"we basically got dropped into Sevilla with a map and a pat on the back........" (Sam)

Good Morning!

   We´re in Sevilla! And its amazing! Sevilla is the capital of Andalucía.. and its the biggest city in our mission. We went to Málaga on thursday to get our new trainees and then we basically got dropped into Sevilla with a map and a pat on the back........ :) Naaa actually the Zone Leaders helped us ton but its pretty crazy being dropped into a huge city with a new comp relying on your every step... Ha!

   My HIJO! His name is Elder M and he´s 

awesome! His father is from Mexico and his mom is from spain so he already speaks and understands like everything. He´s awesome! His spanish is a little rusty but his gonna learn really fast.. we´re pumped! We already get along well and we´ve set some good comp goals.

   I got one of the two packages before I left Alcoy and Elder Pascua called me and told me that the other one had arrived. He´s gonna take care of getting it to me.. no worries. :) I LOVE READING THE LETTERS EVERYDAY. They are the best! Thank you mom! Pssssssstt!... Mom... (whispered)... elder M´s birthday is the 16th. :) send him something if you can. A letter or something. It would mean the world to him!

 On Saturday, there was a baptism and we got to meet a bunch of members and stuff and yesterday we went to eat with a family in our ward They invited a bunch of friends and family over and we all ate together and when we finished they brought out an awesome cake with candles and everything! :) It was awesome! Prayers are answered mom! Haha I love that we are one big family here in the church. Everyone worries about everyone. We are 

constantly thinking about others. Its how Christ would want it to be.

 I´ll fill you in more on my comp and stuff another day.. our piso is alright. Its good and it was really clean when we got there. The ZLs are treating us well. :) Anyways, our new address is.......

         Elder Sam Norton

C/ Alcalde Juan Fernández

               #25, 8°C

           Sevilla 41005

                España

   Sorry this email has been a lot of nothing... Sevilla is awesome and next week I´ll be able to update you on a lot of people we´ll be working with.

 I love you all!

-Elder Norton

"they have thrown water balloons at us and flour and sprayed us with foam" (Hilary)

Monday already?! It is so hard to believe. (A Colombian is skyping next to me. I LOVE their accents. Ibarra is full of Colombians because we are so far north.)

I loved getting Sam's emails. Reading them fills me with enthusiasm for this work. He must be an incredible missionary. I wish I could just watch him work sometimes. I'm sure he is a great example.

I am so glad that the two of you are enjoying your callings so much. I love thinking about how focused we all are right now on what is REALLY important. THIS is how life should always be. Even though we are all so far away, we are all happy because our lives are full.

No one had told me that you bought a motorhome! Wow. I want to see a picture. That should be fun. 

 Tell Adam hi, I know he is so strong and doing so well. I admire him so much. Probably more than anyone.

And funny to hear about the deer dying in the backyard.. I mean, that is not funny, but more just bizarre. I guess my point is keep writing me the little random things. I like to read them.

Hermana D and I loved the Valentine´s Day package, thank you SO MUCH. THAT BOOK is absolutely the greatest ever. It made me cry, along with your sweet letters. Thank you so much, Mom.

Well, right now we are in the middle of "CARNAVAL," which is a holiday that everyone in Ecuador plays where they throw water balloons, eggs, flour, and paint at each other. But it is not like a party thing. It is literally anyone on the street. So as we are walking down the sidewalk they have thrown water balloons at us and flour and sprayed us with foam. So we are only allowed to leave in these four days if we have a planned appointment. We can't contact or go visiting or anything like that. So we're bored (I HAVE ATTACHED EVIDENCE OF THE BOREDOM).

So something really cool about Hermana D is that she requires a lot from the people we teach. I have learned a lot from her in that sense.

A2, who was baptized the other week, was offended by something the other day and now doesn't want to return the church. We have been working on teaching her about forgiveness and the personal nature of the salvation. Hermana D and I have been working on reminding her what she loses when she chooses not to attend church. I feel like had her conversion been deeper, this wouldn't have had such an effect on her. Obviously we are partially to blame. We are working really hard to help her return. It has been a humbling experience. I feel horrible. But something I was thinking about the other day was the story of Aldora Landrum Yarn. I love how converted she was that even though she was the only member in  the whole STATE, she stayed firm. It didn't matter what everyone else said or did. I want to share the story with A2 the next time we see her and help her to become strong like Aldora. Sometimes, when my companions share their stories of how they are one of the few members in their family or something, I feel lessened. But these past couple days I have been reading all the family history stories and I am so impressed. I love my heritage and I am so grateful for all they have done.

