My penultimate letter, Week 97, 2 weeks left. Ill be home July 2nd

Well well well! You know it!  This is my penultimate letter, or say, second to last, for those not yet used to large unimportant words. :)

Dearest family and friends!  This has been a fine week!  And it sounds like everyone is more excited for my arrival than I am!  I feel that the reality of me finishing the mission hasn`t quite `hit me` yet. But that`s alright!  I`m not as trunky!

So, me and Elder Ospina have been working well!  We have 3 people with a specific date for baptism, and are working with a couple others to do the same.  Our next service will actually be my last Saturday in the mission, with good old Luis and Mario.  

Luis is great!  He is to be wed in a week! But alas! Problems with his marriage papers!  And he has just begun his driver`s license course, and can only find him on the weekends!  Just when it seems mission work is just slip-n-slide of fun, you realize that your plastic tarp in not laid upon an American lawn of sweet mattress like grass, but a rocky field of cactus barbs and gravel! Opposition has struck every single one one of my converts!  And once again, we will face opposition and slap evil right in the face!  (So we are resolving those problems very quickly)

And Mario, is just... well.. rolling!  He should be good to go in no time.

And so, with the mission split and everything, we did have some changes!  And today, Elder Ospina and I will be receiving a THIRD companion!  Yes... just like the Triforce we shall be a Force to be Tried with! Ha Ha!  (pun AND zelda reference... I still do have an inner nerd!)

His name is Elder Alcarraz, and he should get to our sector in about 30 minutes.  So we hope all goes well!  We still need to find a third bed though....  we`ll try to get one by sundown.

But, I really think I see these last 2 weeks as 2 more weeks on the potter`s wheel.  Never before will I be in such a high spiritually plane such as the mission, and I need to use every moment I have left to bring about the last changes needed for real life!  So, when anyone of you leave on your mission, always remember that!  The mission is meant to CHANGE you!  Both in an increased testimony as a more advanced conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  What a great opportunity it is to come here, and have no limits of progression!  The only thing that can limit you is yourself.    But it`s true, we can do that when we`re at home as a normal Latter-Day Saint, but I will say, nothing like it is being SET APART from the world!  It almost seems like the phrase being in the world, but not of the world really takes on a more literal meaning.  We don`t even have time to meddle or think or speak about worldly things such as movies or sports or politics, which is great, because all my desires to do things of that nature have greatly diminished.  Not that they`re bad things, but just as an apostle said, many of them are just `Idle Pursuits`, and halt us from heeding toward eternal progression.   

So, if we can always put things such as personal prayer, scripture study, and sabbath day observance BEFORE all that worldly stuff, then All Is Well in Zion!  Because don`t get me wrong, Movies are great!  Drawing superheroes is great! Working as a creative director at Trafalga is great!  But ONLY when placed in the right order in the chart of Eternal priorities.

SO! Do wholesome things, choose the right, and may you all have a great and stirring week!

-Elder Sanders

PHOTOS!- Me and good comp at a baptismal service in our zone,and us with some other missionaries, making them a delicious Ecuadorian

griddle-style Quiche as a reward for having the most street contacts last Saturday.  All is well,

June 10, 2013 Week 96, 3 weeks left

You had better believe it! I just feel as great as a grape! (which are pretty great by the way...)

So this has been a rather busy week, but quite well.  Elder Ospina and I are tearing it up here, making delicious exotic foods and trying not to get too Trunky! ( home sick )

To begin, Email Answers!:

1-I am fine, our week was fine, and our investigators are fine.  Hm.  At least, most of them are fine, but only one of them is GREAT!  And that is because only one has a baptismal date, good old Luis Z! He is to be wed in 2 weeks!  So we hope all goes well for him. And for everyone else, it`s usually pretty easy to find them during the week, and then when the clock tolls 12 on the transition from Saturday to Sunday, they all turn to dust and vanish! And they don`t materialize again until exactly 9:00 PM Sunday, because that`s when we are no longer outside of the house. So we hope that we can find them soon so that they can attend church!

2-What am I doing for the last 3 weeks?  Well, I plan to bring others to Christ and the Atonement through the laws and ordinances of the gospel, or say, just plain missionary work.  I hope that just like a runner in a marathon, I can burst my lungs on the last stretch of the racetrack and live the end of my mission to the fullest.  And in fact, in our ward we have 2 great young lads preparing for missions also!  So great things are in store!

