Monday, February 3, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Week 2 in Ecuador! "The Lion and the Burst of Fire"
From Monday, February 3, 2014
Your emails this week were absolutely wonderful!! I'm grateful for all of you. Mom, your email was such a treasure to read.
Thanks for the birthday wishes! It will be fun I can tell. Exactly 15 years ago in a few days, I was in Ecuador celebrating my 7th birthday, and I still remember it. Braided pigtails, blue sandals, green smiley face shirt...presents. And I thought it was the WEIRDEST thing to take a bite out of a cake. I felt so awkward as a 7 year old doing something like that. I didn't like the attention haha because I didn't know why someone would make me bite out of a cake when everyone else would have to eat it after. Awkward haha.
But this Saturday, my companion, Hermana C, surprised me with a cake for my 1 month mission anniversary! We celebrated at an investigator's house with some friends. It was such a surprise! They told me I had to *mordar* the cake....and I had flashbacks to 7 years old. I knew that they had other plans with that. Sure enough, they plastered my head into the cake when I went to take a bite. Heheh they are so much fun.
Hermana C is so thoughtful, she also surprised me that morning with little surprises and post it notes on my bed in celebration of 1 month. Her notes were very sweet. The black blouse she gave me was very special to her...Her grandmother gave it to her before she passed away. Any time she looked at that blouse, she remembered her Grandma and how are family on the other side are watching us. Not only that, but I believe they are playing a very important role in the work we do here. So that was special.
One thing I think is interesting is that Quito goes through all 4 seasons in one day usually. The day will start hot and cloudless, and end cold, rainy, and cloudy. So I take a light sweater around with me to confront the unpredictableness of it all.
I absolutely love it here. Every day I seem to like it just a little bit more.
Oh, and Dad. The families sometimes feed us more than I can handle. Usually its all the rice that gets me heheh. But one less active family we were visiting gave us TWO baked plantains. I ate one. And a piece of the other. And I was dying. Too much. So I took the little piece that was left and hid it underneath my undershirt hahah. No one noticed until I was walking down the street with Hna C a little later and pulled it out to keep eating it. For some reason, she didn't want any when I offered her some. :P
Ashley rocks! Keep up the hard work girl. I wish we had a Harry Potter mirror so I could check up on you and see your beautiful face.
I need to write my President and stuff really quickly. I probably should've done that first, but if I get a chance at the end I'll look for a scripture for that plaque real quick. heheh Chow
Your emails this week were absolutely wonderful!! I'm grateful for all of you. Mom, your email was such a treasure to read.
Thanks for the birthday wishes! It will be fun I can tell. Exactly 15 years ago in a few days, I was in Ecuador celebrating my 7th birthday, and I still remember it. Braided pigtails, blue sandals, green smiley face shirt...presents. And I thought it was the WEIRDEST thing to take a bite out of a cake. I felt so awkward as a 7 year old doing something like that. I didn't like the attention haha because I didn't know why someone would make me bite out of a cake when everyone else would have to eat it after. Awkward haha.
But this Saturday, my companion, Hermana C, surprised me with a cake for my 1 month mission anniversary! We celebrated at an investigator's house with some friends. It was such a surprise! They told me I had to *mordar* the cake....and I had flashbacks to 7 years old. I knew that they had other plans with that. Sure enough, they plastered my head into the cake when I went to take a bite. Heheh they are so much fun.
Hermana C is so thoughtful, she also surprised me that morning with little surprises and post it notes on my bed in celebration of 1 month. Her notes were very sweet. The black blouse she gave me was very special to her...Her grandmother gave it to her before she passed away. Any time she looked at that blouse, she remembered her Grandma and how are family on the other side are watching us. Not only that, but I believe they are playing a very important role in the work we do here. So that was special.
As a missionary, we are asked to look for the good in everything. And I see a lot of good here! If I were to live here, I think it'd be a very different place to live. But because I'm looking through eternal eyes and see things differently. It's almost as if there's a gloss of potential I see in every person, every place, and every thing I view with these eyes. It's weird. It makes me feel hopeful in every situation, and in every way. I feel powerful as I let the Lord lead me on in all that I do.
Hermana C and I are a good pair. She eats a lot, walks fast, doesn't complain, and has the vibe of a stealth lioness. When she speaks, the whole world hushes to hear her, because she brings the Spirit with such a quiet force that any one can have the walls of doubt knocked out with her serene gaze and penetrating, yet quiet voice. Then, she gives me opportunities to speak my thoughts. And I add testimony to her words.
Member "C" has told me more than once that when I speak, I speak with power. Hna C is wisdom, and I am power. hahah *You are so poderosa when you speak, Hna Fernelius. Just wow* he says. heheh But you know, its not me. It really isn't. I often feel hesitant to speak because of my own weaknesses in doing so right now. But when I do, with confidence in the Lord's love for the person I am speaking with, I can feel that power Member C recognized surge through my body.
