The Sacrifice of Our Savior

Date: December 28, 2015
Week: 79 Cangahua, Ecuador
Companion: Elder Moreira/ Quevedo Ecuador
Colton's Address:
Quito Ecuador North Mission
Francisco Robles E-4 151 Av Amazonas
Edificio Iglesia de Jesucristo
Quito Ecuador

Prezy, Me, Hermana Richardson
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Dear Family and Friends!
I am doing well. Elder Moreira and I have been learning a lot. This week we studied How to Begin Teaching and it was great to see his willingness to learn. He has progressed alot. As of now we have Fabian Gordillo with a date for baptism. Yesterday his sister-in-law, Daisy, gave a talk and bore her testimony saying that she knows he and his family will be sealed in the temple. It was very touching and I know he felt the Spirit. His wife started crying and then he started crying and maybe I even started crying who knows!

Darwin, our other investigator who had a date for baptism went on vacation so his date will be postponed a little. He still has the desire it's just the church from where he was at was is an hour and a half away. I love being here and helping the Lord in this work.

Christmas dinner
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Eating with the zone
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Directing the Christmas Choir
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

More directing
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Far shot
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

On Tuesday we had our Christmas Dinner with the Richardsons in la Casa Misional. They served turkey with mashpataeters and rolls. The rolls were probably the best. I made tons of turkey mashed potato sandwhiches! Oh and I let Hermana Richardson know that I didn´t miss the green beans so much!

Making dem Mashed potatoes
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

We were able to sing in a zone choir and then we shared a Christmas video based off the A Savior is Born video (pretty funny).   This Christmas will probably be one I will never forget. Being a servant of the Lord during this special season is such a privilege especially since it's only a once or twice in a lifetime opportunity.

The Ofelia Zone
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Raising the Bar
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Santa has come!
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Christmas morning I woke up at 6:30 and was debating with myself to stay and bed and sleep a little longer since it was Christmas, and I wanted to do what I wanted. Then I felt my desire change as I remembered why we celebrate Christmas and that it is a day to honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I quickly got up and felt great the rest of the day. Crazy how sometimes we forget what the true meaning of Christmas is! Jesus is the Christ! I know that Christ lives. He is the head of this Church. He suffered and died for each and everyone of us, and he did it out of love.
Good Tidings of Great Joy 
Much Love, Elder Kimball

Missionary Elf
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Christmas Eve
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Christmas Morn
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Santa Made an appearance
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Bailey- Looks like your Christmas was awesome! Save some of those gadgets for me!
Clay- Bro, I miss ya man. It was great seeing ya!
Lexi! How was Christmas? Did you get a new phone too?
Leah! Your IPhone looks sweet!
Bella! You have changed a lot! Your sphere thingy looks sweet!
Collins! What did you recieve? Why were you afraid to talk to me?
Capri! Love you and it was great seeing ya!
Mom- Your letter of appreciation has yet to come!
Dad- Sorry for the sucky call on Skype! Love ya!
Elder Kimball

A selfie with a photo of one of my baptisms in the mission home
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Hijo Mio

Date: December 21, 2015
Week: 78 Cangahua, Ecuador
Companion: Elder Moreira/ Quevedo Ecuador
Colton's Address:
Quito Ecuador North Mission
Francisco Robles E-4 151 Av Amazonas
Edificio Iglesia de Jesucristo
Quito Ecuador

Mijo, Elder  Moreira and Me
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Here goes nothing!
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Well I don't have much time so I will make this quick. I was with Elder Perry and Elder Arango for a couple days untill my new companion arrived in Ecuador. We had alot of fun killing chickens and taking cool pictures while working (see pictures below).

