Monday, December 13,2010

2 weeks till Christmas!

So this past week has been really interesting. We have been climbing lots of hills and meeting lots of new people in an area where the missionaries before didn't have time to visit, or maybe they didn't want to because of the hills! Now that there are four missionaries here we have the time to go and find people out there in the sticks. It really has been such a blessing. The only hard part is that it is so far from the chapel and the people here don't have cars...how are they going to get to church on Sunday? They could take the micro (like a big bus) but it is expensive and these people are super humble in their living standards. Well, I guess this is where the faith comes in. I truly believe that we will find the people here that are ready for the gospel, ready to sacrifice a little in the beginning to receive amazing blessings afterwards. The Lord's will often seems like a sacrifice to us, but he knows the bigger picture. He knows that as we choose to do His will we will be blessed with happiness and joy temporally and spiritually (Mosiah 2:41). We just have to have the faith to do His will without knowing the consequences beforehand.

So yesterday we finally got a Christmas tree in the house! It is super little and doesn't have very many ornaments, but all the same it makes me feel very happy. I even made a paper chain to count down the days! I guess in Ecuador they don't make paper chains though. when I started ripping off a link every day Hermana Barre was a little distressed. She was like, "you made a Christmas chain so beautiful and now you are ripping it up!" haha. I had to explain and now all is well.

we have been singing Christmas hymns like crazy and they are always stuck in my head, well when feliz cumpleanos isn't...Hermana Barre had her birthday last week and we sang feliz cupleanos all day long. haha. she also taught me another birthday song in Spanish about being old and wrinkly. I will have to translate and send it later. Its awesome. She is 23 years old now...super old. haha. Just so everyone knows, when i have my birthday in march i will be completing 21 years again. this year and every year after. I have decided to be 21 forever. thank you all for cooperating.

Well, time is short and Ive got to go. If you have a chance, watch the first presidency Christmas devotional online. It was wonderful. absolutely wonderful.