Week 102.2 - Welcome Home, Adam!

A truly wonderful reunion a few evenings ago. Thanks to his sister, Allison, for putting this together.

Week 102 - It Is Finished...

No letter from Adam this week as he spent the day traveling from Esmeraldas to Quito for his final meal and testimony meeting at the home of his Mission President. We have heard his departure from the coast - an area that challenged him not 22 months ago - was emotional. These pictures were posted on the Ecuador Quito North facebook page a short while ago.

In a few hours, Elder Ericksen will begin his day boarding an early morning plane bound for Miami. He'll finish that day as Adam, here at home, with his family. We simply cannot wait to see and share him. Safe travels, son. And welcome home!

And like that, we all move on to the next chapter. An incredible future awaits...

Week 101 - Gathering My Paints

Dear friends and family,

What a ride it has been! A great 2-year ride and I have loved it all.

This week I have felt so many things. I’ve been rising early in the morning and laying down in the night thinking over and over: “I have loved this so much.” I feel a lot of satisfaction and relief because of this. And I feel excited and nervous that I can now count the number of days until I see my family on my two hands. There is something powerful about that that…less than 10. I feel a sense of accomplishment. I have learned, grown and evolved. I feel great peace. I know I’ve given my whole-hearted effort to doing my duty with obedience and diligence. I don’t have anything to prove. I feel extreme joy every time I see members of the Church, especially these last few weeks. It is so easy to love them. They appreciate us so much. I can’t express well enough how blessed, how fortunate, how thankful I feel. My mission has been perfect for me. Perfect.

All that said, I’m not going to hide the deep sadness I feel to be leaving what I love so much, right when I finally learned how to do it best. In a way, it’s like being ripped away from a masterpiece before it’s through. It’s coming to an end. I will deeply miss sharing meals and laughs with the beautiful people of this country. I’m going to miss the excitement of a well-planned p-day and the feelings of accomplishment that comes from finishing a week of hard work. I will miss the Polaca and the encebollado (although I’m eating as much of it as I can while I am still here). I will miss feeling so full and excited when someone comes to Church with us for the first time. I will miss the inspiring, blissful smiles shared following spiritual baptismal services. I’ll miss teaching in zone and district meetings, my humble attempt to love and inspire other missionaries. More than anything, what I will miss the most is simply having so much time to serve others. I want to keep serving and loving like I have here. I know all the wonderful people here aren’t going to disappear and I am grateful for the tools that will help me stay in contact with them.

I am learning that, in order to progress, everything must come to an end. We leave some things behind, in order to make room for new things to come into our lives. But some things we bring forward with us. And while I may be leaving a masterpiece here, I am bringing with me my brushes and paints and lots of new colors to start new pictures elsewhere. I’m bringing every memory and experience that has impacted and shaped me and helped to change my future. I’m bringing a different kind of joy that I’ve tamed here in the mission and I can’t wait to share all that with you! I’m bringing life-lesson after life-lesson picked up in the course of this journey. And I am bringing with me an unshakeable knowledge that God exists and is our Father. He loves us. He sent His Son to show us that love. And His Son’s sacrifice makes it possible for us to return to Him.

Today, sitting here at my desk planning my last week with Elder Hoyos, it struck me how life has a curious way of getting more complicated as we grow. I left my home in August 2016 as Elder Ericksen, a lover of jokes, good music and taco shops. I had my worries and struggles. Looking ahead then, the future seemed so uncertain, unestablished, and raw. There were so many things that needed to be decided and many things I felt had already been decided for me. Out here I’ve added an appreciation for peace, love, mellow p-days and corviches. I’ve faced the best struggles and worries two-years out here could throw at me. And, to be honest, after 6 months I very seldom worried about me. There were new worries, about others, that I had to learn how to overcome. And now the time has come for me to return to being just Adam Ericksen: return missionary, lover of jokes, peace and love, music, taco shops, family, testing corviche receipes with old friends and just generally being happy. And yet, the future seems even more uncertain, unestablished and complicated as ever before in my life! The decisions are bigger, more important, and there are a lot more of them. Not to mention, it’s been a long time since I thought about me.

Even though life feels like it’s about to become a lot more complex, it is all working out perfectly. There is a big difference. I can remember Adam of 2016 feeling really stressed, feeling like there was a lack of guiding vision in his life. That has changed. I am coming home with an elevated vision – one that makes me so excited for unknown. I am coming home ready to take on the world. I’m ready to conquer. Let’s all take on the world! Remember, it’s not over until we’ve won. I’m so excited to see you all. I love you.

For the last time,

EE

(Adam returns home on August 7th. He will report on his experiences in Church on Sunday, August 12th. Our meetings start at 10am and our building is located on Hillsdale Road in El Cajon. All are welcome!)

