Sol, Caminando, y Investigadores

Hola!! buenas tardes! :) 

Ecuador.. the land of lots and lots of sun!! haha this week there was a ton of sun, and as usual.. we walked A LOT!! but it was such a good week!! we were able to visit many investigatores, less actives, and converts, and it was amazing to see the progression of all of them!

we are teaching an investigator named Victor, and yesterday was his second time visiting the Church!! he is doing great, and is looking to find the truth in his life. we taught him about the restoration, and the importance of the Book of Mormon, and how the Book of Mormon can help him receive his answer. He read and prayed and is waiting for his answer!

Also we are teaching another investigator Carlos, and we have been trying to have him read the Book of Mormon... and after weeks of reading nothing, we taught him this past week and he told us he read 14 chapters!!! wow!! i was so surprised!! and he remembered and understood what he read!! :) wow! again i am amazed at the power of the Book of Mormon. i know its true. ive seen this book change the lives of people. it has helped so many peoples lives, as it has helped mine!

on friday we had a small intercambio and i worked in my sector with one of the hermana liders, hermana guaman. it went pretty well. it was only for the night, but we were able to have a couple of good lessons and i learned a lot from her. i was reminded of the importance of asking inspired questions! :)

on Sunday when we went to lunch, the cute family we ate with remembered that it is my birthday friday, and when we walked in there was a chocolate birthdaycake on the table!! they sang happy birthday and were so sweet the whole meal!! :) it made me so happy i almost cried!! :) there are amazing ward members here, who do so much to help the ward and the missionaries! i love this ward a lot and i am so grateful to be working here with my companion!!!

i know this Church is true. I know that through Christ we can be cleansed from our sins. we can feel the peace and comfort in our lives that we are all looking for. i know that through Christ we can be healed spriritually. El ser limpios del pecado es ser sanados espiritualmente. thanks to the Atonment of Christ, there is hope. there is hope on the darkest of days. when we have Christ as the center of our lives, we have a life full of light and hope. what a great opportunity i have each day to see this great Atonment work in the lives of the people here! :) have a great week!!!!!!! :)

con mucho amor,

Hermana Warburton

the temple last week with hermana alvarez ( my old comp)

noche de hogar with the familia nuñez

        celebrating my birthday with the fam alcivar

Nueva Compañera y Invitaciones Baptismales

Hola hola!! :) Espero que todos estén bien! 

This week i received my new companion... Hermana Castillo. :) She is from Peru, and she is a convert of about a year and a half. She is 25 yrs old and so sweet! we are having a great time and learning lots together!

On Tuesday we received a training from Presidente Riggins before we received the new missionaries. he talked to us about the important assingment of a trainer and how we really have the opportunity to help a new missionary and help them learn how to be a missionary in the mission field. he talked about this assignment as being one of the most important assingments in the mission! :) wow i feel so honored and happy to be training again!

On Wednesday morning we went to the temple with all of the trainers and new missionaries and i as always i loved being in the temple! it is such a special place of peace and love and blessings. how grateful i am to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants to bless us with all the blessings He can give us. :)

Then all day wednesday we received trainings from presidente and hermana riggins and the assitentes... and then at the end of the day i received my new companion hermana castillo! 

on thursday was the first day in the mission field for hermana castillo, and it was great to watch her work and take the initiative to invite our investigatores to be baptized! she invited many people to be baptized (the goal of week 1) and did a great job!! We have some great investigators and great new investigatores that we found. we were able to visit them, and it amazes me each time as we talk to people, how some are so willing and open to come unto Christ and learn more about how they can change their lives through Christ.

