The C`s of My Life in Ecuador
1.Care Packages - Can I just say the South Jordan 7th ward is the best ever? They sent me a ginormous package full of delightful treats and fun things...including Kellogg´s fruity snacks. And swedish fish. I ate that for breakfast this morning. How did I get so lucky to have such a stellar ward?
2. Conference - Zone conference was on Thursday for all the missionaries in Cuenca and Loja. We learned tons of super rad things from President Montalti like how we shouldn´t marry Canaanites and how this is the one and only opportunity I have to sever a mission in Ecuador as a single sister missionary. Never again in my life will I get to study the scriptures for 2 hours a day, teach complete strangers about the gospel, promise people they can be healed from their illness, and invite people to get baptized. It´s the only time in my life I don´t have to think about how many friends commented on my facebook pictures or why no one is texting me. Being disconnected from those things for a bit is refreshing. Perhaps the Amish really do have it all figured out.
3. Christmas - After zone conferencewe had a big fat Christmas luncheon with the 2 zones. It was a classy meal of roast beef, turkey, and rice of course. Loved it.
4. Companions - Friday was training for senior companions. That meant that Hermana Haggard and I were companions for a day while our trainers were meeting with President. It was a dream come true to work with that girl. She is such a powerful missionary and so sweet. We work together so well because we are practically twins in every way. And where I am lacking, she is way solid, and vice versa. We click so well together and have an absolutely splendid time together. I hope someday we can be companions. But either way I am lucky to have her in the mission with me. Perhaps neither of us were perfect in the language, but we were definitely strenghtened and able to get our message across. And guess what. We put a baptismal date with one of my investigators. All by ourselves. And we didn´t even get lost. And both of us taught confidently and clearly. I still get nervous teaching, so it was a miracle to be way tranquila with her. Such a freaking good day.
5. Cooking - Not having an oven requires a lot of creativity. We invented a stove-top oven and baked a giant cookie. Our method? Frying pan with a pot on top to keep the heat circulated. Now that we´ve discovered this magic method of cooking we will be unstoppable. However. A double broiler does not actually work for cooking brownies...just in case you were wondering. But brownie goop is tasty just the same.
6. Coro- We sang in the park again as a zone to contact people and invite them to stake conference. I am officially obsessed.
7. Chuñir - We are teaching a super rad kid named Javier Chuñir. He came to church last week with his girlfriend and we´ve taught him 3 times since. He is super receptive and soaks up everything like a sponge. And he even reads the stuff we give him. Way pilas. He is genuinely interested in finding out for himself if the gospel is true. His baptismal date is the 25th. It will be a very merry Christmas for sure.
8. Church - Stake conference was on Sunday. We had 3 investigators attend - Javier Chuñir, Javier Calle, and Mayra. The messages were great and the spirit was strong. Elder Maldonado from the 70 spoke along with President Montalti and others. We´re so lucky to be lead by such incredible people in this church who have a sincere desire to serve God and His children.
9. Cuye! - The day finally came. I have been anxiously awaiting a grand cuye BBQ since the moment I got my call to Ecuador. What is cuye, you ask? Well. Remember that furry little guinea pig you owned when you were 12? Imagine that roasted on a stick - tiny teeth and all - served up with rice and potatoes. That, my friends, is cuye. The familia Allavaca invited us to their home in the rural outskirts of Cuenca on Sunday to feast on those furry creatures. Their house is in the middle of nowhere and they have tons of cows, chickens, dogs, and of course cuye. We showed up and Maurcia, one of the daughters, was sitting next to a fire roasted up our dinner. Hermana Ramiro showed us the live pigs and explained the method of preparing and cooking. And then Maurcia let me cook it! So take that, Martha Stewart.
The eating experience...it was very salty. It had a flavor like nothing I have ever tasted in my life. I didn´t love it but I definitely didn´t hate it. Mostly I would like to give it another chance.
10. Cambios - Today I celebrated by 2 month anniversary in the mission. Two months ago I walked into the MTC wondering what in the world I was getting myself into. And now I have officially completed my first change in the mission! It has had its ups and downs, and it has certainly been far from easy. But it has been altogether pretty swell. I wouldnt trade this experience for anything in the entire world.
