It snowed ! week 91 / 8 weeks left

A great and mighty greeting to one and all!  It`s a pleasure to write you everyone once more!  

So, first things first!  

-Congrats to everyone that made the temple trip this last weekend!  What a great experience, our ward is going to go the temple at the end of the month, but it`s a shame that we won`t be able to go with them.

-And I`m greatly enjoying the spoils from last Monday!  I started to read the book you sent me for my birthday, about the continuous conversion, and it is great.  We also managed to find and buy a strawberry cheesecake on Monday to finish off the celebration, but unfortunately, I remembered we live in Ecuador and that $14 cheesecake was awful! Blaugh!  But we still had a jolly good time.

AND ALSO!  This Sunday is the Mother`s day call! So, we are going to do it in the afternoon, around 4:00, so be ready!   

And as a notice to the title of the email, we did get snow here in the Ecuador!  It`s just a little harder and more frozen, accompanied with a violent lightning storm.  Most people just call it hail.  So yes!  On Thursday our sector got totally destroyed!  (Not literally, but the storm was a once it a lifetime kind of thing!)  We had to run home through the cold little hail pellets, and it was rather like running through a hundred man air soft war, and then the front of our house turned into a river of ice and water!  And was sweeping mightily!  We were very glad we were inside.  I hope you enjoy the photos.

But aside from that fun day, we have to wait yet another week to baptize the Family Z!  They were just waiting for one of their clients from work to pay them so that they could get married, but the person didn`t show up until the weekend!  Too late!  The wedding place closes on Friday!  So we must wait another week, but they WILL BE BAPTIZED!

We also did find a sweet Haitian family last week, who consist of 2 sisters and a brother who are from Haiti, and whose mother lives in the Bahamas. During the first lessons, the eldest sister named D (french name) told us that only a week ago she had lost her baby daughter, and through the doctrine of Christ we explained about the plan of salvation and how living the gospel of Jesus Christ ensures that we can live with our families together forever.  And they accepted baptism!  All went well until Saturday, when D later explained that she actually felt anger towards God and would not attend church, but would keep listening to us.   So we hope this next week she will change her heart!

We also have been teaching a few other investigators, a family of Adventists from Peru, a husband of a less active member, and the 9 year of from the partial member family.  

So many good things are happening, but Elder Bloxham and I are striving for more!

  Lately, although we`ve been having success, we`ve been poorly using our time and not being as successful as we could be.  SO, once again, we are going to do a 40-day fast-like purification.  So, during fast Sunday, we made an extensive list of all the things that have been inhibiting us from being the best missionaries that we could be, and then covenanted that we would strive to Not do those things for the next 40 days, which is pretty much until the end of our missions.  So, we hope that by the process, we can be, in a sense, more purified.  We just started today, and will be updating you on how our process is doing.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, you all mean so much to me too!

-Elder Sanders

ps.photos: my last birthday cake of the mission, some shots of the hail storm that struck the city, and some homemade corn dogs we made today

A day and a life of a missionary, Week 90, 10 wks left

What a wonderful Week!

So to begin, I would just love to say...

HURRAH FOR CHANTEL!!!

Who knew? Paraguay!  It looks like we`ll all be Spanish-speaking-masters in no time at all, I bet everyone is way excited! I will spread the good news to everyone,   And I am very glad to hear that I`ll be able to get home to see her before the Grand Departure. Life is just an adventure of excitement!

 In accordance to the title of the email, this has been a very Rainy Week!  We`ve been traveling in cascades of water all week!  So we`ve been a bit wet, but happy. :)

So!  A news update on the family Z.  They haven`t got married yet, but they are doing their papers today and will be ready to marry late this week, and if all goes well, Baptized by Saturday!  So we are excited!  

We also have another person with a baptismal date named Luis Z (no family relation!)  He heard the missionaries a few years ago, and his wife is a less-active member.  So we hope that he`ll be able to progress and baptize! It seems as if he wants to know which church is true, and is just begging to be taught about Joseph Smith and the Restoration.  So we will be ready!  We go back this Wednesday.

Aside from that... hm.  Nothing really happened this week.   I`m just not too sure what to write on!

So... here is an overview of a normal day in Carclen, but Dramatized!:

´The day was tranquil, and the soft sky warmed as the sun brimmed above the skyline.  The early morning was quite serene, and we did find our two Elders peacefully dreaming soundly of memories of home.  But their serene sleep was shattered by the violent blaring of the alarm clock!  The Elders were recklessly launched out of their beds by gigantic hydrolic springs and they were cast to their knees onto the hard, cold, tile floor.  They shivered and blinked sore eyes, they were so tired!  But the time to rest was over, for the day had begun!

