We are in the single digits here...

That's right everyone

It's been

MONTHS!

Only 

More to GO!!!!

Sharing some photos from Elder Donoso

Una de nuestra areas de proselitismo!

Es muy CHEVERE...

It looks like they just got new planks for their walkway

La Mejor Zonaaa! 

Todos de blanco...

This is such a great picture of all the great missionaries of Buenaventura

Aqui con nuestra gran flia Morales!

Quieren entrar en las aguas bautimales!!!

Foto con mi, Elder Donoso, nuevo companero, Elder Nail

Toda la zona con el Presidente ya la Hermana Pricoli

As always we love it when other missionaries share their photos with us,

Thank you Elder Donoso!

It's been awhile...

So it's been awhile...
However, today although I’m not going to have a P-DAY I made sure to write. 

My life recently has become INSANE. When I say insane, I mean insane.

Such as today, today we started a new program for the food for the missionaries here in Buenaventura where two sisters will cook everyday for the missionaries. They receive the money and are in charge. Although they have to do some insane cleaning methods, such as washing all vegetables in Clorox and then rinsing them off with boiled water. We now can only eat rice 2 times a week.
All day yesterday I was in charge of making the breakfast and lunch plans for the sister missionaries.

Today in the morning I had to teach the sister’s from the ward how to make french toast... Which was awesome and then I had to go to the supermarket with them to buy all the food that they would need to make the lunches this week, something that Colombian’s NEVER do. They always buy what they need the day of from the little window shop closest to their door. Then we had to move all the food to the house of each of the sister’s in the ward that will be cooking for us.  As we finished up all of the arrangements with the food the office called me and told me I had to go to the city center to deposit money for the new home for the sister missionaries. From where I live to the city center is like from Medford to Ashland and I’ve got to go on a bus. Off we went to wait an hour in line for the bus all the time freaking out cause I have to write my family and I have appointments at 5… Just another day in a life of a missionary, no big deal.

We are working like normal on P-Day because we are on our way once again to Cali this week, Thursday and Friday. We have 5 people that are getting ready for their baptism’s this Saturday and also the other people that want us to visit them. 

WE ARE A LITTLE TIGHT ON TIME!

I love Buenaventura; things are so hectic all the time because well, everyone wants to listen to us. It’s incredible; honestly I never knock on doors because people walk up to me in the street and say, “Hey when can you visit me?" and we take out our agendas and are like, tell us the time and place. Honestly we are booking people out one week in advance because the time just doesn’t work. We are very much working in the field of the Lord.

Brandon is doing awesome; he goes to church every week in a shirt and tie that we bought him. His cousins, Joselin and Natalia are getting ready to be baptized. Natalia will be baptized this Saturday and hopefully Joselin. Joselin’s mom doesn’t want her to be baptized because she believes that the Sabbath day is Saturday, although we have explained many times using her scriptures in Acts 20 how the apostles changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday to respect the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but she is one of those ladies who contradicts herself in her stubborn pride. However I know that in these next few weeks Joeselin will get baptized, and eventually Joselin's mom as well.

I love this gospel. It is the only place where the family is promised to be together forever. The same gospel that Jesus Christ had established when he was here on the Earth. 

This last week, we were moving the sister missionaries, helping President and Sister Prícoli get around Buenaventura. We were also getting all of our incredible investigators ready for baptism.

I love my mission and more than anything I have loved my time here in Buenaventura. 

Everyday I am allowed to see and feel the presence of the Lord in families that have never had spiritual moments together before in their lives. Families that are brought together through the true and everlasting words of our Savior Jesus Christ. It’s incredible to see just how one prayer every night as a family can move grown men to cry. How one humble prayer on your knees can mend the broken heart. How easy it is for us to find God. However, at times we can be SO stubborn to never even try to talk with him and bring him into our lives. He is waiting for us, always like a nervous parent waiting with the phone in hand for the call from their child far away. There he waits, if we can only kneel down, and say, Father. 

The mission has changed me in ways that I never new possible. Before the mission I said I believed in God, I understood that God existed but it always kind of made me squeamish to talk about God. I always would find ways to change the subject. The mission has made me understand the importance of God in our lives, the importance of his son and our redeeming Savior Jesus Christ. I understand, why? Because I feel it now. With every family that has come closer to Christ, I have seen Him. I see Him in the eyes of every broken family that has found one another again, every drug addict that has left his past, every couple that lived in a destroyed marriage that now lives with a renewed understanding of Love both in marriage and for God. 

That is why I say that I have seen Christ. 

I have seen His love for every one of His children, every one of us. 

I have seen His compassion and the truth of His everlasting atonement, His sacrifice that He made for us as He bled from every pour in Gethsemane. 

