Hello there!!
So, I am doing fairly well today. We just got back from a zone activity where we went to this place to see the Tsa´chilas, a native tribe here in Santo Domingo. It was pretty cool. We got to hike through the forest and such, we got to see how they do some things like make the skirts they wear, we learned that they're a peaceful, nomadic, hunter-gatherer tribe, and there are about 3000 of them in 7 different areas around here. It was pretty fun, and it was a good bonding experience for our zone.
This week has been a bit...mixed. We had a rather heated discussion among our companionship a few days ago because Elder Fernelius is having a respect problem, and it's not just with us, it's now spreading to other people. Oh, and the other elder in my photos was Elder Smith, the trainer, and he has 19 years...yeah, in Spanish you say, "Tiene 19 años," which translates to, "He has 19 years." My English and Spanish are crossing, so, yeah. Anyway, yeah, we had a rather heated discussion and Elder Fernelius still doesn't really like Elder Smith. Somehow they both still like me; even though I'm pretty much on Elder Smith's side, Elder Fernelius still at least will talk to me, so that's good. But yeah, our companionship has been going through a rough spot. Elder Fernelius doesn't seem to accept that he does things wrong, so that's a struggle, but we're trying to help him the best that we can. It's an ongoing task though.
We'll finally be having baptizms this next week, if all works out right. The funny thing is, I won't be here for them (I don't think) because an old investigator of mine in La Concordia wants me to baptize him, so I have to go back to Concordia Saturday for a bit. I'm excited though because he's an investigator that Elder Huarahuara and I found and taught, and they've gone through quite a few problems, and he had to wait for 6 weeks after his wife was baptized and have two interviews with two different mission presidents in order to get this baptizm, but he's stuck it out and is finally reaching his goal. I'm so incredibly happy for him, though it will be a little tough not beeing able to see our investigators here in Las Islas (that's my sector here in Sto. Domingo) get baptized, because Elder Larrea and I found them. It's just crazy all around, but it's crazy amazing.
Oh, so, through experimenting I have come up with the best pancake batter ever. They're so flavorful that a topping isn't even needed, though I still like to put blackberry jam on top of them (it's a whole lot cheaper than syrup). I'd give it to you guys, but honestly there isn't a set amount of any one ingredient. I just dump stuff in until it looks about right. But they are tasty. Also, turns out that making pancakes or french toast every morning for breakfast works out to about .50 cents a day for breakfast, which is darn cheap. So it's tasty and cost efficient! Huzzah!
I am very excited to hear about the trek that Jeffery and Elizabeth are going on. That seems like it'll be a ton of fun. Hopefully there will be a lot of chances for spiritual experiences, and hopefully they'll learn more skills, too.
I think I've been feeling the Spirit more this week than last. At least, that's what it seems like. There have been several times this week when the lesson came around to me to say something, and I really had no idea what to say, but I just open my mouth and words come out that work. That's definitely the Spirit working through me. It's such a good feeling, too. Also, even though we didn't have a lot of lessons this week, they were very good lessons for the most part. I am so thankful to have the Spirit to be with me.
However, with one "victory" comes another trial. This time it's trunkiness. Now don't go getting all worried, I'm not trunky as in pinning (pining?) over home all the time and wanting to come home. I recently heard that trunkiness could be called anytime that you're thinking about something that distracts you from the work here for some time. That got me thinking, and I think that I could be better in this aspect. I do frequently think of new things that I'd like to learn (something that I'm kinda learning right now is how to play the piano, but of course there aren't a lot of opportunities to practice or anything, and I'd love to learn another language after Spanish) or things that I'd like to cook (yeah, that seems a bit weird, doesn't it?), and I've realized that these things may be distracting me a bit. I could definitely work on thinking about my investigators more, but my mind seems to jump around a lot. I also find myself not really thinking about anything in particular. It's much more difficult than I thought to always be thinking of someone else, though in this case it's multiple people. I need to figure out how to do this, but I'm not sure how. I'll keep praying and studying about it though.
