"... everybody laughed, I wasn´t even trying to make em laugh, but cool!" (Sam)

 The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us 

to count our blessings.
Eric Hoffer

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep.
Irving Berlin

Wowo! So much going on its crazy!

     So yes, I was transferred to Málaga! Downtown Málaga. Crazy, awesome, downtown, city, skyscrapers Málaga. It´s so awesome! Deffffinitely a change from lil´ Huércal-Overa. I miss that place soo much but I know that God´s timing is perfect. He knows what He´s doing and He knows what we´re doing. Better than we do in fact. Anyways, I´m here in Málaga and I love it. Its not as hot here but its definitely more humid. It has its goods and bads. OUR PISO ROCKS. Air Conditioning, washer, dryer, dishwasher, random tiny tv (I have no idea why.... cuz it never ever gets pulled out or turned on), a little tiny view of the Mediterranean sea... we´re still really far away so we can´t see the beach but we have this little view of the water and its awesome! Every once and a while big cruise liner ships go by... its sweet. 

     MY COMP IS DA BOMB. His name is Elder Núñez and he is from Honduras. He knows a little bit of English and is learning suuuper fast but we talk in 94% spanish. Its fun. :) I still have a lot to learn but I can now see how much the Lord is blessing me with this language. Its hard, yeah, but its possible. And so much more possible with the help of the lord. I pray for the gift of tongues every prayer. But its suuper great. We have this language system going already... one day we both speak Spanish so I can hear him speak, the next day we both speak English so he can hear how I speak and the next day I speak Spanish and he speaks English. :) then we start over. Haha its great. We have the exact same time in the mission. He only had to stay in the mtc for three weeks cuz he speaks Spanish so he went directly to the Madrid mtc. He entered the Madrid mtc March 28th and stayed there three weeks and then went to the field. I entered the provo mtc March 28th and was there three weeks and then went to the Madrid mtc. So we missed each other there by like 2 days.. :/ hah He has one more transfer in the field than I do but we are loving it cuz we are basically the exact same. We think the same, we learn the same, we teach really well together, we compromise really well, he is an extremely spiritual person... ahhh! Its great! Anyways, all is good with the new area and comp. I´m lovin life. :)

     Guess what, remember when we decided that I wasn´t going to bring my little ipod cuz it had radio capability? Just this past week we got a mass text from the APs saying that President Deere is asking all who have radio playing devises to send them home asap. Even if you have never used the radio... :) Go us! for following the rules in the first place. :D

     I got your toy story postcard and your letter with P letter too. I got them before I came to Málaga and I just forgot to tell you last week in the email. P was almost in tears as she read your letter. She needed no help reading it. The Spanish was super awesome mom. Also, I gave her our home address and your names and she said she was going to write you back mom. :) So expect a letter coming your way in spanish. That´ll be the true test. :)  haha

     Anyways! I don´t have much more. Everything here is going awesome! Big cities are kinda hard cuz there is soo much walking and if you get failed after a 30 minute walk you just wasted a ton of time. Its okay, we continue to see the silver lining in the rough moments.  :)  Oh, btw, our WARD is like 120somethin members. WOW. Forgot what it felt like to be in a huge meeting again. Super fun. They called me up to the pulpit to introduce myself and I made everybody laugh.. no biggy... :) haha I was like... ´´I'm really exited to be here! Elder Núñez and I are fairly new in the mission but we are ready to work hard. My last area was a branch of 25 people so this is a big change... but I still want to get to know all of you! So.... Find me!´´ :) and everybody laughed. I wasn´t even really trying to make em laugh but cool! I thought I maybe said something wrong........ Haha but elder Nunez said that I said it right. Whatev!

   Life is good! Count your blessings! You don´t realize how many you have! I love you all! Take care of yourselves and I´ll take care of myself. :) Pray for me and I´ll pray for you!

   -Elder Norton

"Oh, How Praying Rests the Weary" (Hilary)

Hello all,

Good to hear from you. Thursday arrived pouch with letters from Abby and Caitlin and Mom. GRACIAS A TODO. Abby's letter had a whole bunch of pictures. I loved it. I just walked around on cloud nine that day. Hearing from family and friends is like passing a checkpoint in a racing game. I'm driving in circles, doing the same thing over and over and sometimes running into walls and other cars and I am running out of life, and then I hit the check point and I speed up and have a renewed determination to make it to the end. Safely. Bringing other souls with me.

