Welcome to the Jungle

Date: February 24, 2015
Week: 35 Lago Agrio, Ecuador
Companion: Elder Del Aguila/Peru

Saying goodbye to my district in Ofelia, Ecuador
February 2015

Saying goodbye to Hermana Dunne who was leaving the mission
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Well I don't have much time this week due to the fact that I got transfered. My last week in Ponceano (Ofelia) was a crazy one. We visited one of the investigators I contacted, Hermana Teresa, and her haircut place was having slow work this week so we decided to help out by getting our haircuts well turns out she can't see very well so maybe that's why work was going slow. Elder Bustillo then decided to fix my cut but shaving it. I'll just have to wait a while till all my hair grows back. 

Me and Panchito after my "haircut"
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Saying goodbye to Elder Perry
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Well Leslie returned home from Alabama in which she bought me Chick- Fil- A sauce but forgot it in the fridge. Urg! She decided that she wants her boyfriend to baptize her so she will be baptized in the states but whatever I am calling her a convert. She's hoping to be sealed in the Houston Temple so that's cool! On Sunday we had President Richardson, Elder Calderon (Area Seventy), and our Stake President come to our Ward Council. Elder Calderon machetted everyone in the room which was awesome. The Bishop almost peed his pants because he was so scared. The ward needed to be edified.

Cambio de Planes

Sunday night we recieved our transfers and just my luck I get sent back out into the heat. I am now here in Lago Agrio. Its about 15 minutes from Colombia and its definitly Jungle. The Gospel is so new here, like 2 or so years new. It's awesome to be teaching out in the heat agin. My companion is Elder Del Aguila or as he says "Of the Eagle". He is from a Jungle part of Peru. He seems pretty cool but we will see! I'll probably be here for 5 or 6 months or so. I am so grateful that my mission has been such a variety. I have been near the ocean, I have been in the city, and now I am in then jungle. Elder Del Aguila said we will eat caterpillars on Saturday. A little change of scenery and I guess food also. There are about 50 members in our branch and I'll probably recieve a calling. Here the missionaries are the leaders of the ward. It's so cool to see how the church starts of in an area. Well I don't have much time to write so thanks for reading and I'll try and write better next time with all the details of living in the Jungle.

Saying goodbye to people in Ofelia
Ecuador February 2015

Never going to forget this guy Stalin!  What a great guy.
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Bailey- 1 to trek is now like 1 to Living with Tarzan

Clay- Dude, prepare for the mission man. You are going to be ten times better on the mission than me bro!

Lexi- How are ya doing? I hope Valentines day was great for ya and you weren't kissing any boys.

Leah!- Hows soccer? any goals?

Bella- When is your baptism? If you wait until your 9 you could be a baptism for the missionaries. HA

Collins! Hows the spoiled life? You still have like 18 more years of living in that house so get used to it. I barely made it out alive and look where they got me!... In the middle of the Ecuadoriam Jungle next to the Amazon rivers.

Mom- I got a package this week ad thank goodness because I need that water bottle for where I am now. Let's slow down with the packages for a while since I am here.

Dad- Hows Hawaii been? This place reminds me of the Guatemalan jungle. All these cool places should be fun to visit with you and Mom. Not a lot of missionaries have the experience of going to both the Coast and the Orient. I am happy that President still has some trust in me to send me out. Elder Bell also got sent out here but he is in Coca. And my DL is Elder Valentine. Too many people from Sandy, Utah here. Maybe because President is from Sandy.... hmmm?????

Well Ciao folks!

Elder Kimball

1 to Trek

Date: February 16, 2015
Week: 34 Ofelia, Ecudador
Companion: Elder Bustillo/Honduras

My only pic this week.  Happy Valentines Day!
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Dear Everyone!

I have been keeping busy. As I said last week we are in the middle of Spring Break, but we actually have kept busy. We goofed off in the house the other night with some shampoo sprayers which was a blast! (quite literally a blast). Elder Perry and I bought the fire extinguisher sprayers and those things are crazy.

Carnaval is alive here in Quito. Elder Bustillo and I were waiting for the bus when some car passed by and shot blue and orange shampoo spray at us. I had my sweater on so my white shirt didn´t get stained but Elder Bustillo's got completly dyed. He was not too happy about that. Speaking of stained clothing, as I have said before, I have started washing my own clothes. What an experience. I literally just throw in how ever much detergent and vanish in a rusty old bucket. Throw my clothes in there, leave them there for like 4 days, and when I am not too lazy, I'll take them to the washing station that we have and wash them with a soap bar, and leave them hanging. I am starting to get the hang of it but don´t think I will ever wash my clothes again once I move out of this sector (fingers crossed). I threw one of my Spurs towels and socks in the bucket and forgot about them and when I took them out they were dyed white..... great. 

