The last one.

Hey everyone,

Well this really sucks. I cannot believe that this is the last time I will be writing you. It has been an amazing last year and a half. It doesn´t even feel real yet. But I will be seeing you this Friday. Wow that doesn´t sound real. But I would love it if all of you guys could be there when I get home. :)

I am assuming that I get released as a missionary on Friday. I cannot even imagine all of this.

This last week we were able to teach two amazing families. The family Sancán and the family Vera. I have grown to love them so much. I wish I could be here for their baptisms. But what I do know is that my companion sure can do it :) We have had so many spiritual lessons with them. Something I love is teaching families because I know that the family can be together forever. I know that this is why I have gone on the mission. To give people the opportunity to be baptized and sealed with their families forever like my family will. Man this gospel is so amazing.

I have tons of pictures to send you, but I think I´ll wait until I get home.

There have been so many things I have learned these last couple months. SO much. I am pretty sure you guys won´t recognize me. Hahaha I have gained some weight and my hair is burned blonder and I am super permanently burned..... I would like to think it is a tan but in all reality I think I am just red.

Well I would just like to end by saying that this is the only true gospel and that I feel so blessed for the opportunity I have been given to serve the Lord. The friends I have made here in Ecuador are my friends for the eternities. I love all of my companions that I have had. I have really made some of my best friends here. It breaks my heart to leave. But what I do know is that now I must apply the things that I have learned here to my real life. There is a difference from being a person with a testimony and truly being converted to the gospel. And now I can honestly say that I am converted. I have been so blessed the last year and a half. This really has been the best time of my life. I have grown to really understand the atonement of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. I couldn´t have come to understand this on my own. The people here have helped me truly become the convert I want to be. I still have so much room to improve in my life but I feel so blessed to have had the time here to improve. I know that our Savior loves us and is always there to guide us and watch out for us. 

Anyway I love you all so much. and I´ll see you sooner than we think hahaha. 

love you,

Hermana Pack

I don´t feel like it is real life.

Hola!                                  February 2

So I would just like you all to know that I am really sorry that I won´t get to write a lot today because I had consejo de lideres again. But it was super super inspiring. It was my last time to be a Hermana Leader in a reunion with the president and all of the hermana leaders and zone leaders. And it was rough. I cried hard. The president asked me to share my testimony. I don´t feel like it is real life. 

I am pretty sure that my plane flight is for the 27th just so you all have a heads up. If the secretary hasn´t already emailed you. But yeah it doesn´t seem real. It kinda makes me really really sad. I love this mission so much. 

Today in consejo the president shared something and it was a video from "Meet the Mormons" and I cried like a baby. It was soooo good. I love it so much. It was the part about the guy going on the mission. 

Man I don´t know. Life here is so good. I feel so inspired every day. Yesterday I was also given the chance to sing in an institute thing that the president was speaking in and it was awesome. I felt so blessed. I really realized how important my studies are and I have so much to do when I get home. haha. And something I have really realized while being on this mission is what it means to be a disciple of Christ. 

Wow it is so great. I know that our Savior loves us so much.

Anyway this week we have a baptism and I am so excited!!!

Love,

Hermana Pack

It was her first baptism!!!! :) Love this girl!

The baptism of Joel Sancán

Hey everyone,                                                            February 9

Well this week has been an interesting one haha. But it has been fun. I seriously love being here in Guayaquil and I love being here with Hermana Butler.

This last week was the baptism of Joel Sancán. It was a really great baptism. Honestly is was kind of a stressful week. But to be in this baptism was something amazing. It was the first baptism of my companion. Wow it just blows my mind away how fast passes the mission. Joel is really really great kid. We now just have to excited him to stay active and go on a mission :) 

But something great with that is that his whole family came to church this Sunday! That is a huge improvement. And recently we have been working with a boy who is 17 and less active and his entire family came to church on Sunday as well. I was so excited. Honestly we have seen some miracles this week. The biggest thing is getting them to commit to baptism. It has been a challenge. They are all such great people and something great about it is that they are an entire family!! They can live with each other for the eternities. What better thing in the world is there than that??? Nothing!!

Hermana Arnold and I!

I know that when we live the gospel of Jesus Christ we have the opportunity to live with our families forever. How wonderful is that? There really is no other greater gift than eternal life with your family. 

Anyway it has been a good week. I love sharing the gospel. Our biggest thing for this week is finding new people to teach. The members here are great! I just honestly love it here. 

Las misioneras de los Esteros!!!