Hands clapped together and their groggy voices rang out in humble prayer.  But the prayer ended quick, good things cannot last for too long!  And they found themselves on their feet, straining their bodies in cruel exercise!  They breathed hard for the air was so cold and dry, but soon began to warm as blood began to speed through their numb limbs.  Then it was over!  Beads of sweat ensured that it was time to shower!  The electric shower head sparked and sputtered out smoke as cold water went through a pathetic heat transfer, issuing a slow trickle of warm water.  But it was enough to carry out the deed!  Within minutes the Elders were dressed in sharp, ironed suits.  With shining shoes and taut ties, they commenced to cook a mighty breakfast, but halfway through they realized their feast had robbed them of time, it was time to study!  

Dirty plates shattered as they were thrown into the sink, and the study sessions began!  Their minds became encased in an orb of spiritual energy, and they filled their craniums with precious, prized knowledge of the gospel wonders!  After hours of being enriched by this ritual, they stood stalwartly at the door.  It was time to head out!  Another prayer ensured the spirit would be with them during the day, and with a large stride they embraced the world!

The first item on the list was to contact.  They walked up to a mighty fortress, with tall spiked walls and heavy bolted doors.  They rapped three times upon the metal surface, and a figure partially emerged from one of the high towers above.  `How goest thou?!` yelled the stranger.  `WE BE MISSIONARIES!` came the reply.   In disgust and fear the fortress keeper slammed shut the partially open window. What a loss!  But they did not fear, for there were many more fortresses to be contacted! 10 houses gave the same raw rejection, but alas!  The eleventh house had been softened!  The bay doors opened and a heavy bridge dropped across the moat, and there stood a young family.  They let the Elders into their castle and they did teach them the wonders of the Gospel, and they were enlightened!  Veils of doubt were thrown from their heads so that their spiritual eyes could be opened, and though the light stung their retinas at the start, they did see the glory of the church as they adjusted to the new light!  

The first job was over, a new family had accepted the Gospel!

The next task that lay ahead of them was to teach the family with a baptismal date.   They continued onward, the noonday sun scorching their soft gringo skin, but they did accept it with joy!  Soon they found their way to the designed location, and did teach the family!  They were well and happy.

Only a few hours left in day!  Too late to contact, no lessons planned, what is a duo of missionaries to do?  Visit and strengthen the members of course!  On they go their abodes!  The houses are strong, but some of the bricks have become brittle as wafer cookies!  The missionaries Spackle the cracks with the cement of Family Home Evening, and build stronger their foundation! (gospel symbolism) The members become thrilled at our service and provide with them with more people to visit and teach, to the Elders they give maps and strategies of those that are lost in trenches who need their help and caribeaners! !  But they will have to wait until the next dawn, for the day is at it´s peak!

They rush home, knowing if they arrive late all our missionary powers will disparate!  The Elders made it on time, and throw heavy packs to the ground, and slam their planners to the table.  It is time for battle strategy!  They plot and plan until their attack strategy for the next day is complete! but their planning has gotten the better of them for it is time to return to their soft beds. They change out of their suits and into more comfortable clothes, but in bed they wiggle, they just have too much energy within them!  At last, they finish with one last prayer, and then feel the heavy waves of sleep drag their eyelids closed.  They switch on to sleep mode, and wrap into cocoon like shapes in their warm beds.  The day has been won, and lucky for them, another one waits in the morn!

Well!  I hoped you liked it!  that´s a day in the life of a missionary in Carcelen. 

Until next week!

-Elder Sanders

Zone leaders to the Max!‏ Week 89 , 11wks left

What a week it has been!  This has been a rather busy week for us, plenty of contacting, lessons, and other things to do!

So first off!  Responses to the letters!  So congrats to Mom and Dad, teaching Sunday school as power-teachers!  Those are always nice callings, and also it`s good to hear everyone else  is doing well also. And For Chantel! This Wednesday is the special day?  I`m betting that she`ll be serving stateside, and I`ll guess that it will by New York!  So let`s see if my predictions are prophetic!  The best of luck to ya!

As for the mission work here, much of the people here have rather hard hearts, but that makes the receptive ones just that much more special!  The best ones are the family Zam Vand his wife M, who have made incredible progression in these past 2 months.  This Friday, they are getting Married so they can get baptized on the 27th!  They are wonderful!  So they have by far been the examples for true investigators.  We are also working with a couple of other people, but they aren`t really progressing because we just can`t find them!  They are never home!  So we hope that we can target them down so they can accept our message into our lives.  Too often I feel people avoid us, which is odd because, who doesn`t want authorized Missionaries to visit their family?  By any means, it can only do people good.  So we`ll keep looking.

