Where Can I Turn For Peace?

¡Hola hola familia y amigos! Buenas tardes Gracias por todo su amor y apoyo ¡Ustedes son lo mejor!

This past week was fun! it was a little different than usual, because tuesday and wednesday we did divisions (were we switch companions for 2 days) with the Hermana Assistentes. So we had 4 hermanas in our sector and were able to do double the work! i learned a lot from the hermana i was with, hermana jorge from peru. She is so sweet and really loves the Gospel. it was neat to work with her and learn more about how to be a better missionary. :)

on wednesday we had the world wide missionary training. it was a worldwide broadcast that all the missionaries in the WORLD watched about how to be a better missionary! there was a lot of focus on teaching by the Spirit, and working with the memebers. it was neat to know that all of the missionaries in the world were watching this, and we are all doing the same things. we are all here for the same purpose and working together to bring people unto Christ.

on thursday... this was our day of tears.. haha. yep. we kind of randomly had people cry on us... haha! We were teaching Vicenta Coba, an investigadora, about how there is only 1 true church. She is Evangelica and she believes that there is not really one true church, but that the church is within all of us... we have gone over the doctrine that God is of order, and there is only 1 church many times, and still it was not sticking. after we had finished the lesson, we were a little worried that our lesson was a little harsh... but she came out with some malduros fritos (fried green bananas) for us to eat, and then started crying because she LOVES us so much and will be so sad when we leave. guess the lesson wasnt too harsh!! she loves us, and even though we are different religions, she realizes that we are doing something so important and good, and calls us her little angels. It was so sweet! :) 

We have this investigador family- Amalia (60yrs) and her 2 daughters, Sahiana (17yrs) and  Karla (30yrs) and her sons gabriel (8yrs) and Andres (2 yrs). They are an awesome family! amalia has been coming to church for about 2-3 months now, and has finally accepted a baptism date. The reason they want to get baptized is because Karla wants her son Gabriel to be a missionary when he is older. She REALLY wants him to be a missionary, and so the first step is baptism! karla is great! she asks so many questions, and really has a desire to learn about the church. she asks sincere questions about the priesthood, sacrament, word of wisdom, and keeping the sabbath day holy. She wants to know the reasons for things, and how she can find out if all of this is true. Her sons are adorable as well!! at times they are a little crazy.... like when they steal all the stuff out of my bag and eat my candy and try to rip my scriptures.... but they are adorable! :)

This past week we had some neat experiences where i really felt that we were being guided by the Spirit. On friday we had just gotten done with lunch and we were trying to find out where we should go after. we said some names of people that were close in the area, and casually picked the last name we said. So we went over to the Familia Valencia house. Angel Valencia Jr (30yrs),  who is a member and has served a mission, had been sick, and we wanted to see if he was home from the clinic and how things were going. When we stopped by the house, the father of the house (who is not a member of the church) and his granddaughter were there and were very sad. They had just found that Angel Jr had a tumor in his stomach, and was most likely cancerous. Hermana Childs and i didnt really know what we need to say to them, and we decided to sing a song we had been practicing- "Nearer My God to Thee". We sang this song and as we sang we tried to comfort them with the music and words of this beautiful hymn. As we sang the mother came home as well, and we all enjoyed the hymn, and talked a little after about the plans that God has. and while we may not understand all that happens in this life, we know that God does, and He has an eternal perspective. Again i am so grateful for good music. it has a powerful effect on people that words dont have. truly the song of the heart is a prayer unto God. Music can invite the Spirit into a house, comfort those who are seeking comfort and peace. We felt guided to that house at the opportune time to share our love and support for this family! God really will direct our paths if we let Him.

As for some funny happenings this week....

