FELIZ NAVIDAD 2016! :)

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!! :) wow. ¿Navidad otra vez? Y fue increíble!! Me encanta la Navidad!! :) I love Christmas and all the fun things that come with Christmas in Ecuador... hot chocolate, pan de Pascua, and the fun Christmas songs and hymns... like Mi Burrito Sabanero. The traditions here are so fun! :)

This week we had a great week, with all the things happening for Christmas and all the happiness it brings! :)

On Monday we visited a part member family that is super cute!- the familia zambrano. we talked to her about the importance of baptism and how that can really bless her family.

On Tuesday i had another awesome experience and was able to sing Ave Maria in Malecon 2000. its a tourist attraction in guayaquil and they were lighting the Christmas tree. Presidente Riggins and his wife got to do the count down and light the tree! :) then we got to do a program of hymns and scriptures about Christ ( i got to sing a solo and read a scripture), and then also did our program from Parque Samanes (where i got to sing Ave Maria). it was so cool! we sang on an outdoor stage there in Malecon for lots of people to see! how neat! it was a good way to invite people to investigate and learn more about the Church!

On Wednesday i had an intercambio with hna quispe.. who was my comp in primavera for a month in june!! she is in milagro and so we had an intercambio! shes awesome, and we had a great day visititing people and sharing about Christmas.

Thursday we got to go to the Margaritas... a part in our sector, and visited some great families there! we found a new investigator, a cute mom with 3 kids (i think) and she was very sweet! we also had interviews and house inspections with Pres and Hna Riggins.

Friday i got to perform again in Guayaquil for a hospital party for kids. it was so fun! :) that day i was with hna wilson (from my group) and we worked in a sector in guayaquil, contacting the references from the parque samanes. we met a great family! they were so kind, and invited us right in to share with them a message and Christmas hymn! that night i also got to perform with a group of missionaries our program for a stake in duran.

Saturday was a great Christmas eve! i got to talk to my family!! :) they are the best!! :) We got to do some service in the morning, cleaning the church. we also visited some great families in las Margaritas. Mercedes, Cruz and her family, and everyone was so nice and inviting us to drink hot cocoa and eat with them! they were all so sweet!! i love the people here. they are so kind and loving, and always want to give. it is something i admire so much. they are always willing to share, it doesnt matter who you are or how much they have, they are always willing to share and give. it has been a great example to me too see that!

Sunday... FELIZ NAVIDAD! we had a great Christmas! going to Church, where the kids had their Primary program, and we visited some families. there werent a lot of people home, and at one point in the day we felt a little discouraged. we decided to contact a cute elderly couple that was seated outside their house. we sang to them and asked who else we could sing to.. they pointed us to their neighbor, who they said was spending Christmas alone at her house. We decided to go over and visit her (who was also seated outside her house). We talked to her, and sang to her, and it was an amazing experience. As we testified of Jesus Christ and His true Church, we felt the Spirit. i know that she felt the Spirit as well. as i testified of Christ, i was reminded of His great love for us, and as i told her about Him, i knew what i was saying was true. im so grateful we got to meet this sweet woman, and help her feel the Christmas spirit. it was a great Christmas!

Well FELIZ NAVIDAD!! i sure hope you all had a great week and Christmas. This week we enjoyed sharing Alma 7:10-12 with the people we visited. On Christmas sometimes we celebrate only the birth of Christ, but we also need to remember His life, and thanks to his life, and His Atonement, we can truly have peace and happiness. I love this scripture. It talks about all the things that Christ suffered for us, so that He knows how to help us and give us comfort. I know that He knows us personally and loves us. His atonement is infinte and eternal, and available for all. I am so grateful for this time of year and that i can share this great message of hope and happiness with those in Ecuador!! :) Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

           me with the hermanas from the presentations we do!

                                       feliz navidad

Parque Samanes y Feliz Navidad

Wow. this week was amazing!! :) i had so many great experiences this week that i will remember forever!! :)

This week i basically spent the whole week (tuesday to Sunday morning) in guayaquil. we had practices for Parque Samanes presentation all week long. ... every day. but it went really well. i was with Hna Deakin (from Idaho) this week as my companion, staying in her sector so that i could be the week in guayaquil and Hna Peña my comp went with Hna Deakin´s comp to work in Milagro. It was super fun to be with Hna Deakin.. she is a great missionary and has about 8 weeks in the mission! :) reminds me of me a year ago!! 