Week 100 - The Miracle of Giving All

Dearest friends and family,

The best way to express what I am feeling this week is this: gratitude. I am so grateful for the many, many people that I have grown to love and for the people that have loved me here in this beautiful country. There is not even the smallest, detectable trace of doubt in my mind that I started loving my mission and feeling sincere joy when I learned to forget myself and my desires and focus 100% on the people I was called to serve and loving them. When I learned to give all. There are some people in Ecuador that have altered my eternal future and life. And there are some that, miraculously, I believe I’ve been able to help change their eternal future and life. I love these people and I will never forget them. I know I will never rent out the special spot they each own in my heart and I’m near certain they would say the same for me.

I’ve met these incredible people all over the country as I’ve traveled, grown, transferred, adapted, molded, served, and made efforts to become a dedicated, consecrated missionary. I cannot list every single name but some you may recognize from letters past:

La Familia Lopez Castellanos

Rosa Ortiz

Luis & Soledad

Christian & la Familia Ruano

La Famila Calis

Kenny Garcia & Gabriel

Hermano Enzo Giron

La Familia Tello Newton

Jefferson Revelo

Roger & Katherine Munoz

Pablo Maza & Familia

Familia Cando Mieles

Obispo Sanchez & Hermana Laura

Lenin Rodriguez

Christian Montenegro

I am so, so grateful for every sector I have been assigned. I know I went and did exactly what I needed to and that I met the exact, perfect people that were waiting for me there. Meeting these people has been the way God has taught me a principal truth: that those who have less are typically more inclined to give all that they have. For example, we have had a few lunch appointments that have fallen through this month and it amazes me that, time after time, it is the same families, usually the ones with the least in terms of economic resources, that step up first to help us. You might think it would make greater sense for those families with greater resources to help, but that is not how it happens. It is usually the people who struggle most for each and every dollar who give us the greatest help. It’s those that can barely cover themselves who shelter us so graciously, so freely, so perfectly, when we needed it the most. These are some of the most Christ-like people I have ever met. It’s been clearly taught to me that the more we have, the more we attempt to hold on to what we have. And it appears to me that the less we have, the less it costs us to let it all go. Coming to Ecuador I felt I had nearly given away everything I had. At least I did emotionally and in terms of my personal wants. And here, I have been living with close to nothing. Well, for me, giving everything away and having nothing has a big part to do with why it’s been so easy for me to give all I have to the people here and why I am able to love them so readily and so fully. There’s a lesson in this for us.

My message for this week is a that we can all love and serve others better. Even though it’s not how it usually happens, it does make more sense for those with greater abundance to help more. Remember that as all of us back home are blessed with such rich abundance of happiness and love. We can make a huge different if we give with the ease of those who have so little. Let’s love a little more freely. Unity brings peace and peace is found among those who love.

I love the beautiful people of Ecuador. I will always love them. I wish that I could be with them forever, almost as much as I wish to be reunited with my family. Almost. I love you all.

EE

Week 99 - The Miracle of Living in the Moment

Dear friends and family,

You know those special kinds of memories that are really stuck? They’re the memories that – being extraordinarily good, bad, or impactful – are burned into our minds. For me, these are the memories where I can remember where I was, who was there, what was said or done, how I felt and, in many instances, I can even remember specific smiles or facial expressions. Isn’t that curious? Why does this happen? Why are some memories deeply registered in our minds while others, like a breeze, are slowly wisped away?

While pondering this line of thought, a realization hit me. While serving here in Ecuador, I have recorded a shockingly larger number of these special-type memories than any other time in my life and their details I can call up with vivid texture in a moment’s notice. I don’t doubt my increased letter and journal writing along with more frequent self-reflection have contributed to the increase, but I personally believe it has to do with something a lot larger as well. The increased memories also stem from my increased efforts to live here and now - right smack in the middle of the moment.

This week I archived a few new vivid and special memories. I directed and taught in my last zone meeting. Brother Luigi brought his famous encebollado for lunch. I listened to the final testimonies of two missionaries who arrived with me, Elders Jensen and Moody, before slowly standing to give mine. And I sang the last song I’ll ever sing in a zone meeting in my mission. It was #88 “Placentero Nos Es Trabajar” which is a hymn not found in the English hymnbook. I looked down at my shoes and then back up again to see a few smiling faces as we sang the last line:

“Oh hermanos, adios, pues adios! El momento de ir vino ya. Si guardamos la fe en el gran Dios, nos veremos aun mas alla. Oh hermanos, adiós…pues adiós.”

