New Sector

Hi family!!!

Saludos de Calderon! Let me just say, my sector right now is sooo different than one week ago. There are some pluses though... for example, I am finally eating somewhat American food again. I had two green salads this week. That was a record.. sure made me very happy! But.. I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll start from the beginning.

Happiness equals food!

So, like I said last week, my new sector is called Calderon and it is in Quito. In the city. Being here for a week, I’ve realized that it’s a lot like my first sector in Cumbaya. It’s more city-ish, there is food in every corner, and the members here are GREAT! The streets aren’t dirt paths. I actually haven’t seen one cow or one pig yet while being here, so I guess that’s a big difference also.

Our sector here is big.. not as big as San Pablo, but we rarely ride buses here, so it makes it feel enormooouus! It’s also a lot hotter here. The first day I got a sun burn and realized that I need to pull out the sun screen again. Most of the people that live here and that we teach live in little apartment complexes and the roads are roads... with cinderblock walls on both sides usually everywhere we go. It’s sure a different view than green hills, farms, and little houses. There is also A LOT of smoke and exhaust from the cars here. I feel like I’m always breathing in black puffs of... whatever it is that comes out of all the cars that pass us.

Last week we got here, went to our apartment, unpacked, got to know each other a bit, and Tuesday was a first day of work. My companions' names are Hermana Silva and Hermana Morales. Hermana Silva is from Bolivia and has about three months left. She is so much fun. SUPER skinny and eats a ton.. way more than me. But she has such a love for the people and her personality is so outgoing and fun. Hermana Morales is from Chicklayo, Peru and has only been out for a few months. She also is fun, loves to eat ice cream, and is good at teaching directly and clearly. It is soo much different being in a Trio. I do like it. There’s always something to talk about, and it’s more of a party at night (as we write in our journals and read our scriptures:)) But... having three people does also make it a challenge. Its completely different trying to teach with three people, finding time to all shower and get ready in the morning also is a bit tricky. But we get along well. It’s been good for me because both of my companions have a stronger personality, so it’s good to see how we can all work together. They also both have strong testimonies and teach relying on the Spirit. I have already learned a lot from them. 

Hermana Silva, Hermana Morales, and ME!

Here in our ward there are 9 missionaries! I came from being the only companionship to LOTS more, but it makes it fun. This ward apparently is one of the best in the mission. It’s hard to find investigators, but once they’re members, they’re strong and so willing to help out and serve.

But like I said.... it is hard to find investigators. This week has definitely been slower missionary work wise. We’re starting out with barely any investigators and the people are definitely less open than I’ve been used to. This week was full of contacting, teaching a few investigators, praying for more, and visiting lots of recent converts. I know that the Lord is wanting to test my patience and faith so that he can help us see miracles... because I know he will. It’s just up to us and our hard work and faith in His help. This week we have some plans to try and find new investigators so that we can help them progress.

I got little sleep this week and LOTS of time in buses in the morning. We’ve been going to the apartments of the other hermanas to make sure all the houses are up and running without any problems and some of them are 2 hours away... so that makes for lots of study/nap time on the bus. I’ve loved to get to know so many sisters this week!!

We continue to hear lots and lots about the earthquake that happened here one week ago. It seems that in every lesson, something at least comes up about the news, the earthquake, or all the people who are still suffering or lost. It is honestly the saddest thing to hear about all of the damage and to hear about people who have lost family or friends. Apparently there are still smaller earthquakes going on, and actually we’ve felt one or two really small ones in the last week. There are so many places that are gathering supplies to send to the coast... almost every street has a place where they are packaging food, water, and medicine to send in trucks. They’re not sure if there’s going to be another big earthquake, but we’re just all hoping and praying that everything calms down and the affected cities can receive as much help as possible. Its sure a crazy experience to be here, in this country, while something so drastic is going on. I know the Lord will protect us.

I heard something in our district meeting that I loved and wanted to share with you guys. An elder in our district was sharing a spiritual thought about Joseph Smith that we also all have our own "grove of trees" in our lives. We may have not SEEN God and Jesus Christ, but we all have experiences that have strengthened our testimonies, times where we have received revelation or guidance from the Lord, and times where we have just known that all of this is so true. But.. the problem is that many times we forget these experiences or let the world cloud them out. My "grove of trees" is very different than my companion’s or from my mom’s or my best friend’s, but it’s filled with experiences that the Lord has given me. Spiritual experiences. This elder said... Joseph Smith with never forget his experience in the grove of trees, so why would we forget ours? I know that the Lord gives us each special experiences to help us KNOW that this church is true... so it’s our responsibility to treasure those, remember those and really use our personal "grove of trees" to help us through the doubts and difficult times of life. I loved that. 

Thank you all for you love and support. And letters! I love them all! I am so grateful to know that I have such great people helping me out. Have a super week!!!

Hermana Yorgason