3-And although I live 40 minutes from the Ecuator, I have only seen it from a distance, but never visited it.  WHOOPS! I can`t leave Ecuador until I do that!  I`ll get to it soon enough! (And never fear Mom! I will buy your hammock!)

4-Well, the reason that no one knows about the travel plans is because they haven`t bought the plane tickets yet!  I heard that we should be leaving Monday night, VERY LATE Monday night. But I`ll keep ya`ll informed.

So, that`s the news!  It seems that especially today I`ve been getting really longing for home, Brandon coming home from his mission, 4 other missionary's in my zone finishing, and so on and so forth.  But I`m glad you all have planned how it`s going to be when I get back, because I have no idea!   (Ugh, there`s this guy sitting next to me with the worst rat-tail haircut if you know what I mean... poor guy)

But with some events for the week, it seems that Ecuador just can`t stop making poor power lines. Remember the story of how the transformer exploded 2 weeks ago? Well, this morning, whilst we were studying in our house, FOUR OF THEM EXPLODED!  Within the course of an hour, from different directions from our house, making our lights go out 

for a few seconds on each one.  (That must mean there must be 4 more pigeon grilled delights out there in the street for some lucky street vender!)

But, leaving the unnecessary topics, this has been a fine week.  I`ve been seeing many efforts made by myself to share my testimony with the world. It seems that lately, we`ve been having the knack to teach families in which everyone is a member with the exception of the dad.  And every single father seems to be clinging on to the doctrine of Nehor, saying such things as: `Oh, I don`t believe in a true church. Everyone says their`s is true, has their own bible, and believes in God.  I think that all Christians will just be saved, so long as you believe in God.`   WRONG.   What about baptism? Temple work? The fulness of the Gospel? Hasn`t anyone read 

 

Matthew 7:21-23?

 

 21 ¶Not every one that ^asaith unto me, ^bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that ^cdoeth the ^dwill of my Father which is in ^eheaven.

 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not^aprophesied in thy name? and in thy ^bname have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

 23 ^aAnd then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: ^bdepartfrom me, ye that work ^ciniquity.

These poor husbands are so wrapped up in their personal pride, that they don`t even believe their own wife and kids when they say Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Book of Mormon is true.  Life would be so much better if they just gave them a chance!  But, one way or another, they`ll get there.  In fact, that`s how it is with Luis Z!  His wife had been inactive for a while, and he always didn`t feel baptism was necessary yet.  Until now!  That`s one down, four to go!  (Yes, we have 4 other families with the similar situation) And every time, my testimony burns like a mighty forest fire!  

Well, stay true to the truth, read your scriptures, and like the apostles, always be ready to give your testimony in any moment, and in any time.

-Elder Sanders

PHOTOS!: Here is part ONE,

Some shots of the baptisms of the family Cortez, us with some rad new tie knots, my companion after cooking delicious potato balls filled with meat and vegetables,

ENJOY!!

-Elder Sanders 2x

Week 95 , Mountain Cayambre 4 weeks left

Well well, greetings to one and all!  But I`m sorry to say, that today we had a mega activity, and arrived incredulously late, and thus have no time to write!  We went as a zone up to Cayambe, which is a giant mountain (for once, not a giant active volcano! That`s a first...) which is absolutely cold, wondrous, full of snow, and mystically enthralling! I`ll send photos and I will un-thaw my camera...    ...that was a joke!   

  Us in Cayambe, yet another majestic mountian of Ecuador.  TWAS QUITE FREEZING!  You can`t tell, but the reason we are screaming in half the photos is because the wind was so strong it could have easily knocked you over (and carried you to distant and daring lands... )  

But what I can say is that: Robert C was baptized!  And then he baptized his 2 daughters!  What great news!

-Tomorrow is my last Leaders council, and I will get to bear one of many `last testimonies`

-And Elder Ospina and I are just doing swell, life is going quite well.

Well, I`ll see if I can get some photos, but for the moment: 

FARE THEE WELL!

-Elder Sanders

Week # 94, 5 weeks, 35 days LEFT !!!

Why, Hello UTAH!