On wednesday we had practices all day long... and we got done at Parque Samanes late at 11pm at night! and a miracle happened and Hno Olaya and his wife took us home from the Park... and it was so kind of him! we were so so grateful and it was a miracle that he and his wife could take us home that late at night! they are wonderful!

on thursday we had the big dinner as a mission with President and the whole mission! it was super fun! and we also performed our presentation for the mission!! :)

on saturday was the big Parque Samanes presentation!!! earlier in the day we had sound check, and then at 5-6pm started the prelude music that a choir of our mission, the south, and west mission sang. it went well! our presentation from our mission was the last part of the program!! and it went soooo well!! i sang Ave Maria for the many people that were there, and it was an experience unforgetable. it went sooo well!! :) the people loved our presentation, and were sooooo happy and excited as we performed. as part of our presenation we had actors, choir, and a band, all of which went really well, and fitted together so nicely. everyone in the audience was left with their mouths open!! :) it was amazing!! i am soooo grateful for the opportunity i had to perform and sing in Parque Samanes in the concha acustica. it was an experience of a life time, of which i am so grateful!! :) 

Christmas is this week! can you believe it??? this week as i studied about Jesus Christ and Christmas, i was once again reminded of the true reason of Christmas... Jesus Christ! i know that He lives and loves us. The true spirit of Christmas is not only that Christ was born, but that He lived, and lives now, and because of that we can live again! we can be free of pains, sufferings, and guilt. we can be cleansed. we can be healed spiritually and physically. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He loves us, and thanks to Him, we can have happiness now, and in the eternities. I am so grateful that as we live and serve as He served, we can become more like Him, and light the world with light!! :) I hope you all have a great Christmas!! love you all lots!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!! :)

con amor

Hermana Warburton

PICS.. ME with my comp

          me with hna castillo.. mi hija!

me with hna castillo and her daughter.. my granddaugther!!

me with hna lange! shes awesome

us backstage

Ruby Camino Macias from the Semanes Ward 

Navidad y Santiago 1:5

Hola:) Buenas tardes a todos!! Espero que se encuentren bien! :) Feliz Navidad! 

Well this week was the first week with my new companion Hermana Peña from Bolivia! we had a good week with its ups and downs and she is a great missionary who works hard and loves missionary work! 

This coming week is the week that we will perform in Parque Samanes the big Christmas presentation! So this past week we have been practicing and this coming week we will be practicing a lot!!! like all week... but this past week we had a practice that went well, of a choir that we will have as prelude music with the mission sur y oeste tambien.

Also wednesday we were able to visit a lot of recent converts. its great to visit them and see all the progress they are making. i love watching how they make the Gospel of Jesus Christ part of their lives and how they are working to go to the temple!!

On Thursday we had our zone meeting, and me and hna peña and the zone leaders trained the group from the training we received from President last week. it went well, and it was fun to teach the other missionaries. also we were able to visit our investigatores in las margaritas (a part of our sector that i love), and as i taught one of our investigators, Fatima, i felt as i taught her the love that Heavenly Father has for her and her son. its amazing how much love God has for each of His children. i feel so priveledged to be able to feel some of that love as well. i know that God´s plan for each of His children is perfect, and His timing is perfect as well, even if we dont understand everything in the moment!

Friday i had a great opportunity to go and travel to Quevedo (where i started my mission) and perform the Christmas presentation we have been practicing for a stake activity with the missionaries that are part of the presentation. it went well! it was fun to be able to perform the show for members and non members in Quevedo, and President and Hna Riggins as well. they were all pleased with how it turned out. It was also fun to go to the church where i first started my mission and see a couple of members from that ward as well!! 

On saturday we had ups and downs, with people that willingly accepted our message, and others that were very very against the message. its hard sometimes when people reject the message we share, but i know that the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. i know because i have felt through the Spirit that the message we share is true. By the Spirit is how we can know the truth of all things, and even when people reject our message, we invite them to do as it says in Santiago 1:5 and ask God. Because He can tell us what we should do, and give us the knowledge that we need. 

i am so grateful that we have a loving Heavenly Father in heaven, who will always answer our prayers. He wants to help us and guide us, so all we have to do is ask. And i invite you all to do that. to follow what it says in Santiago 1:5 (James 1:5) and ask of God, if you have questions or doubts about anything, because as it says in this scripture, He will answer us, abundantemente y sin reproche, because He loves us! :)

Love you all lots! Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season, and serving as Christ served, and lighting the world with light! :) I love this Christmas time!! Have a great week!!

FELIZ NAVIDAD! 

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

with 2 conversos for her birthday! ...sorry the only pics of the week! haha

Diciembre y Cambios

Hola familia y amigos! :) Feliz diciembre! El mes de Navidad!!! :)

This week as usual, seemed to go by so fast! we had so many things we were doing each day!

