LOS CHILLOS 12.29.14

ok. First off. thank you seventh ward primary for the most darling apron i have ever recieved in my whole life!  I want you all to know that the mission is the BEST thing in the world and that one day you can all go too!  I love you!

Also, please thank the Cederlofs for their kind note and words of encouragement!  I love the support from our ward! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  I absolutely LOVED talking with you people and i miss you terribly! But i am happy to be here in the mission!  Today we had transfers and i had to say goodbye to Hermana Monzon.  It was actually pretty sad!  I love her so so much.  She is such a good example of a hardworking missionary and i was so blessed to have her finish my training!

I am staying here in Los Chillos and my new companion is..... Hermana Bahr!  She is the sister whos family you called when we were skyping to help her find out her skype name and password.  She wasnt my companion at the time... but now she is!  We are both super tall gringas and i love it!  She only has two transfers more than i do, but she speaks spanish super well, so i am not worried about it!  I am super happy to be staying here in Selva Alegre because i LOVE this ward.  I love this area so so much!  I think i would maybe be content to stay here my whole mission.  I love it!

This week was crazy!  Tuesday we sang in the San Luis (a mall) and it was so fun!  My companion and I (hermana Bahr but we werent companions at the time) sang White Christmas together in english and it went super well!  It was fun to sing together as a zone and we practiced HOURS to make it good!  

On wednesday we worked and ate basically..... Maria made us a full turkey which we ate.  and it was delicious.  And the members kept wanting to feed us and give us things!  It is so humbling to be around these people at Christmas time.  Because even though they have their own families to worry about, they still love to do something for the missionaries.  Ah i love this ward!  I love this country!  

On Thursday we talked for skype. I really loved seeing you all with your smiling happy faces!  The mission really helps you to appreciate your family.  And i appreciate you all so much!  Which by the way mommy i got your package and i am in HEAVEN!  I died when i saw the carmels.  My companions (we are in a trio until Thursday) really want me to share and i am a tad bit reluctant..... 

Friday and Saturday were normal days!  We worked and found a less active who i love so much.  Her name is Mirian and she is always willing to do anything for us.  I know that we are going to help her get back to church!  

So the majority of our investigators aren´t progressing.  Which is hard.  But this Sunday the Familia Savando came to church.  And they loved it!  And we visited them last night and.... THEY WANT TO BE BAPTIZED!!!!!  We still dont have a date set but i am so so so so so so happy!  I love this family with my whole entire heart.  It has been absolutely amazing to see their progress over these past (almost 8 weeks).  And in all honestly, as missionaries we haven´t done really anything.  God has worked in each one of them, and he is changing their hearts. They are reading the Book of Mormon together and they didnt have a desire at first.  But i know that this book is helping that desire and their faith to grow.  I KNOW that the Book of Mormon has POWER.  I know that this book can change hearts.  It can change every single one of us.  I know that my personal conversion has come through reading the Book of Mormon.  And encourage you all to read and study it every single day. 

Merry Christmas! 12.22.14

Ok i want to say Merry Christmas but first off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!! 

This week was crazy, but i cant really remember what happened.... our investigators are progressing..... very slowly.  But surely!  I have faith that in this next transfer we will see miracles!  

Hermana Monzon goes home next Monday and i am pretty sad! I have LOVED her. And i have learned so much from her!  However, i am excited to finish up my training and just be a normal missionary! 

Although it is difficult to be away from you all this Christmas season, i have loved the fact that i dont have Christmas shopping to do, or lights to put up, or finals to study for, etc. And most of all i love that i am learning more about the Savior and who he really is.  

John 8:12 "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

That light that is mentioned in this scripture can be seen in a few ways.  There are times in our lives when we walk in darkness.  When we feel competely alone, stressed, or maybe tired.  The blessing is that we dont have to stay in darkness. We can turn to Christ and walk again in the light. But even more than that, without the Atonement, after this life... we would be in complete darkness.  Suffering the effects of physical and spiritual death.  I am SO grateful for the light of the Savior in my life. That i can repent, change, and become perfected in him. I am grateful for the opportunity that i have to share this light with others, and the strength He gives me every day in order to do so.

I hope you can all remember the Savior this Christmas season. And what he has done for YOU.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 

I love you with all my heart. 

hermana neff

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 12.22.14

Ok i want to say Merry Christmas but first off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!! 

