Changes

A few weeks ago we met up with the Zone Guaranda....and a few weeks latter now we are one big happy zone. Exciting stuff!

Well, my comp died. It was a sad week, but he lives close (about 6 hours in bus) so he is planning on coming to visit soon. He´s a beast and finished STRONG!

Changes came. Im staying here. The zone Guaranda (the whole province of Bolivar) just got combined with our zone, so we now have about 10 more missionaries in the zone, a total of 26. With 12 sisters. Our sister trainers have a lot of work to do this change, haha! I am also really excited because we will get to travel down to the other province and get to know a little bit more of thie awesome country! My new comp is Elder B, from Arizona. He is from my group and I have known him since the MTC in Mexico...we were just in the same zone 2 changes ago in Santo Domingo...he is following me! We are excited...with the new/big zone and the companionship. Also, Elder A is staying here for his 4th straight change! Gonna be training along with 4 others in the zone...gonna be an exciting/busy change! And we have some trips to Quito for Christmas Conference and another conference...lets goo!! We gotta sacrifice some writing time to go find some new houses for missionaries who arrived today....sorry mom. <3

Love you all. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Hope the letter from last week finally got to you guys..

Elder Sorensen

THANKFUL

Cali Reppin on Chimborazo a few weeks ago

So I don`t forget, I`d like to start out by expressing some Thanksgiving love... Thanksgiving isn`t celebrated down here, but we are gonna have a little Thanksgiving pot-luck/Farewell for my comp this Thursday and share what we are thankful for. Even though the turkey and taters and jello pretzle salad will be missed....I think this Thanksgiving I will be feeling more thankful for my life and all the things I have more than any other year. So a few things I am thankful for... 

• My family. I find my self thinking almost every single day ``How epic is my family`` and ``How the heck did my parents do it``. I am soooo grateful for my family...my direct parents/siblings, my absolutely amazing grandparents (Burkes, Sorensens, Hausknechts), all my cousins and second counsins and aunts and uncles. And this year I am especially grateful for the two new members of my family who will be joining the Sorensen Crew (good luck....) in a few months. Sup Amanda/she-who-has-not-be-named. <3 My 3 siblings are the 3 biggest examples for me...they motivate me to be better and do all I can to fill at least half of the huge shoes they have left me. (no, Jeff...wasnt a big-foot joke;)) 
  
  
• God. A few years ago I believed in God, but knew nothing about Him. After almost a year and half teaching people about my Father in Heaven and all the amazing blessings He has given us, I now KNOW my Heavenly Father and am so grateful for all He does for me everyday. And like it says in John 3:16, He loves us so much that he gave is Only Begotten to die for us and save us. I am equally grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. For the example He gave me. I try every day to be a little bit more like him...a better friend, teacher, listener, son, missionary, and person. 
  
  
• My friends. I have the best friends in the world. To my BYU homies who have been HUGE examples for me...thanks. To all my Davis friends who have taught me so much about life and the world and myself, thanks. I`d name you all...but I`d run out of ink. ;) 
  
  
• La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias. My dad was raised in this church by his incredible parents, and my mom took a big leap of faith and joined the church alone as a teenage girl. I am so grateful for all that they, and this church, have taught me, and for the man I have become thanks to them/it. This church is true. I say it many times every day...it is true. And it can bless and change your life, as it has changed mine for good. lds.org 
  
  
• The mission. I can`t even image where I would be right now in my life if I didnt make this choice to come on the mission. 2 years ago I had no idea if I could do this and if I would do this....but am sooo grateful for the decision I made and all the help I received to prepare/get out here.  
  
  
• Ecuador. 2 years ago I didnt even know where Ecuador was...and now not a day goes by where my love for this country doesnt grow. These people have taught me how to be grateful for what I have, and how to WORK. There are so many people I have met down here who I will never forget.  
  
