Time in Guayaquil
1)How is the ville (or your current residing place)?
2)How is your family?
3)What´s new?
4)Something funny that happened to you this week?
5)How is Harry Styles
6)One tender mercy from our Savior that you experienced recently
Ready...Set...GO!
I guess I can answer the same questions! :)
1)Ventanas/Ecuador
is AMAZING...as usual! "Independence Day" of Ventanas was LOCO!
Absolutely nuts. On Monday night we had family night with one of the
members which was so much fun! We shared a spiritual message, ate rice,
and watched the fireworks from their balcony. It was nothing like the
Stadium of Fire...that´s for sure...but one of the fireworks misfired
and started a nearby field on fire! haha! So I guess that gave me the
Stadium of Fire thrill! ;)
So in general my residing place is awesome!
Too awesome actually! I wake up to the smell of fresh empanadas and
chocolate every morning (there is a restaurant right below us), the
weather is beautiful (how is the white stuff over there utah?!), the
bananas taste good, people are getting psyched for Navidad...THINGS ARE
JUST AWESOME!
2)My fam bam here in Ventanas is doing great
too! Elder G and I have been blessed with many miracles and tender
mercies from our Savior. Our house is doing super BIEN too!
kinda...haha!
Elder P had to get his ingrown toenails removed the
other day so he has been bedridden for a little while. I had to go with
him to get them taken out in Guayaquil...watching them take them out was
neat...but if I could have one goal from here on out it would be NOT to
get ingrown toenails! They pretty much just took a Machete and hacked
at his toes for an hour and sent him off. Absolutely NO REMORSE. Haha!
On the bus ride back to Ventanas there was an interesting dude. There
are tons of men who dress up as women and get money for it...Yeah I
don´t understand it either...but one of these dudes was on our
bus...well I think he was a guy! He/She put on a little act for everyone
to see in the very front of the bus and when he/she finished, he/she
started asking everyone on the bus for money...I immediately pulled
change out of my pocket and gave it to him/her because I didn't want
this strange him/her to talk to me...my plan worked! He/she took my
money and strut him/herself away. Wow...too many experiences on the
buses here...Locoisimo!
I guess you could call him my grandpa in the
mission - Presidente Riggins, was here in Ventanas yesterday. He spoke in
our ward. He is the biggest stud! And his messages are always so
powerful! Or maybe it just felt more powerful than usual because he
spoke after me! On Saturday the bishop called and told me that I had to
speak...c'mon homie! I didn't even have a day to prepare! I hurried and
threw something together and hoped for the best! So we show up to
church...President Riggins is there with his wife and assistants, we
have the second biggest congregation of the year, and I am speaking! It
went okay though! :) Thank Goodness!
The work here is
incredible! So our "investigating families" are doing well too! We are
finding families to teach which is the BEST FEELING EVER! Seeing
families change because of this gospel is one of the greatest blessings
in my entire life. Our ward family is unreal. It reminds me of home so
much! Our ward is filled with some of the most Christlike and loving
people. I seriously love them all to death! The member below us makes me
fresh fruit smoothies every morning...ONLY ME...Haha! The other Elders
are pretty jealous but I don't mind at all!
3)Hmmm...what´s
new? I am teaching an English class once a week! It is so much fun! But I
sure hope that my Spanish is better than their English! ;) Haha! Just
kidding! The language really has been coming along slowly but surely. I
am starting to feel pretty comfortable with it! And I know that it is
100% credited to the Lord. I still have a lot of work to do...but I
know that through the Spirit all things are possible! :)
I played football today! American Football!
haha!
Other than that
nothing is really new...I am still learning, living, and LOVING.
4)Something
funny...I guess I have something embarrassing! We were talking with some
investigators about the differences between The US and Ecuador and one
of them brought up how they wanted to go to the Baños (Bathrooms) in the
US but they they are too expensive...? I was confused too! I said, "Hermana, you don´t have to pay to use the bathroom in the United
States...?" They all started BUSTING UP! Come to find out...Her "Baños" was just a really really super thick accented "Vegas".
Yeah...that won "GRINGO OF THE YEAR AWARD" for sure!
Almost
forgot! This was kinda funny...well it is funny now but was NOT funny
then. I had to use the bathroom really really bad! Drinking 6 liters of
water a day causes for quite a few pit stops! Anyways...bathrooms are
very different here...I can´t even begin to explain so I won´t...but
just take my word for it! So I entered this cave/dungeon/depth of
despair, searching for the bucket to...ya know? yeah...and half way
through my labors I hear a deep grown...and out of the darkness comes a
MONSTER DOG...and it lost it´s mind! I would have wet my pants but I
already was...then it leapt at me and knocked me over! It was just
bad...something that can only be explained in person...maybe try not to
visualize it! Haha! But I will never go to that Baño again!