On monday we visited a recent convert family who are adorable! they live in a house on stilts! and after i had climbed up the ladder to get into their house i had to climb over a little gate that blocks their door. well i could not get up, and as i was trying, my shoe fell off, and fell down outside under the house! the whole family was laughing so hard that whole night.. and well it was pretty funny!! haha! luckily the daughter was super nice and went down and found my shoe for me! haha! :)

On tuesday we visted la familia torres lara. they are adorable! they are a part member family and so sweet! they are so prepared to receive the Gospel, and know that the Church is true. they love coming to Church and are so receptive of the Gospel! im so glad i get to teach this great family!

on wednesday we had our district meeting, and we also passed out 35 calenders for diciembre for the Ilumina el Mundo. it was great talking to lots of families about Christmas, service, Christ, and the Church!

On thursday was the first day of diciembre, and so to start of the Church Ilumina el Mundo, it was world wide service day! so we went to a care center for abuelitos, and it was so neat! we had such a great time helping the people there! we were able to talk to the residents, teach them exercises, serve them lunch, clean the building, and do what ever else we could to help there. we also were able to do a Christmas Song presentation, and we sang a few hymns, Christmas songs, and i sang Ave Maria. Everyone loved having us there! they kept asking us when we could come back. i felt so happy serving them, and felt such a love for the people there, even though i had just met them. they were all so fun to be around and everyone had their own personality. it was such a good way to start of the month of december!

That night we went to the temple, to start our consejo de lideres (leadership council) with President. we had a good temple session, and then the next day, Friday had a good training with President, Hna Riggins, and the asistentes. we were reminded of a few things we could do better, and how we can help our zones and everyone reach our goals and become even better misionaries.

on saturday we had a practice.. basically all day long for the performace we will have in Parque Samanes thats in 2 weeks!! ah!! im super excited, and its all coming along nicely! our mission is doing such a great job, and there is so much talent in our mission! im so glad i get to work with all of them! That night we stayed in Guayaquil, because it was a little late.

Sunday we came back to Milagro, for the last Sunday here with Hna Dominguez! she is an AMAZING missionary and i am soooo grateful for the time that i had to be her companion! i learned so much from her! we went back to guayaquil to drop her off, and this morning i came back to Milagro with my new companion Hermana Peña from Bolivia! :) she is super great and im excited to get to work with her! :)

This week we started the first week in December, the month of Navidad! im so excited for Christmas and the joy that comes as we, and all the world remembers the birth of Jesucristo. This week, as we got to serve, i was reminded of the joy and happiness we can feel as we serve others. As it says in Mosiah that when we are in the service of others we are in the service of our God. as we serve and love others like Jesus Christ did, we can feel of that happiness and feel His love more in our lives. I know, because i have felt that as i have served others here. We can share our light with others, and help others feeel the love that Christ has for them. I know that He loves us and is our Savior.

have a great week!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

me and hermana dominguez

all of the leaders and president and hna riggins

me and hna dominguez, and una mamita that gives us lunch

Feliz Dìa de Acciòn de Gracias

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! i hope you all had a great thanksgiving, and enjoyed spending time with family and friends! i had a good thanksgiving, and the cute mamaita for lunch made us chicken and mashed potatoes and a yummy blackberry juice, so i had a great thanksgiving lunch too! :)

Lunes we met with 2 new investigators that we have- luis y erika. they are both 20 yrs old, married and so fun! they have a lot of questions, questions that are great too.. like "how do i know which of all the churches is true?" .. questions that us as missionaries love to hear, because that is exactly what we are here to teach!! :)

Martes we were able to teach Jeffersson about the Plan of Salvation. it was so neat to teach him about the temple and baptism for the dead, because his dad and brother passed away a few years ago. it was so neat to help him know where they are now, and that he can see them again!

Miércoles we had an intercambio with the hermanas de Porvenir, and i went with hermana hernandez in her sector. she is an amazing missionary! i learned so much with her, i learned more about the importance of always speaking and teaching with sinceridad, and sharing testimony, and working with the members!

Jueves was thanksgiving! :) 

Viernes was a great but kinda crazy day! we had practice for the Navidad program in the morning, then stayed in Guayaquil, ate lunch, then went to Rio Centro again, because i got asked to perform again with a small group of missionaries, doing solos, duets and choir pieces. it was so fun! i got to sing "Ave Maria" and also "its beginning to look a lot like Christmas" (as a duet) and some pieces as a group like Carol of the Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, and some hymns. it was super fun! i love singing! it is one of my favorite ways to share the Chirstmas spirit! :)

Saturday we were guided to the Spirit to where we needed to be. we found 2 new investigatores, but then after lunch all of our appointments were not home. we didnt know where to go or what to do. we decided to call Mercedes our investiator, even though she lived a little far away from where we were at. she said we could come, so we went to her house. when we got there she told us that she had probably recieved an answer to her prayers abou the Church, and that we coming that day were part of that answer! i felt so happy that we listed to the Spirit, and just follwed the impressions that came into our mind. we didnt know it at the moment, but it was!