   This has been a swell week, but it`s always weird getting a new companion, changing all the patterns of behavior, inside jokes, way of doing things, and stuff. It always takes a week or so to re-adjust to each other, but so far, we are just doing peachy!

 

But, let`s get to know Elder Ospina: He has 2 years of membership in the church and 9 months in the mission, he is the only member of his family, and is from Meyelling, Columbia. (I hope that`s how to spell it, it`s pronounced like May-Day-Zzzhhing! Rather like a quote from an action movie or something)  This is his first time as a zone leader, and is a pretty calm guy. He`s good.

SO!   Let`s start with Email Questions!

1- About the release date!  I assume it`s July first, but my paper last week said June 28th.  And I`m unsure when I get my official flight plan papers... maybe next week during our zone leader council. I guess we`ll see! (35 days!)

2- Yes, I got the school schedule, and it doth look good! Thank you Chantel and your rad planning skills!

3- A mighty congratulations to every one of my sisters for their grand extracurricular extravaganza! You are all making me so proud!  Keep doing good things!  According to Elder Oaks, wholesome recreation brings variety, happiness, and relaxation to life, and are very necessary, just as air or food.

So it`s good to see everyone is well, and may I just wish a Very Merry

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MADISON!!!

 

How wonderful! 

So why was this week so good?

6 People with a baptismal date and 7 that came to church!  It was very grand!  Here`s our current star players:

Family C: the father refused to be baptized for 14 years and his wife later became inactive, and then later their parents.  And then what happened? Two stalwart Elders came along, activated the parents, which activated the daughter, which renewed flow of blessings enticed the husband to be baptized.  And he wants to so bad!  He has been prepared for years!  So we are thrilled to baptize him and his 2 daughters this week!

Luis :  he`s a 35 year old son of an old investigator family we had.  He is very artistic, and very philosophical.  We say one thing to him, and takes that one simple thought, and complexifies it with bizarre comparisons and tangent theories.  But aside from that, he is great!  He truly needs to gospel. for his past life has led him quite astray, and now he is making a grand return.

Luis : Another husband of a less active wife.  He`s just good.

and last,

Mario :  The one we found while contacting last week.  Since we met him, he`s been diligent in reading and praying, and has great desires to guide his family to choose the right also.  If we can get him, then his family will follow.

So that`s the mission work here at the moment, and we also did a service project with a couple other Elders in Condado (one of them was Elder Housley!) We made waffles in an electric sandwich maker, (they turned out more like little pillows of happiness!), and went to do service moving bricks and shoveling sand and cement for the bishop building a new house. It was dusty and great!  And actually, right when we got got there, we went to knock and the door and before we knew: BAM! BLAM!

 

Had a couple of tanks gone off in the street? It sounded as if the electric box on the power line had exploded twice right in front of us.... AND IT DID!  Yes, two unfortunate pigeons landed on the cheap electrical box on the telephone pole and made it burst into a spray of sparks!  It didn`t blow into little pieces, but it did manage to literally FRY to poor birds!  It was quite the spectacle of the morning.

And as a final article for the week, a quote from our Annual Stake Priesthood Conference:

`People generally are happy, when they decide to be happy.`

-Abraham Lincoln

Elder Sanders the Brave

ps_these are the only photos I managed to take this week, it`s us making the most delicious homemade burritos ever known to Ecuador

!Boy Elder Sanders got some SUN !!!!

Week # 93 The end is near 6 weeks left !

Greetings family!  Well, I do not much time to write today, for it is:

CHANGES!!!

So what happened?!  Elder Bloxham is no more!  He has left to my old sector in Guamani!  And now I am with the mighty Elder Ospina, a fine lad from Columbia who has about 9 months in the mission.

But, I say the end is near because now my last Change in the mission has officially begun!  Like camping, it is `in-tents`!

SO! As for news, the family Z were at last baptized!  And may I say, one of the most spiritual baptisms I`ve ever had!  

All the testimonies were powerful, and all the messages as sweet as honey with brown sugar.

So! Instead of writing, I just have some photos:

-Baptism!

-Me rather sad that Elder Bloxham has left me to fend for myself.

-

Until next week, I love ya all, now I must use the rest of my internet time to fill out my TRUNKY PAPERS as they are called.

(All the stats the mission needs to know so I can finish my mission.)

-Elder Sanders