Tonight we find out the changes. I am dying of nerves. I feel like I still have lots of work ahead of me here in Cuenca and would love to stay here. But wherever the Lord sends me I will make it my home.
2. Conference - Zone conference was on Thursday for all the missionaries in Cuenca and Loja. We learned tons of super rad things from President Montalti like how we shouldn´t marry Canaanites and how this is the one and only opportunity I have to sever a mission in Ecuador as a single sister missionary. Never again in my life will I get to study the scriptures for 2 hours a day, teach complete strangers about the gospel, promise people they can be healed from their illness, and invite people to get baptized. It´s the only time in my life I don´t have to think about how many friends commented on my facebook pictures or why no one is texting me. Being disconnected from those things for a bit is refreshing. Perhaps the Amish really do have it all figured out.
3. Christmas - After zone conferencewe had a big fat Christmas luncheon with the 2 zones. It was a classy meal of roast beef, turkey, and rice of course. Loved it.
4. Companions - Friday was training for senior companions. That meant that Hermana Haggard and I were companions for a day while our trainers were meeting with President. It was a dream come true to work with that girl. She is such a powerful missionary and so sweet. We work together so well because we are practically twins in every way. And where I am lacking, she is way solid, and vice versa. We click so well together and have an absolutely splendid time together. I hope someday we can be companions. But either way I am lucky to have her in the mission with me. Perhaps neither of us were perfect in the language, but we were definitely strenghtened and able to get our message across. And guess what. We put a baptismal date with one of my investigators. All by ourselves. And we didn´t even get lost. And both of us taught confidently and clearly. I still get nervous teaching, so it was a miracle to be way tranquila with her. Such a freaking good day.
5. Cooking - Not having an oven requires a lot of creativity. We invented a stove-top oven and baked a giant cookie. Our method? Frying pan with a pot on top to keep the heat circulated. Now that we´ve discovered this magic method of cooking we will be unstoppable. However. A double broiler does not actually work for cooking brownies...just in case you were wondering. But brownie goop is tasty just the same.
6. Coro- We sang in the park again as a zone to contact people and invite them to stake conference. I am officially obsessed.
7. Chuñir - We are teaching a super rad kid named Javier Chuñir. He came to church last week with his girlfriend and we´ve taught him 3 times since. He is super receptive and soaks up everything like a sponge. And he even reads the stuff we give him. Way pilas. He is genuinely interested in finding out for himself if the gospel is true. His baptismal date is the 25th. It will be a very merry Christmas for sure.
8. Church - Stake conference was on Sunday. We had 3 investigators attend - Javier Chuñir, Javier Calle, and Mayra. The messages were great and the spirit was strong. Elder Maldonado from the 70 spoke along with President Montalti and others. We´re so lucky to be lead by such incredible people in this church who have a sincere desire to serve God and His children.
9. Cuye! - The day finally came. I have been anxiously awaiting a grand cuye BBQ since the moment I got my call to Ecuador. What is cuye, you ask? Well. Remember that furry little guinea pig you owned when you were 12? Imagine that roasted on a stick - tiny teeth and all - served up with rice and potatoes. That, my friends, is cuye. The familia Allavaca invited us to their home in the rural outskirts of Cuenca on Sunday to feast on those furry creatures. Their house is in the middle of nowhere and they have tons of cows, chickens, dogs, and of course cuye. We showed up and Maurcia, one of the daughters, was sitting next to a fire roasted up our dinner. Hermana Ramiro showed us the live pigs and explained the method of preparing and cooking. And then Maurcia let me cook it! So take that, Martha Stewart.
The eating experience...it was very salty. It had a flavor like nothing I have ever tasted in my life. I didn´t love it but I definitely didn´t hate it. Mostly I would like to give it another chance.
10. Cambios - Today I celebrated by 2 month anniversary in the mission. Two months ago I walked into the MTC wondering what in the world I was getting myself into. And now I have officially completed my first change in the mission! It has had its ups and downs, and it has certainly been far from easy. But it has been altogether pretty swell. I wouldnt trade this experience for anything in the entire world.
