CAMBIOS!

Hey Mom and Dad,

Oh man so this week has been crazy! So yeah good calculating Dad, I realized I forget to tell you but yeah this week was the last week in the change and that means transfers! But oh it was crazy because it was Monday night, the first day of the week. Me and Elder Cordova just finished planning, we were excited for the last week of the change because we had lots of ideas to start teaching a scripture class to invite investigators and especially excited because we were gonna have the baptism of Manuel Baqueriso on the 19th. Then the phone rings, Elder Barcia answered it. That was normal, we often get calls at night for Elder Peters and Elder Cordova as Zone and District leaders. Then Elder Barcia said it was for me--that was different. I answered and it was Elder Gittins, one of the assistants, he said he had a change for me and asked how I felt about it. I was completely surprised and excited but confused because it was Monday, usually they don´t call till Sunday. But he said that I was being transferred to Babahoyo, Elder Ethridge was to be my new companion and that I needed to pack my bags and be in Guayaquil by 10 the following morning. Yeah, crazy, lol. We were all thrown for a loop because I was being transferred so early. Everyone was expecting me to be transferred Sunday. So it was crazy. I grabbed my suitcases and started throwing in clothes and telling Elder Barcia and Cordova that they had to write in my “libro de recuerdos” (it´s a diary that I have that I´m having all my companions and people write in like a year book so I can remember them. I was going to have some of my converts write in it too, but sad day I was transferred before I could). It was one of those bitter-sweet nights. Sad to say goodbye so soon to Elder Cordova and Elder Barcia but exciting to have my first transfer. We had some good times in that house. That change went by way fast. Crazy how I had 3 changes with Elder Sanchez, and not even 6 weeks with Elder Cordova. But oh well that is life in the mission I suppose. The sad thing is I didn´t get to say goodbye to any of my converts or anyone in the ward. We were all expecting to have another week. I spent the bus ride to Guayaquil writing on the back of pictures I printed out to leave with converts and other families in the ward.

In Guayaquil we found out that there were several other missionaries being transferred as well. I guess the mission is just trying out a new way of transferring missionaries. Instead of doing them all at once on the first day of the new change, they´re trying transferring groups at a time throughout the last week of the change. I guess it´s kinda good for the fact that it´s not always the best thing for missionaries to know when they´re leaving and spend time saying good bye. But I dunno, I liked having it all on the same day to see other missionaries and everything. But ah well like Nephi said, “I´ll go where you want me to go,” no matter the day or time.

My new companion is now Elder Ethridge from Tucson Arizona. Funny thing, I think I told you how Elder Cordova was in Zona Libertad before just another sector. Well when he was there Elder Ethridge was one of his companions. Then Elder Ethridge was there for a while because he was still there when I came so I remember him being in our zone (I attached a foto of the activity we had on one of my first p-days playing basketball, Elder Ethridge was there). In fact we had an interchange once when he was in our district (funny thing when we had the interchange I was so new that I didn´t know the sector very good and we ended up walking for an hour trying to find a member’s house for lunch, he says he remembers that too, lol but it´s cool). So its good because I already knew him and knew he was a cool guy. Another funny thing Elder Cordova isn´t the only companion that we´ve both had. He was the companion of Elder Sanchez in the MTC, so yeah we´ve had 2 of the same companions. He´s the District leader here (yeah my first 3 companions have all been district leaders, what´re the odds?) and already has 2 changes here, I think.

As for my new area, it´s in the province of Los Rios, zona Babahoyo (I think it´s the city here) and we´re in the ward 18 de Mayo. It’s very different from Libertad. Firstly it´s no where near the coast so that means no more seafood, but oh man there´s a family here that sells empanadas de queso o carne o pollo that are amazing! I remember you talking about empanadas of beef from Argentina dad and now I understand why you liked them so much. Elder Ethridge was introducing me to all of the families in the ward and when we went to them they offered us any kind we wanted so we got cheese and chicken. Definitely delicious. Also that means there´s not much wind or a breeze but it´s not that bad. It´s really only bad in the mid-day when it gets pretty hot. But really I actually think its perfect in the mornings and at night because it´s not really hot but still warm and it actually feels really good with the humidity.

Ok well, looks like I'm out of time way fast already, lol So I´d better go. Thanks for everything. I hope you have another great week!

Love,

Elder David Frome