Well, I'm out of time basically, so I'll go for now. Oh, by the way, mail sent from Washington, D.C. gets here in about 5 days, so if you're ever in D.C. and want to send me a letter, I'll get it pretty quickly. Yeah, anyway, I love you all. I'm so proud of you, Madre, and all that you're doing to better your life in all aspects. Keep on keeping on with school...and then teach me how to study when I get back please! Thank you all for all of your support, and for all of your prayers.
I hope you all keep on being the best that you can be, and make sure to put aside time for your Heavenly Father, because He gave you this time. Just something to think about. Also, 2 Nephi 10:23-25 is one of my new favorite scriptures. I used it so many times this week. You're all free to choose! Remember that! I love you, and I'll talk to you next Monday, possibly from a new location! (Changes are next Sunday, so we'll see what happens.) Cuídense, ¿ya? Ciao!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
Monday, July 25, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
July 18, 2011
Hello everybody!
I'm doing fairly well today. We as a trio have gotten into the swing of things a bit more, and things are going smoother. The young one is still a bit headstrong, but there's a bit of hope for improvement. I think once he realizes that we're not trying to sell the Gospel to anyone things will go better (he used to be a pesticide sales guy, so he knows how to do sales well). We all get along fairly well, but Elder Fernelius is one of those kids that was probably really popular in school because his mom is from Guayaquil so he's half Ecuadorian. He'll learn eventually, and then we'll all get along a whole lot better. But if we don't, I'll probably be gone in about 2 weeks (the first week of August is transfers), and then...I'll probably be training someone just like him. Everyone says I'm going to be getting moved up, which is very probable, but we'll see.
Santo Domingo is very much more urbanized than La Concordia. It's like Colorado Springs, but...not. It's like Colorado Springs in size I guess, though it might be a bit smaller. I don't really know. I live in an apartment, and it's fairly nice except for the lack of hot water. Yeah, showers are an adventure, that's for sure. The sector is not nearly as open or receptive as La Concordia was though. We only have 4 baptizms lined up for the next month or so, and of those only 1 is really looking like she'll make it. So that's a bit depressing, but we've just gotta keep pressing on and finding more people.
Something that I feel like I could do more is listen to the promptings of the Spirit. Rather, look for those promptings more. Maybe I could study harder, maybe I could pray harder, I dunno, I just feel like there's something else that I could do to help me feel the Spirit even stronger. I'll keep praying for that though. I think that if I could recognize the Spirit even more then we could be able to find even more people.
So, one of my ongoing battles is finding out how to copy music onto my flash drive. I have it on there, but the problem is that it's in the wrong format. I need to change it to a different format so that it can play on my speakers. That's rather annoying, seeing as I have no idea how to do that. Blah. Hopefully I'll get it figured out so that I can actually listen to my music.
I'm very very glad that you're all doing well at home. Oh, I'll be sending a letter package home today because I didn't send one on Thursday. Hopefully you'll get it soon.
Oh, I'm including some photos of me with a machete because I promised that people would see me with a machete at some time. But why do I have a machete, and why am I in a house with it? Rather, why is it in our house? Well, that I don't know, but we were cleaning the house a bit today and noticed that the freezer was ridiculously frosted over. We almost couldn't put anything in the freezer due to the amount of ice. So we tried chipping out some of it with a butter knife, but it started to bend. Next we tried a pot lid, but that is rather dented now. Then I found the machete, and now the freezer has been de-iced. Machetes work for absolutely any manual labor that you could think of, basically. They're amazing tools.
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Missions are tiring. I am re-realizing that every day. I sleep so well now, and it's because we must walk 20 miles a day. Okay, maybe not...maybe yes...I don't know actually. I just know that we walk a ton. It's rather ridiculous sometimes how much we walk.
So, I don't really have much else to say. I hope you all are doing well and growing, especially spiritually. I love you all, and keep on keeping on! Cuídense!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
I'm doing fairly well today. We as a trio have gotten into the swing of things a bit more, and things are going smoother. The young one is still a bit headstrong, but there's a bit of hope for improvement. I think once he realizes that we're not trying to sell the Gospel to anyone things will go better (he used to be a pesticide sales guy, so he knows how to do sales well). We all get along fairly well, but Elder Fernelius is one of those kids that was probably really popular in school because his mom is from Guayaquil so he's half Ecuadorian. He'll learn eventually, and then we'll all get along a whole lot better. But if we don't, I'll probably be gone in about 2 weeks (the first week of August is transfers), and then...I'll probably be training someone just like him. Everyone says I'm going to be getting moved up, which is very probable, but we'll see.