I'm pretty sure Hna C and I almost accidentally caught someone´s clothes on fire once with our intent eye contact and focus on the Spirit in the room with the lesson. haha We have so much to work on. We have plans to improve how we are able to find people and retain them. I love that she is motivated to continue learning and improving every day, even though she's nearly half way through her mission.
One thing about Member C is that he is such a little powerhouse. He has so much gusto in missionary work and has become our personal motivation speaker. He fires us up to go out and work. He reminds us that there is no limit. Only we can put a limit on ourselves. He shared Mosiah 20:11...and now I believe in fighting like a dragon. He shared 2 Cor 6:12, and now I believe in learning line upon line and keeping all the stops and doors open in the meantime to keep opportunities limitless.
We experienced another miracle this week.
A 13 year old, was baptized. For 3 weeks he has been hesitant and reserved about it. He's the other baptism from last week that ´fell through´. After meeting with him nearly every day, we used every tool we had to persuade him that he needed to make a decision to be baptized this past Saturday. Still, nope. Then, Friday night we got a message saying that he had decided to be baptized the next day! What? How'd that happen? What suddenly caused him to say that so simply?
Unfortunately, the water at the church didn't work. So, for 2 hours we all filled buckets with water outside and ran into the church to fill the font. this 13 year old helped fill the buckets and dump the water into the font for his own baptism. It was cold. And there were a few spiders we had to pick out hahah. But he was determined. And 2 hours after the baptism was originally supposed to start, there he was in his white clothes, in cold water, getting baptized. And he had the biggest smile on his face.
Hermana C and I are a good pair. She eats a lot, walks fast, doesn't complain, and has the vibe of a stealth lioness. When she speaks, the whole world hushes to hear her, because she brings the Spirit with such a quiet force that any one can have the walls of doubt knocked out with her serene gaze and penetrating, yet quiet voice. Then, she gives me opportunities to speak my thoughts. And I add testimony to her words.
Member "C" has told me more than once that when I speak, I speak with power. Hna C is wisdom, and I am power. hahah *You are so poderosa when you speak, Hna Fernelius. Just wow* he says. heheh But you know, its not me. It really isn't. I often feel hesitant to speak because of my own weaknesses in doing so right now. But when I do, with confidence in the Lord's love for the person I am speaking with, I can feel that power Member C recognized surge through my body.
I'm pretty sure Hna C and I almost accidentally caught someone´s clothes on fire once with our intent eye contact and focus on the Spirit in the room with the lesson. haha We have so much to work on. We have plans to improve how we are able to find people and retain them. I love that she is motivated to continue learning and improving every day, even though she's nearly half way through her mission.
One thing about Member C is that he is such a little powerhouse. He has so much gusto in missionary work and has become our personal motivation speaker. He fires us up to go out and work. He reminds us that there is no limit. Only we can put a limit on ourselves. He shared Mosiah 20:11...and now I believe in fighting like a dragon. He shared 2 Cor 6:12, and now I believe in learning line upon line and keeping all the stops and doors open in the meantime to keep opportunities limitless.
We experienced another miracle this week.
A 13 year old, was baptized. For 3 weeks he has been hesitant and reserved about it. He's the other baptism from last week that ´fell through´. After meeting with him nearly every day, we used every tool we had to persuade him that he needed to make a decision to be baptized this past Saturday. Still, nope. Then, Friday night we got a message saying that he had decided to be baptized the next day! What? How'd that happen? What suddenly caused him to say that so simply?
Unfortunately, the water at the church didn't work. So, for 2 hours we all filled buckets with water outside and ran into the church to fill the font. this 13 year old helped fill the buckets and dump the water into the font for his own baptism. It was cold. And there were a few spiders we had to pick out hahah. But he was determined. And 2 hours after the baptism was originally supposed to start, there he was in his white clothes, in cold water, getting baptized. And he had the biggest smile on his face.
From a young man who hardly talked and never made eye contact, to a smiling new member of the church. With his step-brothers who are also very quiet. All they say in lessons is¨´good´´ and ýes´´. They don't say much more than that. But they have a serene and deep understanding of the truthfulness of the gospel, because they have felt it.
One thing I think is interesting is that Quito goes through all 4 seasons in one day usually. The day will start hot and cloudless, and end cold, rainy, and cloudy. So I take a light sweater around with me to confront the unpredictableness of it all.
I absolutely love it here. Every day I seem to like it just a little bit more.
Oh, and Dad. The families sometimes feed us more than I can handle. Usually its all the rice that gets me heheh. But one less active family we were visiting gave us TWO baked plantains. I ate one. And a piece of the other. And I was dying. Too much. So I took the little piece that was left and hid it underneath my undershirt hahah. No one noticed until I was walking down the street with Hna C a little later and pulled it out to keep eating it. For some reason, she didn't want any when I offered her some. :P
Ashley rocks! Keep up the hard work girl. I wish we had a Harry Potter mirror so I could check up on you and see your beautiful face.
I need to write my President and stuff really quickly. I probably should've done that first, but if I get a chance at the end I'll look for a scripture for that plaque real quick. heheh Chow
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