On Sunday we had a great day in the church! 5 of our investigatores came and that made me soooo happy!! :) That night we were able to have a family home evening with the familia nunez, and that was so great. hermana nunez expressed her thanks for us and how we have helped her. But it really wasnt us!! it was her and Jesus Christ. She and her family have progressed so much and have really made Christ the center of their lives! :)

As ive reflected on this week, ive realized that when Christ is the center of our lives, we can be blessed with the blessings we need spiritual, and temporal. its amazing how God wants to bless us! We just need to be obedient, and He will bless us. DyC 130:21-22. i know He loves us so much. as we follow in the footsteps of Christ, and try to be more like Him, we receive more and more blessings, as a result of our obedience. Each day is a new day to be better, and work a little bit harder to follow in these footsteps. I am grateful for the opportunity i have each day to try and follow in His footsteps, as a representative of Jesus Christ.

Love you all!! have a great week!!! :) 

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

Cambios y Milagros :)

BUENAS TARDES! hola de ecuador :)

Cambios!... im still here in barrio primavera, and will receive my new companion tomorrow.. im going to be training a new missionary again!!! and im so excited and grateful for this experience! :)

This week we had a week full of miracles!! our mission President asked us to set some high goals as a mission this week and for the month of August. he set goals about contacting, and finding new investigatores. as hermana alvarez and i worked hard this week, we truly saw the hand of the Lord in the work here. 

this week we had planned to visit a family that we thought we didnt know who they were and are members. so we went to go and find them, and when we got to the house, we realized this was the direction of a house of members who are very active and we know them well. at first i thought...ok well thats ok maybe they have a reference for us. the family was actually leaving when we got there, but when they saw us they said "hey we have a family we would like you to meet!" and showed us to the family and we were able to have a nice lesson with them!! and they accepted that we could come back and visit them. 

also we were able to have a family home evening with a family of members, and she invited quite a few friends to come and listen to us! we watched the Joseph Smith movie, and the friends really liked it, and i was reminded again of how grateful i am for jose smith and all he did to restore the true Chruch on the earth again. it is amazing all the things he and the early Saints had to expereince, just because they were Mormons. i am so grateful and proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! :)

As we worked hard we were able to find new investigatores to teach, and were able to see miracles in this sector! i am so grateful for the opportunity i had to work with hermana alvarez! she is an incredible missionary  and i learned a lot from her! :) as we work hard and work in faith, we can really do the work that we need to hear, and be guided to the people who are waiting for this Gospel!

This week in our district meeting, hermana alvarez and i did a practice about the Book of Mormon, and how the Book of Mormon can answer questions to our doubts. as we taught, and as i thought about this, i realized that this is true. whatever doubt we have, we can find the answer in the Book of Mormon. through the Holy Ghost, we can receive guidance and direction about our questions and doubts. what a blessing we have to have this great book!! i am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the many things i can learn daily from it. im grateful for the things it teaches us about the Atonement and how we can better apply the Atonement in our lives. Sé que Jesucristo vive y es nuestro Salvador! :)

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

hermana alvarez y yo con una familia! :)

Noche de Familia y Servicio

Feliz día! :) Espero que todos estén bien in la casa y estén disfrutando las vacaciones :)  (Happy day! :) I hope everyone is well in the home and are enjoying the holiday)

Bueno... another good week here in ecuador! on monday we were able to have a neat noche de hogar with conversos recientes about family history and the importance of helping our ancestors. 

On Wednesday we had a service project and helped a family that lives in duran with their house that recently burnt down. we arrived and their WHOLE house had burnt down. it was crazy!! the cute family was so sad, but happy to recieve some help. we helped them clean out the garbage that was left, and help them level out the ground where the house had fallen. wow. i was reminded of how fast our wordly materials can be destroyed. that is why we are always told in the scriptures and by the profetas to gain spiritual treasures- testimonies, and spiritual experiences, because these are the things that we can take wiht us ! :)

also we met with the familia nuñez.... they are so awesome!! they are always giving us food to eat and are so sweet to us!! this family has had to experience A LOT! when i hear their story i always marvel at their dilligence, faith, and strenghth. they have trusted in God, especially when they feel like there is nothing to hold onto. what a great family!! :)

