¿Qué tal mis queridos?

Knowing a second language comes in handy when you need to come up with a creative salutation.
I am doing rather well today. Today started out trying to be a bad day, but I decided that I didn't want it to be a bad day, and so far it hasn't been a bad day, and now I'm doing rather well. This week was an okay week. It wasn't particularly successful or anything, but we do have a progressing family right now who are very interested in the Gospel and everything, so that's good. What made this week good was that I tried my best and I accepted that what I did was what God wanted me to do, and I'm a bit happier with this attitude. I'm still working on becoming better, but I've found more strength trusting in that if I do what I can it will be what God wants of me. [His English is certainly starting to suffer! haha]

Yesterday we had our stake conference, but it was different than any other stake conference that I've had because the talks were given by Elder Nash from the Seventy, Sister Cook from the Primary Presidency, and Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Richard G. Scott of the Quorom of the Twelve. It was via satellite of course, but it was still wonderful to be able to hear from them and receive revelation directed directly at us in Ecuador. What really stuck out to me was from Elder Scott's talk in which he talked about the sacredness of women and how they truly are daughters of God and what that means to all of us. It really helped me to realize even more that women have a divine role here on earth, and that even though we are all equals and in our families the woman is neither in front of the man nor the man in front of the woman, we need to respect women as the daughters of God that they truly are. It was a really good talk.

Hey, so I have a question for my immediate family members; are you holding Family Home Evenings? If not, now would be a wonderful time to start. I know how hard it can be to see anyone from the family for any amount of time these days, and we all seem to be much too busy. Family Home Evening can be that time in which you set apart to strengthen the family, to have fun, and to be taught from on high. It doesn't have to be Monday night; it can be any night of the week. But it really is super incredibly important that you can start having Family Home Evenings now and prepare yourselves for whatever comes your way.

Uhhh...I had more to say, dangit! Sometimes the train of my thought derails and goes straight off the cliff. Okay, I guess I'll explain the picture a bit. Those are the socks of a missionary after 15 months in the mission, and those are a "good" pair of the originals that I brought from home. See guys?? I am working!! Yeah!! Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, Wigwam socks (not pictured) are the best missionary socks ever. EVER.

Oh hey, the train had just taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque. [Bugs Bunny reference] I've found that the hardest thing for me these last couple of months will be fighting trunkiness. It hit me the other day that I only have 9 months left in the mission. That's not much time at all. I basically have to turn the corner and then I'll be on the home stretch. Snap. Satan is working at me hard. I've been missing friends and family a bit more recently, and the days really are flying by. I just need to stay focused and keep trying to find people to teach and I'll be good, but man! Is it hard. Grr.

Talking about enduring to the end, you keep going Jeffrey! The end's in sight, but it's not there yet. You're in the last 20 feet, so give it one more good surge and take the gold! Yeah!!

Well, I think that's about all that I have for today. I love all of you! Don't forget to keep me updated on stuff, and that's not directed only at my family (hint hint hint). I hope you are all healthy and strong and that you're doing your absolute best to follow Christ. I love you! Have a fantastical week.

Love,
Elder Schomburg

Sunshiny day

Hello my lovelies!

And how is everyone doing on this wonderful day? I am doing well. Elder Vega and I made tacos today, and I got nice and full from them, so that makes me happy. I do so love Mexican food. Also, I'm starting to really take a liking to hot sauce, especially Olé passion fruit hot sauce, which is a hot sauce made right here in Ecuador! Yay! It's darn tasty, especially on tacos.

This week seemed to pass by kind of slowly in the first couple of days, but then it flew by, and before I knew it, it was today, and today is basically over too. I just don't know what's happening to the time. There doesn't seem to be enough of it, and what there is is gone in the blink of an eye. I'm down to single digit months until I come home! Snaps!! 9 months and I'll be back in the grand ol' United States, and I'll have no idea what to do with myself. Haha but I'll deal with that when I get to it. There's still a few days before I get there.