This week was crazy, but i cant really remember what happened.... our investigators are progressing..... very slowly.  But surely!  I have faith that in this next transfer we will see miracles!  

Hermana Monzon goes home next Monday and i am pretty sad! I have LOVED her. And i have learned so much from her!  However, i am excited to finish up my training and just be a normal missionary! 

Although it is difficult to be away from you all this Christmas season, i have loved the fact that i dont have Christmas shopping to do, or lights to put up, or finals to study for, etc. And most of all i love that i am learning more about the Savior and who he really is.  

John 8:12 "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

That light that is mentioned in this scripture can be seen in a few ways.  There are times in our lives when we walk in darkness.  When we feel competely alone, stressed, or maybe tired.  The blessing is that we dont have to stay in darkness. We can turn to Christ and walk again in the light. But even more than that, without the Atonement, after this life... we would be in complete darkness.  Suffering the effects of physical and spiritual death.  I am SO grateful for the light of the Savior in my life. That i can repent, change, and become perfected in him. I am grateful for the opportunity that i have to share this light with others, and the strength He gives me every day in order to do so.

I hope you can all remember the Savior this Christmas season. And what he has done for YOU.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 

I love you with all my heart. 

hermana neff

A Christmas Dinner: LOS CHILLOS 12.15.14

Family! 

I am thrilled to be writing you all! I hope all is well wherever you may be!  

This week was super fun! We spent a lot of time with our zone because we were practicing a choir to perforn for the President Christensen!  We sang 5 songs for him and had our Christmas dinner!  I love President and Hermana Christensen.  They are wonderful and so kind!  We ate, played with bells, and played white elephant!  I won a toy chicken so i was pretty excited about that.  

I love the opportunites that i have to spend with other missionaries.  I love that fact that we are all so united in one cause.  Bringing others to Christ. And what that really means.  I love when we are all together.  I love being a missionary!  I think i love it because of the people that i get to work with, but also because i feel spiritually protected.  The days are not easy in the mission.  They are tiring and at times, frustrating.  But as missionaries, we recieve the strength of the Lord.  And the opportunity to learn something new every day.  

We are super busy here in Los Chillos.  I feel like we never have enough time in the day for everything we want to do!  The Family Savando is progressing... slowly but surely.  I love the moments that i spend with them.  I am always so amazed about how full my heart is with love for them, and for the people her in Los Chillos.I cannot imagine my life not knowing them! 

We were blessed to find a new investigator this week.  She is wonderful and so open to our message!  Her name is Jolanda and she lives alone, but has an amazing relationship with our Heavenly Father.  

I guess that is it!  Our investigators are progressing slowly but surely.  I have realized that what i need is pacience.  Sometimes i just want to get on my knees and beg them to be baptized.  But the truth is baptism is not a covenant with missionaries.  It is a covenant with God. So i am being patient and praying really hard for them!  And i have faith that one day they will be baptized and recieve ALL the blessings of the gospel.  

I love you all so so much!  I hope that you have a wonderful week!  

Hermana Neff 

 the only person taller than me in Ecuador... and she's an Ecuadorian too!

welcome to the beauty of Ecuador!

washing clothes!

There are fleas in my bed. LOS CHILLOS 12.8.14

What is uppppp 

I cant really even remember what happened this week... but i have some funny stories.  

So we are working with this less active (Maria) Right now she is living with her boyfriend (Enrique) but we are trying to help them get married!  Anyways they are our  good friends and they always give me coke (which by the way is so much better in Ecuador).  So the other day we were talking with Maria and her daughter Wendy... they were telling us how Enrique always has to be right.  Well, it was funny because whenever my companion corrects my spanish i always say "I know" even though i dont and we always have a good laugh over it!  So anyways we are talking with Maria and Wendy and my companion says "that sounds like hermana Neff! Hermana Neff, usted es Enriqua!"  So i guess i am girl Enrique.  I am Enriqua. 

Also, today as a zone.... we larped.  I am not kidding we made cardboard swords and fought for our lives.  It was so much fun!  The things we do as missionaries....

Hermana Monzon and I also got our nails done... i never ever thought i would get my nails done in Ecuador, but we had time today and it is super cheap here! 

