Hola!
Primero...(First) Happy Birthday Hunter! and good luck Hunter, Jonah, and Kim Carr on your missions! so excited to read about all of your experiences!
Anyways to this week. We had to say goodbye to Presidente and Hermana Ghent this past week which was really sad because they have been so helpful. This past week we had a follow up with them on our training in the mission and preisdent Ghent said that I have been able to learn a lot out here and that my Spanish is really good. I am not quite sure he has heard my Spanish...but my companera understands me so I guess we are good? haha anyways he was really helpful and was able to tell me some aspects of the language I can study and so I was really excited because I have been needing someone to tell me what to learn and focus on because aveces I have no idea where to start! haha. But, we welcome to the mission President and Sister Christensen and their daughter Katie this week! We have an opportunity to have a meeting with the president within the first couple of weeks that he is here to get to know him, but as president Ghent taught us the moment our president stepped on the soil and recieved the passing of the cell phone he was sustained president of the mission. haha So we don´t really have any large meetings or anything right out on the bat. Anyways really excited!
Entonces...opps so this past week we had the chance to take two of our investigators on tours in the church and wow the Spirit was really strong. This was the first time I had been through a tour with an investigator and it went really well. Anabel is blooming and my companion and I can truly see her growth in the knowledge of this gospel. She is so intelligent and wants to know so much. She also knows this church is true so we are looking forward to her baptism in 2 semanas (weeks)! The second investigator has been a little more difficult because he has challenges with the Book of Mormon. He has attended our church for 1 year with his girlfriend and he really likes aspects of our church more than any others, specifically the Catholic church, but he continues to struggle with the Book of Mormon because he relies a lot on the Bible which is amazing, but it means he doesn´t want much to do with the book of mormon. When we had the tour with him it was so spiritual and the Spirit testified to my companion and I as we listened to his prayer that he knows this church is true. So we will see how he continues.
One of the many blessings of my mission has been that I have changed so much in 2 short months. I don´t even know how to explain it. One scripture that I read today and really liked showed me a little bit into how the Lord works and shapes us it is Doctrine and Covenants 101:1-5 “Verily I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted, and persecuted, and cast out from the land of their inheritance—I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions; Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels. Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.” I really thought this was interesting because it reminded me of the example people use of how so much pressure has to be put on coal for a diamond to be created right? So if this is what is done to make an amazing or marvillosa diamond come forth, than it makes sense that God would do the same to shape his servants. He wants us to return to him and the only way we can do that is if we experience hard things, because these hard things shape us into the better people who serve more, share more, and most importantly love more. I am very grateful for my companion. She has shown me what it means to give your all to others and really just to forget about yourself. I have found when I don’t think about myself my Spanish is so much better. Sometimes it is funny, but it is really just God teaching me. So as the scriptures say and as our leaders say serve others because you are serving God. But also love others so you can show your love for God.
Thank you all for your emails and your prayers and your love and advice. I have really loved learning from my family in the states as I learn out here as well. Please continue on and share your experiences with me as I share my experiences with you all! I would love to hear what it is like for you all as you share with others too!
As always, Le Amo de Quito
Hermana Dunkley
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