So. I didn't explain things very well. I will explain why we had an emergency transfer in a letter, I don't have too much time to write. We are teaching the indigenous people. A lot speak Spanish too, but some don't and we have to have members with us to translate in all the lessons. Sundays are really cool because all the members are in their traditional dress. 

Okay, we do not have hot water and our shower is at a constant drip. So that's fun, but, Life is good. Yes we have plumbing. The members are great. We work so so so hard here and we have a lot of investigators but progress is slow. Saturday we had a baptism with a girl named M. It was a really amazing experience. Okay, I have to explain it.

So good to hear that things are going well with Sienna and your temple calling. I want to hear from Jennica. I want to see pictures of my niece. I haven't received any clothes from you yet (other than the pajama shorts that yes, did fit perfectly and are so great). Tell Adam I love him and I can't wait to get his letter. I want to hear all about Jr. High. Mitch, I love you.

Okay, do we have a family member that served in Otavalo? All the members here are asking me about an Elder Norton that served about twenty years ago.

Yesterday I spoke in church. In Spanish of course, so maybe most of the members didn't understand. But I felt okay about it.

I want to write about our experiences with investigators, but I don't have time left!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We only get thirty minutes!! And sorry about last week, we only got three hours of p-day because we had to travel Friday to the mission reunion with E. Holland. And the meeting with E. Holland was so cool. It was so powerful. You could probably feel the spirit all the way in Utah. I just felt the reality of the second coming of the Savior and the importance this work. 

I want you all to know I have no question that this is the true church. No doubt. I know this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, restored to the earth and I know that The Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets here in the Americas. Christ lives and the atonement is real and faith is so important. The power of prayer is indescribable. Prayer is the foundation of my testimony.

Okay, I have to go. Here is a cool quote I really like. Be good. Read the Book of Mormon every day. Never stop praying. I love you all.

"We of this generation are the end harvest of all that has gone before. It is not enough to simply be known as a member of this Church. A solemn obligation rests upon us. Let us face it and work at it. We must live as true followers of the Christ, with charity toward all, returning good for evil, teaching by example the ways of the Lord and accomplishing the vast service He has outlined for us."                              President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Hna. Norton

Last baptism before transfer (Sam)

Elder Jones and Elder Norton with the newest member of the Huercal - Overa branch! 

So wonderful for that little family to have the blessings of the Gospel! 

Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

"transferred to Malaga ... and it's sooo hard to leave!" (Sam)

Hello to one and to all!

   Wow. We feel your prayers. I heard once that the missionaries are the second most prayed for people in world... just behind the prophet. I believe it. WE FEEL YOUR PRAYERS. KEEP PRAYING.

   ME VOY. I AM BEING TRANSFERED TO MÁLAGA. wow......... AHHH still hasn´t sunk in! I have been in Huércal-Overa 2 transfers, 12 weeks, and I am now being transfered to Málaga 2. Huércal-Overa is the smallest area in the mission. Málaga is the largest.... Haha I´m super super pumped. Yes, its suuper hard. We just baptized 3 people, and next saturday will be a baptism of 3 more...... :) super exciting....... and it is sooo hard to leave. When we told R and his family, his mom, more than anyone, was basically as sad as me that I am leaving. She kept saying... pero, porque? no esta bien.. no esta bien... :) I guess we´ll see! She's doing a lot better btw. The sister of R, N, is being baptized this next saturday and we are going to start working with the other sister as well. We know its obviously a lot better to work with the whole family but it is almost impossible with this family. They don´t live in the same house cuz one daughter is taking care of an older woman in her house and the rest of the family is always away from home. anyways... things are looking very good for that family!

   Wow! Learned a huge lesson the other day. What are the ´´Offerings´´ that are also found on the tithing slips? They are voluntary donations from members that go to people in need. For example. M. Has no job, no food, little water, an extremely injured knee, a messed up back, and two children under the age of 14. MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.... LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OFFERINGS WE CAN GIVE TO THE CHURCH AND GIVE MORE. There are people in the world that are in need. Poor in finances but rich in faith. Hungry physically but are feasting upon the words of Christ. Exercise your personal faith in the Lord and give more to the funds of the church. The church of God is perfectly organized. The money will go where it needs to go.