That night we had the baptism of Jeffersson, who is 20 yrs old. it was so neat!! he is the only member in his family, and has been coming to church for about 3 months. he has accepted the Gospel so fast, and loves it! he is so great! the baptism was so sweet, and the family of the Bishop are his best friends, and those who have been helping him the whole time, and it was so sweet to watch them and how happy they were! wow. it made all the work worth it. everyone was so happy, and just seeing the light in all of their faces was amazing. i am so grateful for the chance i have to serve here. the people here in ecuador are amazing. i love them all! i feel so grateful for the chance i have to serve with them, and watch them do great things in their lives!

At the baptism we watched the new Church video for Christmas!! "Illumina el Mundo" ("Light the World"). wow. its amazing! i love that video!! i also love that we can do 25 acts of service for 25 days in diciembre! wow. so that we can share our light with others here, as Christ did. He is the light of the world, and as we share our light, others will see the light of Christ in their lives. How i am so grateful for Jesus Christ and everything He did for me. i know this Church is true!

have a great week! love you all!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

intercambio with hermana hernandez de colombia

baptism of Jeffersson

Milagros en Milagro

Hola Hola!! :)

Well another great week here in Ecuador! How i love being here!! :)

This week we had all sorts of things we did, and saw so many miracles... milagros en Milagro! :)

On tuesday we had an intercambio with las hermanas de Paraíso! .. i was with Hermana Vargas, mi hija!! :) haha it was like the good old days again when i was training my old comp hermana vargas! she is so great, and it was so fun to see how much she has grown. she is an awesome missionary, and we were able to find a cute new family to teach!

These past couple weeks we have been practicing a lot, so that this week we could sing in the shopping center of Rio Centro thursday! and it turned out great! Our zone and other zone of only elders, sang with us. i was the director, and we performed for little less than an hour! we sang a bunch of Christmas songs... hymns, and other traditional Christmas songs in english and in spanish! it was fun! i enjoyed performing and directing the choir! :) They all did a great job.. and i was also able to sing Ave Maria to start it all off!

That night we went to the temple to start our zone conference with President Riggins. it was so nice to go to the temple again! :) On friday we had our zone conference with President and it was awesome!!! wow. there were so many new things i learned and new things i want to apply to how i can be a better missionary and better person. he has such a great way of teaching to help us all understand and remember the things he teaches. for lunch President gave us a thanksgiving dinner!! it was so fun...even with apple pie for dessert!! :)

that night we were able to teach our investiagor Jeffersson.. and help him prepare for his baptism that will be this coming saturday! we are so excited!! he has been coming to church for a while now, and he is about 20 years old, and doing great! Mercedes, another investigator is also doing well, she is so sweet, and has so many good questions for us!

on saturday.. guess what... we were in guayaquil, again!! haha! we seemed to be in guayaquil a lot this past week..(thursday, friday, saturday...) haha. but we had another practice for the big Christmas program we are doing in diciembre, and we were there almost all day. but i love singing! i am so  grateful for the opportunity i have to sing for this program. how i love music! this week i was thinking about why i do love singing, and as i thought i was again reminded of how important music is and how it can invite the Spirit. thats one of the reasons why i love it so much, is that it invites the Spirit, and its one way to share testimony of the things i know to be true. 

This week although we seemed to be everywhere, always traveling and doing something, it was amazing how Heavenly Father blessed us with so many miracles. Miracles even in the smallest of things. Finding new families to teach, walking down the street praying the family we were hoping to see would walk out of their house when we passed by, and when we walked by they did! seeing how the Restored Gospel changes lives... there are so many small and big miracles i get to see each week, and im so grateful for each of them. i know that Heavenly Father truly does love us. Each of us. I am so grateful for the opportunity i have to feel of that love, and see that love in the lives of other people as well here in ecuador. 

have a great week!! happy thanksgiving!!! :)

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

singing in rio centro for Christmas!

Trabajemos Hoy en la Obra del Señor

Hola!! :) Buenas tardes!! 

Wow! these week seem to fly by! i know i say this every week.. but its true!! :) wow!!

This week....

On monday we had a noche de hogar with 4 families, 1 of them being investigator family-Mercedes. it was great! we had a good time, and hermana dominguez and i made no bake cookies which were a hit! haha! 

on tuesday we taught the training we received from president riggins last week to our zone (us and the zone leaders). it went well!! then we had our first choir practice as a zone... for Navidad we are singing in the Rio Centros (malls) here and this thursday is when we perform. so we have practiced a couple times this past week.. and it has gone pretty well! im directing it, and for the most part they all pay attention and sing!! we have a great zone!

that day i also had an intercambio with the hermana asistentes! i got to go to babahoyo.. another pueblito about 1.5 hours from here with the asistente hermana shivley. it went well! i enjoyed learning from her. she is a great missionary, and it was fun to meet and teach new people there. one family we visited had me sing for them, and as we were walking, another family invited us to dinner with them. it was a good day! i especially had a neat moment, when i got to share the First Vision, when we were teaching lesson 1. its my favorite part of the lesson, because the Spirit is always there. i especially felt the Spirit testify to me that i know that the First Vision really did happen, and that Jose Smith is a profeta. it was so neat.

on wednesday we were able to have our service project, which many people were able to enjoy and participate in. it was so sweet, and all the people were so happy. i loved seeing the joy on the faces of the people and families that came, and watching their faces just light up! i am so grateful for the people that helped and were a part of this!

