Mom, Dad and Family,
Hello again! That was so awesome to talk to you today. :D In the apartment with all the sisters, we found that each sister needs a hug upon hanging up with the family. I think it´s pretty funny how nervous some of the sisters were in anticipation of their family calls. Even though it was difficult to say goodbye so quickly, it was great to hear your voices and laughter again. Thanks for obediently giving reports as I requested and for keeping me informed regularly. I´m very grateful for your support. As I´m now writing at 5pm, I don´t have your letters to respond to. I guess I should have set an earlier deadline. :D
Sorry I don´t really have the answers for the best way to send packages and such just yet. Whenever you receive the package from me, be sure to unwrap the box, too. It´s pretty great the little addition I made. (yes, I am aware that my sentences are sometimes structured oddly. Also, syntax shmyntax. Haha)
So much really did happen in this one week. We had a bunch of fun at the mission conference. There´s only that one every year. It was fun realizing I would have another Christmas in Ecuador to compare to next year. We started by presenting the skits we prepared as zones. We 8 were a group of fishers that worshipped a ¨fishing god¨Saint Ictícola of the Sea, with group prayers, songs and all, up until the point that we were reading his life story and found that he was a PROTECTOR of the sea and fish. So then we decided to leave fishing and try to go for tourism, as is a major source of income out in our zona oriente. When we started thinking about a god to cry to to send us missionaries from other zones, our fearless leader (one of the 2 elders in the zone) thought of none other than San Felix de Quevedo (the mission president). It was a lot more funny in person, especially in the mission context, but you all get the idea.
Ecuabit:
We also had a big meal together, with turkey that some people served to us with their bare hands. We hope they washed. That brings me to more news of the week. We stayed with the nurses, so it was fairly easy for my comp to have a test done to see if she has bugs. As it turns out, she doesn´t. She has amoebas! I´ve been good until now. Not sure if it was the turkey or what (there´s plenty of times we could have been subject to contamination…we´re in Ecuador, pues!), but I´´m pretty sure that I´ve picked up some little friends, too. Like everything else, I know, this too will pass.
We then had the big, long change meeting. There was much rejoicing, clapping and everything. Before going to Quito, we were only informed of whether or not we had a change, so Hna Weiss and I weren´t really in nervous anticipation of anything; we knew we were both staying. We are also happy the elders didn´t have a change. Our zone-district leaders (aka THE ELDERS) are Elder Salguero and Elder Sotomayor, from Guatemala and Guayaquil, respectively. As they are also in Tena, we work with them a lot, teaching together, going to teach the single sisters in their area, holding the branch together, etc. It´s good to be friends with the missionaries with whom you serve. Plus, Elder Salguero is our walking dictionary because he knows English so well that “he makes me sick”, as Hna Weiss says.
Once we got back to Tena, we got back to work. We didn´t end up finding many people like we wanted to, because my companion had to take “the bomb” for her amoebas. You can imagine that something with that name, made with the intention to clear out your system, might just slow you down a bit.
Church went well, even though there were only about 15 people in attendance. The primary, I found, can be especially well-behaved when they have a candy incentive hanging overhead. Muahahaha they do have a weakness! Really, it´s good. I see more and more that they really to have a desire to learn. I just need to learn to make it fun and interesting for two hours for all age levels. I´ll let you know if that ever happens in this life. In the meantime, I´m working on it. :p
Aw, my brother is so cute! John, thanks for being such a hard-worker and a good example for me. Everyone at home is now anticipating your call. That reminds me of something. When we were talking about when we´d have our calls with our parents, one of the sisters was trying to figure out if I meant here or there. I was trying to explain that it was the same, but we were suffering from a language barrier, as my mouth was full of food and she didn´t know sign language. For once not an English-Spanish issue! She then proceeded to tell me, ¨no, there´s a 2 hour difference”. Apparently for a moment she forgot that EVERY missionary from the states is not from Utah. It was pretty amusing, though.
Thanks so much for the 12 days of Christmas, once again. I´ve enjoyed a couple Andes already today. :p
As I re-read prophecies and fulfilments concerning the birth of Christ as manifested in the Americas, I noted all the references to light, as well as casting out of darkness. I am so grateful for the Light of the World, even Jesus Christ. He truly is the Light-our example who lights the pathway home, the light that breaks the darkness of suffering, sin, and death, and the light of hope for a better world to come. May we always remember, in gratitude, the great gift our Heavenly Father has given to us. May we also be filled with a greater desire to show our gratitude by giving back to him, whether it be through sacrificing our sins, loving our neighbour more, or praying more fervently. In whatever way you choose, make this day the day to begin improving and giving your gift of gratitude to our Father in Heaven and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
I love you all!! Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!
