Date: September 8, 2014
Week: 12 Esmeraldas Ecuador
Companion: Elder Montesino, Honduras
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Elder Kimball awkwardly standing with President and Sister Richardson
September 2014 Quito, Ecuador |
Dear People who claim to know The Elder Kimball,
Jam packed letter this week! Tons of stuff going on and its getting exciting people! My Cougars have done it again! With a jaw-dropping drubbing 41-7 win over Texas this week, its safe to say I am stoked for my Cougies!!!!
Q&A
1) How many baptisms do you have?
I don´t have any folks, but the work is picking up. Christian Rosado attended church!!! More about him later.
2) Didnt you have transfers yesterday?
You know it! and I got sent to Quito!!!!!!! JK. Not in Quito.....still in black, blazing, and boring Esmeraldas. HAHA No, but I really do love Esmeraldas! Elder Mamani, district leader, got sent to the Campo so I got Elder Nogales as my distict leader now. I am so glad that Elder Montesino and I are still together! We will be together for the next week and the work is picking up real fast so lets just say I feel a storm coming!
3) What's the hardest thing about a mission?
Okay thats a hard question. There are so many hard things about a mission. The very hardest would probably be not being able to see or talk to my family. Didn't think I love them that much but I guess I do. Second would be the food. For those of you who know Colton Kimball real well, you know how he eats food. He doesn't like a mound of rice with a little chicken leg. He doesn't like having Coca-Cola for every meal. He doesn't like the mamitas that think that just because he is fat that they can serve him a ton of food. AHHHHH The food is killing me people. Its like I don't get hungry anymore because my stomach knows that I'll just feed it rice. They never have water. Never! Why can`t I have water! I don´t want soda! Anyways I guess the third hardest thing for me would be this language situation. Sometimes I find my self talking Spanish with peeps and forget that I am speaking Spanish but those are rare occasions. I now teach an English class every Sunday night at 6 at the church. (My friend Melissa Hurtado has pictures and said she will post them on my Facebook) When I teach English, I have to speak Spanish so I'm learning the language and it's a blast. This week I had like 20 peeps show up for my class with 2 investigators!!! (Christian and Peter)
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Elder Kimball with the President, his wife and other Elders
September 2014, Quito Ecuador |
My week
Tuesday: This was a good day. We got to teach Cristhian (this is how he says his name is spelt) and his sister-in-law, Gloria, about necessity of having the authority of the Priesthood. Cristhian is really progressing well. I am sure he will be baptized.
Wednesday: Road Trip! I taught my companion how to say that when we traveled to Quito this day. Nothing better than an 8 hour bus ride! It was a blast to be in Quito and when I say blast I mean winter blast! Freezing!
Thursday: We had arrived in Quito the night before so we headed to a church and I saw Elder Bell for the first time in 6 weeks. I don´t want to sound like a baby but I cried like a baby when I saw him cause I missed him so much. That dude will be one of my best friends forever! It was like seeing a member of my family! Didn't think I missed him that much. Anyways enough about crying, reunited, missionary companions. We met with President and he checked our agendas. I guess you could say I passed verification. Elder Montesino and I were also able to pick up a DVD player!!! We now have movie night every night!!! And when I say movie I mean the PMG (Preach My Gospel) movies we have. This day we headed back to Esmeraldas! So HOT!!!
Friday: Nothing much! Just Preaching and Teaching! OOOOO an I got a letter from ANNIKA!!!!! It made it to me! My first letter in my entire mission!!!! Mother and Father, its safe to say that your package aint coming.:(
Saturday: Lent my camera to my friend Guido for his wedding (Why he wants my crummy camera for his wedding is beyond me). I still don´t have it back so I can´t send all the photos that I took in Quito!!!!
Sunday: We had 2 investigators attend church!!! Cristhian and Peter! They are going to be baptized! I know it. Peter has been to church enough but Cristhian needs one more time.