Temple Sealing Ahead

Leslie went out of town which took our 6 'o' clock daily appointment away for a week so we have been contacting alot. Leslie's baptismal date got changed to the 28th in which I probably won´t be here due to transfers. But Leslie gets back this week and she asked what I wanted from the states and I told her a jar of Chick-Fil-A sauce, so if she comes through that would be sweet. As I said she went to Alabama, and she is real serious about getting baptized. She said she wants to be sealed in the Houston Temple. Elder Bustillo is going to go, but as for me I will still be here.... whatever.         

Spiritual Giant                      

On Friday we had interviews. President Richardson is a great guy. He really made me feel great but also a little trunky. (Definition of Trunky: Nostalgic or Homesick). He started counting the months I had in the mission and also how much I had to go. If anyone is wondering ask my Mother. She seems to have the weeks down pretty good. Ha but yeah everything went great with President.  He shared a couple of scriptures to get my animus (excitment) up and he also said there is a pretty high chance that I'll be checking out of my sector next week.

Angry Elf

Saturday was Valentines Day and what a surprise that was. I told Elder Bustillo Feliz Dia de Amor but he didn´t like that so much. I try to give him a hug every once in a while but I guess I can say that he would be an angry elf ( Reference to Elf with Will Ferrell and little midgit elf attacking him (movie refernce spot on to situation to giant elf (me) and midgit elf (Elder Bustillo))). But he is a nice guy and I am sure our parting will be like Buddy (Will Ferrell) leaving the Narwal. My Valentines Day was good though. We got to visit some members and sleep in the house when we didn´t have appointments.

The Biggest Loser

As to my physical estate, I have been eating less which is bad but its mostly because the food here stinks. Its been 8 months and I am free to say that the cheese here is terrible, the rice here is terrible, and above all else its supes totes expensive. There are no Walmarts or HEBs just Santa Marias and Super Maxis which are terrible. McDonalds sandwhiches are not 1 dollar but like five and they are even worse than the ones in the states. I think we all remember the tear filled testimony I bore at trek about my food. Lets just say those tear filled testimonies about food have been abundant here in Ecuador.

Babbling of Bailey 

A few weeks back my sister proposed the question "On a scale of 1 to Trek, how hard is the mission?"  First off what a well worded question. I would have to say that the mish is well beyond trek status but its doable. But, yes there is a but, it's only doable if you give it all to the Lord. Ya just have to give Him your all or you'll learn nothing and not benefit from your two year sacrifice to the Lord. And that's what I am learning form Elder Bustillo.  Although his teaching tactics maybe mean and harsh and I cry alot in the bathroom, I am learning and progressing. And yes the crying is true but come on people we all know its true. I am Colton Kimball...

But I can say that the mission has and will continue to change my life. I love being out here because I get to meet great people. I meet people that I feel like I have known my whole life. Stalin is one person I will never forget from this sector. He just got called to be a Ward Missionary by the way. He is always willing to help us out and I definitly  am grateful to know him. 

A Little Worried

President told us the other day that every one of our companions has attributes of our future spouses. Wow thanks president... Let's take a look at the attributes of my futures wife. Looks like she will be 4'9 and grumpy most of the time. She will like to wipe her mucus on the wall, and like to haze and bully me. Wow all I can say is that I have hope in the future.

Words of Wisdom

Okay Now I know that I have been pretty funny today but you can't expect that from the Elder Kimball every time. All I can say is Alma 26:12. "I do not boast of myself but of my God because without Him I am nothing". And I am not  even kidding. WITHOUT HIM I AM NOTHING!!!

Lets get Spiritual  

Lessons I Learned as a Boy

This week I have been studying Charity and it is something that we definitly have to have. Pray to have Charity. Charity does not mean to give money to the poor or drop your old clothes off at the Goodwill. Study 1 Corithians 13 and that should help get the low down on Charity. I testify that Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is everything that we need to continue in this life. Pray for this charity. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Bloopers

Bailey- Sorry to make fun of you this week. I hope all is well in theater. Keep working out. If I can do my little pansy workouts in the mornings you can too!

Clay- Dude you are living the life! How was all the BYU games? I hope you are preparing for the mish.

Lexi- How are ya doing? Stay away from the boys please!!!

Leah- Hows basketball and soccer? I haven't gotten a letter from ya in a while!

Bella- Be good for Nana please and also have you been baptized yet or are you one of those investigators that needs more time to think?...

