Hola familia!
I´m writing to you from Quito once again. Hna Weiss needed some more work done with her tooth. Thus, for this beautiful día de preparación, we get to travel 12 hours in total in bus. We´re not going to get home by curfew, mom, I mean, elders. I´m always struck by the beauty of Quito, though. It´s a city at the top of the mountains that just spreads through the valley and seems to go on forever. In the house of the President (I know that´s totally written like Spanish, but in English, but you understand me.) and in the hightower where the Hna dentist is there´s huge windows and you just see so far and so much. There´s this really big hill in the middle of the city, the panecillo, where you can go up and see EVERYTHING. It´s way beautiful. That´s where the president took us our first day and told us about the beginning of missionary work here in Ecuador.
Yesterday was WONDERFUL!!! There were 53 people at church and I didn´t feel all flustered about primary at all. Yeah, they´re still little kids (boys, mostly, like my sobrinos, except I know all those Henrichsen-Strickland-Hopkins boys are completely well-behaved angels in their primary and nursery classes. :P ) that like to try to go hide and not come to class or run out and buy things from one of the zillion tiny stores nearby, (refer to an earlier Ecuabit if you don´t remember that there´s tiendas all over the place) where they like to get popsicles or chocobananas. (yes, we have talked about the fact that keeping the Sabbath day holy includes not shopping many times) Despite that, and the normal command "sientense" (sit down…in a nice way), which I repeat many times, it was good. We learned about baptism and how we can prepare to be baptized. The second hour, we worked on learning "Tell me the stories of Jesus" more, sang "Do as I´m doing" and colored baptism pictures. I´m not sure if anything has changed but me, but I do make them all participate and am grateful that I can love them all, even when there´s little devil periods.
The best part was testimony meeting. Not only were there many members, but they were filing up to share testimonies such that we went over time. I especially loved the testimonies of the youth, as we had an 18 year-old investigator sitting with us. One part was a little funny, though. Wilber is one of the recent-convert youth in the branch who is always there, even though his mom rarely comes and his other siblings are off and on. He is our steady priesthood holder who is always there to pass the sacrament. As he was sharing his testimony and looked around at people, he thought he saw me crying. (I wasn´t.) According to his account, seeing me crying made him start to cry, too. As he hasn´t seen other people cry too much at the pulpit, much less men, he reacted by suddenly putting his head down to the pulpit to hide it, and then just quickly left and sat down. I´m pretty sure I can´t take the blame for making this boy cry, and am really happy to see people here growing in their testimonies of the truth. I really liked how strong the Spirit was. (One of the elders did explain to Wilber what one should do in such a situation.)
We´ll be changing buildings in a couple weeks and the mission president will be out to do a branch conference. The next step after that will be to build a capilla!! (chapel) What we really need is the consistency with attendance, tithes, and especially to have more Melchizedek priesthood holders. Hopefully it will be soon.
We had a really great zone conference with the mission president and leaders of the mission in Ambato this week. I escaped without speaking once again, whereas Hna Hickey spoke for her 2nd time and the GREENIE sister from the states had to speak. That´s not why it was great, though. I just really enjoyed all the training and we´re already starting to apply it. For this year, the mission goal is to have 2007 baptisms. This past year, there were 1802. We have the plan-goal to seek out and really work with families (without neglecting individuals) in order to accomplish this goal of amplification. It really does make so much sense, because then they have the support and can benefit from the blessings of the gospel in their families.
Oh yeah, I received the card, Dad. Thanks! The financial elder said I could try to deposit the check, but that it´s really easier for you to just deposit the money up there. Thanks also for the copies of the blessings of Jericho and Justus. Good job with the family Christmas letter, too. I think I´m just at a loss as of how to speak in general, because I´m certainly not fluent in Spanish, and my English is…puzzled together with Spanglish. :P
John, you´re awesome.