Look at that fine pic. Missionaries at Work
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

The Trio
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Finally Thursday arrived and I was able to go to the meeting and meet my companion. We all ate breakfast together before we knew who was with whom. When I saw Elder Moreira, I knew it was him. It was almost as if I had known him before. He is really cool. He is from Quevedo, Ecuador so I tell all the people that he's a local. He pretty much knows how Ecuador functions so that makes things easier. He is 18 years old so he's just like me when I came out. He, his siblings, and mom are members, but his dad isn't. The cool thing is that his dad promised to discover more about the church and be baptized before he gets back and he is not scared about sharing that with anyone. He shared that with an investigator we have and she broke down in tears. Crazy how the Spirit works in this guy! I think he is my tallest companion. He is pretty lanky so I guess it makes him look tall.

Ceviche con el Hijo
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Los Nuevos y Entrenadores
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

He is excited to learn English as well, and he tells literally everyone that I'm going to teach him (contacts included). We have 2 investigators with a date for baptism now! Darwin of course is still progressing for the 23rd. I called him Sunday morning and he told me that he wasn't going to be able to come because he was sick. I told him that if he didn't come we would have to postpone the baptism and he showed up. The dude has desires so that is awesome. Another investigator is Fabian Gordillo. He bore his testimony in Gospel Principles to all the people there that he had finally decided to be baptized and that he has the goal to sealed with his family in the temple. The work is going great right now so I am stoked!

Well sorry for writing so fast but got to go!
Love to all and see ya Friday Family!

Elder Kimball

Choosing his victim
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

The Chicken
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Little did I know what was coming
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

He says hold its neck...
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Holding back curse words
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Let the screaming begin
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Thought he cut my hand
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Still freaking out
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Wiping my tears
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Checking to make sure I was in one piece
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

After he broke its neck
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

My turn
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Making sure I got it good
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Getting the chicken killing pose
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Work of Art
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Christmas is Coming!

Date: December 14, 2015
Week: 77 Cangahua, Ecuador
Companion: Elder...????
Colton's Address:
Quito Ecuador North Mission
Francisco Robles E-4 151 Av Amazonas
Edificio Iglesia de Jesucristo
Quito Ecuador

William Yepez is going to be our Ward Mission Leader soon!
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Well Christmas is almost here and it seems like yesterday I was in Ofelia on Christmas day last year, and looks like I'll be waking up on Christmas in Ofelia again. Elder Sejas had changes last night:( He ended up going to Otavalo. I knew that he was going over there just because he would probably enjoy it alot more over there than he would in any other place. He was sad to be leaving but I just told him that that was part of the mission. His new companion is actually Texan so I told him he has been lucky so far.

Elder Sejas being Elder Sejas
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Elder Sejas, Wiler and I in his birthday party
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

I will be receiving my new companion this Thursday. I don't know what his name is, or where he is from, but I do know that he is just starting his mission. I am still in Cangahua so I am excited about that. Darwin (our investigator with a date for baptism) has a new baptismal date for the 23rd of January. He is progressing well! He has been coming to church and has been making friends so we are excited for him!

Elder Bustillo finished his mission so it was weird to say goodbye to one of my old companions. Elder Perry is recieving an Elder Arango. He is coming from the orient in Lago Agrio. He should be here later today. We finally know when we will have our Cena Navideña  (Christmas Dinner) with President in the Mission Home. The 22nd of December! The zone is planning a little sketch that we have to perform for President so we are pretty excited about that. We will see if I steal the show or not.

William Yepez (rescue) and Elder Sejas and I. Elder Sejas was saying goodbye
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

The Christmas Call is coming around and I can't believe that I get to call home! I feel like I just called my family. We have the option of calling the 24th or the 25th. I will probably call the 25th but we have to be in our house before 5:00 pm TST (Texas Standard Time). So I guess I will be calling before then.