(Goodbye brothers, goodbye. The time to go has arrived. If we keep our faith in our great God, we will see one another again/on the other side. Goodbye brothers, well goodbye.)

President Murphy leaned in and reminded me: “You won’t be singing this one again since it’s only in Spanish.” I know, that is why I chose it.

I mentioned the final testimony. It’s something we do here. All those who are going home in the next transfer stand and offer testimony at the end of their last zone meeting to express how they feel, to share what they have learned, and perhaps give even a little advice. It was a really somber moment and not only because it was MY last time. You see, speaking of deeply registered memories, I remember vividly the first time I watched a missionary give his last testimony. He was Elder Mendoza from Arizona. I knew him for only a brief time having just arrived in Ecuador myself. I knew he had been a zone leader and a successful missionary. I remember thinking that I would be happy if I ever mastered Spanish the way he had. I respected him and I aspired to be like him.

On Wednesday I stood in the exact same spot that Elder Mendoza stood on October 16, 2016, in the same chapel where it all started for me, and I said a lot of the same things he said. I felt nearly every emotion we humans can recognize among them extreme peace, gratitude, excitement, joy, humility, longing, and surges of sadness. I am happy to say that I have added my own version of that vivid memory recorded 2 years ago and that I will always be proud of arriving to the stature of that great missionary I so aspired to be.

A letter or two ago my Aunt Kris asked if I ever got a chance to breathe and “soak in” the moments. The answer is absolutely yes! All the time I do. I have been soaking in things almost every day for the last 714 days that have passed us by. And that’s how I’d describe this past week…I soaked it in. I don’t have any regrets. I don’t have any resentments. I don’t have a single ounce of hate or anger toward any person in the world. I’ve forgiven, forgotten and healed. In other words, my past has been organized, learned-from, and purified. Yesterday is where it belongs, and it is there, neat and tidy. Looking forward, I am anxious to hug my mom and my dad, eat Sombreros carne asada, and watch Star Wars 8 with Nathan. And who wouldn’t be? Yes, sensitive, tearful, blissful, and eternally joyful moments are on the horizon of my tomorrow. They’re coming and I feel them but they don’t impede my “now”. On the contrary, they are helping and motivating me to be even more happy and sincere in my efforts to work and soak up all I can here and now.

Let the past be the past. Don’t focus on your capacity for happiness in the future. Why hope for something in the past that cannot or will not be? Why plan or wait to be happy? No, let’s live in the moment now. And let’s love the moments. See you all in a few weeks.

With affection, Elder Ericksen

Week 98 - The Miracle of Choosing to Be Happy

Dear friends and family,

Miracle #8 of my mission: discovering the power of happiness (a.k.a. always smile).

A few weeks back I wrote about the power of sadness. Today I’d like to write about the power that comes from choosing to be happy because doing so has been an undeniable miracle of my mission experience. If it’s not already clear, I am absolutely love with the mission. I can readily recall moments and experiences from the last 2 years that honestly represent some of the happiest times of my life. I remember the reunion with my start group that took place at the first verifications, when we all returned to Quito after honestly surviving our first 4 weeks alone in our individual areas. I remember turning 19 in the poorest of circumstances in Aire Libre and crying with all of these people, these complete strangers, who loved and shared with me so simply. I remember blending coconut juice in the house in Tulcan and laughing so hard with Elders Castagno, Morales and Miranda because, well…it’s not easy opening a coconut. I remember traveling to Ipiales for the first time with President Murphy. I remember so many beautiful and sacred baptismal services. I remember the “did you see that?” glance of Elder Cuevas as he shed his fears of talking to people in the street. I remember many concealed chuckles with Hermano Munoz during church in La Luz. I will never forget what I’ve felt as I’ve lived these moments completely devoted in service to others and to God. It is beautiful.

Being here has given me the perfect opportunity to look inside and really evaluate and learn who I am. And one of the things I’ve most realized out here is that in almost all situations, being happy is a matter of choice. Hay que vivir feliz. Choose to be happy! Here are some of the questions that help me:

• Why am I so quick to think evil of someone? How does it change if I think positively?
• Who or what situation am I judging unfairly?
• What do I lose simply assume the good? What do I honestly gain assuming the bad?
• What is “deserve”? And what do I deserve?
• Why don’t I smile more, it doesn’t cost a thing?
• Why don’t I complement more, it doesn’t cost a thing?
• Why don’t I show genuine excitement for and interest in the achievements of others? It doesn’t cost a thing, yet means the world to those who receive it?
• What regret should I let go of and forget?
• What do I truly hope for?
• What do I need to change to assure that I start and end every day with happiness and peace?
• How do I feel when others serve me? How do I feel after serving? How do I feel receiving kindness?