Mom, I trust whatever you want to pull out to say to the branch. What I could add would be that I love being a missionary!! Really, we are so blessed. We have such direction and purpose in our lives. We are blessed spiritually and physically for obedience to the commandments of God. As Matthew was pointing out earlier this summer, if we want more of a particular blessing, we only need be more obedient to the law upon which that blessing is predicated. (Note: scripture mastery is TAN ÚTIL!! (so useful) Put time into it and you will not regret it, whether or not you serve a mission. Seminary truly was such a blessing and source of strength during my high-school years. Forever, forever, and forever, though, a serious, regular study of the scriptures needs to be part of our lives. Everyday. Why would we let our actions tell the Lord that we don´t want to understand or learn more, or that we don´t need the help of His Spirit everyday in our lives?) If we really love our family and cherish our friends, we will seek for opportunities and take them. Open your mouths. I promise that D & C 123:12 is true. If you do it out of love for the Savior and for your fellow man, they will not be offended. Seek to have the Spirit as your daily guide. Who doesn´t need this aid in school, work, rearing a family, and life in general? What it all boils down to is that there is one way to return to live with and become like our Heavenly Father. He has done and continues to do all He can to help us. Thus, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to the world. He is our Saviour and Redeemer, the Light that pierceth all darkness. We can be perfected through Him. We can be healed in every sense through His power, through the Atonement. We cannot access this power unto salvation without the restoration and the true church of Jesus Christ. Because of their matchless love for us, our Father and Jesus Christ have restored all the truth of the gospel to the earth. We have it, and can know it´s true for ourselves. If you don´t know how, read Moroni 10:4-5. It´s a simple promise, but I know it works, because that´s how I know without a doubt that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is THE true church, and the kingdom of God on the earth. I´ve also seen it work in the lives of so many others. Plain and simple, it´s the truth.
Hmm, that got long. Say whatever you feel like, Mom. The Spirit will give you the words much better than I can, in whatever language it may be. :p
I love you all!!!
See Ecuabit al principio.
I´m writing to you from Quito once again. Hna Weiss needed some more work done with her tooth. Thus, for this beautiful día de preparación, we get to travel 12 hours in total in bus. We´re not going to get home by curfew, mom, I mean, elders. I´m always struck by the beauty of Quito, though. It´s a city at the top of the mountains that just spreads through the valley and seems to go on forever. In the house of the President (I know that´s totally written like Spanish, but in English, but you understand me.) and in the hightower where the Hna dentist is there´s huge windows and you just see so far and so much. There´s this really big hill in the middle of the city, the panecillo, where you can go up and see EVERYTHING. It´s way beautiful. That´s where the president took us our first day and told us about the beginning of missionary work here in Ecuador.
Yesterday was WONDERFUL!!! There were 53 people at church and I didn´t feel all flustered about primary at all. Yeah, they´re still little kids (boys, mostly, like my sobrinos, except I know all those Henrichsen-Strickland-Hopkins boys are completely well-behaved angels in their primary and nursery classes. :P ) that like to try to go hide and not come to class or run out and buy things from one of the zillion tiny stores nearby, (refer to an earlier Ecuabit if you don´t remember that there´s tiendas all over the place) where they like to get popsicles or chocobananas. (yes, we have talked about the fact that keeping the Sabbath day holy includes not shopping many times) Despite that, and the normal command "sientense" (sit down…in a nice way), which I repeat many times, it was good. We learned about baptism and how we can prepare to be baptized. The second hour, we worked on learning "Tell me the stories of Jesus" more, sang "Do as I´m doing" and colored baptism pictures. I´m not sure if anything has changed but me, but I do make them all participate and am grateful that I can love them all, even when there´s little devil periods.
