He Did Get Transferred!

Yesterday's message from Spencer was very short, and I couldn't tell whether or not he was transferred. I think he must have been in such a hurry with packing and moving that he forgot to tell us. I ended up emailing Sister Daniels, and here's our what I found out...

Hi Cherie,
Spencer's message today was very vague. He responded to my message, but gave no information about himself. Did Elder Daniels get transferred? I'm assuming that Spencer is not moving or I think he would have told us, but he didn't say whether or not Elder Daniels is leaving. If you have information, we would really appreciate knowing if they are still together or if there's been a change.
Hope all is well with you!
~Jeanette

Jeanette,
Eric said that Elder Keables was transferred to another part of Guayaquil and that he (Eric) had a new companion from Colombia. I'm not sure if Elder Keables is in the same district but Eric did say that Elder Keables' companion was his old companion from Galapagos and he was excited for him. This is the only picture Eric sent today, kind of a farewell picture:( Elder Keables has been such a blessing in Eric's life these last few months. I know they will be friends for life and I hope someday to meet you and your family. Please let us know if you ever get to Salt Lake. Take care and keep in touch,
Cherie

It’s been so crazy these last few weeks...

March 29, 2010
Wow ok so I just got you message, and it sounds like everything is going well. I don’t know if you are on the internet right now. If you are HI! So Lili has passed by the house 3 times last week? That’s so funny that Jesse just walked in the house all confident. I could totally see him doing that. lol That’s so funny. wow that’s soo cool. ok so dad is going to have surgery on his leg? That should be really interesting. I think your going to need to tie him into a chair so that he doesn’t get up and start working in the backyard. I can’t imagine dad not working for one day, let alone 3 months. Either the backyard and house are going to be soooo clean or you’re going to have to tie him into a chair. lol So Jordan leaves to go back to school in 3 weeks? That’s crazy. I feel like yesterday you told me he had just arrived to the house and now he is leaving. That’s so weird. lol its also crazy that less than 2 months I will be able to call you all for Mothers Day!! I know that time will fly by. I’m way looking forward to that! Anyway I’ve got to be going again. I love you and, I love all you at home and miss you tons!!

Con Amor, Elder Keables



Hey Lili, Mari, Kelsey, David, and everyone else!!
Hey how are you guys??? How is life going in Davis?? Sorry it’s been awhile since I have written to you all, it’s just been a little hard. I mean I have wanted to for the last few months, but it’s almost impossible to find time, but I don’t want you all to think that I am forgetting, because it’s not that at all. In the last letter that I received from Lili it said that Kelsey was feeling a little sad that I haven’t written her, so I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Kelsey! lol Hey Mari guess what?? I saw a frog the other day and it reminded me of you!!! Just playin! No, just wanted to say hi!! DAVID what’s up? How are you? Miss you!!! N.H. Last, but definitely not least Lili, how are you? I just want to write you a quick message and say hi. I have a letter that I have been wanting to send out for 3 weeks now, but I haven’t been able to. I’m hoping that with the new change I’ll have more time to write letters to you and to everyone else. Thanks so much for all the letters that you have been sending me. I love them so much! Well I’ve got to go. I hope all is well with you and everyone also. I miss you all sooo much!

Con Amor, Elder Keables

I gave blood in a different country... Pictures

I gave blood in a different country...

Hey Family!