As for coming home. Everyone and their brother has been asking me. I am not quite sure. But, what I do know is that it is coming sooner than we think. I am super appreciative of all of your prayers and concerns. Thank you all so much!

My wall above my desk :)

Love,

Hermana Pack

Joel and his family. We were only missing his dad. But it was a great baptism.

February 16
So sorry that I am writing you all so early in the morning. This weekend is a huge holiday here in Ecuador called carnival and it can get kind of dangerous for the missionaries... So we have a super strict schedule. SO yeah anyway I get the chance to write you all nice and early :)

Well Life here in Ecuador has been good this week. We have gotten to see some pretty cool stuff. But a big highlight of the week is that this last Saturday I got a call and was told that I had to sing the mission song in a meeting where Elder Godoy was there. He is in our area presidency and I was able to sing the song that we have written. It was such a cool experience. And then afterwards, he talked about how we need to use our talents in the future in front of the entire audience. It was soo cool. Anyway it was a super great experience. I feel very privileged to have gotten to write this song and be a part of the process of creating it.

Mission life has been good this week. So many crazy things but no time to write it in. But the most important thing I wanna ask you guys is that you could pray for the health of me and my companion. She has been having a rough time with her health these past days and we could really use your prayers.

Anyway, this week we aren`t given much time to work because of the holiday of Carnival. So that kind of stinks. But We will see what we can do with the time we have.

Hermana Butler and I!! :)

Mom I am super super stoked about the plans you guys have made. Hopefully everything works out.

Danielle I`ll be praying for your health I hope you get better!

And Neil thanks for thinking of me this week! I love you guys tons!

Dad I hope all this stuff with coming home isn`t stressing you out haha but I sure know that the Lord has a plan and there is a reason to everything.

Love you all,

Hermana Pack

Hermana De La Torre and I!

My district! Before Elder Alvarez goes home this week. E. Ramos, E. Hoovey, E. Alvarez, E. Martìnez, Hermana Butler and I!

This girl is always eating mangos...... Seriously I think she is an addict. hahaha

I feel so blessed to be able to use my talents here in the mission.

 I was able to go to the temple with Hermana Baca when she finished her mission and it was such a great experience. :)

Hey,                                                                                                                        January 24

Well this week has been yet another CRAZY week here in Guayaquil. Seriously I think I have a love hate relationship with being here hahahaha. Sometimes it can get a person really burnt out but overall it is really awesome! So many crazy things happen here. It is kinda like I don`t really know what to expect every day.

But I just thought I would give you guys a little heads up. So with Hermana Murri, Elder Martínez and Elder Wendt we have written a hymn or actually a song for this mission and it is actually really great. I am actually really impressed with how it has turned out. It has been a crazy experience. But yeah these three are super super talented. I just feel bad for all of the sacrifices we have had to make in our sectors. But this last week we were given the chance to perform the song for the president and his family in his house and I cannot even explain to you how it went. It was amazing. Seriously such a blessing. I feel so blessed to be able to use my talents here in the mission. But as well to see these amazing talents of the other missionaries. So yeah anyway. Then the president called us and told us that Sunday he wanted us to travel with him to Naranjal a part of the mission that is somewhat new in the mission it only has been around for a little over a year. And we were able to sing the song at the dedication of the new church building. It was great. I felt so blessed to be there. But at the same time I was beyond nervous for my sector. But the Lord blessed us significantly. Our members really helped us out a ton. Seriously it was great.

Joel Sancán is going to be baptized this week and I would love it if you guys could pray for him. I am so excited. He is really a chosen individual. It will be the first baptism of my companion. :) I am so excited. His baptismal date is really for this 7th but we are going to try to move it up tonight to this Saturday.

We have been blessed to get to know some great new people when we have had time to work in our sector. Because  I have also done some office work with the nurses in the office and I  was given the privilege to be with Hermana Baca on her last day of the mission. It was good. She was super sad to go home, but I was blessed to go to the temple with her. It was so refreshing. Man I love the temple so much.

I really do love being in Guayaquil. It is a great place. There are such great people. I am so glad to be in the mission and there is no other place I would like to be!

My companion Hermana Butler :) Love her!!

I love you all tons.

Dad I really appreciated your letter about writing in your journal. That is something I definitely have to get better at...... I want to be a whole lot better with that after the mission.

Anyway thank you for all of your prayers.

My zone Puerto Nuevo..... Yeah I look like an idiot.... But yeah oh well.