The atonement of Christ does not only cover for sins, but for all feelings of abandonment, sadness, mourning, and just those sheer feelings of depression. 

The atonement of Christ covers for all feelings, He understands everything we feel, He understands all of our needs, He understands how to help us. He will comfort us, if we but ask. 

The greatest men of the world are those on their knees. 

Trust in the Savior of the World

Let the miracles fall one after the other over you

I love you all 

I’ll talk to you next week with more time hopefully 

Elder Lyle

As promised, lots of pictures this week

No letter this week but lots of great pictures to be able to catch up on the life of our missionary

Richard got baptized!

I caught my companion eating my coconut candies on our way to Cali

Here we all are

Loved seeing my kid in the office

How we slept in Cali

My companion is on the couch, Elder Rebolledo who is now in the office and Elder Estrada on the floor with me

Bryan & I putting together 

the Sister missionaries house that we bought

The closet was a beast to put together

Twister Family Home Evening

My companion exploded the ballon and

had to dance like Shakira...hahahaha

Elder Campos, Geraldine & Anthony

My greatest investment in the mission

So what the heck is this???

Making cheesecakes

Soaking wet...

It's everyday experience here

We love our gifts Mom

Hey...

Hey, 

I just wanted to say that I love you all so much.

I don’t think I will have time today to talk to you guys, I’m in the middle of getting everything situated with the sister missionaries here in Buenaventura, it's a little nerve racking but we’re going good... hahaha

I love you sooooo much

I hope you had an awesome week last week and we will talk next week. Have to go to CALI tomorrow so awesome pictuers next week!!!

Love Elder Lyle

I wanted to share my letter:

September 1, 2014

Hello Mom, 

I just wanted to wish you a happy anniversary. 

I know that last year wasn’t the best, and this anniversary isn’t amazing either, however I wanted to remind you of a very incredible moment that I can't wait to have this coming July... In less than 1 year. I carry a picture of the Laie Temple around in my pocket everywhere I go I always have it with me. To me it is so important that we are a family for time and eternity. I am so excited. I honestly can’t stand myself at times.

I hope you had a great day with the Bennion’s. That you guys just laughed your heads off at the stupidest of things, hahahah, like we always do. 

Mom, I love you so much. 

You are my greatest hero. 

I can only hope to make a home oneday like the one you made for me.

You are amazing,

I love you to the moon and back 

Your son, Rawly 

(Oh how I LOVE my son the missionary and that he is sharing the message that families can be together forever... We can't wait for him to come home so we can be sealed in the temple)

Pictures from the Jungle

So we went to the mountains

Elder Donoso and I taking pictures of each other

Don't worry we had a guide

Yeah, we went way out there

We made it!

The only table in the house

and this is what they had

I love it

Erika says...

Hola

Elder Rowley dead after the hike

(It's hard to get used to this kids name)

Super 8!

All the zone in the mountains.

John, Freddy & Yessica will be baptized!

Buenaventura

All zone playing football on P-Day

Atras nuestro hay un mural gigante!

Todo pintado a mano

Con Elder Sacco y Elder Lyle

This picture was from Elder Donoso

Divisions with my zone leader

Elder Lyle

When it rains 

It pours

An Interesting Week

So this week was super awesome, why?

Well it all started Wednesday when went to the jungle. First we took a jeep for a long while into the jungle up until a point called the Devils Curve. Then we all got out of the jeep and started our trek into the jungle. At this point we are now full on hiking, the trail is not exactly marked. We are crossing rivers on sticks, which are super slippery and I saw a coral snake.

Yeah it’s official, I’m in Buenaventura and it’s super awesome. 

I’m super excited because as of this Wednesday Buenaventura will have it’s first sister missionaries in the history of the city.

So I made frappuccino’s, yeah that’s right but don’t worry they’re coffee free.

We also did a karaoke night with Brandon.

I love my area, I love Buenaventura. It’s one of my favorite areas that I’ve served in. I’m so excited that I made it through transfers! I get to stay here. I hope I can pull the next 6 months out in this area. I love it here.

This week we taught a bunch of people. Our area is the most successful right now in all of Buenaventura. The assistants told us that Buenaventura is the best zone in the mission right now! It’s such an amazing zone, the missionaries are so obedient and the Lord helps us so much with our investigators with our goal to help the members and investigators to have spiritual experiences. I just love it here. 

This week was the first week in this transfer that the zone didn’t have any baptisms, but don’t worry we start right back up this Saturday with more baptisms. Have I mentioned that I love it here; the people are so ready to hear the gospel. 

Your challenge this week: 

Invite the missionaries over to eat, and invite one person that is not a member or has never heard of the church. I know it will be an awesome experience. 

I love you all so much

Elder Rawly Lyle