I have a crazy story...

Hey family!!

Un Gusto a escucharles!! How are you all?? That’s so crazy that school starts this week and that Cody is taking his endowments out!! I can’t believe that one year ago I was in the MTC! Time goes by way fast!! I can only imagine how fast it’s going to go in the next year! Well it sounds like everything is going great at home! And just so you know everything is going great here in Ecuador! Ok so I am going to try and answer some of the questions that you left me. Ok so ya I think it would be fine to come home a few weeks early. It has happened with a bunch of missionaries here where they went home two or three weeks early because they had school. I am pretty sure that it’s pretty normal. But I guess we will just see how things come out. It’s still really far away so that good! Ok so my roommates are sweet! They are all really cool. It’s me and another greengo, Elder Thayne and there are two Latins, my companion Elder Hernandez and Elder Espinoza. They are all pretty cool. Elder Espinoza is a little bit crazy, but a good guy! He is a new missionary and it seems to be a little hard for him here. He is have a hard time adapting to the mission rules, but I think he will get used to it. His comp Elder Thayne is way cool and a great missionary, so he is lucky!

Ok the president is also amazing. I still don’t know him that well because I have only seen him a few times and only have had one interview with him, but he is really nice and funny. He has a lot of ideas and has changed a lot here in the mission. He writes us missionaries almost every week. and he is so powerful. You can really tell that he has been called of God to serve and lead this mission. He is still new, but I have heard that in the next few months there will be a lot of changes coming, in the way we teach and everything!

ok talking about Cody! Really tell Michelle to not worry, all he really needs is a backpack from school so that he can use it during his time in the MTC and his first week or two here. But they have some cool stuff or bags to buy and almost every missionary has one here. They have a mission web-page that he can buy that stuff he needs. and about his garments I personally like the Dry-lux cotton ones. I also like the mesh ones. I have the garments shirts that are just like a t-shirt and I like those a lot. The spandex I really don’t like at all. Pretty much everything that I have a have used, but really tell her to not worry about buying things for cold weather, because here he won’t need that at all! For two years he will be burning hot and if he needs anything just buy it here. Sun screen-haven’t used and if he needs some it’s a lot cheaper here. Almost everything that he will need they also sell here. They even have peanut butter. They also sell garments here on the web-page and they are only like one dollar. Anyway if they have more questions just let me know and I can help out with that.

Ok so I have a little bit of time and I just wanted to write you and tell you about what happened this week. Well me and my comp were able to leave during the day to work so it was a lot better and time went by way fast. So I have a crazy story. Ok so on Thursday when I woke up, which was the day that I completed one year in the mission. !!! lol well anyway, so we got up did our exercises and everything. After we had done that, me and my comp decided to go across the street to buy some food in the morning, because there is a small store by our house. We live on the second story so we went down to the first story where there is a fat door with like (no joke) 8 locks or 8 ways to lock the door. My comp had the keys in his hand and started to unlock the locks but got stuck on the first one. He then gave the keys to me and told me to open the door. I took the keys and tried opening it, but I was having some problems. My comp leaned up against the wall as he was waiting for me. All of a sudden he freaked out and said open the door now because there is a earthquake. lol I started to laugh because I thought, it would be crazy if there was a earthquake because we would be out of luck with all those locks and in 4-story building. As I was laughing my companion started to scream and told me to hurry up. I continued laughing until I heard the freakiest sound of my life and the whole building started to shake and the door I was opening made a loud rattling sound. At this time my laughing turned into frantic screaming in English and Spanish at my comp telling him to start opening the other locks as I was working with the one I had in my hands. A few seconds later the people who live above us came running down stairs and also the two other missionaries. By the time we got the door open and we all went running out of the building, the earthquake had slowed down and stopped. People came running out to the streets from their houses in shock and a little bit scared. Just like all of us. It really was a freaky experience- one that I won’t forget. It definitely left me and the other missionaries a little shook up lol. I was thinking about it and it was kind of of a cool way to mark my year mark in the mission. I found out that it was 6.8 in Guayaquil and outside it was a little bit stronger in the 7 point something. lol but it was interesting. Anyway I just wanted to share that experience with you all because I knew that you guys would enjoy it. lol but to let you all know that we are safe and sound and that the mission is amazing and that I am loving it. It is super hard sometimes, but it’s worth it. Also to finish I just want you all to know that I know that this is the work of the Lord and that he is always with us and guides us in all we do. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the church of Jesus Christ has been restored by a prophet of God! Also I want you all to know that I love you all and miss you all! I hope you have a good week and that you enjoy the end of this summer! Love you all!!

With Love,

\Elder Spencer Keables