So i was feeling pretty down this Sunday because none of our investigators came to church.  I prayed and prayed that they would come and they didnt.  But i learned something very important. Every person has their agency.  And i cannot control them.  But i can control how i will react to these situations.  As church continued on i started to feel better and better.  I couldnt figure out why i was feeling better unitl i realized that i was the spirit. My comfort and my friend.  The mission is not an easy thing.  Sometimes i feel stressed, tired, anxious, etc. But i know that i can always pray for peace and it will come.  I love my Father in Heaven for giving me this gift.  The gift of the spirit.  The negative feelings that come from Satan can always be beat by the feelings of the spirit.  And i feel this every single day in my mission!  We have this gift.  I am grateful for the opportunity i have to help others find this gift!  

There is a video on LDS.org called "He is the Gift" and i encourage all of you to share it share it share it!!!  I absolutely love it.  It is a good reminder of what, or rather who, should be our focus at Christmas time.  I am grateful for the opportunity i have to serve Christ during this wonderful time of year.  

I LOVE YOU GUYS WITH ALL MY HEART!!

hermana Neff 

p.s. i am 99% sure that there are fleas in my bed and...... our house doesnt have water right now...  weird how i still love this place with all my heart! 

I was WAY too excited about my lego set. 

Milagros 12.1.14

OK. MIRACLES!!!

This week was sooooo good!

So first we had an activity with our zone.  We went to an old folks home here in Ecuador and sang songs to the people there.  It was super hilarious and adorable and i loved it.  

On Wednesday (i think) we were walking out of a less actives house and i saw this middle aged woman cleaning in front of her house.  I felt like we should talk with her, so i walked up to her and started a conversation.  She told us we could visit her Friday and i didnt really think anything of it.  We visited her on Friday and her and her son accepted a date to be baptized.  It was super cool to look back at Wednesday and realized that the spirit was working through me!!

That same Wednesday we didnt have anywhere to go and we werent sure what to do.  Hermana Mollo and I had been visiting a family called the famliy Chano.  They were super great, but worked and studied every Sunday.... so we had to stop visiting them.  But this Wednesday i felt like we should stop by and visit them again.  So we did.  Turns out the Hermana Silvana is no longer studying on Sundays and her husband isnt working.  Miracle!!  They accepted a baptismal date as well!  We were so happy! 

We had been visiting the Family Savano for awile.  The mother, Joconda has cancer.  We have had some really great visits with them, but they hadnt been attending church for three weeks and we werent really sure how to help them. We didnt have the opportunity to visit them this last week and we werent excptecting them to come to church either.  

So Sunday comes around.  We had been really focusing on the Famlily Chano and Paula (the girl we found cleaning in front of her house) and were praying super hard for them to come to church.  It was stake conference in los chillos and we had saved seats and everything.  Both the familia chano and paula said they were going to come.  So we waited. and waited. and waited.  They didnt come.  I was on the brink of completely loosing my faith when i looked in the hallway and saw...... JOCONDA!!  Her whole entire family.  It was a miracle.  Joconda, Ramone, Kevin, Helen, and Diana.  I cannot express the joy i felt in that moment.  They loved church and that night accepted a baptismal date for the twentieth of December.  It is amazing to watch the spirit working in them.  I can sincerely see the Lord changing their hearts and strengthening their faith.  

I realized yesterday that even though i think i know what is going to happen in my mission, in all honestly i have no idea.   I may really really want certain things to happen, but the truth is, EVERYTHING is in the hands of the Lord.  This is HIS work, all that we do is HIS will, and he is constantly preparing and putting people in our pathway. People that he trusts we can love and do our best to help.I dont know what will happen with our investigators here in Los Chillos.  I dont know what the Lord has in mind for them.  But i do know that he has a plan for them, and he has given me the opportunity to play a part in their lives.  And i love them.  So much.  And i love the Lord for giving me the opportunity to know and love his children here in Ecuador. 

This gospel is true.  Although i may not speak this language perfectly, i can feel the spirit working in me as i strive to do my best in helping these people. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND I LOVE YOU ALL FOREVER!

Hermana Neff

p.s. we taught a family this week and the father told us that it talks about aliens in the bible..... hm. 

LOS CHILLOS 11.24.14

Family!  

How is everyone?? 

I am doing great!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENNY!! 

My new companion is seriously the light that i needed in this transfer.  We have so much fun together!  She is teaching me how to work hard, but how to enjoy it as well.  

