"withstanding trials without getting bummed is like trying to swim without ever coming up for water!" (Hilary)

Okay, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! I love you all and had a really great week!

So, I realized one of the great things about November (I had to search out pros to the fact that October had to end) is that soon we will get the Liahona with all the conference talks!! I am dying to receive it. There is so much more I am going to get out of these talks once I read them in English :) I loved all the photos of the pumpkins and costumes. I literally have the cutest niece and nephews. I miss them so much! But WOW, Friday was my six month mark! I only have a year left! WHAT? I know everyone says this, but I seriously still feel like I just got here. I keep thinking I am still a new little sister missionary. Which I am. But I need to remember that we are always in the middle (like Uchtdorf said in a Liahona hace unos meses).

So this week, for the holidays here in South America we make bread and "colada morada." I just sent a picture of Hermana Marca and me with our investigator L and a couple of bread dolls he made for us. So great. Okay, so Wednesday was super great. The letter (from Dad) was amazing and an investigator called me and wished me happy birthday and Hermana Marca gave me this cute pen she wrapped with floss and put my name on. Thursday we had our meeting and afterward, Elder LeBaron and his companion ran out and brought back a giant chocolate cake and a piñata! Okay, I attached pictures. They are so great! (Also I attached an old picture of me and Elder LeBaron and Elder Meriles at a service project)


Okay, here is what I wrote to President:

President Ghent,

Hope all is well. This last transfer seemed to fly by and yesterday Hermana Marca were both super happy to find out that we get more time in Imbabura. I have been feeling like there is a lot of work left for me to do here and I am working on a lot of new goals to be able to accomplish what Heavenly Father needs me to do here.

We have been working a lot with our investigator L (lots of lessons and days of reading the Book of Mormon and service projects)and we finally were able to put a baptismal date. Yesterday he attended all three hours of church. He told us that In Priesthood some of the jovens were listening to music with their headphones in and texting. That was a bummer to hear after we had been working so hard all week. Hermana Marca and I have been brainstorming on how we can help him to be able to keep attending church.

In one of the wards we cover (Cotama), there are about just as many inactives as there are actives. We spend a lot of time working with them. Although we haven't had as much success with investigators, I am able to feel good about what we have been able to accomplish with the inactives. We have really done a lot to search for each and every one of them and bring them members and remind them of the blessings they're missing out on. We have quite a few inactives that are being reactivated and working toward worthy goals like receiving the priesthood and going to the temple as a family.

One inactive we have been working with is named J M. He has lots of things he is working through.... (edited ) He doesn't understand Spanish very well so we have resorted a few times to acting things out to help him really understand what we teach. The other day we drew a line on the dirt floor of their home and Hermana Marca and I explained to him how when we make certain decisions, we are putting ourselves on the side of the enemy. It stuck and he hasn't drank in about five days. Thursday he aksed us to help him to fast this Saturday/Sunday. I really love being able to figure out the individual needs of each person and help them in a very personal way. It was neat to see that he really wants to be able to do what is right. All of these people have really good desires.

So, not one missionary in our zone had transfers! Which is super exciting! We are really having a lot more success than our zone has had previously, so we are really happy to be privileged with more time here. I just can't leave! I love it here!

Okay, so yesterday, like I mentioned to President, was a really really tough day. I felt like we had been fighting all week long to make things work for our investigators with baptismal dates. Of the four with baptismal dates, one was able to attend and didn't like it. I was trying to be tough like Sam when he mentioned in his email the other day about that family of his . But it just felt like a daggar(sp?) to the heart. I wanted to cry. But then I was trying to keep the faith and positivity. But then I felt like withstanding trials without getting bummed is like trying to swim without ever coming up for water! Wow, yesterday was tough. But it ended well when we found out we didn't have transfers. 

OKAY THANK YOU I LOVE YOU.

Are Matt and Emily okay? Did they have to evacuate? Where are they? What is their housing situation like now? Please update me about the presidential elections. I am so anxious. Elder LeBaron and Elder Maughan and I have been talking about it all day today.

OKAY I LOVE YOU BYE!

Hermana Norton