As always we are always looking for ways to find new people to teach! so one night this past week we passed for an investigators house to see if we could teach them. they couldnt in that moment, so we asked them if they knew anyone that need the Gospel in their lives. the investigator said we could try their neighbors in front of the house. hermana alvarez and i looked at the house in front of us and were thinking... "should we contact her right now or wait...?" the natutral man inside of us didnt want to contact the house. but we knew we should contact them. not knowing what we were going to say, we rang the doorbell and when the woman answered the door we said "hola! como esta?" and she said "come on in!!" we were shocked!! we thought we would get rejected as usual... but she invited us right in and we had a nice lesson with her!! she was very nice and invited us back! :) i couldnt believe it. then i rememered. this is the work of Jesus Christ! if He wants us to visit someone, then we will visit them!! There is nothing that i should fear, because with Him, all things are possible.

yesterday we had a fireside that us missionaries put on for the ward entitled "A Night of Families." we had a couple of speakers talk about the importance of the family and a few musical numbers about the family! and it turned out well! we are hoping to do more of these to find new investigatores and help the ward be more involved with missionary work! :) and believe it or not...  i played the piano for all of the musical numbers!! :) ahh!!

this week we did some new excercises, and the next day i could barely walk!! my compañeras had a good time laughing at me!! haha!! 

today is a holiday in Guayaquil:) and so today we went to a Historical Park and got to see a few of the cool animals and plants that are here!! :) super fun! :)

I am so grateful for this Gospel and for families. i know that families are a central part to this plan. they are here to help us, guide us, and teach us. i am grateful for my family and the great examples they are to me. I know that when Christ is center in a home, everything will be more happy and more peaceful in the home. things seem to work out when He is central en todo! :)

tengan una buena semana!! les amo mucho!! 

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

La Expiacón y Lecciones

Buenas tardes!! Bueno....

This week was another great week here in ecuador!! :) Teaching and sharing the Gospel! - which i love to do! 

We visited the familia nunez this week.. they are awesome!! what a great family! their sobrino left on his mission this week, and so they were a little sad, but also really happy for him. they are such a great family and i know they are working so hard to stay active and go to church to make him proud. they came to church again this week, and as always thats always one of the highlights of my week! :) this family is so kind and so strong. they have been through a lot, and i admire their strength and dilligence! ... and they are always so sweet and give us delicious food!! :)

Also we had a couple of good lessons with carolina this week, helping her get ready for her bautismo. :) we are so excited, but her family is more excited!! theyve been waiting for this day for a while!! i know her going to church, going to seminary, and reading and praying have helped A LOT with her conversion. doing the small little things are really the things that strenghten our faith. because faith does not increase by accident, but by choice!! :)

This week we had interviews with President and his wife as well! Its always great to talk with President and listen to his council and advice. 

I dont know whats happening here with the weather in ecuador, but its actually been a little bit cooler this past week!! i couldnt believe it!! at night ive actually said "wow... tan fresco!!".. i dont know if its the climate, or maybe im just adapting to the heat! :) hahaha but whatever it is... its super great!

Well thats about it for this week!! another week in ecuador with this great people! wow. i love being here, and i am so grateful for the people i get to teach. each day is different, and i know there is always a miracle if we really look for it. Its amazing how this Gospel is for everyone and can help everyone with thier own personal problems and needs. Jesus Christ is able to heal us phyiscally, but also spiritually. He really is our Savior, and we can only be come sanctified through Him. I am so grateful for the Atonement and for this great act of love. 

Tengan una buena semana!! Les amo mucho! :)

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

me and my companion... haha im kinda cut out of the picture... but haha shes so funny! i just love her!! 

the beautiful sunset!! :)

El Libro de Mormon y Conversión

Hola familia y amigos!! Buenas tardes :)

this week we had another great week in barrio primavera. i do love this ward and the people we find here. its amazing how the Gospel can bless peoples lives, and how so many people really are trying to follow Christ.

this week we set a baptismal date for one of our investigatores, Carolina. she is the only member of her family that is not baptized, and we have been working with her for a while. but this week i think she finally realized the importance of getting baptized and how it will help her in her life!! :) woohoo!! and she put the date herself, and so i think this will help her be motivated and feel prepared to be baptized. 

