New Companion--Elder Garcia...Puyo Ecuador!

Elder Reynolds and Elder and Hermana Jones

Hello Everyone!
So I am in Puyo now. It's the jungle part of Ecuador! It is so cool because everywhere you go it seems like you are in a movie haha. It is soooo hot here. The only down part is the bugs...they are pretty much everywhere, but luckily I can't see very well so I don't notice the food moving at all. For example, we were eating at a members house yesterday and my companion wasn't eating really at all and I was like that's odd. Then we left and he said to me "I can't believe you ate that!" I was like "Oh man, what did I eat, do I want to know?" And then he said "It was some raw meat and the rice was moving!" haha who knew that rice was a living animal lol?? But all is good. My new companion's name is Elder Garcia. Elder Mooney and I spoke English all the time to each other, now it's back to speaking all Spanish! It is his last change and he is super ready to work! Which makes me even happier. It's back to cold showers here even though it is pretty hot during the day, at night it gets a bit cool as all the sweat kind of cools and you just want a nice warm shower instead of freezing cold lol. One of the cool things here is that you don't have to wear a suit on Sundays! That's pretty nice. On my way here, I was thinking about that and how it's going to be a long 3 hours but tender mercies of the Lord allow us to wear just a simple shirt and tie.

This week I was able to more or less get back in the routine. I was able to start reading again and man did I read and read and read. I didn't know how much I missed reading lol But what I did notice is the absence of spiritual feasting. Even though we were visiting people everyday and serving the Lord  actively...I can testify that nothing can compensate for the lack of reading. I felt that daily hungriness of spiritual food haha. I am such a nerd now but I love it! I love the Book of Mormon and how it applies to our day. I love how a lot of the prophets in the Book of Mormon saw our day and wrote accordingly. With that knowledge, I have come to gain a deeper testimony of the Book of Mormon. I think often times we look beyond the mark and try to do crazy different things when the answer is right in front of us. I don't have any cool crazy spiritual experiences this week, just daily little miracles that makes a testimony grow. We are traveling back to Quito for a meeting with President Barlow. It takes about 7 hours to get back to Quito so yay lol! But here we are still trucking along no matter what comes our way. More stories to come the next week!
Elder Reynolds

Update on his eye: He had to go back to the doctors on Wednesday and they had to take out 5 stitches that weren't dissolving. He said that was the worst because it hurt so bad. They put some little dinky drops and were like alright lets take those suckers out! He has a check-up this week, praying that all will be done with and he heals quickly and complete. 
Elder Reynolds is a zone leader and is currently in the Oriente Zone. He said the zone is like 12 hours in every direction so lots of buses! 

Waiting right before the surgery!!

Listening to Elder Jones tell how surgeries went bad... :o

Looks like Elder Mooney is the one having the surgery!

The night before, he had slept with his contact lens and when he woke up in the middle of the night, he took them out and it ripped in his eye.

Right after surgery!

Trying to get that smile for the camera lol

This is the doctor who did the surgery...Dr. Armando Sandoval

It was pretty weird just being able to walk right out of surgery without anesthesia or something...

Rocking my cool new glasses...

with my blind guide lol

Elder Reynolds, look this way for the picture!!

After having to fast, it was great to get some F O O D!!

My first meal :)

My companion feeding me. It's crazy not knowing what you are eating!

I was fed by him for a day and a half.

I'm so thankful he was full of charity!!

The day I was blind...RIP

Me trying to get around the house with our made up blind man stick

Elder Mooney...Companion of the Year!!!!

A long week of sitting in the house,

listening to talks over and over!

We were pretty bored!

In the church but not really knowing where I am haha

~Companionship Unity Award~

Getting my pirate on hahaha

Arrrrgh!

First day of seeing again! Man it was the worse...I thought it was going to be nice but it hurt so bad lol

Elder Reynolds has never had an eye exam so this was all new to him.

I got 12 stitches in that little sucker!

The doctor had these Urim and Thummim looking glasses!

B E F O R E . . . 

A F T E R . . .

Ohhhhhhh O U C H

I'm someones "blind date" lol

With wearing these glasses, everyone thinks I am blind so I'm telling my story over and over!

Ecuador Memories

It was funny because Elder Jones commented to me that he wants these glasses after I get done wearing them haha!!!!

I was a nurse for a day! haha These were my companions for Wednesday. I went around everywhere with them...running around the hospital lol

Can't forget those dirty bathroom pics haha

Elder Mooney is so funny lol

We are some cool missionaries ha

About a week...

after surgery!

Traveling alone to Puyo!

It's a 7 hour bus ride...here we go

View from our house

P U Y O  E C U A D O R

~Oriente Zone~