Birthday Celebrations

SO MANY EMAILS. OH MY GOODNESS. I had soooo many emails this morning! So if I don't reply it's simply cause I didn't have enough time. but thank you soooo much for all your birthday lovin!!!!! 

This passed week has been good! Christmas was very low key and honestly wasn't that hard for me! My compi had a way harder time than I did. But we got through it! I think my birthday was harder for me. But it was still fun! It was a working day and we don't have any investigators right now cause its soo hard to meet with people during this time of the year cause everyone is working or out of town. So once January hits we are going on the hunt. But anyways, we had lunch at mamita C-----'s house! She made me a secco de pollo. SO GOOD. Shout out to Josh Mundy for recommending that plate. Then we went and visited some less active members. At one of the houses was a member who had been excommunicated. And ever since I got here to playas I've been working with him to try and little by little influence him and his family to come back to church. And for him to work on cleaning up his life so hopefully he can be re-baptized one day. We visited them last Saturday and invited them to come to church with us on Sunday. They agreed that they would go for an hour then go to work after. So about 5 minutes after the meeting started, I see their WHOLE FAMILY walk into the chapel. I've NEVER seen their older son come to church.... NEVER. And everytime we go over there he tries his hardest to ignore me... which I'm not really sure how that's possible considering ya can't really miss me. But lately he's been opening up to me and listening and he prayed with us yesterday! It was great! Anywho, so they came to church all of them! And I about flippin cried when they walked in. My face lit up! So when we visited them on Saturday I asked the dad to think about some goals he wants to make for the new year and on my birthday we were gonnna come over and talk about them!  So on my birthday we went over there and he wasn't there... and at first I was like ok lets get going. But then I felt like I needed to wait. So we waited and about 30 mins later he got home! I was so excited! So we all sat down together and I asked him about his goals. And he told me he had a lot, but that he was going to share one with me. And that goal was to come to church 10-20 times this year, because this past year he had only gone 3-4. He told me he wanted to start coming back and eventually become an active member again. He continued to tell me that he even talked to the branch president on Sunday and told him, "to lock your other 99 sheep up, because I am a lost sheep and I need your help". He told me that he wants to do this but it is going to be very very hard for him. And that he needs our help. I told him I wanted to make a little mini goal for him, to read for 5 minutes everyday in his scriptures. He said he would try and asked if every Saturday evening we could come over and read together with him and his family. And I obvi was like uh YES!  haha... Then things started to get super tender. He started to cry, and he looked at me and he said "Sister, I want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. And I want you to know that I don't know your dad... but I know that he loves you and appreciates you so much too. And I hope you never forget about this family." Then I started balling of course. And it honestly was one of the most tender and beautiful moments I think I've ever experienced in the mission. I just wanted to hug him. He got up and so did I and we exchanged a very firm handshake. Ha. I don't have words to describe the spirit and the love I felt and still feel from him and his family. I know that this year, he will reactivate and I will do everything in my power to help him. 

So after that we had been invited to mamita A----- house to celebrate my birthday. I bought a cake and we headed over there. Well we all sat around and chatted a little bit... They cut the cake, we ate the cake and left. They didn't even sing to me :(   It made me kinda sad. But mamita C----- had plans to have another little thing for me at her house with her family. So after we left there we went to mamita c-----'s! And her husband bought me a huge chocolate cake. They put a big tinker bell candle in it and all sang happy birthday to me! It was so fun! It was mamita, her hubby, her 4 kids, two grandchildren, her sister, and her mom. and obvi my compi! We all ate cake and laughed and had fun together before we had to come home. It was so great! I was so happy and so grateful I just fell into mamita C-----'s arms and started crying. We both cried together and told each other we loved each other. Her and her family really made my birthday so special for me. I am so blessed!

Thank you all again for all your love this season! I hope everyone has a wonderful new year! be safe! Love y'all!

Kisses

Hermana Younce

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!! I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season and that your homes are filled with love laughter and lots of fun memories! 

Thank you all for always loving and supporting me through everything! I want y'all to know how much I appreciate it! 

Sending you lots of love from Ecuador!

Besos,

Hermana Morgann Younce

Show your love for Him by serving His children

Howdy Everyone!

Temple Pic

So this week was great! First of all we got to go to the temple! Sooo amazing! We got to do one session and let me tell you....... all the updates they've done........ AMAZING. Totally cried through the whole session. I loved it. It was so great to just feel the spirit and have time to be calm and just talk with my Heavenly Father. 

The picture is of me and Hermana L---- at the temple this week! She's the new mission nurse and seriously one of my best friends!!!

So, 4 of our baptismal dates fell through this week so we will only be having one baptism this week but she has been investigating the church for years and she's finally going to be baptized this Saturday!!!! She was one of the first people I taught here in playas 6 months ago! She will be baptized the Saturday before Christmas! What a great gift to give our Savior this Christmas, a saved soul. :) 

Speaking of Christmas I got a package from my mom this week with a bunch of MoTab Christmas music and such on CDs that Lynn made for me! Shout out to them! Thank you sooooo much!!!!!!!! I listen to them 24/7 when I'm in the apartment. Plus my compi sleep walks and talks and it really scares me haha so I sleep with headphones in and its amazing to go to bed feeling the spirit through the music! I've noticed a difference in my dreams even! Thank you so much!! :)

Over all I'm super happy! I had mentioned in my past emails that I had been dealing with horrible migraines for weeks at a time! Well I talked with a psychologist and finally got down to the root of my problem. He told me I had been suffering from "psychosomatic illness". This is an illness caused by emotional pain or stress which causes the body to go into physical pain. So we talk every week and he has been helping me talk about the pains and guilts I've been suppressing for years and I haven't had a migraine in almost 3 weeks! :) Its been great!! Not only that but I'm seriously so much happier! I can really feel a change in myself!