  
• USA. I don`t know what I did to be so privledged to be born in a free, beautiful, epic country...but I am sooo grateful for my childhood (shoutout to the D-Towns...detroit/davis!) and all the opportunities I have had and continue receiving because I was born in the United States. We got a lot to improve, be we already improved a lot more than we think. What up, Red White and Blue.  

BYU tie from Lima Peru Temple...thanks Cam

Well, I don`t really have much more to say after that. It was a great week, had a great interview with President Christensen on Saturday, a great Riobamba District Conference on Sunday with some killed talks from Pte C and his counselors, and a solid week of work. Am currently back in Quito for another conference tomorrow...it was a solid 5 hour trip and we are looking forward to the 5 hours tomorrow. (Dont worry, pops, still got a little sarcasm in me!) 

Love you all! Have an EPIC Thanksgiving and eat DOUBLE for me! Thanks for everything, foreal. 

ES 

Chicken. The chicks love me.

Sup

Hey!!

These weeks are going by faster than Usain Bolt in the 200m dash. My comp is officially down to 13 days left in the mission, and we are doing all we can to make sure that he finishes the mish working like crazy and leaving all he can on the field. (Sup, Pops.) We had a really good, fast, average week. A few highlights were....

-Splits with Elder A (MTC comp). Tuesday to Wednesday Elder A and I were reunited. About 15 months ago we were comps in the MTC, not being able to speak Spanish, having no idea what we were about to get into, and living up the new missionary life. This week was super dope because we worked like crazy, taught like crazy, I taught him the art of the bus contact, and we went hard on some american food (pizza and carl´s jr...). I have no idea where the time is going but at least we are doing all we can to make it count!!

-Baptisms/epic branch activity. On Friday, two sons of two different families were baptized. Both families had been less active for a few years, and on Friday their families became complete (as far as being members of the church goes, hahaha). It was a great baptismal service and has been sweet seeing huge changes in these two family’s lives. Afterwards we had a DOPE branch activity. Basically, each organization made a typical food of Ecuador, and everyone (like 80 people!!!) just had a good time eating a ton of delish food and learning about temples and how they can become an eternal family. Does that sound like an amazing combo, or what?

-Cool district activity to a little lagoon 30 minutes outside of the city. Thats about it...haha, we went to a cool little lagoon!

-and...thats about it. Oh yeah, a 20 year old homie, J, left today to Peru to serve a mission. He is a beast and helped us sooo much, he is gonna kill it. We had a cool little farewell with his fam...bomb food!! I now have 3 great friends who I met in the mish who are now serving in Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia.... this obra is REAL!

Oh, also...shout out to all those affect by what went down in Paris...found out from a random guy who we met on the street who told me what happened. We are praying for all of those affected like crazy and I just want to remind you all that God is more powerful than any terrorist/evil that exists....TRUST IN HIM!

Love you all...

ES

WHITE CHRISTMAS

Okay, its not Christmas...yet. But I did have a snowball fight today!!! Today we climbed (not to the top...dont trip, mama bear) Chimborazo!! It is supposedly the highest summit from the center of the earth!!! There are volcanos a good amount taller...but due to being on the equator and the earths oval shape....its the highest summit. #Science. Jaja. It was epic!!!! I hadnt seen snow since BYU like 5 years ago (or 1.5 years ago....the years blend together these days). We couldnt see anything the whole drive up the base of the volcano, as it was crazy cloudy and foggy, but once we got up to the 1st and 2nd refuge it was SUPER CLEAR. We basically hopped above all the clouds....epic. I dont have too much to right about it...so ill just send a bunch of pics. It was like a 2 hour drive from Riobamba to the 1st refuge, and then about an hour hike up to the second refuge. Met people from like 10 different countries... I felt like I was in the beginning of my mish again... #communicationprobs

The trip to Quito was chill. Ended up staying this Monday-Wednesday cause my comp had a knee appointment (all is well). We chilled in the offices Tuesday night and Wednesday until 4pm....I almost jumped out the window. It was sooooo boring/hard sitting in a chair for so much time. Upside, watched every video you can imagine on mormonchannel.org.... downside....felt like a elephant trapped in a bathroom stall. (No, I´m not thaaaaat fat...yet). 