The best part was testimony meeting. Not only were there many members, but they were filing up to share testimonies such that we went over time. I especially loved the testimonies of the youth, as we had an 18 year-old investigator sitting with us. One part was a little funny, though. Wilber is one of the recent-convert youth in the branch who is always there, even though his mom rarely comes and his other siblings are off and on. He is our steady priesthood holder who is always there to pass the sacrament. As he was sharing his testimony and looked around at people, he thought he saw me crying. (I wasn´t.) According to his account, seeing me crying made him start to cry, too. As he hasn´t seen other people cry too much at the pulpit, much less men, he reacted by suddenly putting his head down to the pulpit to hide it, and then just quickly left and sat down. I´m pretty sure I can´t take the blame for making this boy cry, and am really happy to see people here growing in their testimonies of the truth. I really liked how strong the Spirit was. (One of the elders did explain to Wilber what one should do in such a situation.)
We´ll be changing buildings in a couple weeks and the mission president will be out to do a branch conference. The next step after that will be to build a capilla!! (chapel) What we really need is the consistency with attendance, tithes, and especially to have more Melchizedek priesthood holders. Hopefully it will be soon.
We had a really great zone conference with the mission president and leaders of the mission in Ambato this week. I escaped without speaking once again, whereas Hna Hickey spoke for her 2nd time and the GREENIE sister from the states had to speak. That´s not why it was great, though. I just really enjoyed all the training and we´re already starting to apply it. For this year, the mission goal is to have 2007 baptisms. This past year, there were 1802. We have the plan-goal to seek out and really work with families (without neglecting individuals) in order to accomplish this goal of amplification. It really does make so much sense, because then they have the support and can benefit from the blessings of the gospel in their families.
Oh yeah, I received the card, Dad. Thanks! The financial elder said I could try to deposit the check, but that it´s really easier for you to just deposit the money up there. Thanks also for the copies of the blessings of Jericho and Justus. Good job with the family Christmas letter, too. I think I´m just at a loss as of how to speak in general, because I´m certainly not fluent in Spanish, and my English is…puzzled together with Spanglish. :P
John, you´re awesome.
Mom, I trust whatever you want to pull out to say to the branch. What I could add would be that I love being a missionary!! Really, we are so blessed. We have such direction and purpose in our lives. We are blessed spiritually and physically for obedience to the commandments of God. As Matthew was pointing out earlier this summer, if we want more of a particular blessing, we only need be more obedient to the law upon which that blessing is predicated. (Note: scripture mastery is TAN ÚTIL!! (so useful) Put time into it and you will not regret it, whether or not you serve a mission. Seminary truly was such a blessing and source of strength during my high-school years. Forever, forever, and forever, though, a serious, regular study of the scriptures needs to be part of our lives. Everyday. Why would we let our actions tell the Lord that we don´t want to understand or learn more, or that we don´t need the help of His Spirit everyday in our lives?) If we really love our family and cherish our friends, we will seek for opportunities and take them. Open your mouths. I promise that D & C 123:12 is true. If you do it out of love for the Savior and for your fellow man, they will not be offended. Seek to have the Spirit as your daily guide. Who doesn´t need this aid in school, work, rearing a family, and life in general? What it all boils down to is that there is one way to return to live with and become like our Heavenly Father. He has done and continues to do all He can to help us. Thus, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to the world. He is our Saviour and Redeemer, the Light that pierceth all darkness. We can be perfected through Him. We can be healed in every sense through His power, through the Atonement. We cannot access this power unto salvation without the restoration and the true church of Jesus Christ. Because of their matchless love for us, our Father and Jesus Christ have restored all the truth of the gospel to the earth. We have it, and can know it´s true for ourselves. If you don´t know how, read Moroni 10:4-5. It´s a simple promise, but I know it works, because that´s how I know without a doubt that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is THE true church, and the kingdom of God on the earth. I´ve also seen it work in the lives of so many others. Plain and simple, it´s the truth.
Hmm, that got long. Say whatever you feel like, Mom. The Spirit will give you the words much better than I can, in whatever language it may be. :p
I love you all!!!
See Ecuabit al principio.
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