So we were visiting a less active this week.  And her boyfriend Enrique was there.  We have been teaching him lots, but he isnt baptized and he cant get baptized until him and Maria get married. In this lesson was the daughter of maria (wendy) and her husband (Santiago)  They are also inactive.  So we asked Santiago to give the closing prayer and her really didnt want to.  So Enrique offered to help him and started to pray.  He says " ENrique, you say, Heavenly Father, thank you for this day...... and other nice things other nice things like that"  Hahahaha we were DYING.  Ok maybe it isnt as funny over email but we were dying.  And then we sang Nearer My God to Thee and he was singing HORRIBLY:  i was trying so hard not to laugh, but i loved it because he was singing from his heart. As i sat with them i saw an eternal family.  I felt that i wanted to do everything i could to help them obtain the goal of an eternal family.   Santiago eventually said the prayer and GUESS WHAT:  HE CAME TO CHURCH!! They only stayed for 1 hour, but it was definitely a miracle.  

We are teaching a woman named Claudia, she listened to the missionaries before, but didnt want to be baptized.  We are confident that now is her time! She loves church, the only problem is that she doesnt want to leave her catholic traditions.  We have faith that her heart will change!

I am so happy about the miracles that we saw this week, but the truth is, i realized something.  Maybe Maria, Enrique, Santiago, Wendy will never be active again in the church, maybe Claudia, the Family Savando, and the Family Asipuela will never be baptized.  But that isnt what is important.  I am here to simply make a mark on their lives.  And if i can help them even just a little on their path to eternal life, then i have done what i was sent to do. Because everything that happens in my mission and in our lives is what the Lord wants for us.  Sometimes it isnt easy to accept, but if we press forward with faith... good things will happen for us. 

I love the hymn Master the Tempest is Raging and the story that goes with it.  When the apostles said "carest thou not that we perish?" and the Savior asks them why they were so afraid, where was their faith??  Arent there times in our lives when we ask, "Carest thou not that we perish?" " What motivates us to ask this question? It is our lack of faith.  I am realizing that i need to increase my faith.  I am grateful that Father in Heaven is patient with my weakness and is constantly helping me strengthen them.  I love him! 

I love you humans will my whole heart.  

hermana neff 

Never give up! Los Chillos 11.17.14

I made it through my first transfer!! And i said goodbye to Hermana Mollo.  It was a little sad, but she was excited to return home! I have learned so much from this transfer.  I have learned to work hard and be obedient.  and that when things get hard, we need to always press forward!

My new companion is Hermana Monzon. She is from Peru. This is her last transfer in the mission so i guess i am a killer!  But she is SO GREAT!  She has so much energy and excitement about the work.  I am so excited to work with her for this transfer.  I am staying in Los Chillos also, which i am grateful for the warmer weather that we enjoy here!!

This week i learned something very important.  In the mission, there are days when i simply want to give up.  To sleep longer, to put off working, to really just rest.  This week i realized that this is not an option.  Ever.  Whether we are serving a mission, or serving in a calling, or raising a family... it doesnt matter.  We can never give up.  Because our perfect example, our Savior Jesus Christ, NEVER gave up.  He devoted his life to the salvation of souls. He taught, loved, and served all his life. He was rejected, despised, and i am sure he was quite frequently exhausted. He suffered for us more than we could ever imagine.  Even after he performed the perfect act of love, the atonement, he didnt stop working.  After his death he could have rested, yet we read in 1 Peter 3:18-19 that he continued in the work of salvation in the Spirit World.  If the Savior after his death did not rest, then what right have we to give up?  To rest from our own work in this life?  It is not easy, but was it ever easy for our Lord?

The great blessing is that we do not have to work alone.  As we read in Jacob  5:72, the Lord will labor with us in his vineyard.  He will give us strength to complete our work in this life.  I am ever grateful for him and his sacrifice. How blessed are we to know of this message? And because we know it, how much more is our responsibility to share it?

I love you all very much!  I am sorry i dont have too much to say about this week.  Only that once again we ate SO MUCH!  EVERYONE wanted to feed us because Hermana Mollo was leaving.  Seriously almost threw up... a few times.  But that i guess is the mission right?!?!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!  ¡Seguir adelante!

Hermana Neff

ps sorry no pictures.. we had a busy week! love you all!!

Grace. LOS CHILLOS 11.11.14

HIII!!!!!

first off. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY JACK!!!  I cannot believe you are nine. Wow. Ok at least i think you are nine. I am forgetting everything these days so i could possibly be wrong, but happy birthday! 