When we were at the Familia Vicenta Coba´s house, she had me help her make the salad. well ive heard that the lettuce here can carry a parasite... and so to kill the parasite, the people here put salt in their salads, and some lime. so... i made the salad with lime juice, some olive oil, and salt. but A LOT of salt. i was worried about getting a parasite! and i wanted to kill whatever bugs may be in that salad! but turns out ... i put waaaayyy to much salt on the salad! so much that it tasted soooooo nasty! and it was a big plate of salad!! hermana childs and i ate it all though, and somehow got it all down. Vicenta ate a bite of the salad when we were almost done eating, and she was like "ah! this is nasty! wayyy to much salt! why did you guys eat that??" haha... 

In my studies this morning, i read a couple of talks about finding peace. The world may try to offer peace and comfort in various ways, but the ONLY way we can find true and lasting peace is through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ and His Gospel. There is no other way that peace can come. as we live the gospel, and obey the commandments, we will find joy and happiness. it is that simple. Where can i turn for peace? where is my solace? In Jesus Christ. As days may seem long and precoccupations cloud our views, remember that the true source of light and comfort can be found in living the gospel of Jesus Christ. He will guide us to peace and safety. Not only physically, but spiritiually as well. Each day as we turn to him, we will find peace. 

I love you all lots! :) Gracias por su amor y bondad. Esperamos que tengan un buena semana. Una semama de felicidad y paz. Recuerda siempre Jesucristo y el amor que Él nos brinda. 

¡les amo much!

Hermana Warburton

Food here in Ecuador (but it was actually made by a columbian.. so its kinda columbian food.. but basically its all the same.. rice and more rice... )

More pics of Isla Santay last week

Wedding and Baptism

The week of a wedding and a baptism!! :)

On wednesday we were really lucky and got to go to the wedding of Joffre and Kati! :) Wow it was so special! we went to the registro de civil in the south part of the guayaquil city and watched them as they signed their papers and legally became man and wife! ... they are on their way to a wedding in the temple in a year!!

On friday was joffre´s baptism! This guy is awesome! He was so happy and excited to be baptized! he was baptized by kati´s son pedro, and he looked so happy to be there and be following the example of Jesus Christ. Hermana Childs and I got to sing "I Stand All Amazed" for a special musical number, because it is his favorite hymn. Joffe bore his testimony after he was baptized and it was an amazing testimony! He truly is converted to the Gospel. He expressed his love for the Church, Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith. He also said he knows that Thomas S Monson is a living prophet. He really knows these things, and told us he felt the Spirit after he was baptized, that he started crying in the font. It was so sweet! :) he will be such a great member and leader in the church here in ecuador!

As usual, we had some funny experiences this week. Yesterday when we were singing the opening hymn in a lesson we had, I started singing the words of "The Spirit of God" to the melody of "How Firm a Foundation"... and we sang almost the whole first verse before we stopped and realized it was wrong, because the people we were teaching were trying to get us to stop and fix the problem!! Hermana Childs and I couldnt stop laughing the rest of the song! :) haha! Also when I sing my opera songs for the members here, they are soooo suprised and almost fall off their chairs! haha! :)

Today we got to go to Isla Santay. Its a island and you ride your bike out to this beautiful island where the vegetation is so green and beautiful! we also got to see a bunch of real crocodiles! it was crazy! but lots of fun!

Im so excited and happy for Joffre and Kati. This week they made bigs steps in their lives and especially in the spiritual part of their lives. Marriage and baptism. Both events brought so much joy and happiness to their faces. I love seeing this in the people here! I know the Gospel brings so much joy and happiness. When we are following the commandments of God and choosing the right, He will shower us with blessings. Blessing that are temporal or physical and spiritual. He knows how to give us the things and blessings that we are in need of at the time we are in need of them. One of my favorite scriptures is in D&C and it talks about that when we receive any blessing, it is because we have been obedient to a law of God. So blessings are ALWAYS available when we are choosing the right! :)

I hope you all have a fantastic week! i love you all a lot!! thanks for everything! :)

les amo,

Hermana Warburton

PS... i am now the ward pianist... ah!! Sometimes it goes better than other times....:)

 the wedding of joffre and katy

 joffre´s baptism

Our visit to isla sanday today.... we went biking and saw crocodiles up close

New Investigators and the Atonement

Hola hola familia y amigos! ¿Cómo están?