Well, for the moment that is it. I love you all! Keep writing!

Hermana Norton

"The Priesthood is Real ... wow...miracles!" (Sam)

Elder Norton received his package of birthday letters.
A BIG thanks to all you you that helped out!

Hello!

   Sorry its taken forever to write; this week has been crazy! I got the package with the letters and the suckers. :) The best. Ahh and thank you for putting money in my account, you guys are the best!

   SIGH.... ok a quick update on whats happened lately.. President called us saturday morning and informed us that I was going to Sevilla to train and REopen an area that has been absorbed into another area for now. There are two wards in Sevilla and the elders in Sevilla 1 are working in both areas so its more or less ´´closed´´.. and President also told us that Pascua would train and whatnot. 

Saturday, we had an awwesome noche de hogar with this part member family! Ahhh fantastic people. They are from Bolivia and the mom is a member from when she was little. Most of the brothers and sisters(now all grown ups) are less active. Well she, Aa, is married to Cs and the have a son named C as well. He has had word of wisdom problems but he was able to quit when he listened to some Jehovah´s Witnesses. Its interesting how the Lord prepares people... :) So anyways, our awesome líder misional called her one day and invited her to church... and she came and brought her husband and son! So anyways, we had an awesome Family Home Evening on saturday and then Sunday was testimony meeting. I gave my testimony and basically my ´´last words´´.. haha and then Sunday night we had a charla fogonera or a fireside. It was an hour long and we (Pascua y yo) taught for like 50 minutes. We were given all the time and it was awwesome! We spoke on la obra misional, the missionary work, and we involved the members and watched a video from the Preach My Gospel dvd´s that train the missionaries and then we did practices on how to talk with their friends and introduce the Gospel in the conversations. :) We enjoyed seeing members practice and repractice and get down how to speak  fluidly about the gospel. I ended up saying "goodbyes" again though.. hah kinda awkward.

   Monday, instead of P-day, we went to Alicante and listened to the Europe area Seventy Elder Tiexeira ?... And it was amazing! We left that building with soo many new ideas that we´re already putting into practice.

   Yesterday and today have been a lot of goodbyes. I have never liked goodbyes.. I always feel like they're weird.. and awkward like.. ok well, thanks for everything.. it was great to meet you.. thanks for all the food you made us... and well thanks.. and add me on facebook, I´ll accept you in a year.. and.... well ok bye! Hah :) We´ve been taking pictures though. A lot we´ve taken with other cameras cuz my camera is junky. I need a new one. I´ll send you some of the pictures next p-day... IN MY NEXT AREA. 

Wow. I just got here! Hah sorry, the mission is just rough.. always meeting new people.. putting so much energy, thought and worry into them, and then they change you... I guess its a good thing that the Lord has a purpose for everything.

   Anyways, I´m rambling now.. To answer some of your questions.. I have mixed feelings about leaving Alcoy already. We have soooo much going here. We honestly have set up an immense train of "dominoes" here. Someone will be baptized and it will set off the huge train and honestly like 8 people will be baptized! Ha! This always happens to me! :) But it makes me so happy to see people get baptized and receive the blessings of baptism. Anyways, Elder Pascua and I have really been led by the Spirit to start this place off well and leave a good name and work here for other missionaries that will be coming. This will not be a dead area. I´m very proud of our work. Its a hard, hard area but it will be changing. I know very little about Sevilla. It won´t be nearly as cold there!.. thats good! and I THINK.. i think... I´ll be with my pops! Elder Jones! I hope!

   Well, we have to go and give a blessing before our english class... I love you all so much!! The Priesthood Is Real. We have given like 4 or 5 blessings in the last week and a half.. and WOW.. miracles! I´ll fill you all in one day! Love you!

-Elder Norton

ps: sorry this message was so scattered... ha!

"... or the girl with the carrot hair! ... What color are the carrots here in Ecuador? " (Hilary)

"Hey Carrots! ... Carrots!"