Thursday we were able to visit our investigator Mercedes. she is a single mom, and has gone through a lot in her life. She is such a great woman! This week we taught her about the Plan of Salvation, and wow. we had such an amazing lesson. as we talked to her, and shared our testimonies about the Atonement, the Spirit was so strong! there was no doubt that we all felt the Spirit. in that moment i felt such a love for her, the love that i know Heavenly Father has for her, and it the Spirit was so strong. we came out of that lesson so happy, and so uplifted, and i was just reassured of the love that Heavenly Father has for each of His children, and the great importance of the Atonement. Wow. that was a great day! :)

Sunday we went to church and were just waiting and waiting for Mercedes to arrive.... and she didnt... we started Sacrament meeting.. and she still hadnt gotten there. i was so sad!! i had prayed so hard and was hoping so much that she would come! .. but then she came!! she came about half hour late, but she came!!!!!! i dont know if ive ever been happier in Sacrament Meeting!!! we were both sooooo happy!!!! she came to church for the first time with her 2 kids! she is so great! :)

This past week has been good. i am so grateful for the spiritual experiences i get to have each day and each week. its amazing how much God loves us, and always wants us to have these experiences. sometimes we dont even realize all the great things we get to experience! but i know that He loves us, and that love is so great that He sent His Son for us, so that we can return to Him. He wants us to feel that love everyday, and we can, when we strive to know Him better. Juan 17:3. I know that God and Jesus Christ live and loves us!

have a great week!!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

La Obra Misional

Buenas tardes!! :)

This week we had a good, but super busy week!! this week seemed to fly by!

On Tuesday we got to go to the temple as part of the Leadership Council meeting we had tuesday and wednesday. the temple was great! :) after we got to stay at President´s house, and it was decorated for Navidad! ah! Christmas is just around the corner! and guess what! President made us scrambled egg sandwiches that night for the hermanas that stayed at the house! how nice! :)

On Wednesday we had our Leadership Council and training with President Riggins and the other sister leaders and zone leaders. it was soooo great! i learned so much! as a recently called leader, with the other newly called leaders, i got to share my testimony. then President talked to us about different things and how we can help the mission and how we can teach better and be better missionaries. we did a few praticas ( i had to do one with my companion), and we also talked about Navidad and all the great things we will be doing this Navidad!! ah im sooo excited. we watched the new Church video for Navidad, which is INCREDIBLE and also talked about all the performances we will do. we have be sooo blessed this year and we have so many opportunites to perform around Guayaquil. apart from the big activity and performance we will do in Parque Samanes, we also get to perform in shopping centers as zones singing in a choir! i even had to sing a little bit of Ave Maria to show the other zone leaders and sister leaders a little bit of what will happen in the performance! i am so excited for this Christmas season! :)

Thursday we were in our sector, and i felt like we were guided where we needed to be that day. we always pray every day that we can be guided to the people we need to talk to and meet. well this happend that day! we were able to talk to a lady on the street, because her dog escaped from her house and we were all laughing! well it turns out she has been having some hard things going on in her life, and as we talked we were able to share about the blessings of the Gospel and Jesus Christ. she need to hear this, and as we shared, we all felt edified from the Spirit. i know that we will be blessed as we do what we need to as missionaries and follow thie Spirit, and just talk with everyone!

Friday i had my first intercambio as lideresa with another sister in our zone... the Hermana Warburton! yes!! there is another hermana warburton in this mission, and she just happens to be in my zone, and we were companions for a day in this intercambio! she has about 9 weeks in the mission, and is so great!! i had a good time with her in her sector!! :)

I am so grateful to be a missionary and get to share the happiness of the Gospel with the people here! as i watched the new Christmas video for this year, the Spirit was so strong in the room. everyone there felt the Spirit. i know that Jesus Christ was born, lived, died and lives now! i know He loves us. I know that when He is part of our lives, our lives are filled with light. when we follow Him, we are blessed with soooo many things! we are blessed with peace, love, comfort, and guidance. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are different. and this difference is good!! The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to do the things we need to so that we can return to the presence of God and Jesus Christ and live with these blessings of happiness now and in the future.

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

me and the other hermana warburton in our intercambio!