We have also had a LOT of people ask a LOT of questions about the Book of Mormon this week. i have learned that it is sooo important for someone to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. and not just be convinced. but be converted. to really know it is true throught the Holy Ghost. its the only way that someone really can be converted if they get an answer through the Holy Ghost. the people we were teaching wanted the logical side to the Book of Mormon, all the exact facts... but sometimes we have to rely on faith and dont have all the answers.

Also this week we contacted a few new investigatores. we have been using the document "The Family, A Proclamation to the World", and wow. its such a great document! when the people read this, they are always so happy to hear that this Church focuses on the family and that the family is so important. they also love to hear how they can have more unity in a Christ-centered home. :) I am so grateful for profets that show us how we need to live, and how we can have more happiness. i know that the words they speak are truly from God, "Porque no hará nada Jehova, sin que revele sus secretos a sus siervos los profetas."

And as always.. the adventures of me and my companion have continued this week.... as we enjoy pancakes at night after planning and the funny experiences that always happen!

This week the other hermanas in the ward had an investigator family come to church with them, and one of the sons of the family is deaf, and so he talks in sign language, and my comp can talk in sign language too! so it was neat to watch her communicate with him through sign language! i also received my name in sign language... that has to do with my hair! (haha of course!)

This weeek i realized the importance of having charity and Christ-like love for others. When we have charity, we really can develop the other attributes of Christ as well. When we have charity, we serve, are more dilligent, are obediente, more patient, and have more faith and hope. Charity is so important in missionary work, and i have learned so much more about this atribue of Christ as i have been here on my misison. i am so grateful to be here!! there is always something new i can learn each day, and its amazing to see how God works each day. :) sé que la Iglesia es verdadera y que Jesucristo nos ama. :)

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

Ayuno y El Plan Perfecto

Buenas tardes!! Feliz 4 de Julio!! :)

Hola familia y amigos!! :) we had another great week here in ecuador, full of miracles. I love the people here in this area and i feel so grateful to be able to be here and watch people change their lives and apply the Atonement of Christ in their lives.

My highlight of the week was with the Familia Nuñez. Oh how i just love this family!!! :) they are like my family here in ecuador! they have been less active for a while, but these last few weeks that we have been visiting them, they have been making big changes in their lives and going to church!! i have watched them as they have grown in their testimonies, and have grown more unified as a family. Yesterday for the first time the mom of the family finally came to church. my companion and i almost cried we were so happy!! :) they also did their first fast together with us yesterday, and i am so proud of them!! They are the sweetest family, and i cant believe how much they have changed. that is what i love so much about my mission- watching people change as they accept Jesucristo in their lives. wow. its amazing! :) there is almost no happiness that compares to seeing these people change their lives for the better! :)

This week we also met with the familia mendoza a few times this week-- our family of investigatores. they are awesome as well! they came to church yesterday for the first time and everybody was so welcoming to them. they are a family of 4 and we are reading the Book of Mormon. they have a Christian background, and are very accepting to learn more. ... and they always give us food!! haha! :) 

This week we also had an intercambio with the hermana lideres.. and so we were in a trio all day friday with one of the hermana lideres. it was different to teach with 3 sisters, but we were able to learn some things, and see how we can improve as missionaries.

as usual my companion and i are always laughing at something!! :) she is the greatest and we have  a good time teaching together and learning from one another. there is always something funny that happens to us during the day. from me hitting my head really hard on the roof of a taxi, to another thing.... we are enjoying our time here!

What a great blessing we have in our lives to be members of the Church and know of the great happiness that we can find as we follow Christ. I know that God has a plan. His plans are perfect!! every day i am more and more amazed at how His plan always works. its amazing to me to understand more each day about how each thing in our life has a purpose and there is something that we can learn. 

well! have a great week!! :) and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!! :)

con amor,

Hermana Warburton

the familia nunez made us cake!! :) and we are in blue and white for 4th of july! :)