It`s been a great week here in Ibarra, even though we haven`t had that much time to work in our sector because of changes and such (I actually had to travel to Quito and spend the night with the mission nurse, Hermana Barret to pick up my new companion, it was quite pleasant, Hermana Barret`s house has carpet, hot water, a good smell, mirrors etc. I literally feel like if the mission was my epic Lord of the Ring journey, Hermana Barret`s house would be Rivendale). But anyway! I traveled with another Hermana who was going to be trainer as well, Hermana Espinoza, and we got robbed on the bus.. also amidst the confusion, I left my suitcase in the cargo holder.. and when I realized this, the bus had left. So we made a little bus chase via taxi and were able by some miracle to find my suitcase which had some pretty important stuff like my journal and toothbrush. Any way! Crazy week… but definitely worth it, because now I have a brand new companion!
Her name is Hermana Pinto, and she is from Lima Peru.
She`s super beautiful, has excellent style, and a strong testimony. She spent a lot of time before her mission accompanying the missionaries in her home ward, so she basically came preprepared. Also she knows English!! Woot woot! I am helping her now, have better pronunciation, I am convinced that she`s going to be perfectly fluent by the end of our 12 semanas.
Anyway! Back to business! We have a few investigators with baptismal dates:
David C. – David is 17 years old and wasn`t able to come to church this Sunday but he has a baptismal date set for the 12thof July. He is still really excited, just a little stressed about exams coming up.
Marco B. –Marco is a new investigator that accepted a baptismal date for the 12th of July on the spot. We were just knocking doors and I had a feeling to walk to the last house on the street and knock the door. And so we did! Turns out Marco has 2 sisters that live in the cost in Quininde that are also attending the church. And so he is really interested. He is 18 years old, and turns 19 in July...do I hear “future missionary” birds singing? We visited him the next day and brought him to the church to give him a tour. After the tour we left him in the sacrament meeting room to pray and ask God if everything we taught him was true. He stayed in there for quite a while. You can probably imagine how intense that was for us. But when he came out, he had a huge smile on his face and he said that he felt really good. He came to church yesterday and we are super hopeful for his progression!
This week I have been on a little emotional roller coaster, sometimes I can feel little doubts creep into my head that I`m not the best trainer, that I`m not as clear as Hermana Madrid, my super mom/trainer, but I know that those thoughts come from Satanàs. I already feel super humbled by this experience, and my new companion Hermana Pinto is quite amazing. She has such a strong testimony and is trying really hard to be a preach my gospel missionary. I feel like I am learning more from her that her from me. I am excited to really get started this week and meet some of the goals we have made.
I know that God has placed his trust in me to take responsibility of this sector in Ibarra and also to be an obedient, diligent, example for Hermana Pinto. I feel so much love for both Hermana Pinto and the people we come in contact with. I feel tranquila, and I know that this work isn`t just for the people we find, but for me as well. I am growing each day, and learning, and changing. I know that the Savior is beside us, guiding us by the Holy Ghost. I can feel the weight of our calling, and it makes me want to work even harder. True, sometimes I get stressed out, but I know in whom I have trusted, and he will never falter his hand if we remain obedient. I would like to share a scripture D&C 6:33… inviting you all to look it up. Do not fear, because whatever we sow we will harvest. Do we want to see miracles? We must obey the commandments. Do we want to feel more pleased and satisfied with our work? Then we must sow good works, and kindness. We must not doubt, we must not falter. Our long term goal is vida eternal. Si recordemos eso, siempre vamos a poner nuestra voluntad atrás y la voluntad de Dios en primer lugar. Sé que Él vive. Y porque Él vive, nosotros también viviremos. Viviremos con Él si seguimos marchando, agarrándonos del barro de hierro. Les quiero muchísimo. ¡Tenga una maravillosa semana!
Con Amor,
Hermana Powley