Feliz Halloween de Milagro

FELIZ HALLOWEEN! :)

I hope you all had a great week this past week! my week was great, learning a new sector in Milagro, with my new companion Hermana Dominguez and meeting all of the new families here. i already really like this sector! while im still learning it and at times im completely lost (ok almost all the time!) im so excited for the things that are happening here! I love my new companion and all the great things she is teaching me! 

This past week we had some great ups and downs and funny experiences too! :) on tuesday we walked a lot! no one seemed to be home, but we were able to contact a bunch of people and have potential new investigatores.

On thursday we went to i think what is maybe one of my favorite areas in the sector, and we visited a lot of families! lots of members, conversos, and investigatores. in this part of the sector the families are a little more humble, but are so sweet. i enjoyed meeting the ward and the people we are teaching here this past week.

i have also enjoyed learning more about my responsibilities as an hermana leader. as an hermana leader we help the other hermanas in our zone with their goals and the things they are doing as missionaries. we encourage, train, and help them with what they need. we work a lot with the zone leaders and district leaders in the zone as well to see how we can better serve the zone and better llevar a cabo la obra misional. 

And friday we went to Guayaquil for a rehearsal for the Christmas program that is going to be in december. a stake in guayquail arranged for part of the mission to participate in a presentation in Parque Samanes (the biggest park in south america) of music and acting! and im part of it! i get to sing Ave Maria as part of the program!! im super excited, and it will be a great way to share the Gospel with others and meet lots of people! :)

This week we have seemed to talk and to have learned a lot about the Atonement and repentace this past week. it has been a part of our studies and lessons all this past week. as i have studied more about these subjects, i have learned about the great importance of the Atonment and the great blessing of repentance. after the Fall of Adam, all of us are imperfect people forever, so we are in need of soemthing that can change that. the only thing is the Atonment that is infinte and eternal. the only thing that will allow us to enter into the presence of God. How i am so grateful for this gift in my life and the opportunity i have to share this with others here! :)

have a great week!! love you all!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

today as a zone we carved PIÑAS (pinapples) instead of pumpkins. because milagro is the city of the pinapples! it was super fun! me with hna dominguez and our piñas 

me hna dominguez and the other hermana warburton! :)

Cambios y Capacitaciones

Buenas tardes familia y amigos!

Cambios!!

Today i was transferred to a new area and new ward. i am now in Milagro in ward, Bella Vista. im with hermana dominguez (from the usa) and have been given the assignment as a sister leader. im excited to be in this new area with this new assignment to help other sisters in the mission!

my last week in barrio primavera was great!

Marian should be baptized this next saturday, and although i wont be there for her baptism, i am sooooo happy she will be baptized! she is ready! she has a testimony, and loves the Gospel and the things she is learning. She accepts the commandments, and loves the idea of an eternal family. she will be a great member of the Church and im so excited for her!! :)

on tuesday we had a training for new leaders. we got to go to guayaquil and receive training from President. it was awesome! he talked a lot about charity, and how a true leader is a leader who has charity. we can have patience, humility, and service, but when we have charity, we can develop all of those atributes and more! how neat! thats the kind of leader i hope to be! its amazing how Jesucristo is the perfect example in everything, especially in the way He lead. He was and is a great leader and when we learn of Him, we can each find new ways to improve and be better leaders and people.

On wednesday we had verification of 12 weeks with hermana castillo! she did a great job! it was great to once again have another training with President! it always helps me to want to work harder and better!

This week as we shared about the Plan of Salvation with many families. it is such a great plan, that helps everyone understand why they are here, and what they need to do while here on earth. This week we were sharing the Plan of Salvation with a member and her boyfriend who is not a member. as she read in Jeremías 1:5 about the premortal life, she felt the Spirit. i was reminded that God knows each of us individually, and He knew us even before we were born there on this earth. He loves and can help us in every aspect of our lives. I am so grateful for the time i spent in barrio primavera. i learned soooo much with every companion that i was there with. ive had ups and downs in that sector, but i have truly seen miracles there as well. i have learned that this is the Lord's work. We need to do it in His way. He loves each one of us. its amazing how this Gospel is for everyone, and everyone needs this happiness in their lives. i know that this Church is true. i know that thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can find happiness in this life and in the life to come! :) 

have a great week!! :)

les amo!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

me with my comp!

me with marian (in sunglasses) that will be baptized saturday

the 4 hermanas in barrio primavera con obispo ramirez

Las Familias Puedan Ser Eternas

Hola! :) Cómo están todos?? Another great week here in Ecuador... this week seemed to fly by!! Wow! its great to be a missionary serving here in ecuador in my sector. 

this week we were able to finally teach Marian.. shes the sister of Carlos that is from Venezuela but then moved to Quito. well she has come to church many times, and was receiving the lessons in another ward where she was living in guayaquil... but now she is living in our ward again, so we can teach her... and wow. she is awesome!! :) she wants to be baptized! she told us she wanted to talk to us to see what she needed to do so that she could prepare to be baptized! :) wow. you almost never hear that! :) anyway she is super sweet, and reading her Book of Mormon, and she said that she really loves the Plan of Salvation, and that families can be together forever. she said thats what really made her want to get baptized.