Missionary Leadership Council on Tuesday was good. Got to spend a lot of time with my boy Elder U and see a few other buds. The conference was good. Learned alot. Next month we are gonna start a mission wide bus contacting movement. My comp and I tested it out a few time this week. Surprisingly, Ecuadorians pay a lot of a attention to a huge gringo talking about God in the front of a bus that he doesn´t even fit in...EPIC. Feeling a lil big more like Dan Jones every day, jaja!

On Saturday we had a sisters conference. Where all the sisters in the zone get together and us and the Sister Trainers train about different phases of missionary work. It went really well, and we ate cake at the end. Score.

Well, thats about it. Oh yeah! Carebear asked me some Qs....

Are you getting daily meals or cooking for yourself? 

We eat lunch every day with a member from the neighboring branch, and then make dinner in the house. If we have time/are close to home we hit a lil dinner break, if not we just make a lil something when we get home. As in Tuna Sammys and Spaghetti with ketchup...DOWN!

Tell me more about the area, etc. Pretty sure I did last week..but its...pretty. ;)

Random question, but are the beds there long enough for you? Or do you have to put a chair at the end so your feet don't hang over?

No. My whole mission I have had my ankles/feet hanging off the bed or sleeping in a diagonal position so that they can barely fit on. Its not too bad, but I do miss a nice, large, Sorensen-sized bed

Love you all! Enjoy a few pics...more will come next week (took most with Elder Anderson´s camera...)

ES

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Dear ________,

I probably should have started a travel journal 3 changes ago because I am pretty sure I have been traveling more than Donald Trump in these past 5 months.....bueno.

We just got into Quito about an hour ago and took a lovely crowded trolly up north to the mission offices. The ride was pretty...saw lots of volcanos....that was new. Jaja. :) They were playing a pretty awful movie so me and my comp went hard on some conference talks....emergency headphones come in handy!! Jajaja.

The week went super well. I havent been able to have much time to talk about my new area so I will do so now...

I am currently in Riobamba, in the province Chimborazo (named by the biggest volcano in the province...the highest summit from the middle of the world #PerksOfLivingOnTheEquator). We are part of the only district in the mission which contains 4 branches in Riobamba and 2 in a little town a few hours away called Guaranda. I am in the branch Bellavista (same name as my first ward....Vista Hermosa...just reverse, haha). About 80-100 people attend each week-we have a lot of work to do but have a sweet RM branch president who supports us a ton. 

I love the city. Its super mellow and old school. And you can take a taxi anywhere you want for 1 buck. The food is great and the people are....wonderful. A little bit more closed than my beloved costeño folk....but they are still awesome! Last night we found a family of 7 who had been attending a few years ago but due to family problems backed off at the last minute...they are now super excited to get back to church and come closer to God! The kids are especially excited to ´´get a baptism with lots of water´´...haha epic.

My comp and I are getting along great. He is a beast. We have been going SUPER HARD on the morning workouts...as he goes home in 4 weeks and lives 10 minutes away from the beaches of Manabi (the nicest beaches in Ecuador). Every morning we have a love hate relationship cause I told him if he wants to get big he has to do it my way......hahaha #football/rugbyflashbacks. 

About the whole Halloween thing...didnt even realize it halloween until my boy Elder Anderson called me at like 10:20pm wishing me a happy halloween....haha. The first 2 weeks of November are holidays down here...basically lots of parties and dances and food...the most traditional being Guaguas de pan and Colada Morada....bascially a super delish bread with cheese of jelly in the shape of a baby with a smoothie with a ton of different fruits and spices and flower...super dense but way delish. We have already drunken like 10 cups....BALLING! (due to lack of pics we took some Guagua selfies this morning....you´re welcome, Momma!!)

Love you all! Have a great HOLIDAY SEASON! Can´t believe its November....Thanksgiving and Christmas in Ecuador 2.0 are coming in hot and bout to be great!!

Until next time,

ES