Ok to answer your questions. Ok first I don’t really know if they had weapons with them. I didn’t really see anything. But all the people that I talked to on the bus told me that they had knives. And really they weren’t that young. They both might have been in their late 20's, but I really wasn’t about to resist if I only had a dollar. If I had my camera with me I really don’t know what I would have done. I think I would have found out if they have some weapons before giving them anything, but I don’t know. Both times it has happened so fast. I just hope they never rob me when I have more then a few dollars. Ok transfers. We have transfers this next Monday and I think it might be my turn to go. I am a little bit excited but at the same time not getting my hopes up, because anything could happen. Lol I have heard of one missionary who stayed in this sector for one year!!!!! Lol that would suck!! But what happens happens, and I will make the best of it. If I get transferred I will be in a different area when I write you again. Crazy!! But ya so that’s the situation. Ok so I want to write you guys and tell you about my week, but really I don’t have that much time, so I’ll give you the low down. Ok so on Friday me and Elder Daniels went to give blood. I know crazy- I gave blood in a different country. Lol it was pretty sick. I took pics and I’ll be sending those to you today if everything goes according to plan. We did it because there was a kid in another ward who needed blood, because he has some kinda disease. His dad is a bishop for some other ward, so we went to his house and he had all the stuff to do it. It was different because they didn’t have all the high tech stuff like they do in the U.S. all they had was a needle, tub, and a bag. But it was cool. So we did that on Friday, lol ok am jokin. Really we went to a really nice place which was called the blood bank. And they had doctors that did it for us. But I took pictures and I’ll send them today. They should take a week or two to get there. but ya not much really happened this week. We had the baptism date for hermona Carmon, but she said she still doesn’t have that desire to be baptized. We are working really hard with her to help her have the experience that she needs to know these things are true. She is reading and praying, and we are just hoping that she well receive the answer that she is looking for. I know she will get baptized it just a matter of time. She just needs a little bit stronger of a testimony. But ya not much has changed since the last time I wrote. But I think I’m going to cut this short so that I have time to do the pictures. I just want you all to know that I love you all so very much. dad I hope you have the best 48th birthday ever! Wow 48 lol that’s old. Ha ha. Mom, dad I hope you enjoy or 26 years anniversary. I hope all is well there. I love you all and miss you so very much. love you!!!

Con Amor. Elder Keables

New Pictures!

Once again, Sister Daniels comes through with more pictures. One of these days we should get some from Spencer. Until then, these are a treat!

We got robbed again!!!

Family!