Another week in the barrio Samanes 1! Wow the people here are so awesome! we have great ward and leaders who are so willing to help this ward and area progress. :)

This week we found a new family! its kinda a crazy story, but here´s how it happened... 

So.. we have found this cute little restaurant in our sector. its run by the sweetest little old couple.. we call them grandma and grandpa! :) and its a buisness that looks like its run out of their kitchen, so we really feel like we are stepping into grandma and grandpa´s house when we go! not to mention its way cheap and super delicious! 

so this past wednesday after we didnt have the most successful day of finding and teaching people, that night we stoped by grandma and grandpas kitchen to grab something to eat. while we were there a man from the street called to us and asked us to talk to him. His name is Fernando and it turns out his is an inactive member of the church, and his girlfriend, Melisa wants to get baptized so they can be an eternal family! We taught them later this week and set goals for a marriage date and baptism date! A miracle of finding these people!

we are also getting ready for joffre´s baptism this week!! ya! finally! joffre and kati´s marriage is this wednesday and then his baptism is this friday! we are so excited!! :)

Also we are always reallllyyyy happy when we have investigators in church! yay! this past week we had 8! a miracle! these people HAVE to come to church or they cant progress... at all! the importance of the día de reposo... sabbath day... is sooo important! i have realized that a lot as i have been here!

hermana childs and i always have super fun and funny experiences that just seem to happen to us!

Last week there was a man who was selling honey. it is natural honey and is supposed to have super good health benefits, and he was trying to sell it to us for $15, which is wayyyy above the price it should have been. but i only had $4, and there was no way we were paying $15 for a jar of honey!! so with some bartering, and the fact we really didnt have much money...  somehow... we talked him down.. and we bought the jar of honey for $4.60 and 2 chocolates!! :)

This week we have shared a lot with the people here about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. many people here have a Christian background and believe in Jesus, but have no idea what the atonement is. they have no idea what the word means or what actually consisted of the atonement. we have enjoyed sharing the importance of the atonement with the members and investigators here. it is incredible how everyone is impacted and changed through the atonement. I love the explanation of why an atonment was necessary in Alma 34:9-10. It talks about how an atonement is necessary to fufill the plan of God, and how it needed to be an infinite and eternal atonement. The atonement isnt something that if you sin once its your only chance and you cant repent again. No! it is a gift that is available to us an infinte number of times, everyday for our whole lives. A great gift of hope that is available to us everyday. Jesus Christ truly knows how we feel, and how to comfort and strenghthen us through anything! :)

I love you all so much! Thanks for your endless support and love! have a great week! :)

les amo,

Hermana Warburton

Feliz Año Nuevo 2016

  

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Happy new year! i hope you all had a great end of the year, and are ready for a brand new year! :) It´s crazy how fast this year flew by!

Hermana Childs and i had a fun new years eve... in the house! haha we werent allowed to leave, and so we had to be in the house at the usual early hour and stay in there. But its a good thing. it was CRAZY!! we were able to look through our window at ALL of the fireworks and craziness that was going on. here in ecuador the people go a little crazy for new years. and when i say a little... i mean a lot!!!! there were fireworks going for probably like an hour! and they also have this tradition here where they burn monigotes- which are paper mache dolls that can be anywhere from 3 ft to 50 feet tall! They put a note inside the doll of a list of things they would like to "burn" or get rid of about themselves so they can become better this coming year. Then they light the doll and burn the old self for the better new self for the coming year. :) It was fun to watch all these fun firework traditions from the safety of our little casa!

As for our investigators, we are being continually blessed to find new investigators and receive help and guidance with our investigators we have now. Seriously i am always so amazed at the patience and guidance that God has for us. He really does put us in the right path at the right time. 

