Dearest friends and family,
Hello everyone! Que gusto
escribirles. This letter should be a special one if I can manage to get all of
my thoughts down effectively because we’ve got some pretty big changes coming
to the mission here in Ecuador! The past couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing a
lot of speculation and rumor that there was going to be a reorganization of the
church boundaries affecting the Tulcan branch (rama in Spanish) where I belong,
but all this time it has been nothing more than that: speculation. Well, we’ve
finally started to receive official news from President Murphy, which means
that the rumors are becoming fact and I can now share the big news with all of
you. (And no longer be a liar J!)
I’m just going to say it…the Mision Ecuador Quito Norte
(#EQNMission) is going INTERNATIONAL! We’ve sent in our headshots to be put
on our visas to begin supporting the members in Colombia! To explain, I should offer
a little more information as to how things have been operating prior to this
announcement. The church is very well organized. We have various levels of
organization, authorities and responsibilities. The most basic unit in the
church is called a branch. This is essentially a single congregation of 100-150
people who all meet together at the same time in a single building. Branches
are then organized into districts, which are typically comprised of 3-5
different branches. This is where the change is occurring: the district.
Normally the missionaries and church members here in Tulcan have to travel 3-5
hours into the next biggest city, Ibarra, when meeting together as a district,
which has been a hassle. Equally a hassle is the situation across the border in
Ipiales, Colombia where the members and the missionaries over there also have
to journey 3-4 hours to meet with their district in Cali, Colombia.
So, when one of the church leaders, Elder Montoya, came to
visit us in November, he took note of how the people had to travel so far to
meet with other members of the church. And he asked “why not form a new district,
right here on the border with the Tulcan branch and the three branches in Ipiales?”
Well, President Murphy came to church with us last Sunday to explain that Elder
Montoya took his idea back to the First Presidency (headquarters) in Salt Lake and
they loved and approved it. So now, here we are sharing this news and feeling
very excited for our first meeting, the first time we all get to go to Colombia
to meet with the members and missionaries over there, on March 11. It’s really very
exciting to have this going on around me, considering I’m right here where it is
all happening! I haven’t spoken to a single missionary who hasn’t said they
wouldn’t want to be a part of starting the work in the new Ipiales sectors. Oh
yeah, I guess I forgot to throw that little tidbit – they are also changing our
mission boundaries to extend across the border, so the three Ipiales branches now
belong to the Ecuador Quito North Mission. This means that when we have our
monthly zone conferences we won’t travel to Ibarra anymore. Instead we will meet
here, closer to home, as the new Ipiales-Tulcan zone.
I would say that overall, nearly everyone is happy about the
changes taking place. It was a treat having President Murphy way up here in
Tulcan with us and I loved introducing him to all of the people I’ve been
writing him about each week. This process has shown me though how groups of
people react to things that affect them. In this instance, I’d say that there are
really two types reactions and people fall into one of two categories: those
who act and those who are acted upon. In life, things are going to hit us from
the left, they’re going to hit us from the right, and they’re going to hit us
head on as well. It’s inevitable. However, that which is not inevitable is the
reaction we choose to employ in response to change. I’ve seen many people
genuinely excited for this change – they see that they’ll have a chance to meet
in a bigger district setting, more often, and they won’t have to drive so far.
They are acting on the news, they’re making the change work and they’re being
active in the decision-making process in their heads. I’ve also witnessed
people with anticipation, sitting back and waiting to be told what to do, and waiting
to pick up on how to feel and, in the process, typically focusing on other’s
negative emotions that are floating around. The lesson to be learned is very
easy to see: the proactive families in the first group are happier and are likely
going to remain happier as these inevitable changes unfold.
I, for one, am stoked to be part of this. I mean c’mon, I’ve
heard they have cheap toilet paper in Ipiales! I’ll keep you all updated as I
get more information. I apologize for taking the entire letter to discuss
boring logistical matters, but it’s something major that I wanted to share.
I’ll get back to the storytelling next week, I promise. Things are good here
and I’ve been staying happy. I’m finally figuring out how to let just the right
amount of longing for my past go from my mind, to balance the joy and happiness
I feel now, with the anticipation of coming home and picking up where I left off
later. I miss you all and hope you have a delightful week!
Much affection,
Elder Ericksen
- Adam’s district leader, Elder Morales, was part of the office staff responsible for packages and mail in Quito prior to his current assignment to Tulcan. When Hermana Murphy was in Tulcan with her husband last weekend, she told Adam that Elder Morales was excited to be assigned to Tulcan because he knew first-hand that Elder Ericksen gets lots of care packages! Yay Lisa, Grammy Liz and yay North American candy!
- Adam traveled to Otavalo for his P-day today, describing it as the most amazing, culturally-rich place he’s ever seen. “We went to the market and I bought an awesome colorful shirt, a green poncho, and a panama hat. I love it all. I’m super happy right now. Haha. The lady told me it took her 3 days to make my hat. I love it!
- Yes, I am freaking out a little bit about Adam going into Colombia, especially since the State Department has a standing warning about North Americans in rural areas along the Ecuador-Colombian border. But there are lots of North American missionaries serving in Cali, Colombia and I'm confident the Church knows the areas and conditions frankly much better than the US government. Adam will be protected in his service.
- This week Adam celebrates his 6th month since leaving home...25% down, seemingly forever to go. :(
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