18 Months in Ecuador: What I have learned

Well today I have put a little more thought into my email than usual. I think it is because I want to show my thanks to my Savior Jesus Christ for all that he has done for me up to this point. I was reminded a couple of days ago, about the WHY. For example, Why am I living away from my family for 18 months? Why do I walk all over the place all day long every single day? Why am I going to miss the birth of my first nephew? What is our purpose here? Why am I here?

These questions werent doubts for me or anything like that, but they were question that lots of peop`le asked me in this last week and really throughout these last 10 months. So I decided to take a second and focus on what I have learned throughout this time here that has brought me to understand truly why I, Madison Dunkley am here serving a mission.

I thought the answer was for many reasons before like: because I wanted to learn more about the gospel, because I wanted to recieve more blessings and also I thought it was simply because i received an answer from God and knew that I needed to obey that. I think these were the reasons why I originally came here. They aren`t bad reasons but all of these reasons changed to become one purpose in the WHY I now stay here. There is a scripture that I read today that explains this perfectly. Mosiah 3:17-19

17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

I truly love these scriptures and can only say that what a blessing it is to realize that we have a Savior here in this Earth all we must do is strengthen our faith in him, repent, and do all that we can to become the people as the Lord says we should be. What I have learned here is that yeah we are going to have hard times in this life, even impossible times, and we will even suffer so much, but all we can do as servents of God is with our faith, work through all of the difficult times to be able to realize that we are feeling a little of what he felt for us. We must become as little children and we will be able to know that why we are here, why we obey him, why we do everything, is because we actually love him and will do what he asks us to do.

I love my Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and am so thankful for all that they have done for me. I love you all, y espero que estèn bien.

Les amo muchisimo, ¡¡sigan adelante!!!

Con mucho amor de Guranda,

Hermana Dunkley