18 Months in Ecuador: I love Banos, Ecuador

10 Things to be grateful for as a missionary

So as I was thinking of something I could say today, I decided to look back at what I wrote last week, and realized that everything I said seemed pretty negative and down. So I am going to change my theme of 10 things because when you see blessings in your life that you can't even start to count how you can you write a letter with 10 things you need to be prepared for. I have offically decided to change my topic to things that you should be grateful for. Honestly the missionary life is not easy, but there are so many blessings that we can plainly see all around us. There are so many hard things too, but there are so many great things that you just have to show your thanks for what God has given you in abundance. I feel like maybe I was looking at how I could help those who are worried about missions by starting with those things I said last week, but in reality it is a lot more helpful to see the blessings you will recieve through a mission, not the hardships. Or more accurately the hardships you will recieve that will bring blessings in your life.

10 Changes. God moves you to different places so that you can find the people who are prepared to hear you. God gives you a bed to sleep on and people to talk to all you have to do is be obedient and attentive to his Spirit.

9 Learning a Language. You are blessed with the amazing opportunity to learn another language. there are so many people in the world who dont actually speak english but want to so bad, imagine how blessed you are to be able to speak their language and communicate with people from a whole different background then yours.

8 People. You can meet people from all different backgrounds they are your brothers and sisters and need to hear those things that you know. Reach out to them and they will want to hear what you have to say about your testimony.

7 Food. you are blessed to have loving members in an area that want to give you food. they sacrifice so much to give you food continually. you will get to know new things and will learn how to be a differnt part of a different culture.

6 Family. You will miss your family and be so excited to tell them about all the experiences that you are having. Your family will grow and you will find new people out there who have been apart of your family before this life too. They will help you when you miss your family back home.

5 Companions. It is an amazing opportunity to have the help of someone who is experienced in the mission. Some things that will happen are that, you wont get lost...or maybe you will but rarely...you will have someone that is there with you always to help you in lessons, you will have a companion when you are sick, sad, happy, or hungry...(4 important emotions that need companions) and lastly you will learn all of the most important lessons in your missions from them.

4 Teaching. You will teach when you are happy, when you are sad, when you are hungry, when you are tired, when you are sick, and when you are all of the above and more. But you will teach people who will teach you and you will feel something in your heart that will just change everything else about you that you have ever been or ever will be.

3 Challenges. you will have your ups and downs, but you will be blessed through those challenges that you experience Romans 8 says, 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs withChrist; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified to

gether.

2 Rejections. You will be given the opportunity to love so many people and out of all the people you meet probably only few will except the message and the journey you have for them. You are so blessed to know them and to share a part of the gospel with them. You will probably be told some things that might hurt your heart, but you will know that one day they will find what God wants for them and whether it is in this life or the next, you will know that God loves them and he has blessed you to meet them as well.

1 Conversions. I put this as the first thing to be grateful for because there is no other joy like the joy of sharing the gospel and then seeing someone change there lives for it. I have only seen three people that I have personally taught do this, but I have seen three perople who have wanted these things so bad, that they did everything to change their lives and take upon them the Name of Jesus Christ through baptism, but more importantly to be converted to the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

As always I am so grateful for the things I have been able to hear from you all. may God bless you and may you continue to look forward to those things that will bring you lasting happiness throughout eternity.

Mucho Amor De Baños....es un poquito diferente de Quito,

Hermana Dunkley