I really don't know if I have much to say this week. We're trying to find people to teach and we're having a bit of luck, but we definitely need to find more people. I'm still trying my best to be a good missionary, but it's taking me a bit to realize that I'll never be a perfect missionary. That part doesn't want to sink down into my head, but I'm trying to accept it. I think, after receiving a bit of advice from my wonderful madre, that I'll be trying to focus less on what I'm not doing and what I haven't developed yet to seeing how far I've come and being grateful for all of the refining that Heavenly Father has done with me. He certainly has done quite a job on me. Just think; a bit more than three years ago and I wasn't even sure if God existed. A bit more than two years ago and I didn't really have any desires to serve a mission, and I didn't really know who Christ was/is. And now I'm a champion for Christ. I am His faithful warrior, and I am doing my best to bring others to the true knowledge of who He is and what their relationship is with Him. I'm doing my best to be a good person, when I used to not even really care who I was. I'd say that God has certainly worked a miracle in my life.

So, I don't really feel like writing anything too terribly spiritual today. Además, I don't have a bunch of time. Two things that have been on my mind lately; having my own family and Mustangs. I really, really, really want both, but more so my own family, and especially a daughter. I don't know why I've been having cravings to have my own family and a daughter, but I have, and I thought I'd share that. And none of you are surprised at all that I want a Mustang, and I know why I want one; I'm a gearhead and a pure-blood American, and there isn't a car more American and more gearhead-y than the Mustang. So, yep.

Well, I'll be going for now. Oh, check out my new glasses! They have Transitions lenses, which are handy and pretty chevere. Well, I love all of you very much and am very grateful for your support. Have a wonderful and fabtabulous week, and don't forget to write! Oh, and madre, if you send a package in the future (near or far), could you please include my apron that Dad bought me? It's tricky to make guacamole and not get avocado all over the front of your pants without an apron. Thanks! I love you!

Love,
Elder Schomburg

Three baptisms!!!

Hello to all, and to all a "hello"!

I promise that I wasn't writing at 2 AM last week. It might be because of the photos, but who knows. Así es Ecuador. I am doing fairly well this day. I went and finally got an eye exam and bought glasses, which will be ready Wednesday, so in a couple of days I'll be able to see again! Huzzah! This week we had three baptisms! It was very wonderful, and I'd love to send photos (because I have a few to send), but this computer doesn't want to read my SD card. Oh well. So we had three baptisms, but we didn't have any investigators come to church this week, which was kind of our fault I'd say. We didn't do our part to go by them or call them, and we should have planned ahead because we knew that our baptisms were going to be on Sunday morning. So, we shall learn from this and we shall do all that's possible this week to help our investigators attend church.

Congratulations to Elizabeth and her play! I'm sure that she did wonderfully and that she is an incredible actress. I can't wait to be able to see her in real life.

Also, congratulations to Jeffrey for being able to graduate with three years of credit from Seminary! That's pretty darn incredible. That will really serve you when you're on your mission Jeffrey. Just don't forget to continually study the Scriptures, because if you don't try to keep that knowledge, you'll loose it quick.