 So with this Christmas season here I just wanted to express my gratitude for my Savior Jesus Christ. Being here on a mission to serve the Lord has really opened my eyes to a whole new world of the meaning of the life of Christ. During this time of the year sometimes we find ourselves getting caught up in what we are going to buy for others, or what others are going to give us. When in reality, we should be celebrating the birth of Christ. On Sunday Hermana Dennis and President Dennis came to our branch and spoke about the meaning of Christmas. Hermana Dennis used the analogy of if it was your birthday and alllll your friends and allll your family came to your big birthday party, but everyone bought gifts for everyone else besides you... that would totally suck right? Imagine how Christ feels...  

As a mission, every companionship has a little gift bag. and every time we serve someone else we write it on a white piece of paper and put it in the bag. This bag is our gift for Christ. The best way to show your love for Him is to serve His children. I'm not saying its bad to buy gifts or to receive, cause quite frankly I love that about Christmas. But  in the midst of all the ruckus of crazy Christmas shopping, we should take the time to stop, breathe, remember our Savior, and serve others. Jesus Christ was born to save all mankind. He knew before He came to the earth that He would go through the worst suffering and pain and then die for every single person in the universe, INCLUDING those who rejected him, spit on him, denied him, and eventually KILLED Him. It amazes me the bravery and pure love that He beheld when He came to this earth. I know that my Savior felt every burden, sadness, illness, and trial that I have and have yet to feel.  FOR ME. So that I am able to over come them all. I know that He died on the cross for ME and that He lives! That He was resurrected and over came death so that I TOO can over come death and live for the eternities with my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and my family one day. I am so grateful for the love and care that The Lord has showed me. I know that He loves me so much. I know that I am a daughter of God and that my worth is so great in His eyes. I know that The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church of Christ on the earth today and that it was restored by Joseph Smith, who was a true prophet called of God. I know that Joseph Smith restored the Priesthood power, the authority of God on the earth today. I am grateful for the pure love of Christ and the opportunity that I have to share it with the people of Ecuador everyday.  I am grateful to be a missionary. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to repent of my sins daily and the help that my Savior offers me to better myself. I am grateful for my family and my friends. I am grateful for my companion. I am grateful for my mission president and his family. I am grateful for my branch here in playas and all my little mini families I have made here. I love you all so much! and I hope y'all have a very very very merry Christmas! 

Kisses,

Hermana Younce

PS: I got a few letters this week! from Jennifer Madden, Jennifer Banks, and Tammy Clobes!! I also got a few letters in the passed that I never wrote about from Amelia Sardoni, Jordan Allen and Mike LeSuer and soo many others that I totally suck at remembering right now! But just know that I AM getting them!! and THEY MEAN SO MUCH TO ME! I'm sorry if I don't reply I suck at that! and its SO expensive to send letters here to the USA! But I love you all so much! Thank you so much! xoxo

Birthday Cake for Mamita A-----

     I bought her the cake and we brought it to her and had dinner with her.

CUTEST MODEST NIGHTY EVER!

Me and my compi looking hott!!

Haha I was SOO excited... I SEARCHED the playas for sparkling cider EVERYWHERE and I finally found some!!!

Life Is Great

Well my friends this week was not suuuper exciting! haha 

But we have 6 baptismal dates! And they should all be baptized this month! We are working hard to get them ready for their special day! We are also working with a lot of less active members which has been a lot of fun! 

Over all im doing great! The christmas season has finally arrived here in Ecuador! Its been a little tough but I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have to focus on my Savior Jesus Christ during this time of the year! 

Me and my companion are putting together a Christmas program for the branch! We are going to do the birth of Christ. We are super excited! 

Over all im great! My compi is great! And God is great! LIFE IS GREAT! Love you alll!! Have a great week!

Kisses!

Hermana Younce

Thanksgiving

So this week was pretty good! Super calm! But super productive! First was thanksgiving! Yay! Happy thanksgiving to all of you!! Mamita C----- made us a "turkey" dinner! (we ate chicken cause turkey is too expensive) hahaha but it was so yummy and so much fun to have my family here to celebrate with! 

I know this is totally not allowed but our mamita was cooking and he wouldn't stop crying so I had to help...… :) 

Second, we got a Christmas tree! And the little present under the tree is for Jesus! We write down our good deeds and put them in the bag! 

Third, me and my companion had a branch activity on Friday!!! " noche de gracia" We brought thanksgiving to Ecuador! We started with a spiritual message about counting our many many blessings, I sang "I Stand All Amazed" in Spanish. And me and my compi both gave our testimonies about how grateful we were to have the gospel in our lives. Then we went outside and played games! we did relay races as families! it was sooo much fun! then after the games we went back inside and had a thanksgiving dinner! it was such a success! there were 84 people there! that's the highest number for an activity in the whole year!!!!! AND the Sunday after there were 93 people at church!!!!! we were in the low 70s before! We are super happy to see the branch growing! 

Oh yeah!! This week we had zone conferences!

This is me and my compi and our zone leaders! 

And this is us leaving to go to the conference before the sun was even up!

My super attractive eye infection. Wooooo.
I look like that one guy from the goonies. " Heeeyyy yooouuu ggguuuyyyssssss"

Oh and me being suuuper fierce in the emergency room this week while getting pain meds injected into my veins for my migraines! Woo!

Aaaand my selfie of the week.

Love y'all! Have a super sick week!