We don`t go to church just because we need something, but that God needs us there to show our love for him.

Hello everyone!

Talking with Emily in Ecuador over Skype!

I am so glad I was able to see you all yesterday on Skype. I miss you guys a ton but you all looked good. I am also glad I was able to meet the
 newest member of the family Syrup the hamster. haha! But really it was good to see you guys. Claire and Aubree I was super glad to see you guys as well! I cannot believe it was just Christmas time when  I last talked to you guys. I cannot believe how fast time is going by. Just think the next time I talk to you there will probably be snow on the ground. Wow. I can`t even imagine snow right now. Too much heat here for that.

Proof she is alive and well:)

Dad I really appreciated your email. I liked a lot what you had to say about the blessings. I truly believe that you are receiving blessings. I just know that I receive tons here and I just hope you guys are as well. I know that this gospel really is centered on the family and I wish you all the best of blessings. I know that I pray for you guys constantly. You are always with me in my heart.

Claire and Aubree got to surprise Emily and visit with her too!

Mom no need to worry about your calling as Young Women's President, I know that God calls only those who he has prepared and he has prepared you to serve in this calling. He knows more than any of us that you can do this. It is crazy to me how awesome His plans are. He plays a role in so many things. Just remember that you are always a huge example to these girls and they will follow the footsteps of their leaders. I think one of the biggest things of your calling is the love that you will develop. It is kinda like missionary work. Charity is one of the huge keys in this work. The true love of Christ.
Well anyway this week has been a super different week. I don`t have much to say because I feel like I told you everything yesterday, but most of all I am happy and loving it here. I am actually adjusting to the heat.  This week has been great here with Hermana Mann. I love this girl so much. We are always laughing. Her Spanish really has improved a ton. She doesn`t give herself enough credit. She does know a lot of this language. It is cool to see the Spirit work through the two of us. This past week we were doing practices in the morning and she was just shooting off words I didn`t even think she knew. When we have the spirit guiding us in what to say we can really say anything. Because these words are not our own they are those of the Lord.
Serving a mission has taught me so much. But something I would love to talk about today is the diligence. This past week we really have worked to be diligent in using the advice of our president. He really has encouraged us in working with those whom are less active in the ward and use the references to reactivate them. Well anyway this past week we were given a name of a large family to look for with the last name of Orellana. Well we looked about every day this week and then Friday night we found a lady working in a sewing shop and she said that this family was that of her husband and that we could pass the next day to see him and that he was a member. Well anyway Saturday we didn`t have time to pass in the morning and he said he wouldn`t be there in the night time. But we felt inspired to stop by in the night even though it was out of the way and kind of far away. Well we knocked on the door and a man answered and out came three other men and turns out all were members, one who was living in Spain and was just visiting and the other two in our sector. Anyway they have been inactive for about 7 years. Well we encouraged them to come to church on Sunday and told them that it really was inspired that we had found them and that God clearly wants them to be in church. Well long story short they showed up on Sunday without problems. And it was amazing to see the quick change they had. One of the Hermano`s said to us, " Last night after you left I thought to myself, why go to church I am happy with my life? I have my wife and kid and my well paying job and our beautiful house. What more do I need?" Then in the night I guess he woke up really stressed and he read the book of Mormon that we had given him the night before and he said that it finally hit him that the Lord put us in his path not because he needed to change drastically or that he isn`t happy, he sent us because he wants him to give thanks to God for the things he has and we don`t go to church just because we need something but that God needs us there to show our love for him.

I thought my companion and I were about to cry after this. It had been a pretty exhausting week and we only had one investigator in church this week. But having these men there recognizing their covenants and how they still need to have the Lord in their lives was just enough for us.

As missionaries I think we focus so much on baptism baptism baptism. But that is not our objective as missionaries. We are here to invite all to come unto Christ through faith in Christ and His atonement, and after this come repentance, baptism and enduring to the end. But I am here to invite all to come unto Christ. This is why I am here and not just to have people as numbers but to have actual souls come unto Him.
Anyway this was a really great lesson to me this week. I love the person that this gospel and mission has made me into. I know that God sure has a plan for me and he is only shaping me right now for what he has in store for the future.

Anyway, I love you all and I hope you are all reading your scriptures every day :)

Miss you tons, and sending all of my love your way.

Hermana Pack