His Mom (Recent Convert) and his sister(Investigator) y Carla y Carlota
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Well Speaking of Christmas, it's a time where we should be centered in Christ. He is the Gift This video is a great video that shows us the importance of remembering Christ. How often do we rememeber what we are recieving for Christmas instead what we have been given? What can we give to others? If we think of all the gifts God has given us I feel like there would be to many to count. The Holy Ghost, the opportunity to be cleansed of sin, forgiveness, Jesus Christ, talents. Honestly we can go on forever. Now how are we using those gifts to help others recognize them and recieve them? Let us share this Christmas the gift of Christ.
Peace out!
Elder Kimball

Dodging Danger

Date: December 7, 2015
Week: 76 Cangahua, Ecuador
Companion: Elder Sejas/ Cochabomba, Bolivia
Colton's Address:
Quito Ecuador North Mission
Francisco Robles E-4 151 Av Amazonas
Edificio Iglesia de Jesucristo
Quito Ecuador

A guy from the NBA and I
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Dear Everyone,
Well we are officially in the month of Decembersof 2015! Wow, just wow. The sisters from my group finish their mission this week. A year and half passes by really fast! So speaking of people finishing up their missions, mine had a high chance of finishing this week. Yes I'm still worthy mom....This is the story:

So there is a place in our sector called Pisulí. It actually could be a sector of its own for other misisonaries but its really dangerous so as of now it's closed down. But Elder Sejas and I go and visit it to keep contact with investigators, converts, and less actives.

So we are on the bus and Elder Sejas and I are standing up when I look down towards the back of the bus and this man looks right at me. He's not that kind of dude that's looking to play patty cake, and he starts making his way towards me. His eyes mantain contact with mine, and I can tell they are a little red, so who knows what this guy was on. He comes all the way down and gets in between Elder Sejas and I, and I am just like "why me?!?!". So, I make my way towards the end of the bus to get as far away from this fool as possible. Sejas later tells me that the guy asked him for some money and Sejas told him he didn't have any. The guy just told him, it doesn't matter because he will rob him tomorrow anyway.

So then the guy looks back down at me and I'm just like uhhhohhh... So he comes all the way back towards me... He asks me for one dollar. (He literally said one dollar) and in Spanish I say I don't got one brah... Then he asks me for 75 cents and I told him again I got nothing. He then asks for 50 cents, at this point I put my hand in my pocket to make sure my wallet was still there. He then asks for 25 cents. What is this guy going to do with 25 cents? I hope they ain't selling drugs for 25 cents. He finally gives up and gets off the bus. I take a look at Sejas and hes got his head bowed and I am pretty sure he was saying a prayer. So the power of prayer works!

Later I was able to have divisions with Elder Leifer. He's from Utah and went to Lone Peak (No he doesn't know the Collins cousins:( He finishes his mission this week. So he was a little trunky;) Nah he was actually really cool. We contacted this russian lady who married an ecuadorian and she was trying to teach her son English. We told her who we were and she immediately asked if monkey in English was pronounced "Monkey or Mankey because here they say it like monkey, when I know it's mankey. " So it was kind of hard to tell her that indeed she was actually wrong, but we would still like to share a message with her about Jesus Christ.

The Zone
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Elder Sejas with Manuel (investigator)
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

Well the church realeased there new video "Ha nacido un Salvador". A Savior is Born
The video is really awesome. The church gave us like 500 or so cards to pass out so the movement is happening all the way down here. Yesterday we had our Christmas Devotional and it was in Ponceano (My old sector). I was able to see a lot of the members and they all remember "Elder Kimbolito". So that was really neat, but since we are in Ecuador of course there in no satellite signal to the church to watch the devotional, so we wearn't able to see it.