Dear Family,

Happy Monday! I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Thanks for writing, everyone! I love hearing from you all! It is so vital to my sanity. Jaja. But seriously. I got goosebumps reading about Wes. Tell him I say congrats! That is such a cool story! Thanks, Mom, for the thought you shared. Today I needed to hear that. Something that is funny is I have shared that thought with many in lessons, but forget sometimes to apply things like that to myself. So, thanks. 

Mitch, how did the move go? Are you all settled? I can't believe how quickly that all happened. I am praying for your family. I hope you are all doing well.

Well, the other Monday, Hermana D. was crying after we wrote home. She later told me that her brother and sister are inactive. Hermana D. is the seventh of ten children. Of the twelve in her family, four are members, neither of which are her parents. It is hard for her, but her mom has been a good support, even though she is not a member of the Church. Well, we have been praying extra for her family and she wrote them and they said they are going to start going to church again. But a few times during the week the thought crossed my mind of how tough it must be to have inactive family members, or worse, family members that are not members of your same religion. I can't imagine how tough that would be. I am grateful for the circumstances in which I live.

Funny Story: Wherever we are, there are always, always men calling, talking, and whistling at us. It is something you become accustomed to in the first week of your mission. Well, often they try to say things in English or make comments about my hair, etc. The other day, a man made a comment about "la chica con el pelo de sanahoria" ... or the girl with the carrot hair!!!!!!!!!!!! JAJA. I laughed so hard. 1. What? What color are the carrots here in Ecuador? 2. I just felt like it was a scene that came straight out of Anne of Green Gables. I couldn't wait to tell you, Mom.

Sunday we had a baptism before the sacrament meeting. It was of A2 and P., the mom and sister of Ax It went really well! And I am so happy for their family because they are soon going to ALL be members. That's where the greatest joy is. I am attaching a couple pictures.

Today I bought some shoes. They are great. Yesterday was a really hard, long day, but a little retail therapy was just the fix. (Some things will never change.) (Although a LOT of me has changed.)

Well, one of our investigators, E, isn't progressing much, but I just want to mention how much I love her. It is cool how this all works out; the connections we make with these people are what Heavenly Father had planned. Anyway, she and I have become good friends and I want so badly for her to accept the gospel. She is one of the investigators that I feel like I know I was sent to (and not any other sister missionary) for a reason.

Well, that's all for the moment. I love you all. Please keep writing and reading and praying.

H.H.N.

Hilary mentioned the book "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery... we LOVE that story and I think I've watched the PBS version of it more than any other movie. (save the PBS version of Pride and Prejudice) If Anne Shirley were a real girl I just know we would've been "kindred spirits"!                   joanna

Great Quotes from "Anne of Green Gables"

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” 

*******

“Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it.” 

*******

“It's not what the world holds for you. It's what you bring to it.” 

*******

“It is ever so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable.” 

*******

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 

*******

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” 

*******

“I've done my best, and I begin to understand what is meant by 'the joy of strife'. Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.” 

*******

“Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?But am I talking too much? People are always telling me I do. Would you rather I didn't talk? If you say so I'll stop. I can STOP when I make up my mind to it, although it's difficult.” 

"It was hilarious ... later that day we were ... just crying because we were laughing so hard" (Hilary)

Family,

Well, another week came and gone. Where does all the time go? I hope after the mission I feel really satisfied in the eighteen months I spent serving, because at the end of the day, sometimes I feel like I have hardly scratched the surface of all there is to do.

I haven't finished reading everything that you all wrote me yet, but I just want to say thanks. Thank you so much for writing. Sometimes I get a little sentimental (sp?) when I write ya'll on Monday... I just can't really express my gratitude for you guys.

Well, we had an extremely eventful week.

Yesterday were transfers, but thankfully, we're both staying. Hooray! I love Hermana D. She is hilarious. She has an attitude and it is really funny. The other day she was telling me about how she calls her sister's boyfriend her "keychain" because he is smaller than her. JAJAJA.

I KNOW that President Ghent receives revelation for his missionaries and for the mission. I know that what he says is what God wants him to say and what we need to know and do. Interviews were Friday. They went well. We traveled to Otavalo for ours, so I was able to see Hermana Marca (LOVE HER) and some other missionaries there. That was cool. We played a memorized scriptures game and I won. And they bought us a really tastey lunch that included green salad (something we hardly ever get) ! Yum.