Collins! Have fun with Aunt Tracie. She's a pretty cool Aunt I guess.

Mom- Took some money out from my debit card and it works! Wa hoo! No packages from you this week! But its all good. It might be better to see if I get transferred, that way we can see if I have to pay for the packages to be sent out of Quito.

Trent- Thanks for the BYU Email. So much for sacrificing. Stop going to all the BYU Games!  

Peace out! 

Elder Kimball                

Another One Bites the Dust

Date: February 9, 2015

Week: 33 Ofelia, Ecuador

Companion: Elder Bustillo/ Honduras

Bautismo of Federico Aguirre
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

This week had its ups and also its downs. First off, we have been working super hard and not only in the area of finding and teaching. I wash my own clothes every morning which is terrible and Elder Bustillo makes me workout every morning. I agreed to work out only because I had to prepare to baptize Federico who is like 3 times my size. Yes I got to baptize someone which was awesome. I also got to confirm him a member of the church the next  week which I had no idea I was going to do, but luckily my Spanish isn´t too bad.  I survived! 

I've lost a little bit of weight...can you tell?
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

We visited Gustavo this week who had been progressing really well and would have been baptized this week but we went to his house and he was flat out drunk.... We visited him a couple days later and he was still drunk. It was pretty hard for Elder Bustillo and I to accept, but we are still going to work with him.

Leslie is doing well. I found out that she has the IPhone 6 plus which I didn´t know exisited. She leaves to Alabama this week. We need her to attend church in Alabama with her fiance in order for us to get her baptized on the 21st. She knows everything is true she just doesn´t want her family to think that she is doing this for her boyfriend. We read Lehi´s Dream with her and how she has partaken of the fruit and now has the desire to share it with her family but she needs to be an example for them. 

A family we are reactivating
Ofelia Ecuador, February 2015

All is well here in Ofelia. We are trying to find new investigators so we did a lot of contacting. We had a reunion with President on Friday but it was for like an hour so not too long. We just talked about us trying to work with members more often. We are trying to get more references in the ward but they aren´t cooperating very well.

Well this week we have Carnaval. We have thus named it Spring Break for missionaries. The 14th,15th,16th and 17th we aren´t allowed to leave the house unless we have for sure appointments. We can´t leave because people will pour water on us or spray us with this shampoo. So it'll be boring being in the house but I am sure I'll catch up on some much needed sleep and maybe gain a few pounds.

President made a little thing for us called "The Faith of February will bring the Miracles of March." The rules are there will be no Zone, District or Companion activities for 2 months. We can only listen to music that would be played at General Conference for example no EFY music. And we have to make a personal sacrifice that would help us grow spiritually. Examples are no writing your girlfriend or getting up at 6 and studying more often. I have decided that my personal sacrifice will be the BYU letters my dad sends me for 2 months, It's sad because March Madness starts and basically after March there are like no BYU sports until agosto. I didn´t want to do it, but hey the mission is all about sacrifices. Today was our first day without an activity for Pday and it was hard and boring but we got to sleep a little bit. I hoping for a lot of Miracles in my March this year.

Better lighting with the family we are reactivating
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Not sure not much else happened in my week, Stalin needed an article in English to present to his class. So he found one on my Dad and he showed the video of him getting shot. Stalin said he got an A.

Protect our Nestlings

I like this video because we all know that we don´t have our primary learning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at school, work, or even church but in our homes. Families are ordained of God. God has entrusted fathers and mothers to care for their children, and for the children to care for their parents. First we must protect our homes. Elder Callister taught us that the mothers of the 2000 stripling warriors protected there children especially with the principle of prayer. We cannot let our children leave the house out into the battlefield where Satan is, with out their armor. I invite everyone to have their Family Home Evening tonight and to have family scripture study. My family is definitly not perfect in these aspects. I have had a many FHE´s end in Dad and Mom getting upset and going straight to bed. And I have missed plenty of family scripture study while I was out for seminary or in the nights when I was over at the Englishes. All I have to say is... Just do it!

¡Anciano Kimball!

Bailey, way to move the candles with such strength. (As part of the stage crew of Les Miserable)

Clay, Go BYU! Stay cool bro! How was Cali?

Lexi! Way to grab those rebounds! You are doing better than the Bigs for BYU

Leah, I am glad you are scoring points but practice those freethrows!

Bella! Have you been baptized yet or are you less active now?

Collins! I heard you were the favorite now, guess that's what happens when I leave!

Mother! Happy Valentines day! I'll try and get my packages next week. Gracias mi amor!