Just a foto
Cangahua, Ecuador December 2015

But I miss everyone and wissh you all a Merry Christmas!
Elder Kimball

Bailey- Heard you didn't go to church on Sunday. Nice.... FYI I haven't missed church in a year and a half.
Clay- I thought being in a wheelchair would be fun too in the MTC. You can ask Elder Bell how that went. Keep working hard man!
Lexi- The beautiful Princess! What are you asking Santa for Christmas?
Leah- The other Beautiful Princess! Hope you enjoy your offseason of soccer!
Bella- Heard you are finally obeying Dad! That's good news! Keep it up Sweetheart! I love you!
Collins- You are really that old! Wow! How's the Kimball Fam?  Watch over them for me a'ight?
Capri- 4 Months! 2 Fast! Keep on eating girlie!
Mom- Thank you for all the effort you have put in these 19 years to raise these 8 kids! You are appreciated from your kid in Ecuador. Love you!
Dad- You are the man and ya know it. Hope you keep on protecting those kids of yours. The Lord trusted ya enough to give'em to ya. I love you dad!
Y'all's son,
Elder Kimball

Winner, Winner, Turkey Dinner!

Date: November 30, 2015
Week: 75 Cangahua, Ecuador
Companion: Elder Sejas/ Cochabomba, Bolivia
Colton's Address:
Quito Ecuador North Mission
Francisco Robles E-4 151 Av Amazonas
Edificio Iglesia de Jesucristo
Quito Ecuador

Familia Cangahua
Cangahua, Ecuador November 2015

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was about the same as it always is in good ol' Ecuador. One good thing about having Hermanas in the zone is that they always do the little things to make things right, like make Thanksgiving dinner! The hermanas ended up making the turkey and mashed potatoes, and there was even gravy.

Of course I made my Texas thanksgiving jokes. Such as "Let us say grace" or "What's turkey without BBQ sauce?" I really feel like they all hate Texas now that they know me. But all in all, there was plenty of turkey (which cost $40) and I was definitely full by the end of it all. (And no, none of my turkey was given to Elder Sejas.)

Thanksgiving lunch!
Cangahua, Ecuador November 2015

Elder Bustillo had his wisdom teeth pulled!
Cangahua, Ecuador November 2015

Elder Sejas and I have an investigator progressing and we are pretty excited about it! His name is Darwin Puco and he is 23 years old. I have to tell ya, I was honestly thinking about leaving him because he wasn´t keeping his commitments, and it just looked like a dead end. As Elder Sejas and I were praying about our goals for the month of the December, we felt that Darwin would and could progress to be baptized during the upcoming month. We called him and made an appointment. We visited him and he started off by apoligizing to us for not completing his commitments. We helped him realized that he did not need to apoligize to us but to the Lord. We then jumped into repentence and the Spirit was guiding us like crazy. Elder Sejas has really improved on asking questions. He really does ask divine questions. Darwin was able to accept a date for the 19th of December to be baptized. He showed up to church early on Sunday. We are excited to see the journey of Darwin progress in the gospel.

There weren't any like crazy missionary experiences this week besides the God given strength that we recieved after eating that tryptophan filled turkey (special chemical found in turkey that makes you sleepy.)

Me with the sprite
Cangahua, Ecuador November 2015

Being a goof
Cangahua, Ecuador November 2015

Well I don't want to get all nostalgic or sentimental but today marks 6 months left for me in the mission. At the very beginning of my mission, I remember watching the Preach My Gospel videos and one missionary saying that the last 6 months of a mission are really a missionary's time to give it his all. I really hope I can make these last 6 months count. I know that they will be worthwhile. Every second is so precious. Well I love you all!
Elder Kimball

Elder Carr (Washington) and I
Cangahua, Ecuador November 2015

When the zone buys beer cups for the cola.
Cangahua, Ecuador November 2015

Bailey- Nice wisdom teeth picture
Clay- That gun shooting video really makes you look all grown up. I can't believe it man!
Lexi- Hope you loved grandma's house and playing with cousins.
Leah- I wrote you this week but no response.
Bella- You get more and more pretty everyday!
Collins- You talking yet? Crazy if you talked by the time I got home.
Capri- Well you're a baby and you won't be reading this anyways.
Mom- I love you dearly! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, even if you didn't cook it.
Dad- Love you too and hope all is well at work!
Elder Kimball