¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Friends and Family,

First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I know we lack 4 days....but you´re gonna have to forgive me for an early Merry Christmas Wish! I hope you all have an amazing Christmas/Holiday season and can remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas....He lives!!! Check out this sweet video, I like it. https://www.mormon.org/christmas

I am a little short on time because today we had a crazy fun activity! One of the districts in the zone went to ´´Baños de Santa Agua´´, and because his district is full of Sister missionaries, we ´´had´´ to go to accompany him. It was DOPE!!! Baños is a little tiny pueblo right in between the Sierras (mountains) and the Oriente (jungle) and is a HUGE tourism attraction. It is full of waterfalls and zoos and awesome Ecuadorian stuff. Today we went to the big zoo they have and it was great and extremely beautiful. It was similar to American Zoos, except all the landscaping and epic animal habitats were almost 100% naturally made. And it was overlooking a waterfall/river....word.

Last night we went Caroling with the branch. About 20 of us in a school bus tearing up the streets of Riobamba. It was great! We got to visit a lot of new members, less activates, and some old members who live alone. It was wonderful and the Christmas Spirit was STRONG! 

Well, we got a crazy week coming up. Probably going back to Guaranda Wednesday, Tuesday divisions with Elder A, Wednesday night Branch Christmas Party, Thursday a few Christmas eve dinners and Friday SKYPE with the fam! Cant wait!

I love you all and hope you have a great holiday season.

´´Did you know that Ecuador is the country with the highest biological diversity in the world?´´  

Elder Sorensen

Christmas Part 1

Hey all. How´s it going?

This week was even crazier, but one heck of a week! 

On Tuesday we went down to Guaranda, a cool little city that is a few hours outside of Riobamba. We got some solid divisions done with four elders down there. The city is a lot like Riobamba...small, colonial, lots of indigenous. It was a WAY cool bus ride! We got to basically make a big 2 hour circle around Chimborazo (that massive Volcano we went to a few weeks ago). It was great. Aside from the AWFUL Chicha music that was played the whollllle ride home while we tried to sleep. Oh well, embrace the culture, right? :)

Christmas w/ the MTC comp

Zone

On Thursday we bused down to Quito as a zone. There was a big accident so we were stopped for about an hour..but we had the whole zone on the bus so it was a great chance to get to know the missionaries better and a have a nice little rest from the work. We then got McDonalds as a zone and slept in the mission hotel. Friday we had an annual Christmas Conference/Dinner from 9am-5pm. It was GREAT. Some great trainings. Three by President and one by us on ´´Ha Nacido un Salvador´´ (A Savior is Born). We ate sooooo much good food. Snacks/treats every hour during the conference and then a DANG GOOD Christmas Dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed Ps, bomb salad, REAL rolls, gravy, and other good stuff. And 2 BOMB desserts...I love American food. And Hermana Christensen, she is the best! We then had a fun ride home and got into Riobamba at around 11 Friday night. 

#ChristmasDinnerSelfieGame

Our Christmas talent. Forgot to tell ya'll, I am now quad-lingual.

We only have 2 full days in our sector, but got TO WORK while we could. My comp and I are having a great time together and really meshing as far as the teaching and missionary work goes. Its a happy Holiday Season down in Ecuador. 

Love you all!

ES

Holidays

MERRY CHRISTMAS MONTH! 

Hope you all enjoyed the Christmas Devotional last night! If you didnt see it...watch it! https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/christmas-devotional/2015/12?lang=spa&vid=4649166278001. We got to watch it with some gringos and one family from Utah who lives here in Riobamba...it was excellent! 

It was a crazy busy/great first week of the change. We had about 3 days to work in our sector due to having so much stuff to get done. This week will be similar. Tomorrow we will go down to Guaranda to do splits with 4 missionaries down there, and then on Thursday/Friday we will go into Quito as a zone for Christmas Dinner/Conference at President´s house! We are sooo excited!

The work is going well. My comp and I are getting along GREAT! We are so happy to be back with gringos and speaking a lil english. It has been sweet. It is gonna be an amazing holiday season down here in little Riobamba.

Hope you all have a great week! Love you all. Thanks for everything. 

ES

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.