This past week we were looking for  reference we received about a menos activo family in the ward. So we were looking and looking for the house but were having a hard time finding the direction. As we were looking we came upon a man who was sitting outside his house reading his newspaper. We said hi to him and got talking, and it turns out that he is a member of this church but has just been inactive for 30 years. His daughter who also was there and talked to us, is not a member, but was very interested in our message, especially Jose Smith. She invited us back to visit with her. We actually never ended up finding the reference we set out to find that day! But we found other people that we needed to talk to! God will direct our paths if we are willing to listen to the Spirit and are just willing (and not afraid) to talk to people! :)

Well this time of year in ecuador is the hot hot time of year! its the opposite of utah.... and boy was it hot and sunny this past week! wow! yes... i got sunburned a lot this week... Its also the time for the bugs to start coming out. here there are these nasty bugs called grios which are like a cocroach flying type bug. They are awful! we had 2 in our house last night, and one was flying all over! at one point it even landed on my back! hermana childs and i were screaming and going crazy... and the lady that lives below us called us to see what in the world was going on!! haha! 

Im so grateful to be here and to have the opportunity to spend this new year in ecuador serving the people. this gospel is so amazing. it is a gospel of blessings. :) we are able to see miracles in our lives if we just trust in God and turn to Him. His love is incredible, and it will allow us to make it through anything, and have the strenghth to do the things we need to! I hope you all have a great start to this new year, make some new goals, and trust in God and His plan! Love you all lots!

Les amo,

Hermana Warburton

Our Christmas celebration lunch at Chili's last Monday

Fireworks on New Year's

My sunburn...the one on my neck is even worse.

The grio bug!!ah!!!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD! ¡PROSPERO AÑO Y FELIZIDAD!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD! ¡PROSPERO AÑO Y FELIZIDAD!

Hola hola familia y amigos! i hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this past week! i loved hearing from you and seeing pictures of all the Christmas fun. Christmas is truly such a magical time of year... and im so glad i got the chance to spend this great time in Ecuador!

This past week was super different than the usual weeks here... but super fun! 

Tuesday- i had my final verification for my 12 weeks of training... so im offically out of my training and a "real missionary" now! :) the verification went really well and i learned a lot from the practices that we had to do. wow. its crazy to think my training is over!!

Then that night we got to sing around the Guayaquil city, Christmas Hymns, as a zone. we sang on the streets for the people that were passing by, and it was fun to share the Christmas spirit through song. As we were singing, i realized how blessed i am to have the Gospel in my life, and how blessed i am to know the truth. it is such an incredible blessing, and i am just so lucky to have been born in the Church and to be here in Ecuador sharing the blessings i have received in my life with the people here.

Wednesday- we went to the temple in the morning (luckily we made it after our taxi driver got lost...). such a great morning in the temple! Then we went to a living center for elderly people, and sang Christmas hymns for them and shared Christmas scriptures. Hermana Childs and i really enjoyed talking to an elderly man about his life story and all of the challenges he went through in his life. again i found my self so grateful for the life i have and the blessings i have received.

that night we had a huge Christmas dinner with ALL of the missionaries in the mission, and also had a talent show/variety show as a mission. all of the zones did a musical number (my zone sang peces en el rio and mi burrito sabanero). and hermana childs and i sang a special musical number of an arrangement of Angels we have heard on high and Hark the herald angels sing in spanish! :)

Thursday- Christmas eve we got to eat a dinner at our investigators house- joffre y kattis house. they made us some chicken, mashed potatoes, and rice! it was delicious! and... the best part of the whole week....  i got to skype my family!!! :) wow! such a good day!! :)

Friday- Christmas day! we spent the day visiting members and giving them little Christmas cards

once we hit saturday though... it became a normal week again, and we were back to the normal days of work! :) but it was good because we sure needed to visit our investigators! haha!! so it was good to get back to work!

Christmas was extra special this year in ecuador. instead of focusing on gifts and what i wanted, we were really just focused on Jesus Christ. He truly is the reason for the season. i am so grateful for my Savior. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Through Him we can find the peace and comfort that daily we are in need of. He is the way that we can return to Heavenly Father after this life. 