The zone leaders showed up for the birthday of hermana De La Torre and brought her cake :)

I smashed her head into the cake :) hahahaha Seriously love this girl.

IT WAS SOOOOO HOT!!! this is just an essance of our lives here in Los Esteros hahahaha

I love you tons!

Hermana Pack

But little did I know, here in Guayaquil, it rains a freaking TON!!

Hola!                                                                                                                                                     January 19, 2015

Well this week has been great!!! I am loving Guayaquil. Seriously this place is so different than all of my other sectors of my mission. I really do like it. I feel blessed to be here. But Hermana Butler and I are having a good time. ha-ha She doesn´t know a whole ton of Spanish yet but it gets interesting ha-ha. She is a great missionary. I feel like I can overwhelm her sometimes ha-ha. Poor thing ha-ha. But yeah this week has been hot. 

Guayaquil, as usual, has been dang hot. But luckily we are now in the transitional period of the rainy season. But little did I know, here in Guayaquil, it rains a freaking TON!! And it is like a raining downpour. Ha-ha it is great. But it was bad the other day and we didn´t have umbrellas with us and our shoes were soaked!! The streets were FILLED with water. Like above my ankles. It was a  ton of water and I promise you that it is not clean water ha-ha. But it´s a good time. We also saw a huge tree fall down this week and fall right on top of a car. It was crazy insane!!

But yeah this week we have been teaching Joel a guy who is 18 and his family and his little sister and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to teach him. He is such a great kid. His baptism will be this February. I cannot wait!! He is progressing really well. I love visiting him and his family. I love his mom and dad as well. We haven´t quite gotten his parents to church yet but I think this next week will be our opportunity. So if you guys could pray for the Sancán family that would be really cool. I just love them all so much.

I love teaching with my companion she cracks me up. It kills me when the people talk about her and she has noooo idea what they are saying. Man what I would do to see a video of my first couple weeks ha-ha. But it´s a good time. I feel like she knows even less Spanish than what I knew when I got here..... hahahaha it cracks me up. But I love her. It amazes me in the mission you can grow to love people only when you know them for just a little bit. It is crazy stuff. I would also love it if you guys could pray for my companion so that she can have the gift of tongues so that she may learn this language as soon as possible. 

This gospel is so great. Yesterday we had a great family home evening with a recent convert and his wife who isn´t a member and we watched a video about the life of Christ and it was really great. It amazes me how much the Lord loves every one of us. I can´t imagine anyone loving me so much that they would die for me. But yet I want that kind of love for others. I guess that is what charity is. I think my mission has really helped me come to understand what charity is. The pure love of Christ. Wow he loves us. I can´t even imagine how much he actually loves us. But this last week I gave a talk in sacrament and I couldn´t hardly talk when I began to talk about the love of which he has for us because there has been so many times in the last 20 years that I have felt his arms around me and felt this love. And that is why I am on this mission. There is no other greater thing in this world than the love of our Savior. And my plan for my life is to develop this love and this attribute.

Anyway this week was good. I feel happy and I couldn´t be any happier. 

Love you all tons!

Hermana Pack

Guayaquil in Los Esteros

HEY!!!!                                                                                                                  Jan. 13, 2015

So I first would like to tell you all that I am alive and that I love you tons and that I am really sorry for not writing especially yesterday. Soooo I have such a long story but the president specifically asked if I could be a part of a small group to write a song for the mission. It’s like a hymn for the mission. Soo yesterday that took up like all of my Pday. So I couldn´t write. 

This was written in a newspaper that was distributed all around Ecuador.

And then today I had transfers again. hahaha But this time it was sweet because I am training again. I am training a girl from Arizona. I am sooo excited. It such a great privilege to train. I love training. It is my favorite thing of the mission. Seriously. But yeah anyway I am super excited. But we are going to still be in Guayaquil in Los Esteros. So that´s cool. Today I was able to go to the temple early in the morning. It was such a great experience. I feel so blessed. I received so much revelation. Seriously I challenge all of you to make a goal to go to the temple in this next month. 

I just love the mission so much. I can´t imagine doing anything different. Really it is the greatest thing. My life has been so changed. This past week we have been teaching a guy who sells gas and he has doubted if the church is true and he finally came to church this Sunday and it was awesome because he received his answer. And he is now excited for baptism. I just love seeing people change their lives. It is amazing how much we can receive revelation through the sacrament and through the church when we go every week. It is so good. 

Anyway, life here is crazy but I love you guys ton!