This saturday we had a zone activity and we went to duran and contacted families that were outside their houses with a cute poster that said "Somos una Familia...." (We are a family....) and then they would put sayings there about their family, like united, cool, pilas... things like that and we would take a family photo. well it was a fun way to contact and talk to people, and most people that we got to talk to enjoyed the activity and us taking their pitures. we even got to sing families can be together forever, and the people loved it! :) im so grateful for my family! im grateful for temples and that hoy en día las familias pueden ser eternas!

Im so grateful for the way that the Gospel blesses families. i have seen the way that it can change families that were destroyed and heartbroken to families that are happy and in peace. its amazing how this message can change so many lives. it can bring so much joy and happiness into our lives. When we put Jesucristo first, everything else just seems to fall into place. i have seen that happen so many times in my life. I know the great Plan of Happiness is for each of us, and is a great blessings to the families! :)

have a great week!! :) love you!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

La Expiación y La Restauración

Buenas tardes! :)

This week we stared off with a great noche de hogar with a family and their cousins that are not members. it was great, and it actually reminded me a lot of the family home evenings i used to do at my house. it was a great way to meet new potential investiagores! 

We also were able to see sooooo many miracles this week. i feel so blessed and grateful to have truly seen the Hand of God in this work this week. this week we passed by a house that we usually pass by and the family isnt there. the wife is not a member but the husband is, but we have never had the chance to visit the wife. but this week... we finally visited and met the wife, named Carolina, and she is soooo great!! :) she was so friendly and so willing to listen to our message. when we taught her about the Restoration and Jose Smith, she said she felt in that moment like she wanted to cry... she was feeling the Spirit! it was incredible! i was reminded of the GREAT importance it is to testify and teach about Jose Smith. As we were reminded of at conference with one of the talks, about the great imporant role that he played to restore the Church to the earth again. As Carolina heard that she felt the Spirit and realized that she was like Jose Smith in a lot of ways, and wants to know the truth, and can find the truth through prayer to our Heavenly Father.

On friday we visited a rescate, and found that she needed a lot of help in her house. as a mom, she has lots of things to do, and her husband is sick... so we had the opportunity to prestar servicio, and help her clean her kitchen. that was so great, and i was reminded of the great work that mothers do each day. they do so much, and are always so willing and ready to help. Thanks mom for all you do! :)

On saturday we had an intercambio with the hermana lideres and i stayed in my sector with hermana osei bahma (from utah). we had a good time together, and i was able to learn a lot about contacting people, the importance of sharing personal stories, and sharing your talents. we had a fun time singing to the people we met on the street! one time we even had a little bit of a crowd watching us as we sang! :) i love singing, and i was yet again reminded of the great importance of music, and how music can invite the Spirit! :)

this week was a good week! :) i am so grateful that i can be a missionary here in ecuador! i love it here! i love the people and i love sharing the Gospel. and i especially love seeing how the Atonement can change lives. it changes people and families. it changes attitudes and it helps us have hope. wow. it was incredible to see that this past week with a family. how the Atonement can unite families, and let us be happy! :) I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He loves us. He can heal us physically and spiritually. The miracles that He performed when He was here on earth were amazing, and we can still see miracles now, according to our faith! :) i know miracles exist! 

have a great week! love you all! 

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

She also forwarded this to us (Translation is after):

From: Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission <2012960@ldschurch.org>

Date: 2016-10-04 15:43 GMT-05:00

Subject: Fecha de relevo

To: 

Querido(a) Élder o Hermana,

                Estamos haciendo unos planes para este año y queremos confirmar la fecha en la cual usted terminará su misión y regresará a casa. Actualmente, su fecha de relevo está programada para el 28 de febrero, 2017.

                Si es que hay alguna circunstancia que requiere que usted termine la misión antes de la fecha indicada, por favor infórmenos.

                 Si es que tiene deseos de extender su misión por seis semanas, por favor infórmenos y pida el permiso del Presidente Riggins en su carta semanal.

                Si la fecha que le hemos indicado está bien, por favor indíquenos.  Cualquier pregunta o duda, estamos a las órdenes. Éxitos!

 Gracias,

 Elder Oyler

Misión Ecuador Guayaquil Norte

Secretario del  Presidente Riggins

2012960@ldschurch.org

Dear (a) Elder or Sister,

                 We are making some plans for this year and we want to confirm the date in which you finish your mission and return home. Currently, relay date is scheduled for February 28, 2017.