Yo se que Jesucristo es mi Salvador y Redentor. Yo se que solo por medio de El podemos regresar y vivir como familias en las presencia de Dios. Ese Evangelio es un mensaje de paz y gozo. Un mensaje de esperanza. Yo estoy muy agradecido conocer la verdad y ser un miembro y misionera de la Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Ultimos Dias. Yo se que la iglesia es verdadera. Yo se que Dios es nuestro Padre Celestial y nos ama y tiene un plan perfecto por Sus hijos. Yo estoy muy agradecido por todo sus oraciones y amor. Feliz Navidad. ¡Bendiciones!

les amo mucho!

Hermana Warburton

translation:

I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that only through Him can we return and live as families in God's presence. That gospel is a message of peace and joy. A message of hope. I am grateful to know the truth and be a member and missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . I know the church is true. I know that God is our Heavenly Father loves us and has a perfect plan for His children. I am very grateful for all your prayers and love. Merry Christmas. Blessings !

At the temple with Hermana Childs

All the hermanas in my group that have the same time as me

My companion from the CCM 

Joffre y Katti on Christmas Eve

Christmas morning

My Christmas

Feliz Navidad y Nuevo Investigadores

Hola familia y amigos! FELIZ NAVIDAD! este semana es Navidad? Chèvere!

I cant believe that this week is Christmas.. it still feels like August when i left for my mission... maybe its because the temperature really hasnt changed since then! haha

This past week was my 11th week of training... and there are 12 weeks of training.. so im almost done! this week is my last week! this past week my goal was to take the initative in the teaching and planning situations. it was a little scary and hard, but a good experience too!

This week was full of new investigators and contacting. Hermana Childs and I found a new way we like to contact..  by singing Christmas Carols! the people love it, and it instantly bringings the Spirit to the situation. its amazing the power of song!

We found 3 new investigators this week through another investigator. Her name is Amalia. Amalia lives with her 2 daughters and grandchildren. Amalia comes to church often, but she is still not baptized, but wants her 8 year old grandchild to be baptized. The mom of this grandchild is named Karla. And karla wants her 8 year old child to go on a mission!! when we asked her why she wanted this and she said she thought it would be so good if he helped others learn about good things and about God. So we taught her that first he needs to be baptized, and she needs to be baptized too. And she accepted a bautismal date for january! :) her sister did as well!

we also had this woman yell to us and stop us as we were walking down the street yesterday. it caught us a little off gaurd, so we turned around and there was this woman named josselyn who had called us. she saw us walking and knew we were missionaries, and said she wanted to listen to us! she had been receiveing the lessons before a couple months ago when she lived in another area, and now that she was not having the lessons anymore, she felt like something was missing in her life. so.... we gave her a date for baptism!! :) yipee!!

it was crazy how we had investigators basically just appear this past week. I know that God is in this work, and there was no way this could have just happened by chance. He was there and is here every step of the way.

Also this week, i met a woman that is perfect. She has no sins. or so she told us! :) we were teaching a lesson about the attributes of God, and that God commands us to be clean and be baptized, even Jesus Christ was baptized and he had no sins. So as we explained about this, the investigator said "I dont have any sins." what? good thing hermana childs was there to help me out, cause i didnt really know what to say to that one!! :) hahaha 

This week also i ate 2 whole fish! one of the fish had thier head still attached when i ate it!! woah! thats a first! :) but luckily i didnt have to eat the head...

i hope you all have a great week of Christmas! one of the greatest weeks in all the year i think! :) admist everything, dont forget to take a step back and remeber the true meaning of Christmas, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Gracias a Jesucristo, we can have hope in this world and in the life to come. This week in my studies (cause we study a lot... ) I really realized that God loves us so much, and has given us so many chances in life. He loves us enough to give us agency. And then He gives us great tools so that we are not lost. He gives us commandments so that we can uses our agency wisely and choose the right. He gives us scriptures, prophets, parents, leaders to help us make the right choices. But we are not perfect, and He knows we often wont obey exactly what He says. So He has given us the Atonement. Which is an infinite atonement. We can repent any and every day, and get on the path of righteousness again. And the commandments, and words of the prophets are always there to guide us again. Not to mention the great power of prayer that is always there, so we can communicate with our Father in Heaven everyday. Wow im so greatful for the love of God, and that He loved us enough so He sent His Son for us. :) 

Tengan un buen Navidad. Les amo mucho y espero que ustedes tengan un semana excelente! Feliz Navidad! Bendiciones! 

les amo,

Hermana Warburton

ps the picture is my zone here

Libro de Mormon y Mas Navidad

Buenas tardes familia y amigos! Feliz Navidad! :)

This semana seemed to fly by so fast! Another monday and also another week closer to Christmas! wow!