Hey fam how are you all?? Thanks for the quick letter mom! So Jordan said that church was hot.lol I’m pretty sure, if I know Jordan, then that means there was someone hot there that he met. Lol some girl. And that’s funny that Lili was worried that something bad had happened, but I am a little confused, how did Daniela pass by if Lili was still in Davis? Did her mom bring her by the house? Anyway oh I have one more question is one of the elders in student ward in chico right know have the name of Jordan Tilley or something like that? Jordan is going to the ward right? If so, could you ask him to find out? One of the elders in my zone, actually my zone leader, has a friend that is serving in Chico, Cali and is in the single’s ward. Lol but ya if you could find out I would really be grateful. Ok so about my week. Lol well to tell you the truth it went by really fast. We got robbed again!!! Lol actually I got robbed and my comp didn’t. lol ok so we had just finished having the interview with the president, and we were heading back to the sector. We got on the bus, which was full of people. It was so full that we had to stand up. When we got on, there were two other guys who were also standing on the bus. I didn’t really think anything of it because there are always people that jump on the bus and try selling things. So these guys were walking up and down the lanes saying stuff like support me. When they saw me and my comp they got really excited and said, “Oh gringos they have a lot of money.” One of them, who was this shorter black guy, came up to me and told me to sit down in a seat that someone had just got out of. I told him that I was fine, but he pushed me over to it. I was still kind of confused at this time what was going on and why this guy had pushed me onto the seat. As soon as I was sitting he starting asking me for everything I had like camera, cash, pretty much anything. He started checking my pockets, looking for something worth money. At this point I was starting to catch on because at the same time he was talking to me he would turn and start yelling at someone else. The lady I was sitting next to kept hitting me, which I thought meant I better give him my money. I ended up pulling out my purse thing and giving him the dollar thirty that I had. He was a little mad that I only had that much and starting getting angry. I told him again that all I had was what I just gave him, which just pissed him off more and made him start checking my pockets. Lucky for me, the lady I was sitting next to was really cool and started yelling at him and same with the lady sitting in front of me. They ended up talking the guy into leaving me alone and moving on to other people.
They robbed a few more people, then took off. When it was all over, everyone in the bus ended up going crazy. They all seemed to look at me and ask me like a million questions. Because they were all surprised at how much he had checked me and wouldn’t leave me alone. After they left, I ask my comp if he had gotten robbed and he told me that he only talked to the other guy on the bus. The other guy who was robbing I guess told him that he needed a bigger bus because he was really tall then moved on robbing the other people and not my comp, which is good because he had his camera with him at the time. In the end, I guess they only ended up robbing like about 50% of the bus and the other half they didn’t. I was lucky to by a part of that 50% lol. But in the end it wasn’t even that bad. I only lost about one dollar. Oh and after they left I ended up talking to the lady that was sitting next to me and found out that she was a member. She told me that she hasn’t gone to church for like 10 years, but she was baptized by a gringo and she knew all about family home evenings and all that. I asked her why she hasn’t gone to church for so long and she told me that she has a lot of sins and is afraid of going. She told me that she needs to talk to the bishop. I didn’t have much time to talk with her, but I just told her that she needs to go back to church and that the bishop is there to help her with those things to help her better her life. I told her that she should talk to the bishop or the missionaries because they are there to help her. And that was all I had time to say because I had to go. But I hope that she will listen to me and go back to church. It’s really amazing how many people there are who are inactive here. And the craziest part is that almost all of them a have strong testimony of the church. They all say they know it’s true but they just don’t go. I have talked with so many inactives, and so many have said they know it’s true!! It’s sad because there are really so many and the church is true!! They all have testimonies, they all know it, they just don’t act on that faith. It’s just really hard for them to show their faith or to put their confidence in the Lord. But I guess that’s why we are here to help them with those trials. It is a little disappointing having so many rejections, but it really does make me cherish the good investigators that we have. Or when we find someone that is just amazing. But even though it is really hard I know that if we keep working the Lord will bless us. I know that he will lead us to those people that are ready to accept, to those who have been prepared. Sometimes I think about the time that I have and how sometimes it seems like forever, but then I always have those experiences that let me know why I’m here and why I’m doing what I’m doing. Then that time seems like nothing. I love the mission!! A really do and I’m so glad that I’m here and I have this great opportunity! My testimony has grown so much in these last 7 months, and I know that it will continue to grown as I teach and I do the work of the Lord. And as I see the the change that the gospel brings into the lives of those who we teach. This last Sunday I was able to watch Rafael Barre, who we baptized in my first change, receive the priesthood highest!! I forgot the name in English lol but ya it was a great experience, and I was so happy to be able to see him receive that. Anyway, family I have to go because my time is up, I hope all is will with you all at home. I love you all sooo very much. I miss you all so very much also. Have a happy Saint Patrick’s Day and I’ll talk to you all the next week. Love you all!

Con Amor,
Elder Keables

My legs were sooo tired...

