Elder Sorenson - May 22, 2017

Well I am officially moved in to my new apartment and am living in air-conditioning! I never thought I would be so grateful to sleep with a/c! Our first night in the apartment I couldn't sleep at all because of how cold it was. I finally found a happy medium! Ha ha!! Now if we can just get a stove and refrigerator in our apartment we will be all set.

We ended up doing a lot of service this week and I loved it so much! Service is a great way to show love to your neighbor, as well as to Heavenly Father (Mosiah 2:17-18). I do have to admit doing service three days in a row might not have been the best idea. I couldn't lift anything up for about a day!! Ha ha! But the best part of serving others is the smile on their face and seeing the light in their eyes when we help them. One of the people we helped was surprised that we didn't care what we are wearing, we jumped right in and helped. One of our investigators had to move hundreds of pounds of concrete and bricks so my companion and I threw our backpacks down and got to work!! He was so grateful and beyond words. That is why I am here. I am here to give an extra hand, to teach the gospel, and to save souls.

I can really see the blessings I have received from serving diligently and being obedient! We have so many investigators who want to be baptized that we have a hard time seeing all of them every day because there are many of them! Speaking of which, we had a baptism this weekend! Valeria and Jostyn took their first covenant in the waters of baptism! It went well and they were so excited. Right now, we are working on teaching nine progressing investigators, eight of which have committed to baptism! I know the Lord has sent me here to La Paz, Machala for a specific reason and only He knows what that reason is! But I am so grateful for this area and the ward. The ward is so loving and even accepts me as a gringo! I am coming up to my eight month mark which would mark 1/3 of the way done. Time really flies when you're doing what you love and let me just say, I love this gospel and I love this church and Ecuador!! And I love all of you! Thank you for your support and prayers.

Always remember, the Lord is first and we will receive all the blessings we need to have, through and only through Him.

Love Always,
Elder Sorenson

Elder Sorenson - May 15, 2017

Happy Mother's Day! 

This week went by so fast and I don't even know where the time is going! My companion and I were super busy all week because of how many people we taught, plus the fact that we are moving to a new apartment and we also did service a few times this week! 

I love this mission, but it is actually really hot and I am always sweaty! The best part of my week was obviously yesterday!! Getting to talk to my entire family was a huge blessing. Seeing all of my beautiful cousins just made me smile and realize the blessings they are receiving for me serving a mission! 

It was also a great birthday present to be able to talk to my family on Skype and also receive letters and a package from them! It doesn't feel like I'm 19 but hey, time flies! Ha ha! My birthday went well, I got spoiled by the loving members here. I had four dinners that were either burgers, tacos, or pizza and Coke! Ha ha! The members know me well. 

The memories that will always be with me this week are the lessons that are not prepared. My companion and I plan for the lessons, but obviously not everything always goes as planned. When we teach by the Spirit, the spirit will indicate and give us the words we need to say for the person we are talking too which will help them understand! Sometimes it is hard to recognize the spirit. When you try your best, by always putting yourself in good situations, the Spirit of the Lord will fill your heart and you will be comforted! 

I love missionary work! There's nothing better! Thank you all for reading my letters every week and supporting me throughout these two years! I apologize if there are things I leave out of my letters that you want to know. Just email me questions and I would be happy to answer them. 

The Lord lives and I know with all my heart that this church is true, it has blessed my life and can certainly bless yours! Happy Mother's Day and I hope everyone has a great week!

Love Always,
Elder Sorenson

Matthew 10:20

A birthday package sent from my home! Thanks mom, Morgan, Aspen, and Grandpa/ma! I LOVE the presents and will use all them!

Morgan, thank you for the beef jerky and Spanish version of the Plan of Salvation wood puzzle!

Elder Sorenson - May 8, 2017

Hi Everyone!

Well, first things first....I am officially a dad! Haha! I guess when you train, your trainer is your son and you become his father. This week was officially the longest week I have had on my mission. As most of you know last week, I went to Guayaquil on Monday to pick up my new companions fresh off of the airplane from the MTC. On Tuesday, we got to meet who our new companion is and my new companion's name is Elder Garcia! He is from Peru and is super cool!! Wednesday, we drove back to Machala and ran some errands because we both didn't have food for the week. Haha!

I learned a lot this week, especially the importance of patience and understanding. I knew training was going to be hard, because I remember the mission field is so much more different than the MTC. My Companions and I really work hard and have been getting good results. We have 10 baptism dates right now, which is the most in our zone. Elder Garcia came here super excited and ready to work, it is hard for me to explain that the rules we have here are different and there are actually more rules that he doesn't know about. I love my companion, he is really testing my patience but I appreciate it because I know this is going to help me grow a ton. My leadership personality has settled in and I find myself not scared at all to talk to anyone and I am not scared about this language either! Every day this week has been a new adventure and I have discovered things I need to work on and get better at.

The great thing about my new companion is that he knows quite a bit of English and he really wants to learn more and be fluent in it. We made a rule of where we speak Spanish in the street and English in the house.

Anyways, this week went well and I know it will get easier! I hope all of you know the value of patience in a relationship because it is very important. Always put others before yourself and you will see the blessings! I love you all and I will see you in 6 days "fam" for Skype! This gospel is true and I know it will change your life! Just read and pray!

Love Always,

Elder Sorenson

Ether 12:27

Mosiah 24:13-16  

Elder Sorenson - May 1, 2017

Hey Everyone!!

This week has been pretty crazy and I don't have much time to write!! First things first is that my awesome companion, Elder Cortez has changed to another zone!! Do you want to know the name of my new companion?? I don't know his name because he is flying in from the MTC in Peru right now!! I am picking up my new companion tomorrow. Yeah, that's right.. I am training now...I am officially a Senior Companion/Trainer. I am the newest missionary that is training. The other trainers have been out at least a year or so. I am the first missionary in my group to be a trainer so I am a bit nervous, but I know it will be great experience and I will learn a TON!!! 

What does it mean to be a Senior Companion/Trainer? Now that I am a trainer, I will have more study time in the morning for language. Senior Companions/Trainers are called for 12 weeks - each week I will teach something new and help my companion to know how to teach and find new investigators.

I am currently in Guayaquil and got to visit my old sector for a little bit, it was so fun and cool to remember the memories I had there!!

Nothing too crazy happened this week. My companion and I worked super hard and saw the progress!! We have so many people with baptismal dates this month. I can't wait to be part of a huge part in their lives which is, knowing and living the truth!!

 

Anyways, I love you all and hope all is well!! I will talk to you next week!!

 

Love Always, 

Elder Sorenson

 

My comp and I needed to have him be prepared for his first kid when he gets back! Haha! 

This is a family that we are super close with and love dearly. my comp had to say goodbye to them and the lady with the orange shirt sobbed because she didnt want him to leave!!



This is a family that we are super close with and love dearly. My comp had to say goodbye to them.