This week we taught some of our new investigators and had some good lessons:) We are teaching a new family, Vicenta Coba and her 2 grandchildren, Josue y Michell. They are Evangelico, and so have a large Christian background, and belief in God. We taught Vicenta yesterday, and she said she read about 30 pages of the Book of Mormon, and talked about Nefi. and how of course Nefi was a prophet. God called prophets in the ancient times, and so why not now? She said that the Book of Mormon makes the Bible clearer. Wow! we were so impressed with her! This is what happens when the investigators read the Book of Mormon!! The Spirit can testify to them that it is true, and things become so much clearer. They are such a sweet family, and Vicenta (60 yrs old) is such a sweet lady!

On another note... we taught Erika (menos activo) y her husband Jose (investigator) on tuesday. he is very very smart, and has researched a lot about different religious things. Well we were teaching about how to recognize promptings of the Spirit, and shared Moroni 10:3-5... and i asked him what it means to him to meditate.... and for some reason he started talking about Hitler. Ah Hitler!!!! Wel....l i didnt really know what to say to that!! oh boy... haha, but they are a cute family, and we are happy to be teaching them!

This week we got to go to the temple 2 times!!! On wednesday we had a zone meeting with my zone and actually the old zone i was in in Quevedo with Presidente Riggins. it was a great day of learning more about the importance of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. It was also nice to go to the temple that morning. Also Presidente Riggins asked me and my comp and another hermana to, spare of the moment, to sing praise to the man for part of the training (like 10 minutes before we actually sang), because he knew we were singers. and it went really well! President Riggins said "of course you guys can sing, you toured!!" haha (because hermana childs and i toured in europe in the uam choir! hahaha)

We also went with our recent converts and members (that used to be menos activos) to the temple on Friday. It was so neat to see them go to the temple for the first time! they were so happy and so excited!! it was such a neat experience!

This week we also sang in a park as a zone for a stake party and contacted some people and shared the Christmas spirit which was fun!! 

on a funny note... our lunches here can be pretty funny at times.... sometimes the meals seem actually super american! like one day a hermano bought us asuper size meal from carls jr! it was good (but it was a huge hamburger and hermana childs and i about exploded!! )... but also we have meals where the cute hermanas basically command us to eat all the food on the table.. and its a little scary... but they are so cute and love to feed us that of course we eat all the food! but its so much food all the time! trust me we never go hungry here!! i about explode after every meal! we are always eating!! :) hahah! 

This week i was studying a talk from President Monson that i really loved about how we are never alone, and that God is always there to help us succeed. I loved this quote from him:

"Your Heavenly Father loves you- each of you. That love never changes. it is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you ave in your bank account. it is not changed by your talents and abilities. IT IS SIMPLY THERE. it is there for you when you are sad, or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God´s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. IT IS SIMPLY ALWAYS THERE."

i love this quote! God´s love is always there. And this is such a great time of year to remember the love that God has. He loves us so much He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we all can be saved. Gracias a Jesucristo we can be saved and return to live with Them again. What a great message of peace!! Im so glad to be sharing this with others here in ecuador!

love you all so much! have a great week! share this great message of Christmas with everyone you meet! :) thanks for everything, all your love, letters, sweet notes, emails, and prayers! :) love you all!! :)

les amo,

Hermana Warburton

temple with our 2 converts cindy and vilma, and the bishop tobar

at the temple on wednesday with cute hermana childs

my Christmas!!! :)