Their spirits feel very familiar!

February 11, 2020

Their spirits feel very familiar!

Hello hello family and friends!!!

I hope you are all doing well and had a great week! I'm just out here in Ecuador learning lots of things each new day! One of my favorite parts of being here, has been the stereotypes that come with being American and blonde. Suddenly people don't think it's possible for you to speak Spanish, at all... or know what some basic things are. Someone asked if I knew what a banana was this week?? haha... it's an adventure!

One of my favorite parts of this week was finding 6 new people to teach! A recent convert, named Frailys, is 16 yrs old and the only member of Christ's church in her family. She is from Venezuela, and as Venezuela is going through a hard time, she has many members of her extended family living with her right now. They WALKED here, to try to find food and work in Ecuador. This past Sunday, her uncle came to church, LOVED it, and invited us over later that night to visit with the rest of the people at the house. We walked in to find 5 beautiful dark skinned faces laying on one mattress in this very small room. Each with a big smile, gave us a handshake, and then sat up on the mattress ready to listen to what we had to say. So there we were, two little sister missionaries, teaching to a room of about 8 people. The amazing part was, these 8 people were wide eyed and intently listening to every word we had to say. I've heard it said that those who are in the most desperate conditions are the ones most ready to receive the Lord's help in their life. As I looked into each of their sincere faces, I truly felt the Spirit of God testifying of this principle to me. These people were ready to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here they were, having walked 4-5 days from Venezuela, leaving behind parts of their families, out searching for work all day, now with Books of Mormon in hand, reading the scriptures together and helping each other discover the answers to our questions. We visited them Sunday night and then last night (Monday) as well. They even offered us some of the very little food they had and they made sure we took it. Wow!! Truly humbling to see these people in need of so much but still willing to give to others and listen sincerely to two girls preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are meeting with them again tonight because they keep asking us to come back "tomorrow". We have high hopes for these humble men to become worthy Priesthood holders in the Lord's church one day soon. My companion and I both said to each other after these lessons that their spirits truly do feel very familiar to us. The kingdom of God has been prepared in so many ways, to be built up over here in Tulcan, Ecuador. We will see what happens this week:)

I also had many personal learning experiences this week! My companion is a great teacher, and she is helping me with my Spanish every day. I feel I am learning to love more unconditionally, to have more patience, and to be more diligent in the work. I truly do have a testimony that God loves His children, and watches out for His missionaries. I read about Ammon, a missionary in the Book of Mormon this past week, and truly drew strength from his example. He dedicated his LIFE to serving his fellow men, by serving a mission to people who really didn't want to hear his message. The impressive thing is, he bore many afflictions- he was spit on, thrown in jail, ridiculed- but he always turned to the Lord. He truly had patience in his trials, and in chapter 26 of Alma, we see him rejoicing in the Lord and in the success he found after all his trials. Ammon began with the hope of saving "some soul," and because he had patience in his afflictions, he saved thousands of souls. I am truly gaining a testimony that the Lord is by our side in our times of need. I have seen it in my life and in the lives of the people we are teaching. If any one of you is going through a hard time, turn to the Book of Mormon, because I testify that you will learn a lesson for your life on every page.

I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it is the same church that Jesus Christ established when he was on the earth. We find the fullness of his teachings when we read the Book of Mormon and the Bible together. I am convinced that because I have this gospel, I have true joy in my life, even in my afflictions. I encourage each one of you to think about how your life could change by having more of the teachings of Jesus Christ. That is what I invite people to do every day, learn more of Christ, and I truly know it is the noblest cause.

Love you all... may we each draw closer to our Savior this week.
Hermana Leonard

A few fun pictures...