Okay So now lets get into details about Cristhian. This guy is literally my first investigator ever!!!!! He attends almost everything we tell him too. Institute, Church, English class. He even hangs out with us on P-Day. We ate Encebollado with him this morning and we played Uno with him and he is even here right now! Reading this email as I write. HA! Too bad he can´t understand it! He has his baptism date for the 20th of September.
Now about Peter. This guy is pretty serious about the church too. He has been to church a number of times. The only problem is we haven't taught him a single lesson cause he is "busy". Freak man! Ayudame!!!!!! His girlfriend is a strong member of the church and she has talked to him about temple marriage so we will see.
So that's pretty much everything! So what do I have to share spiritually with you guys? Psh I don´t know. Only the Lord knows. Another thing I have learned on my mission is how powerful the message is that we have to share!!!! People this is so important! It is so important for us to share this gospel because think for a second how much your life would be different if you didn´t have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in your life! That's what these people are going through! They don´t have that knowledge! it is so important that we share and give refrences to the missionaries. So please help your missionaries out and load them up with refrences and even offer your assistance for attending the lessons! This is a powerful message and it changes people. I have seen it and so have you! So Do It!
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1789679612001
When I visited Quito I had the opportunity to visit "El Panecillo". In 1965 Elder Spencer W. Kimball spoke with President David O McKay about plans for missionary work in South America. Elder Kimball said, "I took my large map of South America and put it on the desk... I pointed to Quito, in Ecuador and spoke of the millions of indigenous on the high plateau of the Andes Mountains". President McKay asked me, "Millions?" I said to him: "Yes, President McKay, there are millions and they are pure blood Indians who speak different languages and dialects.´ I spoke to him about certain valleys that we wanted to explore to see if proselyting was feasible there", and he said:"I believe that the time has arrived for the Lamanites to hear the gospel". And he said,"Yes,this is the time. They should hear the Gospel and you are one of the apostles that has the vision of this. You have my authorization´"...
In the first days of October, 1965 four missionaries were sent to Quito. On October 9, Spencer W. Kimball visited Quito... There he met and talked with the people in the market and later traveled in taxi with the Mission President of the Andes Mission and the four missionaries to the top of the hill called Panecillo, in the center of the city. This was in order to offer a prayer dedicating the country of Ecuador for the preaching and teaching of the gospel. On the Panecillo they found a family of tourists, and Elder Kimball sent the missionaries to invite them and their driver to join in the prayer. All gathered together and Elder Kimball offered the dedicatory prayer. He prayed saying "They have waited so long, our Father, for the gospel to come to them....We ask thee to bless them, Father, that their hearts may be warmed and that they may be filled with the glorious truths of thy Gospel."
Later Elder Kimball and the group traveled to Otavalo, where in a small plaza they sat in the shade of a tree while the driver changed a tire on the car. A boy appeared and asked if he could shine their shoes for a few cents, and they accepted. Elder Kimball said to the youth, "Cornelio, there are things more important than money", and he explained to him that the missionaries would come to Otavalo with the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Kimball promised to write him, and he gave him an Articles of Faith card with his name, saying that some day he would return and he would like to know how Cornelio was doing.
The first nine members in Quito were baptized just three weeks later on October 31, 1965. Among those first members was the taxi driver who had taken Elder Kimball to the little hill to offer the dedicatory prayer.
Elder Kimball returned to Ecuador in 1967. The Elders took him to visit the Peguche Indians. There they found a site for a meeting and the Elders stopped the people who were passing along the street to invite them to the meeting. One of the Elders began the meeting with a prayer and President Jepperson began to give his message while the Elders were running high and low seeking investigators. Finally, about 100 people met and sat in silence and listened to the mission president talk about the Book of Mormon. Later Elder Kimball spoke about the visit of Jesus Christ to the Americas. He testified of Jesus Christ and told the Indians the the missionaries were teachers of truth. After the meeting, those who attended pressed forward to shake hands with him. Elder Kimball later recalled the occasion. "Of all the meetings that I have ever attended, I believe that this was the most inspirational and motivating."