Santo Domingo is very much more urbanized than La Concordia. It's like Colorado Springs, but...not. It's like Colorado Springs in size I guess, though it might be a bit smaller. I don't really know. I live in an apartment, and it's fairly nice except for the lack of hot water. Yeah, showers are an adventure, that's for sure. The sector is not nearly as open or receptive as La Concordia was though. We only have 4 baptizms lined up for the next month or so, and of those only 1 is really looking like she'll make it. So that's a bit depressing, but we've just gotta keep pressing on and finding more people.
Something that I feel like I could do more is listen to the promptings of the Spirit. Rather, look for those promptings more. Maybe I could study harder, maybe I could pray harder, I dunno, I just feel like there's something else that I could do to help me feel the Spirit even stronger. I'll keep praying for that though. I think that if I could recognize the Spirit even more then we could be able to find even more people.
So, one of my ongoing battles is finding out how to copy music onto my flash drive. I have it on there, but the problem is that it's in the wrong format. I need to change it to a different format so that it can play on my speakers. That's rather annoying, seeing as I have no idea how to do that. Blah. Hopefully I'll get it figured out so that I can actually listen to my music.
I'm very very glad that you're all doing well at home. Oh, I'll be sending a letter package home today because I didn't send one on Thursday. Hopefully you'll get it soon.
Oh, I'm including some photos of me with a machete because I promised that people would see me with a machete at some time. But why do I have a machete, and why am I in a house with it? Rather, why is it in our house? Well, that I don't know, but we were cleaning the house a bit today and noticed that the freezer was ridiculously frosted over. We almost couldn't put anything in the freezer due to the amount of ice. So we tried chipping out some of it with a butter knife, but it started to bend. Next we tried a pot lid, but that is rather dented now. Then I found the machete, and now the freezer has been de-iced. Machetes work for absolutely any manual labor that you could think of, basically. They're amazing tools.
Missions are tiring. I am re-realizing that every day. I sleep so well now, and it's because we must walk 20 miles a day. Okay, maybe not...maybe yes...I don't know actually. I just know that we walk a ton. It's rather ridiculous sometimes how much we walk.
So, I don't really have much else to say. I hope you all are doing well and growing, especially spiritually. I love you all, and keep on keeping on! Cuídense!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
Monday, July 11, 2011
Where in Ecuador is Elder Schomburg?
Hello all!
This week has indeed been rather crazy, but everything is going well. I am currently in Santo Domingo and in a trio with Elders Smith and Fernelius. Both are from the States, and Elder Smith is training Elder Fernelius, and now I'm training him too I guess. It's all rather strange, because up until yesterday I was still in a companionship with Elder Larrea. Saturday I was in an interchange with Elder Buckland, so I was in La Concordia for the night. Sunday morning we got a call that someone had called the mission president to tell him that Elder Larrea was in jail for stealing, even though he really wasn't. So President Ghent decided to change Elder Larrea to Quito for his safety or something, and this occurred while I was still in La Concordia. So for a bit I was companionless, though I was still physically with Elder Buckland. But now I'm with Elders Smith and Fernelius until at least the end of the month when we might have more changes. Whew. Yeah. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Elder Larrea before he had to go! That was a bit saddening. Oh well. Hopefully he'll actually be able to finish out his mission (all 20 days that he has left). So yeah, that's what's happened to me this week.
I was very glad to hear that Dad got to go to the St. George Temple. That sounds like a rather amazing experience. I miss the temple a bit, so I'll have to make it a priority to go when I get back. But for now, I'll focus on helping in saving the people here.
Huzzah for starting classes Mom! That sounds exciting. It'll definitely be a bit challenging, but it'll be worth it. I hope that you are able to find time to do everything that you need to do. I'm still kinda learning how to study, so hopefully you can find out how to do so sooner than I. You're doing amazing things Mom. I'm very very proud of you.
