Feliz Navidad !

I feel like a famous person!        December 15, 2014

Hola Querida Familia Mía,

Como estan?? I just want to tell you all how much i love the Christmas season and how blessed i am to be in the mission for two Christmases (don't remember how that works in English). This week we had the opportunity to share the Christmas program with all the areas of the mission. Day one, we went to my homeland SANTA ROSITA! I loved being able to share my testimony with all the people i love in that sector all at the same time! That night we slept in Santa Rosa and there was no water to shower... definitely just rinsed from one of the emergency water bottles that is always under the sink. Then we got to work in Santa Rosa for a couple hours and then we headed to Machala! 

In machala, we had a really good training with presidente, and we definitely got .... edified spiritually. It was really good to realize that what we are doing as a choir is so important and we can't take it lightly. We have to be very responsible and very worthy to have the spirit so that we can have a worthwhile presentation. Needless to say our performance that night was the best we had had! That night we slept in machala, in the morning we wen to Loja, and loja has a great spirit. I've never served there but its just such a special place, you can't help but love it! 

Saturday we were in Cuenca and got to go sing at an orphanage then perform for about 20 people because everyone had gone to the temple... wher! BUT it was still great! I love how much you can feel the spirit through the music no matter how many or few people are listening. 

Well on Sunday at 2 AM we got up to take the bus to a little place called Naranjal that opened right when i started on the mission. It is such an amazing place because all the members there have about a year or less in the church! We got to go to church there and then perform there in the night. It was awesome because it's a 4th floor room as the chapel and it is surrounded by windows! SOO when we were singing we had to do it without music because of the handheld mic and the wind was blowing in our hair and i just felt like a rockstar, it was probably the best performance spiritually and confidence- wise that we had! 

I just have had the greatest time these past couple weeks! I love the opportunities that I've had and the things that i have learned and felt! I'm soo grateful for the Christmas season and that i get to be in the best mission in the world serving the Lord at this time in my life! I know that god loves me and you guys and all of his children in the world and that's the message we all have to share, not just missionaries but members too! we have to help everyone know that god loves them and that he has a perfect plan for us,that he also gave us the best Christmas gift of all, it's a gift that keeps on giving- Jesus Christ!

Les Quiero!

Hermana Whitmore

 Nativity outside of the Church in Loja with Hermana Murri!

Some of the choir kids! Love these guys!

 last p-day we found an island that has always been in my sector, i just never knew about it!

 we went and visited it! 

 I got your "pick me up" package! it definitely picked me up :)

The most Beautiful Place in the World!     December 22, 2014

Dearest Familia Mia,

I would like to tell you all the story of my crazy week :) 

Firstly, On Monday, I had a very low-key pday in the house with my poor companion because her legs got eaten alive in Cuenca, they were so swollen she could barely walk! So we just hung out in the house and got ready for the week.

On Tuesday, we got to go to the temple and that was going to be nice and relaxed HOWEVER! The asistentes called us and told us that we had to go to the temple early to pick people up and take them to the house and then return to the temple! So after an hour and a half of running back and forth, we got to the temple in one piece! We thought that we were going to do a session but they sent us away and told us we were going to go later in the week. Ok that's fine. So we went back to centenario and did some crazy intercambios so that all the lonelies had a sector to work in. We went and contacted for a while, ate some salchipapas and then went back to main headquarters (the church in centenario), after that we just ended up going to the house because everything was so crazy! Well, we get back to the house and one of the hermanas that doesn't speak Spanish gets a phone call from the asistentes so she hands the phone to me to get things all figured out and then Elder Barrios says "oh hermana whitmore i needed to talk to you too! Do you have something to write this down?" cambios! " ok , you have to pack one suitcase of 50 lbs and be in the airport at 9:00 am tomorrow morning.... you are going to Galapagos!" "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So that's when I packed my bags and got on a plane and came to the most amazing place EVER! GALAPAGOS! It really is sooo awesome here, I've seen more miracles here then in all my mission put together! Everything is so easy going and everyone is nice! It's super strange to see gringos all over but that's part of the beauty too. My companion is Hermana Clark from Bear Lake, Idaho and she is super fun! We are actually in the same group so it's fun to talk about all our time in the mission :) haha So yeah that was my big reveal. Iwas going to reveal it through pictures... however the computer I'm using is a dinosaur! Ill try to make it work again but i doubt it :)

Well, yeah ... really that was it, sorry a little anti climatic but its something I've been feeling has been coming my whole mission and now I'm finally here and i can't even believe it! I just am so excited to get out there and work and share the gospel with all the galapageños :) I love you all! Have a great week! i know i will... Christmas in Galapagos! Living the life!

Hermana Whitmore

Galapagos Zone!

Feliz Navidad!

2nd week on the island!      December 29, 2014

Hola Familia,

Well, this week has been great and really hard at the same time! Great because it was Christmas and i got to talk with you guys and everything was fantastic! At first, a little hard cause we were just going to give up and try the next day but the elders called us and told us we got permission to go to the parte alta (the mountains) to be able to talk with you guys! Then we went and got to eat dinner with some members and that's pretty much how Christmas went down. My companion and i really enjoyed the Christmas stories you sent me and the oatmeal and other snacks have kept us alive in the past weeks because everything is so darn expensive! ha ha 

But in the work this week we been a little frustrated because our investigators always say "yes yes yes" and then they never complete! It's just sad really because they are losing blessings and eternal happiness! Yesterday i was so just worn out and frustrated, i literally cried in front of an investigator because she had put an earring back in her 3rd piercing! AH! But we are just taking this week to clean the program and start fresh! Do things the way president wants and the way that God wants, hopefully for our faithfulness, obedience and diligence, we will be blessed :) 

I love you all! 

Hermana Whitmore