"we peeled off the wings and shell, fried them and ate them with salt." (Hilary)

Dear everyone,

Mom, I imagine you are in your piano lessons or in the temple by this point. Dad, probably working. Mitch, also working. Sam, probably in una cita. And Adam, probably studying or learning something new. Sorry I didn't write yesterday. I hope Monday went well for you all. I love you more than I can say.

Yesterday we had a training meeting that we weren't told about until Saturday, so sorry I couldn't give you all a heads up. It was with Elder Waddell, a seventy, who learned his Spanish in Spain serving his mission in Barcelona and then later returning to be a mission president. I got a glimpse of what Sam's accent will be like. He began by talking about the organithathion de la Iglesia and lo que tenemos que hather para mejorar and stuff like that. No, but really, it was super powerful and exactly what I needed. I am going to include some of what I learned...
Entonthes...

Our calling as missionaries is to recoger (D&C 29:7) those who are chosen, or, those who will listen to the voice of the Lord.

Exito en la mision es lograr su capacidad.

Saber + hacer = exalta. Saber + no hacer = condena

L has really had a huge change from the first day we met him, when he didn't believe in God. We taught him about tithing the other day and it was the first lesson that he didn't accept. But when we saw him Sunday, he said he had been thinking about it and would strive to pay his tithing. Previously (before we met him) he had problems with the Word of Wisdom and we have been contacting him daily to help him to keep from falling. He explained to us how Saturday and Sunday God helped to keep him from drinking. He had been doing his part, and when it got tough, Heavenly Father kept His end of the promise as well. We have another investigator that is searching for the truth like Joseph Smith. Her name is N. The other day she fasted. I have really learned a lot from how hard she is working to come to the truth and we are trying to do what we can to help her along the way. M is doing so well. Her baptism reactivated her husband's whole family. JM is doing okay. His daughter really wants to be baptized but isn't getting the support she needs.  We are working really hard with her.

Okay, as for this week on the food update,Tuesday we had Cathso (escarabajo [beatles]). Eeeaaaaaarly in the morning, the Otavaleños hike up to the mountains and gather the white beatles and then we peeled off the wings and the shell parts and fried them and ate them with salt. I have some videos I am going to see if I can send somehow. Exciting experience!

Okay, please let Caitlin know that I love her, got her email, and I am responding tonight. And that I miss her. And that she is one of my best friends ever. And that I say hi to CJ and thanks for taking good care of her. It was fun to hear from her. I love receiving email and letters because it is so much easier to see how great our lives are from the outside.

Mom, don't worry about the flash drives. It will work. And although the first time on the mission I heard Christmas, it did make me homesick, now I am singing Christmas hymns all the time. So don't worry. I love you, Mom and Dad.

My red shoes are 6.5 and they fit perfectly. I hope the new ones you bought are okay. And the make-up is the Bare Essentials powder.

Okay, tell Bryce and Mel that I say congratulations. Yesterday Hermana Ghent told me that I have a "missionary family." It is so true. I love that we are all on different ends of this work. And I love the quote that Brother Berry shared. It is so true.

Okay, wait, Trevor is engaged?¿ I need to conocerla! Where is she from? Please tell Trev to send me a letter and picture.
 Grathias.

Okay, Sam. I literally was laughing out loud when I read the first line of your letter. I tried to explain it to my companion, but realized it wasn't that funny. Just funny for me because I could see your face and hear your voice when I read it. I hope the work is going well for you. I love you and pray for you every day (and really you're getting double the blessings because you fall into two circles of the venn diagram ["Please bless my family.", "Please bless the missionaries serving at this time."]). I laughed when I read about the woman who was "active" in the wrong church. A while ago we contacted a woman and helped her and her sick daughter by explaining that she can receive a priesthood blessing. Now she is attending her old church, although she understands that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church that has the authority to offer this blessing. Somewhere there is a disconnect that I don't understand. Ha. Oh, and Kati's car was a PT Cruiser.

Yesterday, the closing song for the meeting was "La Luz de la Verdad." Yesterday's training meeting was with about half of the mission and I have never heard a group of people singing so loudly. It was so powerful.

Also, I saw Sam Harris yesterday!!!! She got to the mission like seven weeks ago and sent me a note and I wrote her back and a couple people have mentioned that she says hi, but it was so good to be able to see her! I love her and we feel like a little piece of home is here with us in Ecuador. I hope someday we can be companions.

Saturday was a baptism of some elders in our zone. We brought L and the elders knew he had been struggling with the idea of paying his tithing. They are so great. Our zone leader gave a talk and it was literally exactly what this investigator needed. These kids are great. I have a lot of respect for them.

Mom, please tell everyone that wrote me in October that I say thank you for the letters and advice. I don't have lots of time to respond, and I now have a list of 31 people to respond to. But let them know that I AM grateful.

