow, sometimes. But ultimately it is part of learning humility. We have to humble ourselves and show our love for the Lord.

Also, I found it interesting that TWO talks were about lifting up the poor. I don't know that I've heard that much in recent General Conferences. Holland's talk was incredibly powerful. I hope we can all follow that council.

And how cool was it that they let speakers talk in their native language! The second they announced the Cantonese speaker there was a buzz in the auditorium (that's where we watched all the sessions). I thought it was incredible. The Spirit testified to me that these truly is the church of God. Not just an American church or something else. It's global in its reach because God's reach is global. Sadly, the Spanish talks were translated for us as well. The latinos were all in a different place watching conference, so they got to hear it in Spanish. They were pretty happy about that, to say the least. So cool!

Speaking of latinos

We have a whole bunch in our casa now! It can be awkward at times because not all of us Norteamericanos have great Spanish (I should honestly be practicing with them more) but they're cool. We bonded with them by racing paper boats in the drains outside our casa while it was pouring rain. Apparently one of them is going to be a pro soccer player! And the Peruvian gave us all some real chile seeds to try. They were pretty darn hot! I loved it, of course. Right up my alley.

Sorry I don't have much time. I'll leave you with some pics!

Watch conference! Send Elder Bednar's talk to your friends! I love you all!

Elder Scanlan's district, I assume.

Doritos...not sure why these are picture-worthy.:) I must be missing something.