Danielle I am super super excited for you!!!! Congrats on BYU Idaho!! WOOOOOO!!!!! You are gonna love it!

Mom as for the camera. To be honest I had hand sanitizer in my bag and it exploded one day in my bag and got all inside of the camera and yea well now it doesn´t work. 

And as for the clothes and culture of my last companion Hermana De La Torre. Her family bought me some of the authentic clothes and is bringing it to me this next week and I am super excited!! So I will bring some home for you all to see :) 

Anyway love you all tons!

Sorry this isn´t a ton and please forgive me for yesterday. My life in the mission and especially in Guayaquil is crazy. haha

Love,

Hermana Pack

I am so grateful to be a missionary.

Hola!!                                                      Jan.5

Well, I think last week I forgot to mention this but my companion got transferred. Right now I am with Hermana De La Torre. She is from here in Ecuador from Otavalo. She is so cute!!! The people from Otavalo have really great clothes and are indigenous. So she has some of her native clothes and they are sweet!

Some day I plan on putting them on hahaha. But the sad thing is that the camera you guys sent me is broken and she doesn´t have a camera so I am not quite sure how we are gonna get a lot of pictures.... So we will have to see how this all  works out. 

Anyway this week was good, but kind of a long week. It was rough teaching here because a lot of people went out of town for the holidays. and Even more people were drinking like crazy. There were two days we were cut short on time to visit people because of the craziness in Guayaquil. It is even more crazy here. Guayaquil is an awesome place but the people are a whole lot different. 

But it´s good we have found a couple really great families that we have been teaching. I like working with Hermana De La Torre she is great. 

Today was a meeting with all the leaders of the mission and with the president and it was a really great meeting. Every time I am near the president I feel privileged to be in this mission and to be here. Really it is quite the blessing. I am so grateful to be a missionary. There are so many things I have learned of which I plan on applying to my future. 

Anyway I hope all is well and that you are all reading your scriptures and saying family prayers 3 Nephi 18:21 I love ya all tons!! I know that this gospel truly blesses every single one of us when we are obedient. 

I miss ya and love ya tons!

Hermana Pack

GUAYAQUIL is HOT!!!! Beyond hotter than any other place I have ever been in my life! Happy New Year!

Hermanas Flinders, Nazer, Whitmore, Murri, Nelson, Me and Alvarado :) All of the greatest girls from the Choir :)

Best companionship award goes to...... US :) Seriously so cute!

Huancavilca!!! WOOOO!

The mastermind of our presentations hahahaha Elder Martinez.... But seriously. This Elder is a genius. One of the most intelligent people that I have ever met when it comes to music..... We could not have done this without him.

Hermana Flinders and Hermana Alvarado :) Two of my best friends in the choir :)

Hermana Whitmore Hermana Nazer and Hermana Nelson. Man I seriously love all of these girls so much. There is not a single person in this choir that I don`t love with all of my heart!

Singing the song " No Hubo un Heroe mas Grande" another good one :)

Singing The song "Ningun Otro Nombre" you all should look it up soo good :)

Elder Wendt y Elder Gaete :) So precious haha

The assistants to the President. Seriously two of the greatest guys I have ever met in my life. Both have been by zone leaders at one point in my mission and it has been an honor to be traveling with them this week in the choir. And most of all to see them help lead our mission with the president. Elder Barrios from Paraguay and Elder Kindred from San Diego California.

Dec. 15

SO this is going to be the shortest letter of my mission. I am so sorry. But I sent A million photos....... But This week was amazing and I had some of the most spiritual experiences of my entire mission and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I was given to visit all of the locations of the mission and I was actually able to see a lot of my converts and it was bitter sweet. It was extremely difficult to say goodbye to some of them. I did a lot of crying but it was amazing to see that one year ago when I met these people they knew nothing of the love of the Lord and now they have completely changed it was such a great opportunity. I was so blessed to see Cuenca and Macahla and Santa Rosa. I just love seeing the changed of those whose lives I have been able to touch. it has been such a great opportunity.

Anyway. This week the choir tour ends and then I get a sector and I will let you know about Skype and everything. As of right now I know nothing. soooooo Love you tons. And I will see you all soon through Skype :) love you

Hermana Pack

Hermana Torres! I love her so much! She is our President`s wife. She is so great!

These are two girls that served with Aunt Sarah!!! They both were in Guayaquil when I was singing and they were super excited to see me!

Santa Rosa!!! I cried being able to go back here so many great memories!