                  If there is any circumstance that requires you to complete the mission before the due date, please inform us.

                  If he has no desire to extend its mission for six weeks, please inform us and ask for the permission of the President Riggins in his weekly letter.

                  If the date we have told you is wrong, please tell us. Any questions or concerns, we are the orders. Success!

 Thank you,

 Elder Oyler

Conferencia General y Torta

Hola! Buenas tardes! :)

This week we had a good week! a different week, but a good week! i'm grateful for the Hand of God in this week and His watchful care for us this week. This week we enjoyed sharing and inviting everyone to General Conference. This week i also had some extra time to study as my companion was not feeling very well this week. but i was able to learn a lot, and we were still able to work a lot this week. we were able to visit and teach a few menos activos, rescates, conversos, and investigadores. i loved teaching them all about the importance of a living profeta and about the great importance of Conference. 

yesterday we were able to have a great lesson with an investigator about eternal marriage. the dad is not a member, but the rest of his family is, and we are working with this family, so that they can have an eternal family. we shared a video, and shared our testimonies, and i was grateful to share my testimony about my own family and about my own parents and their example! as we ended the lesson, it was great to talk about baptism and how that is the first step to gain an eternal family! :)

on another note... this week i made a cake in a pot on the stove (because we don't have an oven) for my birthday and for my 13 month mark! :) and it turned out great!! i'm going to have to make cakes on the stove more often!! :) haha! 

This week we were able to watch General Conference, my last General Conference in the mission!! wow!! :) how fast time flies! that was the highlight of the week, to watch and listen to the prophets and apostoles and leaders of God speak to all of us. there words were inspiring, and i found such peace and joy in there words. and also the music that was sung! wow how beautiful!! :) i know that this Church is true and that the prophets and apostoles really are leaders chosen of God to guide and direct our Church. As i listened i felt the Spirit, and i especially loved learning more about the Atonement. This past week, i was studying about the Atonement, and the great sacrifice that Jesucristo made for us. it is amazing how much He loves us. i am grateful for this great sacrifice and for the opportunity for each one of us to be better each day.

love you all!! have a great week!

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

pics of the cake i made on the stove and my comp decorating it... because she actually decorates cake for her profession!!

Yo Sé Que Vive Mi Señor

Hola hola!! Buenas tardes!! :)

Well... this week we had a good week!! :) the highlight of the week for me was having the first baptism here in this sector, and the first baptism of Hermana Castillo`s mission!!! :) Wow! that was super awesome! 

Saturday morning we had the baptism of Jose Andres. He is super great, and we have been working with him and his family since the first night that i got here in this sector! He is 9 years old and his parents are members, but he had not been baptized yet. He and his family are super sweet, and although have had many challenges, they have been able to overcome them, as they have put Christ as the center of their lives! Jose Andres was sooooooo excited this past week for his baptism and saturday morning just as excited! after he was baptized he shared his testimony and it was so sweet! he said he felt clean! and he wanted to be a better son and brother by helping his family more! it was so great!! the next day he was confirmed at church! :)

We were also able to visit a few converts this past week and help them go to church again. Also we visited the Familia Perez, a family of investigators, and were able to teach them the lesson about the Restoration of the Church. this was great, because it cleared up a lot of doubts that the family had about Joseph Smith! they were confused about who was Joseph Smith, and didnt understand that he was a propeht, as it became clear that we worship Heavenly Father, and not Joseph Smith, they were able to open up their hearts a little more to the message that we shared!

Sunday we were able to have a great fire side at our ward with President Riggins and his wife! With the help of the ward, we missionaries organized it, and it turned out to be a success. President came and talked up the Holy Ghost and conversion, and how we can receive an answer to our prayers and know if things are true or not. We also had a few testimonies of members and non members that were great! Also i was able to sing with Hermana Stephenson on her violin and Hermana Lange on the piano "Yo Sè Que Vive Mi Señor." (I Know That My Redeemer Lives). That was awesome... maybe one of my favorite parts of the fire side! i love singing, and it really brought the Spirit into the room. that was so neat!

I am so grateful to be a member of this Church. it is amazing how much joy and comfort it can bring into ones life. As i watched the General Women´s Conference this saturday, many times i felt the Spirit witness to me that these things are true. When President Monson walked into the conference, i knew and felt that he truly is a prophet of God. A prophet that we always testify of to the people here. I know that the things that the prophets teach us are true, and when we follow what they say we will be blessed. We will have our faith grow, and we will truly know that our Savior lives. As i sang that song this past week, i sang it as my testimony, that i know that my Redeemer lives. i know He loves me, and i know that He can always help us in every moment that we need to. How grateful i am for the great Plan of Happiness that we have been given!! :)

have a great week!! enjoy conference!! 

con amor,

Hermana Warburton