My point is this: there are a lot of things that affect our mood that we can’t control. Therefore it’s so much more important that we do our best on the parts that we can. When we do this, I have found that almost EVERYTHING almost ALWAYS comes out JUST FINE. And that’s when we really start living. We become happy just being ourselves.

Water has been really unreliable this week. In our house, it seems to come and go every 48 hours. But we are fortunate, other houses haven’t had water all week! Without water, we haven’t been able to wash our clothes and that has made things a little extra sweaty. So the other day, we ventured to a different part of our sector, to a different laundromat, hoping to wash some essentials. Upon arriving, we heard “just leave your clothes with us, it’s already late…we’ll have them for you in the morning.” I immediately thought about sleeping a night without bedsheets. This is a perfect example of something I could not control. The guy at the laundromat wasn’t looking to hurt me or make me sleep on a raw mattress. I smiled and went on my way happy and that was all. Live happy! Life is great.

Day after day, I find myself in situations that prompt a deep breath, a look around, and a sincere appreciation for every little moment of life. And the miracle of it all: my joy is something given me as I do my best with the things I can control. This lesson applies to all of us and something I will use for the rest of my life. I’ve grown to be happy with myself, independent of anyone else. See you in 4 weeks.

- EE

Week 97 - The Miracle of Success

Dearest friends and family,

Miracle #7: Feeling like I’ve served a successful mission.

What is success? Who achieves it? How can we know if we’ve been successful? One of the things I’ve realized here in the mission is that success is not general. There is no one single, universal “great job, you did it” that covers every aspect of life or that can be applied to everyone. There are many pathways to success and each is individual.

In the mission, some missionaries teach and baptize lots of people to find success. Others have to be the most obedient to the rules of the mission to have success. Some feel success learning the scriptures and studying. In the same way Albert Einstein, or Michelle Kwan, or the first surfer, or the band Nirvana were successful, so many, much smaller people too are successful in their own way, following their own path. There are infinite ways one can serve a successful mission and there are infinite ways one can lead a successful life.

The Path: Refiner’s Fire

Each missionary follows a different, refining path that gives us the opportunity to be successful. But success is not guaranteed. Maybe the baptizing missionary is assigned to areas where more humble and open-minded people live, giving him a greater chance to reach his success. Maybe the obedient missionary will be paired with a not-so-obedient companion that needs his example. Einstein’s theories were developed and formed one day to the next over many years and decades. Michelle Kwan fell hundreds of times to master the ice. If success is individual, the path and trials to be overcome must also be individual. I’ve walked my own refining path here in Northern Ecuador. I’ve had my difficulties. And they have given me the perfect opportunity to find my own success here in the mission.

The Success: Light and Truth

Success, to me, is discovering truth and mastering it in our lives. In this way, success has less to do with what we do and more to do with what we become while we’re doing it. I have followed my personal refining path and have worked to achieve what I needed to here. This is what I have done. But, more importantly, during the process of doing, I have become kinder, more loving, and more understanding. I have learned diligence, patience and perseverance. Not a day goes by where I don’t feel excitement and joy in my soul. Working hard and fighting for success here has changed me. I feel tremendous freedom, personal satisfaction and enlightenment. I imagine Einstein appreciated worldly praise and accolades but I imagine he enjoyed even more the feelings of personal fulfillment, discovery and development even more. Recognition is fleeting. Development is eternal. If we focus on our personal development, we all, each and every one, can reach success. Seek truth. Find it. Apply it. The path is there.

We existed before we arrived here on earth and we will continue to exist after we leave here, too. This process of success, enlightenment and change was planned and apportioned to us way before we can remember. Life is a university here on the campus of Earth. We arrive innocent and ignorant. As we grow, we start down our refining path. It can be messy, we make mistakes. Some fight incredible odds, persevere, and achieve. Some choose easier paths, perhaps ones that seem more attractive at the time, and risk missing their potential. Continue giving your best efforts and you will achieve and do many things. And more importantly, become who you are supposed to become. Pure, loving, filled with kindness and understanding. And that is what really counts – that is our purpose in preparing for what is to come. We chose to come here. We did so because we knew it was the only way to be change and become who we are supposed to be. Take consolation in that in your trials. And know that good and bad do exist...universal laws that govern and protect everyone’s right to walk their own refining path.

Bring this back to the start, I am at peace about my mission. I am full of joy and fulfilled. I am confident that every sector, every companion, every member, every trial, every drop of sweat and every drop of rain, every convert, each moving experience, plate of food, email received (and those unreceived), and every rejection and invitation accepted has contributed to and formed the perfect refining path for me. And I have loved it all. I can’t wait to see you in 35 days.

With affection, EE