   Thank you for the address. If others like that come to mind, please send them to me. I´ll ask for them if I think of any. I hear from Nate a lot. His letters are the best. We´re allowed to email as well. He´s the best. I wrote Clay back and then haven´t heard from him. He´s going into the mtc this wednesday I think. I´ll email him. 

   I love the idea of keeping all the letters and emails in order, in a book. MOM, YOU'RE THE BEST.

   I think the weather in Málaga will be somewhat cooler but not cold enough for chocolate treats yet.... sadly........ I´ll let you know.

   Mother, answers to your important questions. I feel very, very safe. Spain has extremely low theft robbery, fight, mug numbers. It basically never happens. I´ve never been threatened. Never been followed. Never been robbed.  We have a cell phone. 

   Don´t worry about the blog being private or not. Everyone in this little pueblo knows who we are, what we do, and who we represent. Its kind of what we want. If someone´s following  closely, i´m hoping they´ll find me... cuz they´ll find the Church and get baptized :) ojalá

   Adam, don´t stress about jr high. You will figure it all out and people will be drawn to YOU. I´m not trying to tell you you´ll be popular or not.. i´m saying that they will be drawn to your personality. I know you. I have spent as much if not more time with you than any of your friends. I grew up with you. I know you. BE YOU. BE YOURSELF. People will be drawn to your personality. Love you kid!

Ahhh! I never have enough time! I read through everything you send me. I love hearing from you. I hope you enjoy this email as much as I enjoy yours. LOVE YOU.

Pray to Heavenly Father more. He wants to help.

-Elder Norton

"I didn't realize it until it brushed against my tongue ... and I could feel all the hair." (Hilary)

photo courtesy of Howard Collett - LDS Church News

"nuca otavalopa camponi"

(^^^^ That is Quichua for I am in Otavalo)

añlksdjfñalksjdfñalksjdfñalksjdfñalksjdfñalksdjfñalksjdfñalksjdfñalksjdf ... and <<<<< that is quichua for "We had emergency transfers!" I am in Imbabura. It is basically Otavalo but a different stake where all of the meetings are Quichua and all of the members are indigenous. Things are going well. My companion is great. Her name is Hna. Guevara. She really likes to work hard and she has a LOT of faith. Things are very very different here than Santa Ana. Okay, I don't have much time because we don't get much of a p-day today. But a few things I wanted to say.

Wow, next week I will write about the experiences that we have had, but literally I feel like I am in a National Geographic mag. All the things we have seen and done are so incredible. I am going to take pictures and send them Monday.

Congratulations Rice Family!!!! I need pictures of my niece!

We helped some Elders the other day with a service project in the ward. We put up a room for an oven. It was really hard work,  Dad, you would have been very proud. I just kept thinking about how grateful I am for what you have taught me about hard work. After, they gave us lunch. GUESS WHAT IT WAS! Woooooo. Pig skin! I didn't realize it until it brushed against my tongue in one direction and I could feel all the hair. Yeah. So. Hope you're all enjoying Wendy's. If you get a chance, priority ship me a frosty or a bean burrito from Taco Amigo. Thanks a million.

Woo! So Saturday is E. Holland! We are all so excited. Apparently in another mission he visited, while he was talking, he randomly called two elders up to the front ..... So, Everyone is nervous.... 

OKAY G2G. LOVE YOU ALL.

H. Norton.
see more about Otavalo people HERE

Breaking News .... pink!

Welcome Baby Sienna Rice - our first granddaughter! 

August 16, 2012 at 4:46 a.m. - 7 lbs 13 oz. and 20" long

"That was a really, really great moment for me." and photos! (Hilary)

The cousins got baptized!

Dear Family,

First and foremost, I love you. I hope none of you ever forget that. I am so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life and I am so thankful for everything you do for me.

Okay, I am well. I am healthy. I am getting enough sleep. I am doing well emotionally. The bed bug issue is the least of my concerns, and please tell Gram thank you so so much. My shoes are great. I am wearing my boots ahorita.