Tonight we find out the changes. I am dying of nerves. I feel like I still have lots of work ahead of me here in Cuenca and would love to stay here. But wherever the Lord sends me I will make it my home.
The Physician
"Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. THE WHOLE NEED NO PHYSICIAN, BUT THEY THAT ARE SICK." Moroni 8:(can’t remember the verse at the moment)
Christ didn´t come for the righteous. He came to heal the sick. He is the ultimate physician, healing us from our broken hearts, guilt, depression, stress, anxiety, fear, frustration, past mistakes, and every other illness we might have. Like a physician, he has all the tools to make us better - stethoscopes, thermometer, prescriptions, heart monitors, etc. He has it all and he knows how to use it without flaw.
Perhaps doctors here make mistakes. They give incorrect diagnosis or the wrong prescription. But Christ never messes up. He is perfect and heals us perfectly. But like doctors here, The Physician cannot heal us unless we go to him. Doctors don´t go door to door each day making people better. You must go to their office. Sometimes we are stubborn and don’t want to go to the doctor because we don´t believe they can say anything to help us feel better. We try to solve it on our own. But then we finally realize that perhaps we don´t actually know everything and maybe, just maybe, we could use a little help. So we go to the doctor and he checks and few things, discovers the problem, and sends us on our way with the tools to fix it. We miraculously feel better in no time. And then we wonder why we didn´t go to him in the first place.
And thus it is with the Savior. His job is to heal us. That is why he came to earth. He knows what we need to be whole again. How does he know? He went through all the agony of medical school just like any other doctor. Except his schooling was a bit unconventional. His classroom was in the Garden of Gethsemane and his final exam on the Cross of Calvary. He graduated medical school as the valedictorian. He did everything in order to know how to help us and heal us.
Sometimes I get frustrated when I go to the doctor and he tells me things I already know - drink lots of water and get lots of sleep. I want the magic solution to all of my ailments. The same happens with the Savior. I finally decide to quit pretending like I have all the answers so I go to him for help. And he tells me all the things I already know - read my scriptures, pray, go to church, keep the commandments. I get mad because I want him to give me a magic pill so I will be healed. I want him to tell me something like "Go to the corner where there is a gas station. Wait for 5 minutes and a man in a purple suit will approach you and give you a box. Inside of the box you will find a new heart to replace your broken one. Bring the box to me and I will operate next Tuesday. You will be as good as new on Friday."
But that´s not how he works. I tell him my heart is broken and he tells me to pray harder and read more of his words. And even though I am a little frustrated or disappoints, I know he is right.
But no matter what his diagnosis or prescription or method of healing, he always holds my hand and tells me it´s going to be alright. He tells me that he knows that it hurts and that he knows how I feel. He lets me cry, and sometimes he cries with me. Sometimes the healing is instant and sometimes it is a long process of lots of doctor visits and treatments and support from family and friends. But I am always healed.
We are counseled to go to the doctor frequently for check-ups, just in case there are problems we can´t detect ourselves. Without frequent check-ups problems could get bigger and bigger and eventually dominate our lives. But if we catch the issue early it can be taken care of. So we should also go to the Master Healer regularly as well. He will help us detect problems and fix them for us before they kill us inside.
And the key with getting help from the doctor is that we have to follow through with treatment. If we don´t do our part we can´t be healed. I remember when I had my ACL surgery and I had to do so much on my own to make my knee better. The doctor did the surgery, but afterward I had to follow through with hours and hours and physical therapy. It hurt like crazy some days, but I did it and now my knee is back to normal. If I hadn´t done my part the surgery would have been useless.
When we turn to the Savior for help, he will help us. But we must be willing to do our part and follow through with the treatment he prescribes, even if it seems dumb or pointless. We must have enough faith and hope that he is smarter than us and knows how to make us better.
I know that Christ is the ultimate and perfect healer. I know that he is genuinely concerned about my well being and wants to make me whole. And more than that, I know that he can. I know that he knows how I feel when I hurt so badly that I can´t even breathe. I know that as I turn to him regularly with a willingness to complete my part of the treatment he will take away my pain and make me healthy again. I am eternally grateful for a Savior who suffered through the most rigorous medical school of all time - the atonement - so that he could solve any measure of pain or illness in our lives.