So this week we had the opportunity to go to the Panecillo.  It is a really cool statue that overlooks the city of Quito.. actually it is a little creepy but we had fun!  I wish you all could see the city of Quito.  It is so so beautiful.  

Ok so being a really tall gringa here in Ecuador can be interesting at times.  For example, i was buying some water at this little tienda in the street.  When i starting speaking in spanish to the owner of the store he freaked out!  And then when i told him i was nineteen years old he freaked out even more!  He kept saying to his wife "Que linda!" hahaha i was dying.  And my companion is sometimes bitter because the people here love gringos.  Well, i´m not complaning!  

Then we were waiting outside this investigators house and i was talking with a group of little girls.  They kept asking me to teach them english... so i started teaching them english. I loved it! I love the children in Ecuador.  Seriously the cutest kids in all the world.  So anyways  Then this guy pulled up in his car and asked if i was teaching english classes.  I told him that if he listened to our message i could teach him a little english.  Well he wasnt too happy about that.. and drove away.  

Press on! 

So we have some new investigators.  Three families who are seriously so great! In one of the famlies the mother has cancer.  But she has so much faith and i love learning from her great example!  I love when we tell people to pray to know if Joseph Smith is a prophet of God becuse if they do, they always recieve an answer.  I know that God answers prayers.  Sometimes i want to give up on people.  Sometimes i have a lot of fear to teach them, because i dont feel like i can help them.  Whenever i have these feelings i am reminded that every person that lives and has ever lived on this earth is a Child of God.  And he loves them.  And when i have this perspective, i am not afraid.  I know that he answers our prayers.  I pray every day for him to give me strength, and every day he gives me strength.  

I know that sometimes we simply cannot change our circumstances.  And i know that life can be hard. Hard things happen.  We feel tired, rundown, overwhelmed, stressed.  And we cannot change the things that are happening to us.  But i know that we can ALWAYS change.  As we plead with the Lord for his help, he will always give us the strength to face our trials.  Through his saving grace and love, we can grow and learn.  We can become strong enough to face any challenge in our lives.  The Lord is strengthening me.  Every day, and i love him for it.  

This transfer is almost over!  Which means Hermana Mollo is leaving me.  I have a lot of fear because the area is still new to me, but i know that with the strength of the Lord I CAN DO IT! I am ready and willing to face new challenges that come my way, because i have faith in the grace of our Lord and Savior. 

I love you all so much!  Have a wonderful week!

Hermana Neff

LOS CHILLOS 11.3.14 "The joy of tomorrow comes after the work of today."

MY LOVES!!!

How are you all??? 

My life is wacky-as usual. 

This week was interesting. Here in Ecuador they celebrate dia de los muertos.  So i ate a lot of colada morada and wawa de pan.  Which i realize none of you know what this is and there is no other way to explain it other than HEAVEN.  The sad part is they only eat it for three days in the year. This is the tradition.  So until next year! 

Also, it stormed. A lot.  The storms here are actually quite terrifying.  The lightning is always super close and loud and i usually feel like i am going to die... but at the same time i love them! 

So our investigator Eladia dropped us.  We were pretty sad, but the best thing to do in those situations is get back to work! So that is what we did.  We got back to work!  We have a couple new investigators that i will tell you more about next week. 

So the goal of our mission is to become a bilingual mission. So the spanish speakers are learning english while the english speakers learn spanish.  In our district we are having prayers in english every week.  So i think my district leader (trying to be nice) asked me to pray in english.  It was the hardest thing of my life!  I could not do it.  I struggled and struggled.  I guess that is what happens when you only speak in spanish for a month! After 18 months i think i will have forgotten english....

Today we went to this waterfall in the mountains called Rubybosque.  SO COOL!!  

Ecuador is seriously one of the most beautiful places on planet earth! I love it here.  Even though i am in a more difficult area, the Lord is always with me!  I feel him giving me strength in every moment. 

I sort of had a major realization this week.  Because in all honestly i was feeling pretty bad.  All of our appointments fell through and no one was really wanting to talk with us.  I had heard countless times how joyous missionary work is, but i havent felt that joy yet.  I have felt peace and happiness yes, but joy? So i was thinking about this and the words came into my mine "The joy of tomorrow comes after the work of today."  If we want to have joy, then we must be willing to work for it.