Wednesday was the baptism of Gi. and Mi. and they were confirmed yesterday. They are so amazing. It is so refreshing. I love those girls. I attached a picture. We have a few new investigators right now. Our problem is getting our investigators to attend church. We have emphasized the importance of it, but they're either on vacation or have work that they legitimately cannot change. That's one tough thing for humble people unless they really really have a sure testimony and faith. Anyway, I mean, there is so much we can do still. I think they need a personal conversion that helps them build their faith.. Or maybe their testimonies will come AFTER the trial of their faith. Ah. I don't know. We're working hard though.

The other day in a lesson with a sweet lady (who is so anxious to join the church but is working on earning the money to get married first) her daughter joined us. She is 18 and we introduced ourselves and she asked us why we were serving missions. I love that question. It was really cool because after she was like, "Wow, I didn't realize how happy you were to be doing this. I can see how much joy it brings you and how much you value it." That was a really, really great moment for me.

Okay, so cool that you saw Nate! Ah, I love that kid. Hope he's doing well. I wrote Cyd Squire and mailed it to her a few weeks ago. I received a third package from Mom -- THANK YOU. It contained candy and pajamas and odds and ends. So fun to get stuff from home.

So Tuesday we had a "new missionary training/follow up" and I got to see Hna. Ellis. I guess she is super sick! I am so worried about her. I will write more in a letter, but don't forget to pray for her please! And cambios were yesterday and thank goodness we get to stay here in Santa Ana. I don't ever want to leave.

Okay, time is flying by. I am amazed. Okay, I love you!

Hna. Norton

"Great things come ONLY through much sacrifice!" (Sam)

"A Saint loves the Savior and follows Him in holiness and devotion. Evidence of this kind of holiness and devotion is exemplified by consecration and sacrifice. Sacrifice is the crowning test of the gospel. It means consecrating time, talents, energy, and earthly possessions to further the work of God. In Doctrine and Covenants 97, verse 8, it concludes, 'All . . . who . . . are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.' "

Quentin L. Cook, "Are You a Latter-day Saint?" New Era, Dec. 2009

¡Muy buenos días!

   Great to hear from everyone back in English speaking land.. I´m still trying to understand the English they speak here..... its some reeeally weird dialect I guess. 

 

   Everything is great here! M. ¡se bautizó! Wooooooooh! M. got baptized! It really is soo awesome to see Spaniards get baptized. Yeah, salvation is the same for everyone... Hah claro, but baptizing a Spaniard is special  :) Our goal for this month as a mission was 70 baptisms which would be about 1 person per companionship. Our goal here in Huércal-Overa was at least one baptism a week. :) first week, 2 baptisms. This last Saturday, 1 baptism. This upcoming Saturday, the 18th, we´re lacking a soul to save. please PRAY WITH US. And the 25th, we are preparing ourselves for a baptism of at least 3, maybe 5, hopefully 6. :) Depending on what happens with families and people and the will of the Lord and such. We´ll keep working and praying.. again, please pray with us! :)

 

   Funny story real quick. M. got baptized this Saturday right? And for converts, they do the confirmation the next day in church. Turns out she doesn´t show up............ and so we start..... and we sing.. and we pray..... and then President has a couple announcements..... and he´s looking at the program that says... "confirmation of M"... and she´s not there. So he says, "Well, we´re going to move on to the next part of the meeting, la Santa Cena"... and right then, M. and her little 3 year old daughter M. come in. :) and President says, "and before we participate in the sacrament, M. will be confirmed a member of the church. We´ll take care of that right now." :D WHAT A MIRACLE. Ahhh soo great! She was kinda confused. She came in and sat down, and wasn´t really listening to what President Álverez was saying and then we invite her up to the front and within a minute of her arrival, four sets of hands were on her head :) and a Sacred Saving Ordinance took place. Wow.

 

   Anyways, a couple comments and answers to your emails real quick...