I've been really affected by the hardness of some of our investigators hearts these weeks. Well, they're kind of investigators. Anyway, during one lesson we watched a video called "Treasure in Heaven: The Story of John Tanner", which affects anyone who is able to feel the Spirit. We were watching it with a member family, but the husband of one of the daughters is very Catholic. When we asked him if he had any comment on the video, he said no, but in such a way that made it very clear that he did not want and would not talk to us while were there. I was left horribly saddened and fairly incredulous, because that movie makes me cry almost every time. Next we had an experience with a family that is Evangelist. We taught two lessons that were very powerful and in which you could see that the family felt that our words were true, but in the end they just didn't accept anything, and made it very clear that they would only receive us because they don't believe that they should turn away any type of missionary. Then, last night, we had another lesson in which the husband is very, very Catholic. He believes very much in the Virgin Mary and in the Child King Jesus, and he is basically imposing his religion on his family. We had taught his wife and his daughter twice before and they accepted a baptismal date de uno (at once), but this third time the wife had decided that because her husband was so Catholic that she couldn't be baptized any time soon. We taught him, and again it was a incredibly powerful lesson, but again we received the same answer as the Evangelist family. Those lessons made me so incredibly sad. We have all of the truth, and I know that only through the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ can anyone return to his Father in Heaven, and these people are so set in their ways that they won't accept the truth even when the Holy Ghost testifies to them. It frustrates me a little bit, especially when the whole reason that I'm here is to help people receive the same blessings that I have received and have the promise of receiving. Sigh. I guess all I can do is keep on trying and being patient with them. Not everyone is a "golden" investigator.

Well, not much time left. I hope that all is well with everyone. Oh, as you'll see, I figured out how to put on pictures, so enjoy! I love all of you very much, and I hope that you will all do your best to come closer to the Lord and learn His ways. I love you! ¡Chao!

Love,
Elder Schomburg

Here in Santa Ana

Hey guys!

Hey, it's been 6 weeks since I first came here to Santa Ana. And you know how I know that? Because today was changes! No worries, I'm still here in Santa Ana, but Elder Rodriguez no longer is. I'm now with Elder Vega from Mexico. He's really young in the mission, but he became zone leader in his third change, so I assume he's a pretty good missionary. (It's about his 6th change now I believe, btw.) I'm now the senior zone leader, but that doesn't really mean much. We both do the exact same things and share all the same responsibilities, so there wasn't really a change, except that I have about twice as much experience as he does. So...yeah!

I'm glad to hear that a good Easter was had by the family back home. Easter here was a bit disappointing, to tell you the truth. The talks in Church were assigned last minute (one brother literally didn't know that he was going to be called to give a talk until they announced it), so they were a bit lacking, but that happens every now and again.

Something mi madre wrote me really had an impact on me: "Be patient with yourself and know that He will be patient with you, too." I have definitely been feeling like I haven't made Father very proud as of late, but I need to be patient with myself because Father will be patient with me as long as I'm trying my best to do what He would have me do. He knows, and so do many others, that I'm imperfect, and in truth very far from perfection. He knows that I won't reach perfection in this life, but that it will take eons to reach perfection. But He is patient with me and loves me through all of my struggles and through all of my shortcomings. He will always give me help if I'm worthy of it, and He will always be there to comfort me when I fail and fall. But I gotta keep doing my part, and hopefully my part will be good enough. I'm reminded of the words of a very intelligent fish: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!"

Oh, before I forget, and thanks to my planner and past-me for reminding me, but Madre! It's perfectly fine to send me photos through email. Also, I didn't get glasses today because I have been running from the south to the north and back of Quito leaving and picking up companions, so the next week Imma get glasses, 'cause I'm tired of being blind. Grr.

Grumpy Elder

Nah.... just goofy Elder!

Surprisingly, I don't have a lot to say today. Oh wait...maybe I do. Let's see. The other night we were teaching a member/less-active/non-member family, and we watched the movie "Treasure in Heaven: The Story of John Tanner", which is a movie that will affect anyone who can feel the Spirit. Well, sadly, there are some people who are so closed and so hard-hearted that they cannot feel the Spirit that well. The spouse of the less-active daughter in the family is one of those more hard-hearted people. We watched the movie, and we asked if he had any comment at all, and he basically told us that we shouldn't even try to talk to him. Later we invited his less-active wife to attend Church, and he immediately said, "I don't think that'll be possible. We're Catholic." First, only he is Catholic, and second, I really get bugged when people make decisions for other people that are as important as their personal salvation. He just didn't even want to feel the Spirit. That made me so terribly sad. I haven't really seen anyone as hard-hearted as him, and I felt so sad that he didn't even have a desire to know anything. I just hope that at some day his heart will soften and he'll be more receptive to the Spirit.