I've been asked to share a personal experience with feeling the Spirit or receiving comfort or something through prayer. Well, that's a bit hard for me right now. I can't remember anything specifically at this moment. Many times when I'm feeling down or discouraged all I have to do is say a little prayer in my heart and I almost immediately feel better. I know when that happens it's because my Heavenly Father is sending me His love and comfort. It's always amazing and incredible for me to feel that feeling, especially because it's so strong and so immediate. I know without a doubt that there is a Heavenly Father, and that he is always looking out for us. It doesn't matter how sad you are or how much strength you need, He is always there to freely impart upon us. Also, if your "mamita" makes a soup that is a bit tough to completely finish, you can always say a personal prayer while you're walking to lunch that you'll be able to recoginize the blessing of the food and that you'll be able to eat all of it, and then somehow at the end of lunch, you won't have anything left in your bowl or on your plate. He will answer absolutely all of your prayers if you have enough faith.
I'll be having a trial these next couple of weeks I'm thinking. Elder Fernelius is a bit...headstrong I guess you could say. Since I'm kinda like his father-in-law now, his training is now on my shoulders as well. He's one that kinda needs to be kept on a short leash, because if you give him an inch he will walk all over you and you won't be able to get anything done. He's a tad...prideful I guess you could say. He hasn't been in the mission long (this week will complete one month for him I think...maybe less), so he still needs to humble himself a bit. But I'm sure that Elder Smith and I will find a way to help him out.
Well, I need to go. I got a lot of pouch this week. A lot. So, I'm gonna be a bit behind (even more so), but the letters will get written. Thank you all for writing to me. Oh, the address for the offices changed. Letters and packages should now be sent to;
Misión Ecuador Quito
Calle Robles E4-515 y Ave. Amazonas
Casilla: 17-03-078
Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
Thank you everyone! I'll send a letter package this Thursday. I love you all, and I can't wait to hear from you again. Cuídense!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
This week has indeed been rather crazy, but everything is going well. I am currently in Santo Domingo and in a trio with Elders Smith and Fernelius. Both are from the States, and Elder Smith is training Elder Fernelius, and now I'm training him too I guess. It's all rather strange, because up until yesterday I was still in a companionship with Elder Larrea. Saturday I was in an interchange with Elder Buckland, so I was in La Concordia for the night. Sunday morning we got a call that someone had called the mission president to tell him that Elder Larrea was in jail for stealing, even though he really wasn't. So President Ghent decided to change Elder Larrea to Quito for his safety or something, and this occurred while I was still in La Concordia. So for a bit I was companionless, though I was still physically with Elder Buckland. But now I'm with Elders Smith and Fernelius until at least the end of the month when we might have more changes. Whew. Yeah. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Elder Larrea before he had to go! That was a bit saddening. Oh well. Hopefully he'll actually be able to finish out his mission (all 20 days that he has left). So yeah, that's what's happened to me this week.
I was very glad to hear that Dad got to go to the St. George Temple. That sounds like a rather amazing experience. I miss the temple a bit, so I'll have to make it a priority to go when I get back. But for now, I'll focus on helping in saving the people here.
Huzzah for starting classes Mom! That sounds exciting. It'll definitely be a bit challenging, but it'll be worth it. I hope that you are able to find time to do everything that you need to do. I'm still kinda learning how to study, so hopefully you can find out how to do so sooner than I. You're doing amazing things Mom. I'm very very proud of you.
I've been asked to share a personal experience with feeling the Spirit or receiving comfort or something through prayer. Well, that's a bit hard for me right now. I can't remember anything specifically at this moment. Many times when I'm feeling down or discouraged all I have to do is say a little prayer in my heart and I almost immediately feel better. I know when that happens it's because my Heavenly Father is sending me His love and comfort. It's always amazing and incredible for me to feel that feeling, especially because it's so strong and so immediate. I know without a doubt that there is a Heavenly Father, and that he is always looking out for us. It doesn't matter how sad you are or how much strength you need, He is always there to freely impart upon us. Also, if your "mamita" makes a soup that is a bit tough to completely finish, you can always say a personal prayer while you're walking to lunch that you'll be able to recoginize the blessing of the food and that you'll be able to eat all of it, and then somehow at the end of lunch, you won't have anything left in your bowl or on your plate. He will answer absolutely all of your prayers if you have enough faith.
