HERMANA YOUNCE IN ECUADOR : Friendly Moments

I was obsessed with my hair today, so of course I had to take a selfie

Howdy! Well this week has been pretty average. we've actually been looking for a new house because we have two more sisters coming! I'm really excited about that but its so hard to find a house with two bathrooms and two bedrooms with a large living area to study... in fact its like impossible. But I just keep praying that we can find something soon!

Things with my companion are a little better! We've actually had a couple friendly moments together this week! I'll share my favorite, so one night I was straightening my hair for the next day and we were chatting about her old district and she came and sat down on the bed behind me and start straightening my hair for me! Looking at us both in the mirror I almost started crying. We talked about boys, fun memories and laughed together. Prayer is real. I know I've been praying for this to happen and I'm sure all of you have too, so thank you for that!

Struggle of the week! Well in this culture people call each other "gorda" in our language its "fat" or "chunky" and its no big deal here. But EVERYONE tells me I'm fatter than my comp. One member tried to sell me one of those jumpsuit things that sucks all your fat in..... I had been able to just suck it up until Sunday when a woman in my ward told me I look like I am pregnant. How convenient that I was eating a chocolate cupcake when she told me this and she took my cupcake and told me I didn't need to be eating it. For some odd reason she thought she was hilarious. Well, not only did I not think she was funny, but neither did the other women in the room. While one of the women stood up for me by telling her she shouldn't be talking, because she was bigger than I was. I proudly took my cupcake back and finished eating it. After she was put in her place by a protective woman in the ward she felt bad and apologized. I've just been reminding myself that I am a beautiful daughter of God and I made a goal to work out as hard as I could every morning. Its hard enough to be here and be white and feel self conscious cause I feel so out of place but to be self conscious about my weight too... its been really hard. But I know that all these trials are just making me stronger! And I'm sure there's a special surprise in the after life for those who say rude things to missionaries. :)

A cool experience I had this week was we were walking to an appt. and after being blown off twice I was really discouraged. I was thinking in my head about a time I had shared before when I was proselyting in the CCM and a man came up to two other sisters and said "what is that book? Teach me! I wanna know!" And I said to my self that those things don't really happen. God just lets those things happen in the CCM so we still have faith to come out into the field. So we taught our lesson and as we were walking back home a man stops us and says, "hermanas! this is my sister! teach her! she wants to know about the church and the book of mormon"! My jaw dropped, and I just looked up at the sky and said okay okay I get it... God really is listening to us. And loves us so much.

Over all the work is great. We have a baptism this weekend. The homesickness is kicking my butt still, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty I know I need to be here. And the Lord has blessed me with two amazing families here who make me feel like I am at home and I am loved.

me and my companion!