White Christmas

Dear all,

This week was excellllenteeeee! On Saturday we had an awesome baptismal service for J, the 16 year old homie we have been teaching. He was so happy to be baptized and has so many friends in the church I already know he is gonna do amazing. I can truly see him being a great missionary in 2 years...pray for that! At the baptism a Hermana in our district and I sung ´´Lord I will Follow Thee´´ right before the actually baptism, and I was a little sick and got a little nervous right before, but it ended up sounding amazing and I’m pretty sure it wasnt me singing...haha! But really, it was an awesome service and 35 people attended! Which is a ton for a baptism down here. 

This Wednesday we have Christmas Dinner with President, and our district is in charge of the message so we have been working hard on that...The Hermana who I sung with and I are singing like 6 Christmas songs (just 1 or 2 verses each), and I am playing guitar for 4 of them, and in between each one a different missionary from our district is sharing a scripture and short message about Christmas and Jesus Christ. It should be epic! We are really excited!!

Today we went into downtown Quito and stopped by the offices to see some other missionaries from other Zones, and had lunch with one of the members from our ward who is a lawyer in Quito, it was delish and we had some bomb Tres Leche Cake!! 

Oh yeah!!! And my Christmas package came from mom and dad. I dont know how Kent fit all that stuff in one small box, but it was epic!!! So much awesome stuff...and delish food from the states! Stoked!!

Well...really dont have much more, so here are some questions from gramsy and papa Kent!!

What is the name of the fruit that looks like a caterpillar and what does it taste like? (I’ve never seen anything like that before!) 

Its called GUAVA.....but is very different from the guava we have in the states!! It tastes like an orange and a mango combined! Really good!

What has the weather (and temperature) been like the last couple of weeks?  Is it still raining every afternoon? (We’re finally getting some rain here.) 

Rains maybe once a week, and only for a few hours! I think the rainy season comes just before winter here...because now it is colder and super foggy...but not really too much rain!

How is Elder Baque's cooking (and are you doing some cooking for him)?

Great. I am now learning how to cook Ecuadorian stuff....Chile, check, Ecuador, check....only a few more countries to learn haha!

Is all your companion study in Spanish? 

Yes....everything all day is in spanish now unless we're with other missionaries from the zone who speak english. My comp only knows a few words in english...so I really am talking 24/7 in spanish. Tough but way helpful!

What was your most impactful lesson this week (topic/with whom) and why?

We have been sharing the He is the Gift video with a ton of members...and every time it is super powerful. It helps us all remember to focus on CHRIST this CHRISTmas. Look it up!!!! navidad.mormon.org or christmas.mormon.org

What are some Ecuadorian Christmas traditions you're learning about?

Not sure...a lot of it is super simal...but I’ll let you know as it happens!

LOVE YOU ALL! MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS! Enjoy this quote, thanks momma!!

Elder Sorensen

"The real Christmas comes to him who has taken Christ into his life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing force. The real spirit of Christmas lies in the life and mission of the Master. If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments" (Howard W. Hunter, "The Real Christmas," Ensign, Dec 2005, 22–25)

My last companion, Elder G, sent me this pic of our investigator F's baptism a few weeks ago