I'll be having a trial these next couple of weeks I'm thinking. Elder Fernelius is a bit...headstrong I guess you could say. Since I'm kinda like his father-in-law now, his training is now on my shoulders as well. He's one that kinda needs to be kept on a short leash, because if you give him an inch he will walk all over you and you won't be able to get anything done. He's a tad...prideful I guess you could say. He hasn't been in the mission long (this week will complete one month for him I think...maybe less), so he still needs to humble himself a bit. But I'm sure that Elder Smith and I will find a way to help him out.
Well, I need to go. I got a lot of pouch this week. A lot. So, I'm gonna be a bit behind (even more so), but the letters will get written. Thank you all for writing to me. Oh, the address for the offices changed. Letters and packages should now be sent to;
Misión Ecuador Quito
Calle Robles E4-515 y Ave. Amazonas
Casilla: 17-03-078
Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
Thank you everyone! I'll send a letter package this Thursday. I love you all, and I can't wait to hear from you again. Cuídense!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Happy Independence Day!!!
Hello all!
Happy 4th of July!! I hope everyone has gone all-out patriotic this year. I would if I could, but I'm kinda in Ecuador, so I can't really do that so much. Funny thing is, I'm a lot more patriotic here than I ever was in the States. I guess I just realized how good I had it in the States and how amazing it really is to be an American, so I'm now a very patriotic guy.
This week I'm doing pretty well. As a companionship we're doing pretty well, too. We have 11 people with a baptismal date between now and the 23rd, and potentially 19 if we can get them to go to church these next two weeks. But, we might not be here for the next two weeks, and that's because recently (as in yesterday), we've been receiving some problems from the ex-boyfriend of the young lady that we baptized this Saturday. She broke up with the guy about 3 days before her baptizm because he wasn't a good influence on her and she realized that, and he was pressuring her to not get baptized and such. Well, that's not so bad, right? Well, turns out that this guy also recently offered to teach our investigator (now recent convert!!) how to use guns, which is all fine and well too. But...yesterday he found Elder Buckland and said that he's been looking all around town for us (Elder Larrea and me) so that he can talk to Elder Larrea one-on-one. That's a tad worrisome, so we're stuck in Santo Domingo for at least 2 days while the new mission president decides what to do with us. It's very probable that Elder Larrea will be getting a transfer somewhere, and there's a chance that I will too. I'd be happier about that, but we have a lot of progressing investigators right now, and if we leave the new missionaries won't be able to find our investigators. (By the way, there's no such thing as a street address here. Well, in La Concordia. The streets don't have names, and the houses don't have numbers. It's rather inconvenient.) So yeah, excitingness! I'm spending my 4th of July on the run from a heartbroken and possibly armed man! Woo! Haha, but such is the life of a missionary. At least I haven't been robbed yet or anything. I'm not worried or anything though. I know that I haven't done anything wrong, that I've been doing my best to keep all the commandments, and so I will have the Holy Ghost to be with me, and I'll be watched over. I'm here doing the Lord's work, and I'm doing it with all my heart, so I will be protected. Like Alma, I'm not boasting of myself, rather of my God. He will protect me because He has made a promise with me that He will if I keep his commandments, and I've been doing my best to keep the commandments, and repenting when I've fallen short in some way, so I will be protected. Also, I know I have several people praying for me, and every pray helps. Thank you all!
How's the weather here...well, right now in Sto. Domingo it's overcast and slightly cooler, though I imagine in La Concordia it's overcast and hot. It's always the same. Mostly overcast all day, and hot. If it's Sunday, there're still clouds in the sky, but they'll never cover the sun, and the sun will bake you alive all day, and staying awake during your lessons will be the biggest challenge of the day. That's just how Sundays are. And that's how it will always be, forever and ever, because we're in Ecuador and the weather never changes. I'm starting to realize what it'd be like to be Adam in the Garden of Eden, always having perfect weather all the time, and I would have eaten the fruit too, if only for a change of scenery.
I need to give a big shout out to my lovely and wonderful mother, whom recently became a Take Shape For Life Health Coach and has lost almost 46 pounds since I left! Good job madre! I am very proud of you. I know what you're doing isn't easy, but the rewards are definitely worth it. Maybe we can run a 5k together when I get back. That'd be pretty awesome, I'm thinking. Maybe not right when I get back (January isn't the greatest time for doing 5ks), but let's do one at some time, okay?