I love you all with todo mi corazon.  I love this gospel.  I love the Lord!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

hermana neff 

oh and ps happy halloween!

LOS CHILLOS 10.27.14

Hi!!!!!!!!

HOW IS EVERYONE DOING?!?!???!

So this week has been... well a little bit hard and weird. and really funny at times too.  

So Eladia was supossed to have her baptismal interview this Sunday, but she didnt come to church.  So that was pretty sad.  We are visiting her tonight to see what happened!  But we honestly have no idea. It is super frusterating at times because we think our investigators have testimonies and then they back out of baptism, or have fear, or.... well who knows!  And in this area it is not easy to find new investigators.  Very few people want to listen to us!  But we have decided that either we need to have more faith, or Heavenly Father wants us to learn something from this.  So we are pressing forward!

So on wednesday (i think it was wednesday....) i ate more than i have ever eaten in my entire life.  The people here LOVE to feed the sister missionaries.  So we went to have lunch at a less actives house.  She fed us well... chicken, rice, beans, cake... etc.  Then as we were leaving she made us sandwiches for the road.  Super super nice of her.  Sidenote: her mom is super old and LOVED me.  She was kissing my face and pinching my cheeks like i was a five year old.... hahaha so so funny.  my companion was dying.  Then after we visited another less active.  My companion had to use the bathroom (which i panic every time this happens because i have to make conversation with the person we are visitng haha) but i was talking with her  (her name is Rosa... sidenote again: every woman here is named either Rosa or Maria) and i asked her if she likes cooking and what she likes to cook.  Well then she asks me how much time we have and i say ten minutes and she starts cooking green bananas for us.  Then rice.  Then she pulls a full fish out of her freezer, chops it in half, and starts cooking it.  At this point i really am panicking because i am feeling bien lleno.  But she put it all on a plate and we ate it all.  And i am pretty sure in the process i swallowed a few fish bones..oops. THEN.  We really had to go to the bathroom so we stopped at a members house to use their bathroom and they insisted on giving us cake! (The members here ALWAYS insist on giving us food, but NEVER insist on giving us references!)  So then after we went to another less actives house and they fed us break and some really yummy drink that didnt taste so yummy because i was seriously going to barf.  haha this country is loco, but i love it.  

Spanish.... well it is coming.  I only have three weeks left with Hermana Mollo so i am going to try and speak as much as i can! 

Today we went to the Basillica.  The city Quito is so beautiful.  And this basillica really was amazing. I cant believe it!  I walked around thinking about dad.  It is so special to walk in the same places that you have walked papa!   

I just want you all to know that Heavenly Father loves families.  I am so so so grateful for my family.  Almost every day i sing or listen to families can be together forever.  I always tear up because i love my family so much.  And the mission has helped my appreciate how incredibly grateful i am that we get to be together. forever. 

I love you all so very much. 

hermana neff 

LOS CHILLOS 10.20.14

Hey FAM.  

Como estan ustedes?? 

The mission is WACKY!! haha seriously every day is quite the experience.  It is not easy but it get better every day! And i am learning so much.  every day.  

Ok so first off i am literally the tallest human in this whole country.  I have met two people taller than i am and one of them is an elder from California. Haha i TOWER.  Also, it rains every day which i love (when i have my umbrella) 

Second this sector is hard.  It is reffered to as la prueba de su fe.  Because the people have lots of money and are totally content with their life.  some people we talk to say that they are busy and will never have time to hear our message.  too busy.  Or they are a bit nicer and give us a fake address and telephone number.  Or they are strict catholic and get really mad at us...... haha it isnt easy but we are pressing forward with faith!

Third i have a testimony of fasting!  This week Eladia didnt want to take lessons from us amymore.  We asked her what happened and she didnt give us a straight answer.  So we fasted. The day after she recieved us again!  And accepted a date for baptism! We were so happy for her.  

Our other investigator Pedro is really hard because he wants to talk about everything BUT the gospel. And of course i cant understand much of what he says so i just try to not fall asleep during the lessons. 

I had my first baptism!  I know what your are thinking. "She is so amazing wow best missionary ever two weeks in the field already has a baptism!" WRONG! Haha i wish i could say i did anything for this girl and her baptism... but i didnt.  However, i have a lot of love for her and i have had the opportunity to teach her and her family a little bit! Her name is abigail. 