Being reunited with Thalia! Man I just love that girl so much!

Thalia and Ambar!  I was so so so happy to see these girls in Santa Rosa!

On the road again........ seriously so many busses......

Loja decorated the church for us it was adorable! Such an amazing spirit here!

LOJA!!! Such a powerful performance!

CUENCA! I had never cried so much in my mission hahahaha!

Seriously almost the half of my mission was in Machala and It was so hard to leave this place I cried so hard. Giving Hermana Mann a good hug while leaving was real rough..... I love Machala with all of my heart. I just love the mission so much hahaha.

Santa Rosa!! My heart truly does belong here!! :)

After our first performace in Cisne!

Our second performance, in Pradera :)

The performance in Centenario!

Performance in Puerto Nuevo!

Dec. 22

Hola!

So This week was great!! I am in Guayaquil!!! Yay!! I am officially in a sector that is called Los Esteros and it is a great sector. I am so grateful to be here. My companion is Hermana Peralta. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to train again! I seriously love training. But Hermana Peralta is amazing. Seriously this girl knows so much. She is from Mexico. From Guadalajara. She has been a member he whole life and she knows a ton. But I am so grateful to be with her. She is so dang cute! Right now we are the only sisters in our zone and it is super super weird. I have never been in a zone with so many Elders... There are 20 Elders in our zone. But it is kinda cool at the same time because I have realized the importance of the Hermanas in the missions. And especially as being an Hermana Leader because I know that if the Hermana´s have a lot of success the Elders have a lot of motivation and the whole zone gets really excited. I feel good about this new zone. 

Anyway I am really excited to see you all this week! I really do love you all tons! I cannot believe how quick time has flown by. It kind of gives me anxiety.... Like a ton of anxiety. But this last week we had a baptism of Edith Vasquez and it was such a good baptism. She was soooo excited. She really had a great conversion. It was such a privilege to be in her baptism. She is from Columbia. And it was a good day. I am super excited to work in this ward. The members are super smart. I love it already and I have only been here less than a week.

Today we had to buy a new house and move out and it has been a disaster but it will all end soon enough and I am super excited to just get the stress done with..... But let me just tell you that GUAYAQUIL is HOT!!!! Beyond hotter than any other place I have ever been in my life. SO SO SO SO SO hot. I am dying. But it is good for me I think... But I look nasty daily.... Yuck.

With Hermana Peralta my new companion when we received our Christmas gift of getting to go to the temple :)

People from Machala were in the temple as well. It was such a blessing to see them! I got to see Lucia and Sami!!!!

This last week the president gave everyone the privilege to go to the temple and it was amazing. I felt so so so blessed and I received so much revelation. Wow it was amazing. I just felt the love of our Savior. Man it is so amazing. He loves us all so much. It is so true that the temple is the house of the Lord. It truly is the house of our dear Savior and beloved Father in Heaven. I am so grateful for this wonderful knowledge.

Anyway I love you all and wish you the best Christmas. I am so blessed to be on the mission and to have two Christmas´s here in Ecuador. In this beautiful country. I just love it so much. Anyway see you soon ;)

Lots of love,

Hermana Pack

I seriously love Ecuador. Enough said.

Dec. 29

Hola!!!

Well I would just like to start off by saying how grateful I was to see you all and that it was such a great experience to talk to you guys. I just love your support. Thank you so much!! I love you guys tons!

I hope you guys had a great Christmas I sure did.

We got our nails done!!! :)

We were blessed and we go to go to the other sisters house in Centenario which is another part of Guayaquil and guess who was there :) Hermana Murri and Hermana Hidalgo YAY! Second Navidad with Hermana Murri ESSSO hahaha it was great! We made tacos mexicanos!!!! I was super excited!

Today I wasn´t given a ton of time to write sorry again my time was cut. As usual. I am really sorry. I think that is kind of the life I have been living the last couple weeks but today I was blessed to go to the house of the president to sing for a news reporter and the report is going to be sent out to all of Ecuador. It is going to be really really cool. I am really excited!!! 

I know that next week I will have short time to write as well because it is a meeting of leaders. But I want you to know that we had a baptism of a little boy and I gave him one of the ties that you sent me mom. And what is really cool is that we were able to reactivate is family and his mom cried when we gave him the tie. It was a really great baptism. But next week I´ll send you the pictures. 

Love you all tons.

Hermana Pack

Happy New Year as well!!!

I officially finished one entire year in ECUADOR!!!! :) all of 2014