Ah, to ask a question submitted by Robby: to be honest, I don't drink a lot of water, and if I do it's bottled. I usually drink soda (which is why I've been gordando, and which I'll be changing this week along with my new workout routine that I've actually been following; when a gringo tells you you're gordando, it's time to repent of your ways and start working out.) or I drink juice. I'd tell you the types of juice, but I'm still not quite sure the names of most of them. A popular one is guaca, which looks rather repulsive but is actually quite tasty.
I was very happy to hear that there was a Relief Society meeting where someone said that life can be hard, because you're darn straight that life can be hard. I wouldn't have it any other way though. If life was perfect all the time, how would we progress? How would we realize whom we can become? How would we learn anything? How would we enjoy life? There's a reason that life is hard. If it wasn't hard, how would we know if we have a testimony? A testimony only comes after the trial of our faith, after all. How would we enjoy the simple pleasures in life if all we ever knew was perfectness? Do you guys know what is amazing? Having carpet. Drinking out of the tap. Grass (as green as it is here, there's not really grass. Weird, huh?). Spaghetti. If life wasn't hard, we wouldn't know the blessings of those things. We should all strive to be like a grape vine. Do you know how to get a really good crop of grapes? You don't prune the vines all nice and neat. No, you have to hack them to pieces, and then they grow back even fuller and more bountiful than before. Let's take every bad situation that we're faced with and try to find the good in it, no matter how bleak things look. There's always something good about every situation. Many times it will be that we need to rely on the Lord more, or that the commandments are not restrictions, but are rather guidelines for the happiest life possible. So let's persevere through the hard times, and let the Lord stretch us and test us. After all, this life is a life of probation, a time to be tested and to see if we're worthy to enter into the presence of our Heavenly Father again. I would exhort all of you to keep on keeping on, and when you feel like you can't, remember to read 2 Nephi 4 (all of it, but the last verses are the best). The Lord will be with us through all of our afflictions and while we wander through our deserts. Trust in Him. Isn't He the reason we have this nation, too? Are we not "one nation, under God"? Keep on keeping on everyone, and relish the tests and trials.
I love you all! I'm glad to hear that you're doing well, and that you're keeping busy (my family is at least; I don't know much about the rest of you because the pouch system here isn't exactly a racing snail (woo obscure movie reference!). Keep writing, and I'll keep doing my best to respond. I love you all, and I wish you all a very happy 4th of July. Bye!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
Happy 4th of July!! I hope everyone has gone all-out patriotic this year. I would if I could, but I'm kinda in Ecuador, so I can't really do that so much. Funny thing is, I'm a lot more patriotic here than I ever was in the States. I guess I just realized how good I had it in the States and how amazing it really is to be an American, so I'm now a very patriotic guy.
This week I'm doing pretty well. As a companionship we're doing pretty well, too. We have 11 people with a baptismal date between now and the 23rd, and potentially 19 if we can get them to go to church these next two weeks. But, we might not be here for the next two weeks, and that's because recently (as in yesterday), we've been receiving some problems from the ex-boyfriend of the young lady that we baptized this Saturday. She broke up with the guy about 3 days before her baptizm because he wasn't a good influence on her and she realized that, and he was pressuring her to not get baptized and such. Well, that's not so bad, right? Well, turns out that this guy also recently offered to teach our investigator (now recent convert!!) how to use guns, which is all fine and well too. But...yesterday he found Elder Buckland and said that he's been looking all around town for us (Elder Larrea and me) so that he can talk to Elder Larrea one-on-one. That's a tad worrisome, so we're stuck in Santo Domingo for at least 2 days while the new mission president decides what to do with us. It's very probable that Elder Larrea will be getting a transfer somewhere, and there's a chance that I will too. I'd be happier about that, but we have a lot of progressing investigators right now, and if we leave the new missionaries won't be able to find our investigators. (By the way, there's no such thing as a street address here. Well, in La Concordia. The streets don't have names, and the houses don't have numbers. It's rather inconvenient.) So yeah, excitingness! I'm spending my 4th of July on the run from a heartbroken and possibly armed man! Woo! Haha, but such is the life of a missionary. At least I haven't been robbed yet or anything. I'm not worried or anything though. I know that I haven't done anything wrong, that I've been doing my best to keep all the commandments, and so I will have the Holy Ghost to be with me, and I'll be watched over. I'm here doing the Lord's work, and I'm doing it with all my heart, so I will be protected. Like Alma, I'm not boasting of myself, rather of my God. He will protect me because He has made a promise with me that He will if I keep his commandments, and I've been doing my best to keep the commandments, and repenting when I've fallen short in some way, so I will be protected. Also, I know I have several people praying for me, and every pray helps. Thank you all!
