Saying Goodbye to President Montalti

Hola Familia,

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!! Thank you for being such good parents and for being so strong in the gospel. Out here on the mission we see a bunch of people that have problems because they aren´t married. It also is a problem because they can´t get baptized. We have an investigator that her husband, boyfriend whatever he is, he is a member, but a member that isn´t doing very great things with his life. He doesn´t actually want to marry her which causes a whole lot of problems for us. So thank you so much for being such great examples for me. I got Olivia’s dearelder online article. Thanks Olivia. Olivia, Te amo mucho tambien!!!! Sorry for not writing very much. Last week I didn´t have very much time. We don´t have much time sometimes. This past week was alright. We had the closing conference with President Montalti. It was kind of weird to be saying goodbye to your mission president because he is leaving. We didn´t find too many investigators this week. We need to find more. I need to find more people to help. I guess Heavenly Father is just testing my patience. The other Elders in our sector had a baptism this week. I actually put the Baptismal date with him his first week in church but it was the investigator of the Hermanas but then they got changed and they brought in Elders so it was their baptism. It was still awesome to see him get baptized. His name is Luis Alvorado. He is pretty cool. This week we will have to find more people though. We will see how things happen next week because we will have a new mission president next week. This past week nothing much really happened. I still haven´t gotten my package. I am actually still waiting for a bunch of dearelder letters. I guess that is how things go out here in Machala. But could you guys send me a flash drive with church music on it? The music that was on the music player I had. My flashdrive with the music from elder hoskins broke, I don´t know how but it did, so I am once again without music but if you guys could send me the church music that would be super super awesome. Thanks!!!! Anyways, thank you guys so much for all the love and support. I hope that you have a great week. Will don´t worry about your haircut. I got one today too, except another Elder cut it, Elder Madrid from Argentina. He is one of the other Elders in our sector. Well I love you all and miss you all greatly.

Love, Elder Benjamin Berg Duzett

Working in the Lilian Maria Ward

Hola Familia!!!

Happy Fathers Day Dad!! I am glad to hear that everything is well with you guys. Machala is pretty awesome. We are still trying to create a program here in the ward Lilian Maria but we will have more success this week I know it. The airport next to the chapel, well l don´t know the last time it has ever been used. It is just super long stretch of dirt. I guess you could say it is abandoned. Machala is part of the South Mission so I think I will be staying here in the south. The south mission didn´t really loose too many sectors. The North mission lost more. But we should be getting the new mission president here in the next couple of weeks. We will have to see what happens with that. Our sector is pretty big and there are some cool places in it. Dad I am glad that that bench finally got done. That's cool that Ali gets to be part of Special Needs. That should be super fun. They are are always so awesome to be around. Well this week not really much happened. President came to do closing interviews but I had already had mine so just said hi to President but every time he tells me to send his best regards to Dad, I guess that's how I would say what he says in  Spanish in English. Anways I miss you all so much but I am so glad to be here the mission is awesome. I am having a great time. WE cooked some pretty good burgers today. Anways, love you all so much!

Love, Elder Duzett

1st Transfer - Off to Machala, Banana Capital of the World!!

Hola from Machala!!! So the news for the week is I had transfers! I am now in a city called Machala!!! My new companion is Elder O´Neill. Yes I am still with a gringo. I think I am ready for a latino but esta bien. He is from Wisconsin. He has around 21 months in the mission so he is almost done. He is pretty cool and has a lot of experience in the mission so it should be good to learn from him. Elder Hoskins is still in Santa Monica, bless his heart, he is training again too. It was great to have him as a companion he is a way cool guy. My new ward is called Lilian Maria but our sector is Lilian Maria 2. We are opening up a new sector which is always a tough job. There were already sister missionaries here but now there are them and us. This meant we got a completely new house and the house is super sweet. We have a full size fridge. Yes a fridge and a microwave. It is pretty awesome. I wish I could have been there to help with the roof. It sounds like it was a fun time. Because I am in Machala I may not receive my package for a little bit longer now because the Zone Leaders have to go to the office to get it which is like 3 and a half hours away. Machala is super cool. I think I could actually live here for longer than just my mission. The ward is really strong. That should be good for the success here. To answer your question Mom about if I have given any more blessing the answer is definitely, yes. I have helped or given a blessing almost every week of my mission. It is pretty cool. At first it was hard to do it in Spanish but now I am pretty sure I have it in Spanish. I am still working on my Spanish but it is getting better. Because we are opening up this sector we still don`t have investigators yet but we will find them. We have found some families that we can visit. Anyways the mission is still awesome. The time definitely flies by. I can`t believe that next month my mission is already 1/4 over. It is crazy. Anyways, I know that this Church is true and that what I am doing is what I need to be doing. I love you all soooo much and miss you greatly but I would not have it any other way. One scripture to take a look at is Alma 40 for this week. Not on a sad note but on a rejoicing note of course. Anyways I love you all greatly!!!!!!

Love Elder Benjamin Berg Duzett

 P.S These photos were with families from my old sector.

Four Months in the Mission!

This week we have had a good week. We are starting to find more and more people 
that will go to church and progress which is exciting. This past week was pretty 
busy. We had interviews with Presidente Montalti this week as this is his last 
month in the mission. He is a great Presidente and Presidente Torres will be a 
great Presidente too. We will see with all of the changes in the mission that 
will be coming up. A new President and the split of the mission. Today is also 
tranfers and it is more than likely that Elder Hoskins will be transfered but 
who knows, I could be transferred or neither of us. We will see. I will just 
keep working hard with whoever is my companion and in whatever sector I need to 
work in. This week we had an Investigator go to church whose name is Angel 
Jehovah. He is like 80 years old. He has talked to missionaries for years but 
always refused to go to church. This past week he said he would go to church 
with us but then he couldn´t but this week he finally went to church. It was 
pretty awesome. We found a member with a car to help him get to church because 
he has problems with his spine. Hopefully we can help him to get baptized. His 
family are bien bien adventistas, sorry I don´t remember how to say that in 
English. We had to drop the italians because they aren´t progressing. It is kind 
of sad but we have others to teach and they won´t go to church but the daughter 
one day I believe will get baptized when she is on her own, we will see. I hope Grandma 
is feeling better, I will be praying for her. In my interview with Presidente 
after he said the closing prayer he said that he had the stronge impression that 
I was worried or have had problems worrying in my life. Then he told me that 
Heavenly Fathers wants me to know not to worry. That was great. I really haven´t 
been worrying a lot lately but you do know me. So I won´t worry about people 
sick at home because I know Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us and that I 
am doing what I am supposed to be doing and he will bless my family while I am 
away. Maybe he is just testing all of us and especially me by constantly having 
sick family but when we have faith everything will work out.
Well I love you all so much!! Thanks for all that you guys do for me even while 
I am so far away you guys are still amazing to me.
One Chapter to study is Moroni 7, I don´t know why but thats what I think!!
Love, Elder Benjamin Berg Duzett

Ben and Presidente Montalti