Dad, I love those two stories that Penny shared. He´s gonna rock the mish. Ahhh MISSIONS ARE SO GREAT. IF YOU ARE READING THIS RIGHT NOW GO ON A MISSION. But really, anyone that is thinking about going on a mission, you have My Word, it is By Far, the greatest thing I have done in my life. Yes, probably the hardest as well. In my opinion, THAT IS WHY it is the greatest thing I have done in my life. Great things come ONLY through much sacrifice.

   Anyways, papa, thanks for the missionary/doctrinal info. LOVE IT. REALLY. And I love love the world updates. We Hear Nothing Here. NOTHING. Keep me updated por favor.

   Please don´t sell the mini cooper before I get home. :)

   Great story about Adam ... ADAM. IS. A. MACHINE. But whats new.... :)  te quiero amigo!

   Mitch! Keep me updated on the baby!! Its coming soon right?

   btw, ask Will Montgomery if he got my letter please... and if so, give him a hard time for not writing me back. :)

   And yes, I do get Hermana Norton's emails. Should I forward mine to her too... or are you forwarding them to her?

   I haven´t gotten the letter yet but it´ll get here tomorrow morning. I´m sure the one for P will make sense but i´ll read it before to make sure. :) Thanks mama!

   Ahhh Mom! the notes from that talk. Loved them. Thank you so much!

 

We have to go! The store we´re emailing from is closing and we´re out of time. I don´t have my camera with me today so no pictures.. :( sorry  i´ll remember next time!

¡Os quiero muchísimo! (I love you very much!)

-Elder Norton

A letter from Hilary! and suggested reading material

"Quito, Ecuador is a city of heights and elevations. The air is thin, and you may even lose your step for a few days while you adjust to the world’s second highest capitol city. You can ride the cable car, the teleferico, and climb Pichincha Volcano, to a height of 4,100 meters (13,400 feet). If you go on a clear day  you’ll be able to see most of the city of Quito, which sits nicely in a valley among the Andes mountains. If you’re up for it, you can also bike or hike up Pichincha Volcano, but that’s an all day excursion so be sure you’ve had time to adjust to the altitude."        

 info courtesy of FoxNoMad

Hola! 

   Oh my goodness! I miss you all so much! My homesickness spiked when I got to the field and I don't know why? I love Ecuador! I love Quito, it is so beautiful! Hilly and green and the sky is so blue! We're so high up I feel like I'm up in the clouds, I mean, it appears that way. I love the people here. In the streets it seems like people start at me, like I'm a creature they've never seen before. But I can tell it's mostly that they have never seen a gringa before. I smile at them and say "buenas tardes" and they're all so great! I love this work. It's so cool to find people who are interested in listening and want to change. When they say we can come teach them I'm jumping up and down inside because I know that if they accept the Gospel they will have happiness they've never experienced before. They're all so kind, too. They always want to feed us and love just sitting and talking with us.

   Okay so, we had a pretty cool experience the last time we went proselyting in Lima. We prepared to teach a 16 yr old girl who is recently baptized but not attending church. When we got to her house her father, who is a strict Catholic, answered the door. We invited him to join. I'm not sure why she doesn't want to attend, she was just saying things like "oh, I don't know. I get tired and just don't want to go." So, we worked with her a little and her dad the whole time was just completely silent. And then I felt very strongly that I should bear a very serious testimony so that 1) she could know what blessing she could receive if she returned and 2) so that her dad could have a better understanding. After I bore my testimony he started asking questions. He was suddenly interested. We gave him a pamphlet and committed him to attend church the next day with his daughter. I hope that he did. I think that one of the most powerful parts of a missionary's testimony is that he / she is on a mission. In a far away place talking to people they don't know. It is thought provoking - this work means so much to a 20ish yr old person that they left everything to come here and share it... that's pretty powerful. If I were not a member and learned that about the missionaries, I would be curious about what they were teaching. Here in Quito we've had some good experiences too. I'm looking forward to when we can really see the results. I guess it's too early now.

   Yesterday at church a woman pulled out a giant magnifying glass to read her manual. Reminded me of you, Mom. :)

    Okay the food I have had so far in South America is SO good. You need to make Humitas. Its this corn dish. Also we always have grilled banana, soup with corn and rice, its all so good. Also, Quimbolitos! So good!

