Week 35 - Atacames - El Espíritu de Confianza

This week we discovered more of Atacames/Tonsupa and met more people which has been great! We were out walking, trying to find houses in the middle of hotels, when we came to a path that was blocked off by a canal. We decided that we would walk to the beach and cross over that way rather than walking all the way back to the main road. However, upon our arrival to the beach, we realized that crossing by way of the beach would be harder than just crossing the canal. I've never see this before. There was an opening on the beach into which the ocean flowed into this canal. The canal was also heading towards the ocean. It was a very cool and interesting thing to see. Maybe I just needed to get out more before my mission.

I had the opportunity to play guitar! We came to an appointment we set up when the husband walked out. We hadn't actually met him, but we told him we talked to his wife and she said we could pass by at this time. He gladly welcomed us in. As we entered, I saw about four guitars that were hanging from the ceiling. We asked if he played and he said he was learning. He asked if we could play and my companion informed him that I could. He then passed it to me to play. I just strummed a little bit and handed it back to him. It was nice to play again. I'll have to learn some songs so that we can use it to invite the spirit just before a lesson. 

We also had something truly remarkable happen. We were out and about, contacting, and we must have had a spirit about us. With almost every contact, our new investigators shared some very personal events going on in their lives and asked for our help. We went to the best place to find comfort, the scriptures. It was really interesting and my companion and I talked about it as we walked from door to door. It was really nice to see that we are bringing something more to them that they may not have had before. But, more importantly, that they had enough confidence in us to a) tell us somethings personal and b) ask us for help. It was truly amazing and I hope we can continue to bring that into the lives of others. 

I love you all! I hope that during La Semana Santa, you can read and study about the last week of the Savior's life as we prepare to listen to a prophets voice. I find much comfort in Matt. 28:6. That is my testimony to all of you. Take good care this week!

--Elder Ogden--

Me and my companion with new ties from Christmas (yes, three months after)

Our invitation to you: Attend General Conference!