I am so blessed to be able to be serving here in Ecuador. I tell people that I am related to Presdient Kimball because its cool. I'm sure somewhere down the line we are!
Okay well here are somethings I need you guys to hook me up with
1) Braven
2) USB with some good uplifting, spiritual music!
3) Fix my debit card because I try to take money out and it doesn't work.
4) One of the BYU 2014 game day shirts
5) Some good candy
6) Some pictures of yall
7) And thats it!
Here is the address that Annika used and it worked so use this. She even mispelled IGLESIA so it should work.
Elder R. Colton Kimball
Ecuador Quito North Mission
Francisco Robles E4-151 Av Amazonas
Edificio Iglesia de Jesucristo
Quito, Ecuador
Anyways.
Bailey. I love you sister! Hows Junior year? Don´t forget that you have an older brother:(
Clay. Dude hows Football?! How was the Cougars game!!!!!! When I was in 7th grade dad took me to the BYU-Oklahoma game. I missed one of my Bush football games and my coaches were a little upset since I was the starting QB and all:) Oklahoma was ranked 3rd in the nation and I remember how worried I was that the Cougars were going to get killed. The game was played in the new Texas Stadium or Jerry World. BYU ended up winning 14-13!!!! There is a video on my facebook from a long time ago that Uncle Jason posted. The video basically has me running around the stadium half naked. These are great times in your life right now bud! You are growing up (well mentally you are growing not sure about physically)! Make sure you read your scrips daily bud. They are importante!!!!
Lexi. I know how much you love that I don't write you which is kinda a weird but just know that I love you!
Leah. When does soccer start? How's school? Have you been practicing your bicycle kick? I love you sweetie!
Bella! Miss Querry sent me a pic of you at school! And I am going to tell on you right now. Miss Querry told me you have been giving moms lunches away to your friends! Spank her DAD!
Collins, Saw you in a pic representing the Royal, Strong and True! That is awesome! You don´t know how many people emailing me saying they haven't gotten to hold you yet. You best start letting people you hold you!
Mom. I appreciate the scriptures you sent me! That's awesome that you have been going out with the missionaries! Las Lomas has 150 peeps.... how sad.... Regocijo hit 100 last Sunday. It's so great to have my own ward here and not have to share with another set of missionaries. Fix my debit card woman!!!!! I love you and hope I "writed good nuf four you."
Dad!!! You came through Padre!!!! So I'm guessing this is it how it went down. It's Saturday morning, You are sitting on your bed at 9 am just after your daily workout and shower. You are on your IPad while mom is still asleep. You decide to check the tickets for the BYU-Texas game and you see they are at a reasonable price for a reasonable seat. You look out the front window and Clay, Hays and Cage are playing out side so you decided to take them. You get the M5 loaded up and you are on the road again! I love you Dad! I am so happy you went to the game. And it is so cool that you got to high five Taysom! I think in one of your pictures I spotted Jimmer and Whitney on the field. Keep me updated on the Jimmer! I hope all is well for you and work. Keep raising great kiddos!
I love you dad.
Well Folks thats a wrap. All the way from Esmeraldas Ecuador, where there is no cool winters breeze and anything else to eat besides rice, I bid thee adieu.
Until next time the one and only,
Elder Kimball
Editors Notes: The address Colton listed is good though I've sent two packages there and they have not been received. I may be just supplying some customs agent down there with lots of yummy American treats I'm not sure....
Also Colton described Trents last minute decision to go to the BYU game spot on except he was in fact on the couch and not the bed. I may or may not have still been asleep. I refuse to admit to either.
Lastly, We are in fact related to President Kimball but very distantly. He knows that we are but likes to pretend that no one has done the genealogy work to confirm the relation, when in fact we have. Love that kid....
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Elder Kimball
September 2014, Quito Ecuador |