   Dad, yes, I'm getting your emails, I love hearing about your adventures. Please tell the Tyler Norton family that I miss them! I'm trying to be exactly obedient and only write letters on P-Days. Today is July 23, so I'll finish quickly and get it in the mail.

   Family, for Family Home Evening por favor lean los discorses siguiente (read the following discourses) and stop and discuss every couple of paragraphs:

* "In Tune with the Music of Faith" by Elder Cook
* "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration in Your Personal Life" by Elder Scott
* "Willing and Worthy to Serve" by Pres. Monson
* "Mountains to Climb" by Elder Eyring
* "Was it Worth it?" by Elder Evans
* "The Merciful Obtain Mercy" by Elder Uchtdorf

 Okay, no more room or time. I love you! Hope all is well!
Hermana Norton

"We had two baptisms Saturday!" (Sam)

Hello family and friends!

   Everything is going so well here! We had two baptisms this last saturday, and we´re possibly going to have one every saturday this month. Pray with us for our goals! :)

   P. and R. were baptized this last saturday! P. knew it was going to be my first baptism so she asked me to baptize her. :) So that was super awesome. R. was baptized first and a member in our branch named J. M. performed the baptism, and then P. was going to go second. R. is a big kid... and when he got baptized in that little(ish) font, P. got a little nervous. She started worrying after she saw R.´s baptism that one of us would slip or that I wouldn't be able to help her out of the water or something..... So we got in and she was a bit out of breath so we waited for almost 2 minutes before she told me she was ready. When I baptized her it was super tranquilo.. super chill. She´s a very small person and it was really easy to just help her under and pull her right back out. I think she was surprised at how quick it was. :) Anyways, everything went really well and the confirmations were done Sunday in church and we had 9 INVESTIGATORS IN CHURCH. It was super awesome. At the baptism, there were 15 non members and 14 members. :) kinda funny, there were more non members than members... and then Sunday there were 9 non members. It was awesome! The two sisters of R. now want to be baptized.. :) but their mom is still very hesitant. We are working with them. Just building the relationship so she will really listen to what we are saying. Anyways, its all good! And this Saturday, we will have the baptism of una española named M. She is really, really awesome. At first, she would always say, well thats good... but... everyone has there point of view.... or cada persona su manera... :) but we really taught to her needs, aka about the family, plan of salvation, how we can be with our families if we follow Christ, and it really really caught her attention. She has attended church every Sunday since we first met her and she told us that she received a very firm answer during one of her prayers. Anyways, she's awesome. Her ex-husband came unexpectantly to visit the kids the day of the baptism of P. and R. and she still found a way to make it to the baptism. She was crying basically the whole time and she told us how happy she is for her baptism the coming Saturday. We´re pumped. :)
   I´m glad you got my package! They´re kinda pricy to send... :( or I would send more.. but i´m glad you liked it! ADAM. MEMORIZE THAT BOOK. Its awesome. And work on it WITH mom. It is meant to be used with other people, practicing and having conversations. As you read, read everything outloud. It is probably the best way to learn spanish because you are learning words, practicing pronunciation, and hearing Spanish all at the same time. So read outloud. Mom, I will tell P. you love the fan. :) She´s awesome. We played soccer last pday and she found out and she gave me cleats and a jersey and shorts....... She just randomly gives us stuff. She gave me this huge Spanish book too... Anyways. :) You got my letter too.. Good.

   I don´t really need anything... dinero, no. Medicina, no. Ropa, no. I do have both SD cards, and i´m filling it up as fast as I can. :) Para que sepáis, I got your package in like exactly one week. :) Thats pretty good. Letters, its about the same. I think 5 days. The last day of this transfer is the 19th of this month. Most likely,  Elder Jones will go. There's a chance that I will go.. there's a chance that neither of us will go... We´ll see!

   Wow. You´re package was GREAT. Loved every bit of it. Really, when you send packages, I love getting random bits of home. Mostly things that I can eat... :) cuz they don´t have a lot of the same stuff here.  Anyways, sorry my emails are always so scattered and random. Haha, I just spit everything and anything comes to mind out onto the screen. I read Hermana Norton´s emails and they are all perfectly formatted (not to mention that shee spellz evreething rite), super neat, well thought out... mine on the other hand, not so much. :) 

   I love everyone! I hope all is going well there. Everything here is great. We struggle and work but its all for the right reasons. Elder Holland once stated...  