Dad- Guess this means no more BYU letters for a while. Just write me more in your personal letters and that will make up for the the words I get from my father!

CIAO!

Elder Obama

Date: February 2, 2015
Week: 32, Ofelia, Ecuador
Companion: Elder Bustillo aka Elder Obama/ Honduras

I am so goodlooking
Editors note: This is how he labeled this photo
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

If there isn't anything more sacrilegious than the name of this letter, then I don't know what is!
Elder Bustillo somehow has a nametag that says Elder Obama and its hilarious! He actually looks alot like Obama.

Elder Bustillo aka Elder Obama of Honduras
Ofelia Ecuador, February 2015

Well let me start by saying Elder Bustillo can be a pain sometimes but what a good guy. Last Tuesday, Elder Bustillo did something that I will never forget. He is trying to help me have more courage to stand up against something that is wrong, and not go with the flow. I know shocker... missionaries aren't perfect, and especially Colton Kimball! But yeah he is trying help me out like a lot, because my previous companions have not always been so great in that area.

Well, it's Tuesday and Elder Bustillo has been "edifying", (We have this word in the mission which basically in English means machetting.  It's where you literally just tear the person apart, and its terrible! But know we are not allowed to say that word, so we say edifying)  So he's "edifying" me the whole past week and on this day I am getting a little fed up. In the past I have kept my feelings inside, and not said anything and let them just burn inside me, which is what you don't want to do. I know I should just talk things out with my companion!

So at night when we are planning he says something and I get a little angry and say a few things, which is very unlike me, but he gets mad and we stop planning and go to bed. So far the Spirit has left us and is probably in the other Quito mission.  I am feeling really stressed because he has made me start every lesson, and do all the forms we have to do, and I can at this point say I wanted to go home.

The view from my street
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Well I get about zero sleep, and I just want to go to sleep, but I get up and shower with my bucket of water and then change back into my dirty clothes because we are doing our own laundry and I was behind on that. So, I start my personal study and I study one of the manuals we have for stress, and I feel like a wimp studying it because its for wimps. I read my Patriarchal blessing like 80 times and then its time to start companionship study.

I apologize to Elder Bustillo for what I said, but he says what's done is done. I basically conduct the whole study because he says I can do it and that I don't need his help. At this point I am on the verge of tears, but then its time for language study, and then we have to have our weekly planning which is two hours. He tells me that I have to do the whole thing. I try to do the whole thing but he "edifies" me the whole time. One part of the weekly planning, at the very end, is where we have to do a companionship inventory. This is where we talk about our realtionship as a companionship, and where we need to improve and stuff like that. Well at this point I want to cry and then the hermanas call. After the call he justs says, "Well, good job Elder Kimball you endured well and you did a very good job in making your companion do things to follow the schedule."

Elder Bustillo and I
Ofelia, Ecuador February 2015

Us and Familia Mora. We found them contacting!
Do I look like a different person or what?  If you look closely Elder Bustillo's name tag says Elder Obama.  The whole mission thinks he looks like President Obama.  I would have to agree!
Ofelia Ecuador, February 2015

I was sups totes confused and I was like "Wait was this a joke?" and he said yes, and burst out laughing, in which I then burst out crying!  He called it a practice to help me grow, which I hated, but I guess I can see the things I learned and what I can do better. He is a great companion, but he has crazy teaching skills. 

He asked me what my parents would say to this story and I told him "My Dad would probably congratulate you and say, good he needed that!"  Elder Bustillo is a great guy and I'll probably never forget that terrible but uplifting experience.

Well we have Gustavo and Adal all set for the 14th of February. Totally forgot that was Valentine's day. Gustavo has completely quit alcohol and we haven't seen him slammered in over a month. He is progressing really well.

We have Leslie all set for the 21st. She is getting married to her boyfriend who is an ex missionary so she definitly wants to get baptized. She says she isn't doing it for him which is a good sign.

Well everything is good as I keep trying to discern between the practices that Elder Bustillo does and normal missionary life. I feel bolder than ever before and I lead every lesson now. My Spanish isn't as bad as I thought and my contacting skills are A game!

Don't have much time this week so not much of a spiritual message besides this... be bold in all that you do and if you know something is wrong stand up for what is right!  And then go and read the talk: Which way do you face? a talk by Elder Lynn G. Robbins.
That talk applies a lot to my life!

Love you all!
Elder Kimball!

P.S. Thanks Uncle Travis and Aunt Ginnie for the tie and package!
Thanks Uncle Todd and Aunt Monica for the Elf. My companion now asks why I have that.
Also I will hopefully baptize Federico this weekend if he has completely recovered from his cigarrette addiction.