Hna Christie Sue Henrichsen
Hello again! That was so awesome to talk to you today. :D In the apartment with all the sisters, we found that each sister needs a hug upon hanging up with the family. I think it´s pretty funny how nervous some of the sisters were in anticipation of their family calls. Even though it was difficult to say goodbye so quickly, it was great to hear your voices and laughter again. Thanks for obediently giving reports as I requested and for keeping me informed regularly. I´m very grateful for your support. As I´m now writing at 5pm, I don´t have your letters to respond to. I guess I should have set an earlier deadline. :D
Sorry I don´t really have the answers for the best way to send packages and such just yet. Whenever you receive the package from me, be sure to unwrap the box, too. It´s pretty great the little addition I made. (yes, I am aware that my sentences are sometimes structured oddly. Also, syntax shmyntax. Haha)
So much really did happen in this one week. We had a bunch of fun at the mission conference. There´s only that one every year. It was fun realizing I would have another Christmas in Ecuador to compare to next year. We started by presenting the skits we prepared as zones. We 8 were a group of fishers that worshipped a ¨fishing god¨Saint Ictícola of the Sea, with group prayers, songs and all, up until the point that we were reading his life story and found that he was a PROTECTOR of the sea and fish. So then we decided to leave fishing and try to go for tourism, as is a major source of income out in our zona oriente. When we started thinking about a god to cry to to send us missionaries from other zones, our fearless leader (one of the 2 elders in the zone) thought of none other than San Felix de Quevedo (the mission president). It was a lot more funny in person, especially in the mission context, but you all get the idea.
Ecuabit:
We also had a big meal together, with turkey that some people served to us with their bare hands. We hope they washed. That brings me to more news of the week. We stayed with the nurses, so it was fairly easy for my comp to have a test done to see if she has bugs. As it turns out, she doesn´t. She has amoebas! I´ve been good until now. Not sure if it was the turkey or what (there´s plenty of times we could have been subject to contamination…we´re in Ecuador, pues!), but I´´m pretty sure that I´ve picked up some little friends, too. Like everything else, I know, this too will pass.
We then had the big, long change meeting. There was much rejoicing, clapping and everything. Before going to Quito, we were only informed of whether or not we had a change, so Hna Weiss and I weren´t really in nervous anticipation of anything; we knew we were both staying. We are also happy the elders didn´t have a change. Our zone-district leaders (aka THE ELDERS) are Elder Salguero and Elder Sotomayor, from Guatemala and Guayaquil, respectively. As they are also in Tena, we work with them a lot, teaching together, going to teach the single sisters in their area, holding the branch together, etc. It´s good to be friends with the missionaries with whom you serve. Plus, Elder Salguero is our walking dictionary because he knows English so well that “he makes me sick”, as Hna Weiss says.
Once we got back to Tena, we got back to work. We didn´t end up finding many people like we wanted to, because my companion had to take “the bomb” for her amoebas. You can imagine that something with that name, made with the intention to clear out your system, might just slow you down a bit.
Church went well, even though there were only about 15 people in attendance. The primary, I found, can be especially well-behaved when they have a candy incentive hanging overhead. Muahahaha they do have a weakness! Really, it´s good. I see more and more that they really to have a desire to learn. I just need to learn to make it fun and interesting for two hours for all age levels. I´ll let you know if that ever happens in this life. In the meantime, I´m working on it. :p
Aw, my brother is so cute! John, thanks for being such a hard-worker and a good example for me. Everyone at home is now anticipating your call. That reminds me of something. When we were talking about when we´d have our calls with our parents, one of the sisters was trying to figure out if I meant here or there. I was trying to explain that it was the same, but we were suffering from a language barrier, as my mouth was full of food and she didn´t know sign language. For once not an English-Spanish issue! She then proceeded to tell me, ¨no, there´s a 2 hour difference”. Apparently for a moment she forgot that EVERY missionary from the states is not from Utah. It was pretty amusing, though.
Thanks so much for the 12 days of Christmas, once again. I´ve enjoyed a couple Andes already today. :p
As I re-read prophecies and fulfilments concerning the birth of Christ as manifested in the Americas, I noted all the references to light, as well as casting out of darkness. I am so grateful for the Light of the World, even Jesus Christ. He truly is the Light-our example who lights the pathway home, the light that breaks the darkness of suffering, sin, and death, and the light of hope for a better world to come. May we always remember, in gratitude, the great gift our Heavenly Father has given to us. May we also be filled with a greater desire to show our gratitude by giving back to him, whether it be through sacrificing our sins, loving our neighbour more, or praying more fervently. In whatever way you choose, make this day the day to begin improving and giving your gift of gratitude to our Father in Heaven and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
I love you all!! Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!
Hna Christie Sue Henrichsen
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