Wednesday I fell as we were crossing a big, busy street. I literally fell flat, lying down on my face. I was all scratched up (legs, hands, face) and so sore the next day. It was hilarious. Hermana D and I later that day were telling A1 about what happened and just crying because we were laughing so hard.

Speaking of A1, she was baptized Saturday! It was a really cool baptism and she is just so amazing. I am going to attach a picture. Or two or three. Her baptizm was scheduled to start at four. We were all waiting and waiting and waiting and dying of anticipation. She has had a bit of opposition come from her family and they were the only ones answering the phone calls and just were saying, "Oh, she's not going to be able to go." Finally, we said a prayer as a zone and two elders offered to take a taxi to go look for her. They returned after about forty seconds and she had just been entering the chapel. It was really cool. Obviously she had been traveling beforehand to get to the chapel, but it was just neat - the timing. God, knowing we were going to say that prayer, sent her so that she arrived just afterward. We are so dependent on Him.

We have been working with the mom of Ax.and she has been really off and on. Some days she is so excited to be baptized. Others she won't attend church. She had her interview and we were planning on her being baptized Saturday but Thursday she asked us to come talk to her at her work. She told us she wouldn't be baptized and showed us this book that she found and told us about this video she saw - all anti-mormon stuff. I felt so bad. She was so concerned. She had a thousand questions that I think maybe had just been building up. Anyway, we worked through a few of them Thursday and Saturday we went back with our zone leaders. The lesson we had so amazing. The spirit was so strong and they knew exactly how to address her questions. We learned so much from them and their examples. At the end of the lesson, A2 told us again that she wants to be baptized. It was one of those moments were the spirit testified to her heart, and that triggers the conversion. Afterward she was so comforted and she really understood. She is a skeptic, but she has learned to recognize what comes from God. She will be a strong member if she keeps progressing.

Well, that is all for now. I pray that we can all keep growing. I am so grateful for Christ's in God's plan and I don't want to be in vain. I want to change and I want to reach my potential. Keep growing. Keep changing little by little to become who God needs you to be!

Hermana Norton

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY

"Yes, members can and do help in the missionary work!" (Sam)

Good morning, good evening, or good night! Depending on where you are reading this.

   All is well in Alcoy! The Lord has blessed us a lot recently. This is a difficult work and satan is working as well. We are pushing forward with our faith in the Lord and he constantly gives us miracles.

   We had 6 investigators in church on Sunday!! Woohoo! Blessings from the Lord. We pray fervently that our investigators and those that know even a little bit about the church find the desires to come and attend. Its so fun to see our investigators and other unexpected people show up to the church. Our newly called ward mission leader is a rock! He is amazing. He has been calling any and everyone he can to help and show support for everyone. He and his wife and daughter call our investigators and the less actives that we work with and even other less actives that we are working with or haven´t met yet and they invite them to church. This week, a less active mother that lives in a little city by Alcoy came to church with her creyente (believing) husband and her 10 year old energy ball of a son. Our ward mission leader was the one that contacted her and invited her. They are from bolivia and we have a cita with them tomorrow! We´re really excited to get to know them and help them have to blessings of the Gospel as a family.

   We have two girls with fechas bautismales (baptismal dates) right now. G and W. They are twin sisters of a recent convert girl. The three live with their grandparents who are both less active. They are from Ecuador. :) The abuela is getting reactivated and the twins are learning and preparing for their baptism on the 9th of February!

   B, the ecuatorian lady that started listening to the lessons last week has kind of taken a step backwards. We don´t understand why but she told us that she needs to stop listening because she has too many doubts..... its frustrating cuz she has doubts and we know she has doubts but she doesn´t understand that they will be answered as she listens to us... not by stopping listening to us. We tried to explain but she had made up her mind. Her daughter, was very much ´´on the fence´´ about the whole thing.. and kinda floja(sorry, google search it cuz I can´t explain it in english) about coming to church cuz her mom had dropped us. Well the daughter of our ward mission leader called her on saturday and told her she wanted to see her in church on sunday and she came! Wooo! Yes, members can and do help in the missionary work! Don´t think the missionaries can do it on their own. We can´t do it without YOUR help! So good to see her in Sacrament. The colombian family that we are teaching came to church as well! Woooo! The mom and the daughter that in the start said no no no no no, I never go to churches .... They both came! Anyways, things are looking good. We just have to focus on the people that were in the meeting and we´ll being seeing some more fechas here soon! :)

   Hey! Question, Will montgomery is at BYU right? can you get his address this week so I can write him next week? :) Thanks!