March 8, 2010
FAMILY!!!!!!
Hola familia como están? Como han pasado? Espero que todo este bien haya en chico. Lol Hey ok English- so how are you? It sounds like everything is going really good. Hey mom thanks for the messages that you sent me between you and Lili (I included Facebook messages from Lili and I back and forth, thinking Spencer would enjoy reading them.) I love reading that kind of stuff. Ya I really did have a crazy week last week, but this week was a lot better or a lot calmer. So you saw a few pics of me and Elder Daniels lol which ones were they? Lol ya I’ll ask him how he does that and maybe I’ll send some next week if I can. Actually I bought a CD today and I’m going to try to put the pics I have on the CD and send then out soon. I really want to send these pics because I have so many and they are soo cool. I have some pretty good ones. Right now I’m trying to figure this all out. I bought this other memory card, so I can put my pics on it so I have my camera with pics and also my memory card. So I’ll try putting everything on one CD and send it out by next week. So that is my plan so that you guys can see the pics soon. Ok so my week actually was really kind of slow. We ended up contacting like a million people in the sector and not one of them wanted to listen to us. Well, actually we did find 2 new investigators. But it was really kind of a hard week. My legs were sooo tired because we had walked in the streets like all day for about 6 or 7 hours. We do still have some investigators that are making a lot of progress, which really helps. We are still teaching Carmon Castanti and she is really doing well. She accepted a baptism date for the 20, I think it is. So we are just working hard with her to get her prepared. She has a testimony right now but she still wants a little bit more of an answer. The good thing is that she is reading and praying almost everyday. Every scripture that we have given her she has read. We are really just trying to strengthen her testimony of the ldm. We have asked her how she feels when she is reading, and she told us the she feels really good or peace and joy. We have tried to explain that those are answers from the Lord. I know that she will get baptism, but it’s just a matter of time. So we are just working praying and fasting that she will gain a strong enough testimony to make a covenant with the Lord, or to act on it. She really has changed is so many ways and it’s amazing to see that change. The hardest thing we have experienced would be just all the people that reject us. It’s not sad that we didn’t get to teach them so that we could up our number, but it’s sad because I have seen the change that the gospel has in the life of those who accept it. When they reject us, they are rejecting the most important thing in this life that could change their life for always. I wish every person would just take the time to read the Book of Mormon, then pray and I know that they would receive an answer that the gospel has been restored on the earth. I so wish that everyone could come to that knowledge, or just do the things we ask them to do or really the things the Lord has asked them to do. That would be the hardest thing out here on the mish, because we meet some of the nicest people but they just don’t want to listen. Maybe someday. Well, I really can’t think of that much that happened this week. Oh that crazy guy that I was telling about awhile back who hated us at first and then started liking us is now hating us again. Lol he wanted us to get him a passport and help him leave Ecuador. When we said we couldn’t do it, he got really mad .lol he really is crazy, and now we are way scared that he is going to do something crazy. lol so we are just watching out for him. Lol so ya, not much has changed since the last time I wrote you all. I think I’m going to try and figure out the pictures and all that stuff right now so I’ve got to go. But I want you to all know that I love you all sooooo very much. I hope that you are all doing great there. Let me know if anything crazy happens lol I’m looking forward to getting a letter soon to hear how things are going. Well I’ve got to run. I love you all so very much. Love you!!!!!!
Love,
Elder Keables

Pictures from Guayaguil...

Spencer's companion, Elder Daniels, sent these pictures to his family this week. Sister Daniel passed them on to us!

Wow! Those missionaries are tall!

This must be the chicken foot Spencer talked about last week.

We got away safe and sound...

