Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Elder Sorenson - January 23, 2017



Hello Everyone!

I hope you have had a good week. This week I hit my two month mark being in Ecuador! It is crazy how fast time flies when you have a set schedule everyday and you don't have to worry about anything - only spreading and sharing the Gospel to all those that are ready to receive it.

TUESDAY - 9,886 Steps
Today we received a burst of refrencias to go and teach so I was pretty excited about that! Tonight I taught my Bishop English. I am so grateful that I know English. It is such a hard language to understand! On our way home, my companion and I were talking and this dog came running at us that I didn't see. So what does my companion do? He yells, "Cuidado!" and pushes me towards the dog so he could get an extra boost from the dog! Don't worry mom, the dog didn't bite me! 2 points - Elder Sorenson; 0 points Dog.
WEDNESDAY- 7,964 Steps
I realized today how humble these people in Ecuador are. I realized how many things I took for granted before my mission, like hot water, a clean house with air conditioning, cars, washer/dryer, phone, food, and money. Here, about $10 can get a single person through two weeks. In my ward, there are about 4 or 5 young men preparing a mission. One of them leaves for Columbia in March. I now realize how fortunate I am for all the support I have and the blessings I have been given. The young men here serve because they love the gospel. Even if they only have 2 shirts and a pair of pants to their name they don't care, they serve for Him and not for recognition. These young men are true examples of what true missionary work is. It's not about the recognition; it is about working with all of your heart, might, mind, and strength.
THURSDAY - 4,227 Steps
We didn't have any lessons today, but it was my favorite day of the week. My companion and I did six hours of service in the house of one of our members! We painted for them and I had so much fun doing it!! I was covered in white paint from head to toe so I looked like a “gringo” more than ever before when we were walking back to our house to get changed!
FRIDAY - 9,021 Steps
We were pretty successful with lessons today; we received two new investigators that are such sweet people! We were invited to go to a Family Home Evening with the family we painted the house for. It was the son’s birthday and so I bought him a cake. While I was in the store to buy the cake, the TV in the store was on and the channel on the TV was on a news channel that was showing Donald Trump at his inauguration. I get asked by so many people here what my thoughts are on him, it is crazy! Anyways, people celebrate birthdays so much differently here. He didn't get any presents, but we all went in a circle and talked about what we loved about him and gave him advice. He started crying. It was such a sweet and special moment and I was so honored to be a part of his birthday.
SATURDAY - 5,614 Steps
Today was such a crazy day!! My companion is the District Leader and so he is responsible for baptism interviews. He interviewed a sister for baptism that the sister missionaries in our zone taught. It went well but after the interview, the girl getting baptized asked for me "the gringo" to baptize her! So we ran to the house, I got my clothes, and then we went to the baptism. Also, we gave one lesson today and it went great. It was a family of five or six and they are all girls. We got two new investigators in the family and one of them went to church with us yesterday! Then I had my English class and 10 people showed up! It went well and they actually learned and thanked me so much after the class!
SUNDAY - 12,824 Steps
We had four investigators show up to church today, which is a lot, and our class had 10 recent converts in it! It was great, my companion and I (more me because my companion doesn't even know how to cook rice) cooked for a family and it turned out really well!
 
It was a great week filled with lots of events and lessons! I love you all. Please look for ways to serve this week! Service is a great way to come closer to not only your family but to your Heavenly Father!
Love Always,
Elder Sorenson
Enos 1:15
 







 

 

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