 “I am convinced that missionary work is not easy 

because salvation is not a cheap experience. 

Salvation never was easy. 

We are the Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, 

and He is our Great Eternal Head. 

How could we believe it would be easy for us 

when it was never, ever, 

easy for Him?”

... but in his awesome, Jeffery R. Holland- strongly encouraging- chastening voice ... wow, is he powerful. The work IS hard. But its only because salvation is SO worth it. Never forget who we are. We are members of the one and only true church on the face of the earth. Participants in pure and holy saving ordinances that can ONLY be brought about by the perfect authority of God. Do we constantly thank our Father in Heaven for what he has given us? We must always strive to thank him more. I love each and every one of you. Yes, if you are reading this, I love you! The work is true. Many have some of the truth. Few have all of the truth. And now we much share it with everyone else. Until next time!

-Elder Norton

"We have hot water!" and other good news (Hilary)

May 2011

Dear Mom and Dad,

I love you both so much. It is so good to hear from you every week. In the morning on our P-days we print our emails and walk around Quito looking down at the pages just smiling and laughing. It's so so great.

Usually I organize my thoughts and have so much to write. I have a lot to share, but this might be short because I hope to be able to write Sam and Mitch. And can someone give me Adam's email address? Or better yet, Adam, email me!

Okay, we went to the offices this morning and I got more letters (from Mom, Sam (via Mom), and a Dear Elder from Sister Lauren Burton -- ( Sister Burton was Hilary's Ma on the trek several years ago) Please please tell her thank you so so much. It was so fun to hear from her and her letter was so encouraging and fun to read. She is so awesome.) AND two packages - one from Mom and one from Mary Anne Grant (via Mom)! Please tell Sister Grant thank you so so much! (Sister Grant was one of Hil's Young Women leaders yrs ago) She's so sweet and thoughtful and I have always been so grateful for her friendship to our family. And Mom, thank you for the scriptures! I am in the process of figuring out what to do with my others. Okay, I mailed some letters last week and more this week. Mom, thank you so so much for all you are doing for me. I am so amazed. I love you and hope all is well. 

Okay, things are good here in Santa Ana. Cambios are coming up soon, but I think we get to stay. At least that is what I hope. I love this area. We have a baptism this week for Gi. and Mi., the cousins. You would be amazed at how great they are. They're 15 and 14 and their parents aren't members, but they have aunts and uncles and cousins that are members. But they're so great! They're reading so much and are working on personal progress and have filled out all of the pamphlets that we give them. They're always bearing their testimonies to us and asking us questions to make sure they understand things. The other day Mi. pulled out her For the Strength of the Youth pamphlet and was like, "So this part means that when I start dating I should only go out in groups and not one-on-one, right?"  Also, this week we found a really awesome family. M. is the name of the Mom and she is so great. She kept asking questions like, "So, how can I know that this is true?" and things like that. Which is so cool because really we're here to INVITE people to ASK for themselves. I love that about this work. OH, and with Y - all you that prayed for Y, good news! She has a baptismal date! Okay, here's the story (I copied this from my letter to the president):

In our district meeting this past Thursday we talked about a few key points that you have given us as guidelines in the work. One was that we need to pray when an appointment falls through. I had not previously learned of this rule, but we put it into play that night. An appointment fell through and we had a member with us so we said a prayer and began to contact a little. We came across a woman who seemed moderately interested and we set up an appointment to visit her Sunday. Sunday came and she was not home. As we were standing on her porch, we looked across the street and saw a reference who had somewhat been avoiding us. Her name is Y. We crossed the street and greeted her and asked her when we could visit her. She said, "Now isn't so good.." and her son then said, "Why not? Why don't we go to the house right now?" She thought for a second, and said, "Okay, sure, now is good." We walked with them to their house, taught them about the first two principles of lesson 1, answered a few questions, and invited them to be baptized. They accepted. The spirit was so strong and we had a really great experience with the family. It was cool for me to see the promises that God keeps when we are obedient. This work is like one big puzzle we're putting together. It is such a blessing to see the results.

