Week: 60 Otavalo, Ecuador
Companion: Elder Blas/ Lima, Peru
Colton's Address:
Quito Ecuador North Mission
Francisco Robles E-4 151 Av Amazonas
Edificio Iglesia de Jesucristo
Quito, Ecuador
Email Address: ronald.kimball@myldsmail.net
 |
| Me in a suit & tie Agato, Ecuador August 2015 |
Dear Fam and Friends,
This week was exciting. It's always fun adjusting to living with someone for 24 hours and 7 days a week. Elder Blas is pretty cool. He goes home in December. He is the only member in his family. He is the oldest of two. He likes to dance and he is learning to play the piano. He got to Agato at a high point. I ain't going to lie. Agato is known to be a hard sector. If you are trying to imagine how it is, I'll give you a little picture. Imagine a mountain. Now put the Shire near the top of the mountain and near the bottom I want you to put the village of Pocahontas. That's it.
So I have been serving here for twoish or so months and I have been close to having success (converts) here. (Real Success: When the missionary feels the Spirit testifying through them). As y'all know we have Mishel Castañeda with a baptismal goal for the 22nd. She had her interview and everything went well. Her "step-dad" moved back from Brazil. His name is Fernando Santillan. He has been investigating the church for two years in Brazil.
Well Fernando attended church last Sunday and I was a little reluctant to talk to him because I wasn't quite sure what the reasons were for why he came to church. I talked to him and he told me how he was living with hermana Luz (mom of mishel) there in Brazil for two years and they had a child together(Dylan). He told me how they were going to get married, and he was going to be baptized, but hermana Luz didn't have her papers in Brazil, so they couldnt get married. So they came here so that they could get married and be baptized. Soooo to make a long story short, we taught him all the lessons in a week and told President the situation. We were then given permission to baptize him with Mishel. Talk about Rainbows after Rain!!
Mishel and Fernando both passed their interviews and will be baptized this Saturday (knock on wood). A member we work with named Darío Males will baptize Mishel, and Elder Blas will baptize Fernando. The ward can't believe that we are actually going to baptize here in Agato. Meanwhile I just sitback and smile because I know that God works in mysterious ways.
 |
| We have soup everyday #orangetongue |
To just put the cherry on top, our 85 year old investigator who doesn't speak a lick of Spanish came to church all by himself and is preparing for his interview this Saturday and his baptism the next.
At the beginning of every month, each companionship makes goals of how many converts you will have and how many rescues you have. Well this month we have rescued Fernando Maldonado, Luz Cabascango, and Sebastian Castañeda (Mishels brother). We put the goals of 3 converts and 2 rescues so I sort of miscouted on the number of rescues because we now have 3! We will have 2 baptism this Saturday, and 1 the next, which will give us exactly what we put as a goal. The goals were put with much prayer and thought. It just testifies to me how much God is in control.
This week Elder Carlos A. Godoy, of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and Second Counselor of the South America Northwest Area Presidency came to visit. This will be my first General Authority to visit the mission. We had to take a questionario online to prepare for the visit. Waiki has made a ton of ties to prepare to sell to the missionaries for when he comes.
To sort of bring myself back down to earth, it was so much fun to visit Otavalo today (sarcasm). Otavalo probably has the most gringo tourists I have seen, and not all are friendly. Today I was walking with Elder Blas, and Elder Goff, and his companion, and there was this one gringo that says "Go back to Utah! The Ecuadorians don't want you Mormons here." I tried to bite my tongue but I said "God Bless Texas!". I think that he now knows that we ain't all from Utah.
Well, as I am sure you can see I am now feeling a 100%, but I am remaining humble. "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."(Alma 26:12) This scripture has never applied more accurately to my situation. It's all thanks to Him and I will glory His name forever!
Miracles still exist and I can't end with a stronger testimony than this:"And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles." (Mormon 9:19).
Elder Kimball
 |
| For my sis! Agato, Ecuador August 2015 |
Bailey- Happy Birthday! I hope you like my little sign. Don't go singing Strawberry Wine too much.
Clay- The Bro. What up man? You never answer my questions. Boy Scouts? Football? Middle School? I'm in the dark Bro.
Lexi- You don't look like the same little Lexi from when I left. I remember when you wrote me last year saying that when I get back you will be 11. I can't believe that pretty soon you will be!
Leah- How's soccer been? Remember that if you score 3 goals in one match its called a hat trick. I know that only you can do it!
Bella- Mom and Dad haven't told much about what's going on your life. I heard that you are actually becoming quite a goof. Just remember that the Class Clown awards don't have as much value as the straight A's do.
Collins- How is sweet little Collins? Just wait till little Capri comes home and your wonderful world will be turned upside down!
Capri- I am sure hospital life wasn't exactly the greeting you wanted to have when you came here. Just never forget Texas Forever!
Mother- Well I hope you are feeling better. As I have said a million times before, there in no reason to fear when God is in control. Just learn to love the ride.
Dad- Looked like a boys weekend I would have loved. Funny how you would play basketball at the stake center with them but not me! BYU Football looks good. I hope you are planning to go to some games with Clay. Remember when I told you to go to the Texas game and rememeber what happened! I love you Dad and can't wait to visit all these cool places in Ecuador with ya!
Elder Kimball
No comments:
Post a Comment