How's the weather here...well, right now in Sto. Domingo it's overcast and slightly cooler, though I imagine in La Concordia it's overcast and hot. It's always the same. Mostly overcast all day, and hot. If it's Sunday, there're still clouds in the sky, but they'll never cover the sun, and the sun will bake you alive all day, and staying awake during your lessons will be the biggest challenge of the day. That's just how Sundays are. And that's how it will always be, forever and ever, because we're in Ecuador and the weather never changes. I'm starting to realize what it'd be like to be Adam in the Garden of Eden, always having perfect weather all the time, and I would have eaten the fruit too, if only for a change of scenery.
I need to give a big shout out to my lovely and wonderful mother, whom recently became a Take Shape For Life Health Coach and has lost almost 46 pounds since I left! Good job madre! I am very proud of you. I know what you're doing isn't easy, but the rewards are definitely worth it. Maybe we can run a 5k together when I get back. That'd be pretty awesome, I'm thinking. Maybe not right when I get back (January isn't the greatest time for doing 5ks), but let's do one at some time, okay?
Ah, to ask a question submitted by Robby: to be honest, I don't drink a lot of water, and if I do it's bottled. I usually drink soda (which is why I've been gordando, and which I'll be changing this week along with my new workout routine that I've actually been following; when a gringo tells you you're gordando, it's time to repent of your ways and start working out.) or I drink juice. I'd tell you the types of juice, but I'm still not quite sure the names of most of them. A popular one is guaca, which looks rather repulsive but is actually quite tasty.
I was very happy to hear that there was a Relief Society meeting where someone said that life can be hard, because you're darn straight that life can be hard. I wouldn't have it any other way though. If life was perfect all the time, how would we progress? How would we realize whom we can become? How would we learn anything? How would we enjoy life? There's a reason that life is hard. If it wasn't hard, how would we know if we have a testimony? A testimony only comes after the trial of our faith, after all. How would we enjoy the simple pleasures in life if all we ever knew was perfectness? Do you guys know what is amazing? Having carpet. Drinking out of the tap. Grass (as green as it is here, there's not really grass. Weird, huh?). Spaghetti. If life wasn't hard, we wouldn't know the blessings of those things. We should all strive to be like a grape vine. Do you know how to get a really good crop of grapes? You don't prune the vines all nice and neat. No, you have to hack them to pieces, and then they grow back even fuller and more bountiful than before. Let's take every bad situation that we're faced with and try to find the good in it, no matter how bleak things look. There's always something good about every situation. Many times it will be that we need to rely on the Lord more, or that the commandments are not restrictions, but are rather guidelines for the happiest life possible. So let's persevere through the hard times, and let the Lord stretch us and test us. After all, this life is a life of probation, a time to be tested and to see if we're worthy to enter into the presence of our Heavenly Father again. I would exhort all of you to keep on keeping on, and when you feel like you can't, remember to read 2 Nephi 4 (all of it, but the last verses are the best). The Lord will be with us through all of our afflictions and while we wander through our deserts. Trust in Him. Isn't He the reason we have this nation, too? Are we not "one nation, under God"? Keep on keeping on everyone, and relish the tests and trials.
I love you all! I'm glad to hear that you're doing well, and that you're keeping busy (my family is at least; I don't know much about the rest of you because the pouch system here isn't exactly a racing snail (woo obscure movie reference!). Keep writing, and I'll keep doing my best to respond. I love you all, and I wish you all a very happy 4th of July. Bye!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
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