Okay, I love you all. Live according to what you know. Live in harmony with your understanding, as PMG says. Be what God wants and needs you to be.

Hermana Norton

"God is just merciful and I don't think we will ever be able to comprehend how much he cares for us." (Hilary)

Hi Family,

I hope you are all doing so well. We have had quite the week. We had a lot of lessons and we have really seen a difference, which is so nice after for a while feeling like our work was profiting nothing for anyone. Okay here is a part of what I wrote to President Ghent (the stuff in italics in blue is what I sent him):

We have had quite the week here in Imbabura. We had a few days that were so excellent. We have had our share of trials. Yesterday I really felt like I felt a tiny part of what Heavenly Father feels watching His children. We have been working really hard with a family of five kids and a single mom 
(This is F, J  , L, C, A, and S. The picture I attached is J and C. C. is the younger of the two and is so adorable. He calls me his princesita and the other day he gave me this little heart pillow and said "Hermanita! Le doy mí corazon!")
The children really have desires to progress but the mom has been harder to work with. We really thought we had a break through the other day. But something I have had to learn is that as much as I can do on my end and as much as Heavenly Father wants this work out for them, they will always have their agency. I feel like I have been able to get a glimpse of the love and respect Heavenly Father has for each of His children in giving them their agency but also giving them so many opportunities and blessings and reasons to choose the right. It is tough to see, but Hermana Guevara and I have been working hard on applying what we teach, with having hope and faith and patience in God's timing and will. (Yesterday I had a little break down. We have literally done everything we can with this family. We visit them daily. We are praying and fasting. We have spent so much time working through doubts they have had. But no matter what we do, she (F.) won't hold up her end of the commitments. It is so so hard to care about someone so much and then see them reject the blessings that are waiting for them.)

FE. is doing really well. His progress has been such a blessing to see. We have had a few of those shining missionary moments when everything pays off. He wanted to change and has really changed and has so much faith that his baptism this week will make such a difference in his life. He is really going through some hard times but has put into practice the repentance process and is starting to see differences. It is a blessing to be working with him and to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. 
(Yesterday we had a lesson in the church with FE and as we were walking to the chapel with him, the member who was with us asked him how we had found him (he's a contact). He said something along the lines of, "Me salvaron. Estaba en oscuridad y vi una mano... reaching down to me." ("I'm saved, I was in darkness and I saw a hand..." .. something like that) Later in the lesson he was telling us about the trials he has had recently and he began to cry. This grown man. It was really powerful. And what else is so powerful is his faith. He knows what blessings stand in store for him after his baptism.)

Okay I am attaching three photos. The other day we met/exceeded our goals and it was a super awesome day, so we bought ourselves this mousse thing. The minute we tasted it we realized it was coffee.... Hahahah so that was pretty funny. We were like, "Cool. So much for that." Jajajaj.

Yesterday was a dedication of a new chapel here in our stake. It was so beautiful and the chapel is so beautiful. There were sooooo many people all in their traditional dress. I attached a picture of that too. Really really cool experience.

Dad, I love hearing about the experiences you have had recently. Do you keep a journal of these things? I hope so. I feel like I am constantly learning new things and receiving impressions from the spirit as a missionary. It is so cool to be in a position where I am worthy of receiving the whispers of the Holy Ghost. I remember thinking before my mission that I hoped I would be able to learn to recognize the spirit more in my life and how I receive promptings so that once I got home I could be more in tune and use the spirit more in my life. One thing I learned is that before I wasn't doing everything I should have been doing to be WORTHY of the spirit's guidance. I think there was a lot of static and I couldn't hear the answers that the spirit was trying to give me. I remember thinking "Whhyyyyyyyyy am I not able to recognize answers?! Why don't I know what Heavenly Father wants me to do in this situation." But it was because I think it was like I was out of hearing range, and it was definitely my fault. Anyway. My mission has saved me in more sense than one. I believe I have really been converted and have really recognized what it means to live righteously. And I have a very firm testimony of the atonement and the power it has to change lives.

Okay, well I am going to write Sam and Mitch real quick. I love you all! I am doing well. Thanks for writing! Keep praying. Read the Book of Mormon everyday. It is the KEYSTONE to our religion! I didn't used to understand why people said that, but now I do. Pray and read. I love this gospel with all of my heart and I know that it is true. Every once in a while I really try to renew my testimony of the truth of the things we teach, so it doesn't dry out. Everytime I recognize that THIS is the truth, the next thought that comes to my mind is "Why on earth did I get to be born into this? Why was I chosen to receive all these blessings? What makes me worthy of this?!" I haven't answered that question yet... And I guess really, nothing makes me worthy of this. God is just merciful and I don't think we will ever be able to comprehend how much he cares for us.

Okay, enough rambling. I love you all so much!

Hermana 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

"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