Okay, I have been saving the best news for last. In a couple weeks, Elder Holland is coming to visit our mission and speak to us. That's right. If you weren't previously convinced that I got called to the greatest mission, now you are. Elder Holland! I wonder if he will recognize me from Grandpa's funeral?

Okay, I am going to write my brothers. I love you two. Thanks for all you do. I couldn't keep going without knowing that I have your support and prayers. I hope you are happy and healthy.

Hna. Norton

New photos from Elder Norton!

Mariachi band street performers

Men in Black (ties)

remember "the Giant Finn" post from May 5th? This is the "Giant Finn"!!!

"She doesn't let us come over cuz she says her dog will eat us" (Sam)

Hello!
     OK, family - looks like your spanish is coming along well!! :) I really hope there is a lot of spanish going on in the house! We´re gonna come home and only speak spanish........ so................... :) or maybe we´ll do some ayunos de inglés! ( Fasts of English )
   
     Ok, I´m gonna answer your questions and explain the photos...
The week was great! Hard, kinda long, but super good. That's what missionary work is... hard long work that is all worth it. Our teaching, Elder Jones and me, we teach very fluidly together. There are times where lessons come out very flat... or we leave and we both feel that the lesson was very poor, but I have found that those lessons only happen when the investigator really doesn´t want to hear. Its interesting.. because it is very clear when people want what we have and when they don't.. and it shows in how much they learn and how well the lesson goes. Salvation is a personal thing. It is not something that someone can give you, force you to have, or that you can get with little to no work. We do our best as missionaries, claro, we´re not perfect teachers, but we try to have the Spirit with us at all times... there are people that accept it, and there are people that straight up reject it. Its sad but it happens. We just have to keep working! Show them our love for them and Gods love for them, and pray a whole stinking lot! :)
   
     Travels: we walk everywhere.. cuz we´re just in our little town. When we do travel for meetings and zone conferences, we travel by bus.. every once and a while train.. but mostly long bus rides. :) Church meetings are sooo awesome! So personal cuz we´re just in our little church building with like 30 people, all really close.  We sang a duet this last Sunday and it was awesome. Gran eres tu - How great thou art. Two weeks before is when I spoke, topic was la obra missional or the missionary work. EASIEST TOPIC. I did it without notes..... :O :)  Hah my first talk that I gave here was my second Sunday here and I did it with a bunch of notes so this one I wanted to do without notes. It went well. I'm sure I said a couple things wrong but it felt so much better just coming out of my mind and heart rather than from what I read with my eyes straight to my mouth. I love Spanish. I love it. Its hard. Its honestly a roller coaster. Some days I feel that I understand every word, every phrase every everything, and that I can say anything that comes to my mind, and then some days, like Sunday night, we were talking with this lady, and I was explaining something that I've explained many times before and when I finished she looked up at me and was like.. "I'm sorry, I'm not really understanding you........."  :/  hahah kind of a speed bump but what I do know is that I'm learning something everyday. Little by little, I will master this language! :) 

      Elder Jones is doing great. He is 16 months in so he's still got a while. We check our emails in a store called a locutorio.. or a little electronics store with places to use phones and computers with internet. It cost one euro an hour. Not bad at all. We do have a phone. Its kinda pricy to call and text so we don't use it a ton but its kinda nice to get ahold of people with. We eat with members about 4 ish times a week. Sometimes more. Its fun! Our Rama is tiny but we eat with members a lot. We buy groceries at this popular grocery store really close to our house and we carry our bags and milk and water all the way back to our piso. :)

     Ok, don't have much time ...  I'll explain some pictures I sent:  The dog, BIG DOG, is this investigator's dog. She doesn't let us come over cuz she says her dog will eat us... or in her words.. "will give us scars" Hah so..... We teach her in her friends house. :) The amazing tree.... is just an amazing tree. I'm going to plant one in our back yard when I get home. The fish..... they just have those sitting out in the grocery store. THEY'RE CRAZY. Anyway, I have to go now but I wrote you guys a super great letter that's going in the mail today. Also, hope you got my package, let me know.

I love you guys! Hope all is well! Keep me updated on everything! I love the emails!
-Elder Norton