March 1, 2010

FAMILY!!!!
OK- so I have a lot that I want to tell you about, because a lot has happened.
First, I want to say thank you for the package that I received a few days back. I love the calendar and the candy the newspaper clips and everything. Thank you so much for everything!! Ok so were to start? lol so on Tuesday I had a change with the leaders of the zone. I went to their sector and my comp stayed in ours. It was the third time that I had gone to the sector and the first two times it was really calm. Lol I think I told you guys about that sector with a lot of black people and wooden houses and all that kinda stuff, oh and it’s really dangerous. Anyway, so me and Elder Quiroga (or something like that) were walking back from lunch and this black guy with tattoos all over him walked up to us and shook our hands. He asked us how it was going and then asked us for all of our stuff like: watches, money, cell phones, and pretty much everything that we had that was worth anything. Lol he said that he had a weapon in his hand, which was in his backpack, so we couldn’t see. So my comp gave him his watch and I gave him a few quarters. I have a dollar and like fifty cents in my wallet. I ended up squeezing the wallet, so only 50 cents came out. Lol so I ended up saving a dollar without him knowing and my comp hid his money while he was robbing me. It was a little scary, but at the same time kinda funny. Lol he ended up getting about 50 cents and a 2 dollar watch out of the whole thing. Oh and we also offered him a Bible lol but re rejected it and took off. Lol but over all, nothing really happened, and we got away safe and sound. Lol so that was my first experience that I had that day, and that was like right after lunch. The second was that same day when we were returning back to the house. It was like 9:30 at night and we were heading back when we saw like 30 cop cars going flying by us. At the time we had no idea what happened, but as we walked a little bit farther down the road, I saw a group of people and the police. We ran over there and saw a guy lying in the road who I think had been hit by a car. It was the first time I have seen a dead person, and it was horrible, and I hope it’s the last. I don’t really want to go into details, but I would say that I felt so sick after seeing it, and I really hope that I don’t see anything like that again. Let’s just say that I don’t think I want to be a police officer or a fireman anymore, because I don’t really have the stomach for stuff like that, or I really just hate the feeling that I had. But anyway, it ended up being like the craziest day ever, and I don’t think I want to go back to that sector ever again.lol my comp and the other elders were so amazed at all that had happened. Ok so one more thing that happened that was kinda freaky. Ok so I don’t know if you have heard, well am pretty sure that you guys have heard about the earthquake in Chile that happened a few days back. Well a few days back I was sleeping and when I woke up the house moving or my bed was moving. At first I thought it was a bus that had passed, because we live on the third flour and when a bus passes the house normally shakes, but I looked out the window and didn’t see anything. After it had stopped I went back to bed. When I woke up, I asked my comp and also another elder in our apartment and they all had felt it too. Also a few members and people that we talked to all felt it to about 5 in the morning. I came to the conclusion that it was probably the same earthquake that had hit Chili, but only a lot smaller. It was kinda crazy because we talked to the members and they all said that one has never hit here. And right now I’m really hoping that one never does. But ya that was a kinda crazy experience. Lol ok so am writing way too much about the things that don’t even matter. Ok so about the investigators that we have. Ok first we have Victor Alaba. We have been working with him for a long time, but this last week he got really sick and now he is in the hospital. They say that it might be awhile before he gets out because he almost died. The thing was that he got a really bad cold and then stopped eating and never really got better, only worse. So now we are waiting and praying that he will get better. We also have Carmon Canstante and she is doing so good. She accepted our invitation to pray about a baptism date on the 20 of this month, and I really think she is going to accept it. Her testimony has grown so much, and I know that she knows these things are true. We are just praying and hoping that she will accept the date that we have for her. Ok so we do have a few that are progressing a lot, but still I’m not to sure about them. If anything changes I’ll be sure to let you guys know. Hey so yesterday we had a cool experience. Ok so me and my comp were walking in the street and we had stopped to look at our agendas. As we were sitting there I felt this really strong feeling that we needed to walk down the street or we needed to leave. I told my comp that we needed to go, and as we turned and started walking this guy that had been walking up behind us started yelling. He sounded really mad and like he wanted to kill us. He was saying about every bad word that you cold think of in Spanish and in English. We turned down the next street and he continued down the next street still yelling and screaming. I’m not really sure what would have happened if we had stayed there and let him approach us. But I am sure that the reason that nothing happened was because the Spirit told me that we should leave. Once again I don’t know how to explain it, but all I know that it was almost like a voice or just a really strong feeling that we needed to go. It’s little experiences like these that really have made the biggest difference in the mission. I know with all my heart that it was that Spirit speaking to me, and I know that we are doing the work of the Lord. I know that this church is true and that God loves each and every one of us, and he will always be there for us. Ok one more story lol and this one also happened the same night of the last experience. After the screaming guy left, me and my comp continued looking for people to find. We had been looking like all the day and had not found anyone. We were having a lot of rejections, to say the least. We had worked until like 8:40 and still hadn’t found anyone. I was starting to get tired and kinda wanted to go back to the apartment because it was getting late. I asked my comp, but he said that he wanted to go to one more name that we had on his list. I agreed, and we began walking to this house. We knocked on the door that we thought was the house and got denied. lol After that I was like, ya let’s go, no one likes us. Lol but my comp wanted to go to one more house. I agreed, and we knocked on the next door. It was a family of five and they accepted us in the house and listened to our message. They seemed to be a great family and we have another appointment later. But ya, it was cool because I know that my comp was also guided by the Spirit to go to that house. We were able to find and accomplish our goal for the week because we found 7 new people. But I am so glade that we have the Spirit to guide us in this work. Anyway I really gotta go, but I want you to all know that I love you all so much, and I miss you even more. Thanks for all that you do love you all.
LOVE YOU!

Con amor, Elder Keables