   Fill me in on other mission calls if you hear on any. Thanks!

   Tell adam to check his email. :)

   Jade Warburton got the mission home this last week! He finally got his visa! Like 20 new missionaries came in! :) A bunch got their visas!

   We may be moving pisos soon. If you are gonna send another package or mail to this apartment, send it sooner rather than later so we can get it before we go. We think there´s like a one month process we´ll have to go through to change apartments ...... AND THANKS FOR SENDING PACKAGES! :)

   Alright, we gotta go. I love you! Sorry I can´t comment on your emails. Know that I read them and loved them. You are the best parents and family ever. Love you!

-Elder Norton

"Fisher's of Men" (Hilary)

Okay, I will begin by responding to a few things mentioned in the letters I received today.

 

Dad - ALL week I was thinking about how badly I wished I had been able to respond and share some thoughts on the Doctrine of Christ. I am sure the talk went so well though. If you have a copy, please please share! I have learned a lot from the copies of the talks you have given.

 

MITCH - I LOVE all the pictures you sent. I love your little family so much! And CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You are having a lot of success in your work and I am sure it is because of your obedience to the Lord. I am so impressed and I want you to know how much I look up to you. Thanks for being such a great example. I loved the quote you sent. I was responding to a letter Nate Hardman sent me the other day and mentioned that. He said how much he loved exhausting himself in the work. I love it too! It feels so good to get home and be so tired. Here in the mission I realized it is okay to be tired, and especially when we have put our all into something of such great value.

 

Mom - I am so glad you found that article. It is nice to hear that it was such a relief for you. I know it was an answer from God (just like you said, a little tender mercy). Mosiah 24 talks about how God sends us little tender mercies so that later we will testify of him. He comforts us and in return, we act according to His will and commandments and share our testimonies. Tell Benton and Brayden I say HI! I don't know if Sam was better friends with Brayden or if I was... But tell him I say hey and congratulations on the most well spent two years of his life.

 

Well, I loved the scripture and quote you shared, Mom. The other day I read Jacob 4:10. It is a really good scripture! And I have been listening a lot to the talks by President Eyring that Dad sent me. He talks a lot about repentance and mentions that HUMILITY is a FRUIT of repentance and also a PROTECTION against future sin. I really love that because I have been working a lot lately on being more humble. I think I already mentioned that, but I realized it has SO MUCH to do with our happiness and the happiness of those around us. I remember being taught in seminary how basically every sin can be traced back to pride or selfishness. When you think about, it's true. It is probably why the leaders of our church are the leaders of our church. They are able to live clean lives because they are always thinking about the well being of others. Well, that reason and about a hundred others. I have so much respect for them. I have just fallen in love with the Word here on the mission. Whenever we get the Liahona it is like the happiest day of the week. I carry it around like it is my most prized possession, second only to my scriptures, of course.

 

This past weekend, President Ghent and Sister Ghent spent here in I. He had a few meetings and did some interviews for temple recommends, so she spent the day with us. It was fun because she helped us a bit and afterward gave us some feedback. It was nice to have another perspective (and it was also nice to not have to walk so much, because she drove us around. WOO). Sunday they attended our branch. It was cool to hear the message he shared. I respect President Ghent a lot. This Friday we have interviews and I am really looking forward to them.

 

Earlier today, more than once, Hermana Davila and I were mistaken for workers in a few stores where we passed by. Hilarious and made me remember JESSLYN. Is she home yet?¿

The other day I sent a whole BUNCH of letters! To the family and for you, Mom, to distribute, and to about eight people whose addresses I don't have. Please let me know when you get them!

 

ADAM. I LOVE YOU. I DON'T HEAR FROM YOU ENOUGH. I MISS YOU, KID.

 

Sam, take good care of those Ecuadorians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're really important to me! (Aunque no los conozco, un Ecuatoriano es un Ecuatoriano es un Ecuatoriano y amo a cada uno de ellos.) WRITE ME.

 

Well. I have about ten minutes left, but all I wanted to write about I don't remember. I will bring my journal next week so I can remember everything. I love you guys. Choose the right.

 

H.

 

P.S. I am learning how to cook!

P.S.S. I am losing weight! 

P.S.S.S. Baptism this Saturday!