5)I am not sure how Harry is doing? I hear their new album comes out today though! Everyone Enjoy!
6)Way
too many tender mercies to talk about! Waking up everyday and putting Christ´s name
over my heart is one of the biggest miracles I have ever experienced in
my entire life. The Lord continues to provide me with His strength and
Heavenly help. One of my favorite mercies from our Savior this week has
to be with one of our investigators though! Her two daughters just got
baptized and she is preparing for her very own baptism as well...she
just has some pretty big difficulties ahead of her that she needs to
overcome first...anyways...I had the opportunity to share my testimony
with her and she ended up getting pretty emotional. The first time I
have EVER seen her show emotion actually! I asked her if she was okay
and she said that she was fine. It was just that her "heart felt really
good. Like it is overfilled with love. Like her body is pure. Like I am
just very grateful". What a tender mercy from our Savior it was to see
the Spirit work with this woman. What a miracle to witness someone
feeling the same spirit that you are...and slowly making it back on the
path back to our Savior.
That was this week!
Your turn!!! :)
Spiritual Message:
"But
the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the
wind was contrary." At this point in the 14th chapter of Matt. the
Disciples are a little worried. The seas are raging and there is a man
walking towards them on the water. However, Immediately after they
discover that this man is Christ, Peter wants nothing more than to "Come unto Him on the water". Of course, The Savior invites Peter to
come unto Him and Peter goes forth and walks on the water "to go to
Jesus". What a great example of Faith! Take a moment to think of what
Peter is thinking...what is going through his head.
Fear,
doubt, and uncertainty I would imagine! But despite this fear. Putting
this doubt aside. And letting the uncertainty fade...I, Peter, am going
to put this fear aside and call to my Master and go to him. I am going
to take a leap of faith and go into the midst of the sea. I am going to
go to my Savior despite the wind that is contrary and the waves that are
tossing the seas. I am going to have faith. And off he goes...walking
on the water. What is so cool about Peter´s faith is that we had the
same exact faith when we left our ship (Pre-Mortal Life) into the midst
of the sea; tossed with waves (the earth) to go unto our Savior and
become more like Him. And because we have this faith...we too can walk
on water! We can survive the midst of darkness and the storm tossed
seas. We can stay afloat. With faith we can make it to our Savior. With
faith we can do all things.
"But when he (Peter) saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid; and began to sink...". Brothers and
Sisters, just as our faith and ability to walk on the water is the same
as Peter´s...so is our ability to doubt and sink. So is our ability to
fear and drown.
When we walk by faith there is absolutely
nothing that can stop us. But in the very second of doubt we are going
to drown. Down in the depths of the sea. It is for that very reason that
we need to hearken to the words of President Uchdorft, "Doubt your
DOUBTS before the doubt your Faith". You don´t need a perfect knowledge
of all things! But you do need a perfect BELIEF....a perfect HOPE. With
this perfect Belief, Faith, and Hope...we can walk on water...we can
stay afloat...we can make it to our Savior.
But hold up! The story is not over! :)
Peter
cry´s unto The Lord and "IMMEDIATELY Jesus stretched out His hand to
him, and caught him, and said...wherefore didst thou doubt?"
As
important as it is to stay afloat and stay true to the faith that you
have..sometimes we fall. If you are under the water...if you have
doubts...if you are afraid and swallowed up in the storm tossed sea of
this world...call upon the Lord and he will immediately reach out His
hand to you and raise you up. I promise that His hand is ALWAYS
stretched out to save you. Stay true to the faith that you have...or
that you once HAD! Cast all doubts and fears aside! Reach up!
Faith
is PROGRESS. We build faith through having faith. Through acting in and
with faith. It doesn't matter where you are at in this moment or where
you have been in other moments...The Lord, Jesus Christ, can and will
raise you up. Look to His light and follow. "Look unto me in ever
thought; doubt not fear not". After all that The Lord has done for
us...Really is there any reason at all to doubt?
Keep trudging through the stormy seas, Brother and Sisters! One step at a time with one purpose in mind...make it to the Savior.
Keep swimming to the surface to grab hold of Christ´s ALWAYS extended hand!
You can do hard things.
Stay afloat! Keep keepin' on. Keep having faith!
Love you all!
Elder Noll
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| Jess and Jake doing what they love to do! |
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| Jessi said that the guy who cut his hair gave him a complimentary facial - because he has such nice skin! HAHA |
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