Christ didn´t come for the righteous. He came to heal the sick. He is the ultimate physician, healing us from our broken hearts, guilt, depression, stress, anxiety, fear, frustration, past mistakes, and every other illness we might have. Like a physician, he has all the tools to make us better - stethoscopes, thermometer, prescriptions, heart monitors, etc. He has it all and he knows how to use it without flaw.
Perhaps doctors here make mistakes. They give incorrect diagnosis or the wrong prescription. But Christ never messes up. He is perfect and heals us perfectly. But like doctors here, The Physician cannot heal us unless we go to him. Doctors don´t go door to door each day making people better. You must go to their office. Sometimes we are stubborn and don’t want to go to the doctor because we don´t believe they can say anything to help us feel better. We try to solve it on our own. But then we finally realize that perhaps we don´t actually know everything and maybe, just maybe, we could use a little help. So we go to the doctor and he checks and few things, discovers the problem, and sends us on our way with the tools to fix it. We miraculously feel better in no time. And then we wonder why we didn´t go to him in the first place.
And thus it is with the Savior. His job is to heal us. That is why he came to earth. He knows what we need to be whole again. How does he know? He went through all the agony of medical school just like any other doctor. Except his schooling was a bit unconventional. His classroom was in the Garden of Gethsemane and his final exam on the Cross of Calvary. He graduated medical school as the valedictorian. He did everything in order to know how to help us and heal us.
Sometimes I get frustrated when I go to the doctor and he tells me things I already know - drink lots of water and get lots of sleep. I want the magic solution to all of my ailments. The same happens with the Savior. I finally decide to quit pretending like I have all the answers so I go to him for help. And he tells me all the things I already know - read my scriptures, pray, go to church, keep the commandments. I get mad because I want him to give me a magic pill so I will be healed. I want him to tell me something like "Go to the corner where there is a gas station. Wait for 5 minutes and a man in a purple suit will approach you and give you a box. Inside of the box you will find a new heart to replace your broken one. Bring the box to me and I will operate next Tuesday. You will be as good as new on Friday."
But that´s not how he works. I tell him my heart is broken and he tells me to pray harder and read more of his words. And even though I am a little frustrated or disappoints, I know he is right.
But no matter what his diagnosis or prescription or method of healing, he always holds my hand and tells me it´s going to be alright. He tells me that he knows that it hurts and that he knows how I feel. He lets me cry, and sometimes he cries with me. Sometimes the healing is instant and sometimes it is a long process of lots of doctor visits and treatments and support from family and friends. But I am always healed.
We are counseled to go to the doctor frequently for check-ups, just in case there are problems we can´t detect ourselves. Without frequent check-ups problems could get bigger and bigger and eventually dominate our lives. But if we catch the issue early it can be taken care of. So we should also go to the Master Healer regularly as well. He will help us detect problems and fix them for us before they kill us inside.
And the key with getting help from the doctor is that we have to follow through with treatment. If we don´t do our part we can´t be healed. I remember when I had my ACL surgery and I had to do so much on my own to make my knee better. The doctor did the surgery, but afterward I had to follow through with hours and hours and physical therapy. It hurt like crazy some days, but I did it and now my knee is back to normal. If I hadn´t done my part the surgery would have been useless.
When we turn to the Savior for help, he will help us. But we must be willing to do our part and follow through with the treatment he prescribes, even if it seems dumb or pointless. We must have enough faith and hope that he is smarter than us and knows how to make us better.
I know that Christ is the ultimate and perfect healer. I know that he is genuinely concerned about my well being and wants to make me whole. And more than that, I know that he can. I know that he knows how I feel when I hurt so badly that I can´t even breathe. I know that as I turn to him regularly with a willingness to complete my part of the treatment he will take away my pain and make me healthy again. I am eternally grateful for a Savior who suffered through the most rigorous medical school of all time - the atonement - so that he could solve any measure of pain or illness in our lives.
1 comment:
Merrit! I loved your thoughts they are inspiring! You are an excellent missionary! Merry Christmas my friend.
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