Week 19 - Cotacachi - Week One as a Normal Missionary

I am no longer a "greenie" and it has been a stressful first week. With our referance activity, we are supposed to give numbers, and my companion before didn't tell me what those numbers are. So, you could say it has been a fun week.

I've also gotten to know my new companion a little bit more. He is from Ipiales, Columbia (which is in our mission...not sure how that happened). He hasn't stayed long in a lot of sectors, so it'll be interesting how long he stays in this area. I have had my times of impatience with him, as I have realized is a fault of mine. Really, it is just new ideas and new ways of doing things. We are both learning and growing as he comes to a close of his first year in the mission field.

I hope all of you have been able to start your 25 Days of Service! The very first day, Elder Parades and I had a service opportunity with an investigator we were worried was going to move to a new area. We ended up helping her move tires. I don't have a picture of how big the tires were, but they were big. It was enjoyable and we were able to verify that an investigator is staying in our area. It was complete inspiration to call her. I felt that I should, so I did and that is how she told us about this help she needed and that she was moving just down the street from our house. It is cool to look back on and see how I was guided through the Holy Ghost.

I had an interesting thought today. I was reading the books of Omni and Jarom (two of the smallest books in the Book of Mormon) and had the thought of how to look at the Book of Mormon in a new perspective. I thought, since the Book of Mormon is a story, what if it was a parable of sorts? A parable similar to parables Jesus used during his ministry on the earth. As I read these two books in that perspective, it opened up a new world of ideas. If you get the chance, read a chapter, a book, or the entire Book of Mormon in the aspect of a parable that relates to, and is, our lives.

I hope everyone is enjoying snow, whatever that is, and the #IlumnaElMundo campaign!

Love you all!

--Elder Ogden--

This is right after our service activity. You can kind of see how dirty we are.

I had to squat fairly low to get that shot as well.