Shall we do this in English or Spanish?

Welcome to the best mission in the world!

Bienvenido a la mejor misión en el mundo!

What is your family like?

Como es su familia?

That's awesome!

Que chevere!

Let's go!

Vamonos!

and gradually it went to pretty much all Spanish as the day wore on!

Our August 2013 group

3 Elders from the U.S.A.

and 

3 beautiful sisters from El Salvador, Bolivia, and Guatemala

Elders Walker, Nail, and Adams - Sisters Alarcón, Jachacollo, and Chub

A Welcome Lunch at the Mission Home

 New Elders and the Office Crew!

New Sisters and the Kitchen Crew!

(don't mind that some well-meaning missionary changed my camera to poster effect

 and the pictures lately are a little strange...but we got it fixed!)

Looking over Cali

Meeting New Companions

LUNCH...and getting to know you!

Poor Sister Medina has been sick...this is all she could eat!

But there are always missionaries willing to "eat" the extra-mile!

An Afternoon of training and off to their areas...

Good-bye!  Adios!

Going home...

Elder Elvis Ramos 

finished his 2 year mission and is headed home to Peru

 A departing missionary usually looks forward to 2 thing:

1.  Final interview with President Prince

2.  A nice farewell dinner (the LAST supper!)

Elder Ramos is the only missionary finishing this month.

He arrived to the mission alone and is leaving the same way.

So we took his great companion, Elder Reyes, to dinner with us.

You will be missed Elder Ramos...Good luck as you continue on with your life!

Life doesn't always go like planned...
Elder Ramos stayed one day longer because of Visa troubles
but he is finally on his way!
We are grateful for our Secretaries who have spent a lot of hours in the airport!

Hurry up and wait...or a day behind and a peso short...

There are just not enough hours in our days.

We wake up tired and fall into bed exhausted (and it isn't always our own bed!)

We try to keep up with all the missionary needs,

all the district needs,

all the stake invitations,

and our family far away.

We always feel like we are behind...

and thus is my excuse for not having posted on this blog for a month.

Here are a few of the things that have occurred 

(with no pictures to show for the 191 interviews that took place at an average of 15 mins a piece, in 6 diferent cities...you do the math)

A Trip to Buenaventura 
to reorganize the Branch Presidency

 a talent show

... the real beauty is in the Young Women of this branch!

 The Buenaventura Branch

 My Buenaventura Missionaries

Back:  Elders Armstrong, Didericksen, Novoa, Avalos, Martinez
Front:  Elders Musselman, Inga, Lopez

A Trip to the Tuluá District
to have District Conference

 Lunch with the Zarzal district
Elders Lang, Lamoreaux, Sisters Cedano, Cruz, Elders Hogan, Bran

Dinner with the Tuluá District Presidency and their wives

Well fed both physically and spiritually on this trip!!!

Finally arriving in Pasto for interviews!
This was our 2nd attempt to get to Pasto...the weather has caused us a lot of delays!

 Ipiales Zone

Time with the Pasto sisters...there are 6 there now! 

Family Night 
with Elders Cordova and Matos and their investigators

 Families can be together forever!

 5 of the 6 children have already been baptized...#6 is only 7.
The parents got married on Friday and baptized on Saturday after this family night!!

And Family night the following week
with Sisters Valencia, Galan, Hernandez and Chacón...

Back to Pasto for Stake Conference
we made it in spite of LONG delays in the airports!

Taking time with members, converts, investigators and missionaries
after the conference

 

 The members love these missionary sisters! 

 The missionaries here LOVE the members!!

Coming soon...
Photos from the Primary group that came to the mission home to 
learn how to make brownies! 
Now that was a fun activity!!...HERE THEY ARE...finally!

 Sister Galicia and Sister Villacis...the "master minds" behind the activity

 Getting started...singing I am a Child of God

 Stir

 Mix and create