Saturday, March 4, 2017

Elder Sorenson - March 1, 2017

Feliz Carnival!

I honestly don't know how I even went one day before my mission of staying in the house all day! Four days of being in the house was getting all of us super anxious and wanting to just leave and go teach lessons! Carnival was pretty cool, there were pools everywhere and everyone was covered in water or mud. My companions and I couldn't participate in the outside activities, but we did have a window and water balloons!

Last week I was in three different zones because I kept having companion exchanges. The first exchange with Elder Troncos was a blast! Their sector is enormous, so they get permission and have bikes. It was so weird riding a bike, but so fun! Elder Troncos and I only crashed one time each, so I guess you could say I already forgot how to ride a bike. Ha ha!

Also, it poured buckets on our sector and our sector does not have any good drainage systems, especially because all of the roads are dirt. But there were literally "lakes" that we had to walk through. The water got up to about our knees. Ha ha! But here was the best part, we got told that there was a ton of fungus in the water and we needed to go wash our legs in alcohol to get rid of it! Well, guess whose amazing and great mom bought her son a gallon of alcohol before his mission?! My mom did! Ha ha! So grandpa, yes, I did need that much apparently! I was cracking up thinking about it!

Our zone got told by our president if we accomplish our new baptism dates and new investigators goal, we will get rewarded and be able to do something fun! All of us worked super hard and my companion and I got 19 new investigators and 7 new baptismal dates! It is crazy how a little motivation will make you work even harder, so this really helped me learn about the importance of setting achievable goals but also pushing yourself to become a stronger and better person.

This mission has been one of the most humbling experiences for me and I have only been here for 5 months. My testimony has grown more than I could ever have imagined and the people of Ecuador are some of the sweetest people in the world. Everyone here is super grateful for what they HAVE and they cherish them. They also love and cling on to their families more than anyone because in reality, money does not buy happiness; it only buy things that are temporal. But what "buys happiness" is the knowledge that we can be with our love ones forever. And this is free! And it is not temporal! Through obeying the commandments, receiving all of the ordinances of the Gospel, living with all of the attributes of Jesus Christ and enduring to the end, we will live with Him again.

I never thought this would happen but on the days I don't think about the language, the words just come to me. On the days where I worry if I sound like a three-year-old, I actually do! I am really seeing and experiencing the importance of forgetting myself and going to work. When I only focus on other people and look for opportunities to serve other people, I find so much more joy and it actually builds my testimony too! These people are ready to put their eyes single to the Lord and they are ready to receive the word and the message this gospel contains. What is my part? I get to live and teach the principles of the gospel every day and give it all up to Him. (Helaman 3:35)

Love Always,

Elder Sorenson

Alma 13:27-29
*Invitation to have humility and always have an put our faith in Him!



On companion exchanges riding bikes realizing how out of shape I am. 

Riding bikes during a companion exchange - good news....I only fell one time!

Elder Sorenson's new mission district.

Ocean Pier - Guayquil, Ecuador

Ocean Pier - Guayaquil, Ecuador

Felize Carnival! 4 days "house bound" resulted in moments like these!



Felize Carnival! 4 days "house bound" resulted in moments like these!
A message written in Spanish from Elder Sorenson - March 1, 2017
Elder Hirschi and I being Elder Hirschi and I.

What we did during the four days in the house. We are sailing to the Galapagos. My companion is George Washington, Hirschi is Clark Kent, his companion, Elder Davila, is yoda....and me, you know I am super creative, I am being myself.
 

No comments:

Post a Comment