Ok another thing.  I really dont like contacting.  It is scary and i never know what to say or even have time to think about what i want to say! This week we were blessed to have the mission president and his wife visit our sector.  Our president pointed out this passage of scripture that has really changed my heart! 1 John 3:7-18.  PLEASE READ.  I am serious.  If we do not have love for other then we CANNOT know God.  Because God IS love.  And because he gives his love so freely to us, we must give our love freely to others. And having this love leads us to testify of him, beause is we want to bless the lives of others! And if we have love then we will have boldness, because there is no fear in love. Perfect love casteth out all fear.  

I love you all so much.  It brings me so much joy to hear of your successes.  Life is sweet. And being here has made me realize that what makes life so sweet is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Keep pressing forward with faith!!

Hermanita Neff (We are Hermanitas to the members here... i love them) 

My backyard

Mi casa

LOS CHILLOS 10.13.14

This week has been LOCO!!  

So we got to Ecuador and did training and such until Thursday. I love my mission president.  They are so wonderful!  I am very blessed to have them!  On Thusday i got my new companion.  She is latina from Bolivia.  She speaks maybe 10 words of english.... so i am learning spanish fast!  She only has 5 weeks left in her mission and most of her time here, she spent as sister training leader.  She is a GREAT missionary.  I am learning so much from her!  but it is a little scary because when she leaves,  i have to show the new companion the area, introduce her to all the members etc. etc.  So i really need to learn fast! 

So I am in Los Chillos!  An area in Quito that is beautiful!  It is a mountain/valley city and i love it.  We are completely surrounded by Volcanos!  Like huge volcanos! haha kinda scary, but awesome!

Volcano:

So in my first lesson here i couldnt understand much, but we were teaching and all the sudden i heard mooing. Like loud.  After the lesson we walked outside and there was just a herd of cows, walking down the street... casually.  There are also lots of horses and chicken and roosters.  I hate the roosters.  They wake me up at 5 every morning.  There are also billions of dogs.  They scare me a little bit.  

Our apartment is great!  And i looooove the food here! The members are also wonderful.  It is amazing how different i feel when i am in the home of a member over a non member.  I am so grateful to have been raised in this gospel.  It is TRUE!  

So one day this week we were contacting and werent finding anyone (the people arent very humble in this area) anyways we prayed to find one family and... we found four!  But we only taught one and they didnt come to church and we havent gotten in contact with the others... but it was a witness to me that God is helping us!  Even though we are just two young girls! 

the people here are all super catholic or jehova witness. So we dont have much success contacting. 

But we do have three investigators!  Pedro, Eladia, and the familia borrero.  Pedro lives alone and is really smart.  He has lots of questions and talks A LOT.  Eladia is an angel.  I love her so much.  She is gaining a testimony and i love teaching here.  The Familia borrero is more sceptical.  They dont have a baptismal date and dont want one because they dont feel like they are ready.  But they came to church!  And pedro and Eladia as well.  Hermana Mollo and I were SO HAPPY!!  

Anyways i am well and happy! and learning a lot! 

hermana neff 

QUITO 10.10.14

We got this letter from Eden's mission presidents.  They sound so nice, and it was so kind of them to let us know what area she will be in!

10 October 2014

Dear Brother and Sister Neff,

We are so pleased that Sister Neff is serving in the Ecuador Quito Mission.  We welcome her with all our hearts and know that the gifts she has been given from our Father in Heaven  and the talents she has developed will bless the lives of those with and for whom she serves in a unique way only she can offer.   She has impressed us as an outstanding young woman.  Her dedicated service will further increase her abilities and character in remarkable ways as I’m sure you’ve experienced as both of you served missions.

There are currently 251 missionaries in our mission, serving in 13 zones.    Sister Neff  has been assigned to serve in Quito in the Los Chillos South Zone with Sister Mollo as her companion and trainer.  Sister Mollo is known by the other missionaries as being a very hard working, and obedient  missionary who loves the work and is a great example.

Attached are photos that show Sister Neff with her companion; the group of missionaries with whom she arrived; the group with their trainers; and with us.

We know and understand that there is sacrifice on your part both emotionally and financially to support her during this period of full time missionary service and we express our gratitude for your offering which furthers the work of inviting others to come unto Christ and to receive the blessings of the Gospel in their lives.

With our love and gratitude,

President and Sister Christensen