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