#letter30

Rainbows after the Volcano erupted a little bit.  There were ashes all over the cars here.

Hello! Hope everyone had a wonderful week! Dad sounds like you had a great birthday! Loved seeing the pictures. It is tradition in Ecuador to smash your face in the cake too! Connor you are growing up so much and so is Kate!

New Missionaries

First Week After Changes

This week was busy with the missionaries that finished their missions leaving and the new missionaries arriving. There are 6 new sisters that came to our mission. There 4 North Americans and 2 Latina sisters. We are excited to have them here! They slept at our house on Tuesday night and Wednesday night and they find out their new trainers on Thursday. Usually, a van comes to pick them up on Thursday mornings with their suitcases, but for some reason this change we waited and waited and nothing. The person who drives the van did not answer and we were sure if it was going to come, so we ended up taking them to the church in a taxi. It was an adventure as we tried to fit all of us and then also as many suitcases as possible. We ended up having to go back because there were more that we could not fit and it was a miracle that we were able to find a taxi that would take all of them in one trip. Sister Narvaez and I trained the new missionaries on health. I think I am going to change the presentation this next change into a game because the presentation is a little boring right now. If you have any ideas on fun games to play that I can teach them basic principles, let me know.

Above:  New Missionaries;  Below:  Our Zone

We also had our wall fixed this week in our apartment. Unfortunately, it took a lot of time away from being in our sector because we had to stay in our house while they worked on it, BUT our apartment looks really good now! We completely reorganized the apartment. Completely changed the arrangement of the beds, changed our study area, and.... waaaala it looks like a new place! We also took down the curtains, so now I we have a view of the entire city. Quito really is beautiful day and night.

On P-day we went ice skating...

It was Hermana Narvaez’s first time!

Be Meek and Lowly of Heart President Richardson gave us a challenge in our meeting we had before changes. We accepted, of course. We are reading the Book of Mormon in 3 months, but not just reading it...we are marking everything that talks about humility and pride in blue and then everything that talks about Christ in red. I also added promises that we have when we follow the commandments in purple and warnings/consequences when we do not follow the commandments in green. I have to say that I have learned so much by doing this activity and I encourage each and everyone of you to do it as well!

I am amazed by how many examples their are of humility and pride and I am only just finishing 1st Nephi. Nephi is a perfect example of humility. I have loved learning from his example and seeing how I can improve in my life to be more humble. I have gained a strong testimony this week that humility is vital for us to become more Christlike. Without it we won't be able to develop other important attributes. Being humble does not mean weakness, but it means behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, and having self control.

Missionaries going home!

Mormon taught that a man "cannot have faith and hope, save it shall be meek, and lowly of heart." He added that without such attributes, "faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart." (Moroni 7:43-44) Meekness is the quality of those who are "God fearing, righteous, HUMBLE, teachable, and patient under suffering." Those who possess this attribute are willing to follow Jesus Christ and their temperament is calm, tolerant, and submissive.  

Christlike Attributes There are GREAT blessings promised to each of us as we strive to develop the attributes of Jesus Christ and obey the commandments. I think sometimes we do not understand the importance of following every commandment to exactness and developing those personality traits that are essential for us to have eternal life. We can have the same blessings that we see in the stories of the Book of Mormon. We can see those blessings as we learn through the prophet's lives. I have seen it as I have learned this past week from Nephi's life. I have learned the happiness and peace that we can have when we are righteous, teachable, humble, and obedient. I have also seen the consequences when we are prideful and harden our hearts. I know that we cannot reach our grand potential if we are not humble. As we take Christ's name upon us, it is expected that we strive to emulate His attributes and change our character to become more like Him each day. I know that Christlike attributes are gifts from God. These attributes come as we use our agency righteously. When we have a desire to please God. When we learn to recognize our weaknesses and accept them. When we are anxious to improve. I know each of us can develop in these important attributes if we put forth our effort to make our weaknesses strengths. I know that blessings are waiting for each of us as we strive to develop these attributes. I love you guys! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love always, Sister Pemberton

'm running out of titles for my emails and I do not have a ton of time to write you all. I can not believe it has been a week since interviews. That feels like it was so long ago. President Bluth and Hermana Bluth helped me a lot and said that if I ever feel scared in my sectors that I can call them or I can go in my house early. They really helped me to see that there are always risks for missionaries but that I need to keep doing the work! I am very grateful for my calling, not many people have the opportunity to share the gospel in the last days to the four corners of the earth. I am so grateful!

The work is starting to progress here in Los Angeles, winter is also starting to come ahhhh it's getting chilly in Chile. WE are trying to help people get to the church on Sunday. We have stake conference.

A cool experience really fast then I'm heading out for this week. I hope you like your voice messages.

A girl in our house was sick this week and it was on Sunday. They had investigators coming to the church so we had to choose who would stay with her and who would leave with her companion to the chapel for church. I felt really strongly that I wanted to take the sacrament and I went to church. It so happened that a recent convert I knew in Temuco just moved here to Los Angeles and this was her first Sunday here. I felt so blessed that I was there to welcome her here and I felt like I really am supposed to be here to help her stay active in a new area when she was so recently baptized. I talked to the Bishop with her. It was such a blessing and helped me to know why I am here in LA.

Some youth brought the sacrament to our house for the other hermanas.  I am so grateful for worthy priesthood holders in the world, and the help and service they give. I have a deep gratitude for them. I love you Connor, Dad and PHIL!

Take care everyone.

Oh I learned Juan Carlos is still active and attending every Sunday, surely in camo pants.

I love you,

How much more bipolar can these letters be? I'm sick of it. Currently, anyway. I wish I wasn't so into you. I wish I hadn't gotten so attached. It only leaves me hurt and lonely, and that's how I never want you to feel. The issue is that you never tell me anything. So much lack of communication, it then leads to miscommunication. Like, what is so hard about messaging me? You completely ditch me without saying anything. Who does that to someone they "love"? What's sad is that I can't even talk to you about this. I don't know what it is, but I cannot talk to you about my feelings. No matter how hard I try. 

Dear Tori Kelly,

 I love the work that you do. Not only are you a performer but you also work to help make the world a better place. You've been an inspiration and role model to me for years now. You've helped me to become a better person and for that I thank you with my entire being. I've always been bullied for the way I looked because apparently, asians with wavy/curly hair aren't normal and no one should give a damn about them. My parents would say that I wasn't normal or pretty enough, and I heard my closest friends talk about me behind my back and laugh. You know how hard it is to grow up, feeling alone and crying to yourself in an empty car while everyone else is going along with their day? It hurts, feeling like you don't belong, feeling like there is something wrong with you in general. And for years, I believed them; so I tried to focus on the things that I wasn't. I always focused on the things that I saw as negative. Until I came across your music and just you in general. Ever since then, I've learnt to become more accepting of myself and learnt to focus on only the positive things in my life. So thank you for just being you. Continue to create your amazing music and I hope for all the best with you and your career!

Should I gave up? Or should I just keep chasing pavements? ECHOS. Ang lungkot ng thursday ko. Dahil sayo, punyeta ka. Anong nangyayare? Naiiyak ako. Huhuhuhu. May chix ka nanaman daw kanina. Tinext ako nung friend ko. Nakasalubong ka daw niya with some other girl. Pinanindigan mo na yung pagiging womanizer mo eh no? Douche. Tapos... tapos... di ka nagbabye. Ni hindi ka nga tumayo at tumingin eh. :( Huhuhu. Deputa ka 99 lvl. Haaaay.