And to those of you who don't/haven't close(ed) yourself off completely, congratulations! You have sufficient humility to learn, even if it is only a small bit. Alma, a prophet of the Americas who lived during the writing of the Book of Mormon, said:

26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than ^adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a ^aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a ^bseed may be planted in your ^cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your ^dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to ^eenlighten my ^funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."  Alma 32:26-28

If anyone is at least willing to try that "seed", and to nourish little by little, it will grow and will bear fruit. If you will, receive that seed, and nourish it so that you might come unto Christ.

Well, I'm almost out of time. I love all of you so very much. I'm so grateful and glad that I know you and for all of the support that you have shown me. I hope that this week is wonderful for you. Chao!

Adventure awaits!

Love,
Elder Schomburg

Don't lose sight of the Light of the World

Hello one and all!!

And this day finds me very well, and I hope the same can be said of all of you! Today we haven't really done anything at all, which is okay! We went grocery shopping, to the offices to pick up pouch (hey, I got some! And from some dear friends that I haven't heard from in a while, too!!), and...that's about it. Yay, a day to relax! Those are always nice, and all too infrequent in the mission. So yep, that's how today's gone.

Well, the truth, this week, and the past couple of weeks, have been rather difficult for me. I've really kinda felt like I haven't been living up to my missionary purpose, but now I have nowhere to go but up, so I'm at a good place in my life. :) General Conference really helped. I especially loved the Priesthood session, which really made me want to truly magnify the Priesthood which I hold and to bless the people that I have been sent to bless. All of the sessions were fantastic, and I got to watch almost all of them in English! I didn't get to see the first session in English, and half of the 4th session was in Spanish because too many people came for us North Americans to be able to watch it in English, but that's okay. What really affected me the most was during the prayer at the end of the first session. I felt such great gratitude for being able to feel the Holy Ghost in my life now. For such a long time I was so far away from being able to feel His presence in my life, but not I can feel the Holy Ghost and enjoy receiving testimonies of the truth with frequency. It is such an incredible feeling, and I was was so grateful that I definitely cried. I may have also cried during most of the hymns, which were all so amazing, gorgeous, and spiritual. At the end of every day, I remember walking back out into the world and thinking, "Dang. I don't like the world so much." The Spirit and feeling His presence is just so refreshing and uplifting, and to walk from one spiritually-enriched environment to a spiritually-deprived environment was almost depressing. But I'm going to do my best to make that ratio a little bit smaller and to bring a bit more of the Spirit to those who are deprived of Him.

Every week I think of something cultural that I want to share, and then I forget it...oh wait! I remembered it! It's a dish here that is served on every street corner and every restaurant, and everywhere in between. It's called cuero, which, being translated literally means "leather". What the dish is isn't too terribly far from it's translation. It's pig skin that has been boiled and cooked, and it's served with many, many things, though usually in a soup or cebiche. I personally am not a fan of it, and basically any other missionary isn't really a fan, but Ecuadorians seem to love it. So now you know.

Basillica

Well, now I must be going. Darn, 30 minutes goes by way too fast, but así es. I love you all, and I am so very grateful to know all of you and to be supported by all of you. I hope that this Easter weekend all of you can remember why it is that we celebrate Easter. I testify that Christ broke the bonds of death and was resurrected so that each and every one of us could also receive this great gift of immortality and the opportunity to gain eternal life. I know that if it were not for Christ's Resurrection, we would never be able to return to the presence of God, and our bodies and spirits would be eternally separated, to never again be joined. But now, because Christ was "the firstfruits of those that slept", we can all become like our Heavenly Father and our Saviour and live with our families eternally. For this we celebrate Easter, and while the chocolate and such is tasty, let us not lose sight of the Light of the World in this time. I love you, and have a wonderful time until next week!

It's all about perspective!

That is one tired Elder!

Love,
Elder Schomburg