Alright, so it seems this week has had many lessons learned, especially in fast and prayer.  

Although it`s a little outside of mission work, I`ve been signing up for classes this week and very soon realized that I had been making graduation and career choices based on my own desires and knowledge, and had not included the Lord in making a career choice! I had always planned to go to BYU in the animation program, and everything would work out great.  It really dawned on me because my patriarchal blessing had always said that, but it never occurred to me to heed to it until now.  

So what`s a missionary to do?  D&C 8!

`You must study it out in your mind and in your heart, and then ask me if it is right' 

So that`s what I did!  (yes, my personal prayers have also been in part dedicated to investigators, so worry not, I am not trunky!) 

Daily, I have been praying to know if I should follow that career choice, and readily learned that receiving revelation is more than just asking a vague question from the beginning. I soon found that my prayers were not receiving answers because I hadn`t really tried to figure out for myself what to do, so I studied it out in my mind.  I considered my options, made a few plan options, prayed, and verified which would be right. And then at last, Sunday, right before church, the process was complete. I got an answer to my prayers

Armor of Righteousness

Catch the wave

Dwell in Gods light

It turns out that I`m alright  following into that career choice, and for the moment, it will be up to me to decide how I should plan it out.  

Just in like in Alma 45, `Do ye suppose that I know these things of myself? Behold, I have prayed and fasted many days to know these things are true.`

So, It works!  Even for something that isn`t spiritual, such as my case, but none the less necessary.  We must do ALL we can first, and then the Lord will fill in what we lack and cannot know for ourselves.

So I wish you all a happy week, and I wish thee all well!

-Elder Sanders

Photos: Conference Sketches!  They all relate to a talk that was given in the sessions, besides the bear-wombat thing, but all good!  And the other photo is us after playing Soccer and Ultimate Frisbee this morning, celebrating with a fresh batch of homemade chapel chocolate chip cookies.

Week 88, Month 21 -( 12 weeks left :)

Hello to all! I`m sorry that this week`s letter is a bit short, but it has been cut down due to changes!  

And the news is... I^m not changing! Neither is my companion!  But we lost much time today because we had to go with ALL the other changing missionaries to ensure they got to where they all needed.  So now... we at last have a moment to say all is well.

And General Conference was amazing!  Many notes, many sketches, I fear that due to time I`ll be quoting the most inspirational parts next letter, so stay tight! I`ll also be sending my inspired sketches too!

So to say, all is well!  And in the changes, missionaries  have been changed to other zones, and we are starting out pure!  So this change will be an inspiring one!  

That`s for all, so PRAY HARD! Stay in tune with the spirit!  

Good luck to Chantel, I^m absolutely STOKED for her to receive her calling, and thanks to Madison for her letter, and for all those wonderful photos! (I hope you enjoy mine! They are rather wild! FUN !

EWWWWW !!!! Gross

So happy and excited to have Gnocchi !!!

Yummo !

Zone games !

  THANKS!

-Elder Sanders

Week 87 - 3 months = 91 days left

Hello Dearest family!

What a week!  It`s been busy busy busy down here!  

And so, to begin answering your questions, YES! I do come home on July First! 

Pretty exciting, right?  So I guess that means I`ll be home for the 4th of July!  Excitement!

So, I fear that today I only have a little bit of writing time because I needed to check out the UVU signups, and because today we took a zone Trip to Otavalo!  It was SO nice to visit it again!  It`s too bad I didn`t have time to visit any old members or converts, but it was good to go the waterfall and get some last minute souveneirs for you guys, so all is well.

And many congrats to Chantel!  The call is coming!  I just HOPE that I`ll be able to see you before you embark, but either way, I`m WAY excited.

And happy Easter to you all too!  It`s good to remember Christ and all that he did for us, and we have been striving diligently to do so in this last week.  

SO! This week has been full of divisions with other missionaries, lessons, and many other things.  Jovi

isn`t baptized yet because she had left on a trip to the coast last week, and hasn`t returned because her cousin there had a motorcycle accident, and while he`s recovering she`s helping watching his children. So if all goes well she should be back in time to be baptized on Conference weekend!  So we`re pretty excited.

And... well, I fear  my time has run out!  So enjoy the photos, and I`ll be writing plenty next week!  Why? Because our internet has been extended from One hour, to TWO HOURS!!! What a great responsibility!   See y`all!

-Elder Sanders