The robbers took advantage of the opportunity and they went crazy...

Como le va family!
Hey family how are you all? How are things going back at home? Busy? Lol cool cool well things are going great here! You guys had a lot of questions so I am just going to get started. Lol ok the thing going on in Ecuador political is crazy or was crazy. It really didn’t affect us that much but the missionaries in Guayaquil, it did a lot. So pretty much the president cut down on the police’s money or bonuses that they get for Christmas and everything. So the police got mad and they all stopped working in a of Ecuador. So that day all the robbers took advantage of the opportunity and they went crazy. Really almost every ATM was turned from its spot and robbed. They took off with the whole thing. More then 4 banks were robbed. Almost every big store or little store was completely robbed or looted. I saw videos and there were people running down the streets with anything they could carry. Almost all the buses were robbed, cars were robbed and people were murdered. It was crazy! It really was like the movie Batman in Gothom City. It was crazy to see the city just go crazy. All the missionaries had to stay in their houses. lol they asked us to stay in the house too, but after said we could leave. Ok so did we catch fish last Monday? No we didn’t, because the two guys we went with left the hooks at home. Lol so we only had string and stick. So we ended up playing in the mud and I am going to send a pic of that. Lol it was fun because we took a lot of pics. Also, it’s really pretty there. Ok so about the water in the house. I really can’t tell you why they turn the water off, all I know is that they always turn it off. In my house before we had hot water because this little machine was connected to where the water comes out and by electricity the water is warmed up. Lol almost all the houses of the missionaries have those machines but ours. Lol so we shower with cold water. But it’s cool because in my house before with the machine, I almost always shocked my head because the showers are so small and when you turn the water on all the lights in the house go dim so you can’t really see. Lol its so ghetto. Lol but it’s cool- you get used to the stuff here. I am forgetting what it’s like at home. Lol ok another question. Is it rainy season? In about 2 or 3 more months its supposed to rain a lot more. Right now it’s really dry and we haven’t had rain for a long time. Actually, here one time it started to rain. Lol this last Saturday it was raining for the conference. But it only rained for just a few minutes. Ok so talking about the conference. How good was it? Really I have come to love the conferences here in the mission. They are so motivating. So many times as I sit and listen to them speak I feel like there are so many things that I can do better and it helps me realize how imperfect I really am. I felt like so many times they were just talking to me. As I sat there I was trying so hard to concentrate and listen to everything that they were saying. but it’s so hard because they would say one thing and as I applied it to my own life I began to think of ways I can change or how I cant become a better missionary or just a better person. I would be so off in my own thoughts that I would realized that I was no longer listening to the speaker. So I would start to listen again until they said something else and my mind would start thinking about that. Lol but I did learn so much and tried to write down those thoughts that I was having, knowing that it is really important personal revelations that I was having. I learned that there is so much that I need to do, so much that I am not doing. Really just sitting there listening I couldn’t help but to think wow, how cool would it be to have the testimonies that they have, or be able to speak with such power or authority as they do. They truly are servants of God with authority. It’s hard to think that someone could listen to their words and say that they are not called of God or that what they are teaching is not revelations from God, but as I think back I remember that really after all the years listening to conference I really don’t know if I had a very strong testimony of them or of anything. But I can truly say now that I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and that he has been chosen and prepared by the hands of God to be his prophet in these days. I know that the church is true and those who talked to us in this last weekend are servants of God and that have been called by Him. The things that they taught this last weekend were inspired by God and as we put them in practice in our lives we will be blessed and we can become more like Christ. I feel so lucky to be here in the Mission and have the best experience in my life, really to change my life and serve in the true work of the Lord. After listening to the conference I thought to myself, I think if I was a missionary for another 30, 40 or all my life, I might be able to teach like those who just taught. Lol it would be so sick I would be I fire ball missionary lol I would have like 500 baptism! Lol that would be so cool lol but I guess I’ll just have to keep working at it. Lol maybe one day! Ok so I got a little off track. How do I like being district leader? I like it a lot. It’s true there is more responsibility, but it’s for the good. Last week I had to teach for the first time in district meeting and it went pretty good. Today for pday some of the district got together and we went to look or explore a castle. I am also sending pics of that! but ya I really like being district leader and to tell you the truth I wouldn’t mind staying at this point. I really don’t have any desire to become zone leader. Lol I like were I am at. Oh one thing that I would love to do is train, not this change but the next. There is this really cool missionary that is coming. Maybe you have heard of him, his name is Elder Storm! Lol I am so stoked for him. hey so the next week I am going to write something for him and I want you to send it through Dear Elder ya cool. I would send him a letter but I don’t thing they have a post office here. Lol I am looking for one. ! ok well I think I should get going. Because I have wrote too much. Family, friends, and even enemies lol I miss you all and I love you all. But know that I am loving the mission and that I am working for the Lord our God in his service. Thanks for all you do for me! Love you all!
P.S. I love my new sector because I can take so many more pics! These are just a few of my favorites in the last 2 weeks. I have sooooo many more that are so sick!!! lol the mission is the bomb!
With a little bit of love and all my heart! Lol
Love Elder Keables

Here's a message that was posted for the missionary moms from another Elder in Spencer's mission, Elder Jensen. Spencer got transferred from Guayaquil just in the nick of time. You will know what I mean when you read the account below of what happened in Guayaquil this past week.
Elder Jensen said:
"So this week was INSANE!!!!!!!!! So Thursday morning, we left like normal, and we went to go contact a few people to put an appointment. But it just felt weird, like the people were all running to there houses and stuff and we saw a bunch of robbers. So we went to a member’s house to ask them what was going on, and they told us that the police officers in Ecuador didn’t go to work because they want to overthrow the President. When we were there, our Zone Leaders called the member’s house and luckily caught us there (it was our mamita that day). They asked to talk with me and told me that I needed to run as fast as I could to our house. So we took off, got to the house, and stayed in our house for 2 days. Thursday there was nothing but gunshots and breaking glass. They were robbing everybody! IT WAS NUTS!!!!!! Because there were no police, the thieves decided to rob every bank, mall, drugstore, shop or whatever. They robbed just about everyplace here in Guayaquil. Remember that Guayaquil is the most dangerous city in Ecuador. But anyway, we just stayed in the house for 2 days. It was nuts. I guess that they were about to decide to take us out of Ecuador, had the police taken out the President of Ecuador. It was an interesting few days and it’s still pretty wierd, but it’s calm now. They just don’t know if it will happen again."
And this from Sister Jensen:
Hopefully things will remain calm! We don't want a repeat of what happened! My son is currently serving in a pretty scary part of Guayaquil (Los Guasmos). Ryan wants to be a police officer, and was probably loving all the excitement! I imagine things will be a little tense for a while. I'm curious to hear what other missionaries experienced.

Wow! How grateful we are that the Lord protects his servants! How blessed we are to have peace, knowing they are watched over.
~Jeanette