Missionary Day & The Lighthouse

PS (Actually the opposite of PS. What is the opposite of PS? Antescript? AS? Anyway. . . ) I added pictures to the latest two blogs so you can give them both an eye over again if you wish to see the new pics.

So today is Mother's Day. It's a big deal here in Ecuador. People have been selling beautiful fresh roses and "classy" silk arrangements all weekend. So besides celebrating my wonderful mom, who I love and miss for many reasons including being able to just go home and chat in the kitchen with her, piecing quilts and going on walks together. It is also a great day because Mother's Day as a missionary orphan also means MISSIONARY DAY!

I actually stayed home from church today so that I would be able to talk to all of my missionaries. First, I got on Skype and did a 3-way/4-way call with my parents, Elder and Sister Thornton, in Seattle, Washington with Anziano Sean Thornton in Milan, Italy

He's the Blue Tie Guy

and then a few minutes later, another 3/4-way with Elder Clark (C.J.) Thornton in Kenya.

I think you can guess which one he is

It was just like Christmas. (literally) It's been over two years since I have seen either of my brothers and I miss them like crazy. I remember as a little girl when I would stomp off because the boys were being mean or because they wouldn't let me boss them around :) and my dad and mom would say, "You know Kate, one day those boys are going to be your very best friends!" I would always roll my eyes in disbelief. I've come to see though that parents are almost always right and that was definitely one of those things that came true. Sean gets home in February though, so that's only what. . . 9 months away? Now, I sound like my mom.

Those phone calls were definitely the highlight of the day, but there were two other great things about today. I was in our hotel room and everyone else had left for church and I was just waiting for the boys to call when the woman who cleans our room, Teresa, came in. I hadn't ever met Teresa before, usually we have Nelly. But anyway, I told her that she could come in even though I was here and so she did. I felt a little bad about missing church and was trying to have somewhat of a church atmosphere in the room and had those cds of Spanish Church music playing (the ones that almost every Spanish-speaking missionary has that were made by some mission in Argentina. . . those ones) and so that probably helped foster the question, but when she came in, she came over to start on the beds, and I offered to help her. (Obviously I was not just going to sit around doing nothing and watch her clean up our mess.) So anyway, I offer to help, and she's like, "Oh no! It's okay. This is my job." But I insisted and just started helping. Two minutes later she asks, "Is it okay if I ask you what religion you are?" "Of course." I said, "I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . The Mormons." "Oh yeah. I thought I knew." she says, "I had two amigos that came to my house and were talking to me about your church before and they always made me let them help me too."

It made me so happy. We then talked about how there are so many religions in the world today and how it's hard to tell which one is THE ONE, and I told her that all she had to do was pray about it. I also told her that I knew more "amigos" that would be MORE than willing to drop by her house again to visit with her about the Church if she wanted to give me her address, I could send them. She didn't take me up on the offer. Well, she didn't say no, but she didn't spout off her address either. It was a good talk though and it made me thankful that she had a good experience with the Church and the missionaries. I hope to run into her again and give her a Book of Mormon that we bought at the Distribution Center here. So that was probably the number two experience.

Number three experience was walking up to the Cerro Santa Ana. There is a touristy little 444-stairs or something path that winds through all of these bright and colorful houses on the way up to a lighthouse on top of the hill. It was a fun experience. We were all super sweaty by the time we got up there though. The stairs weren't that bad, nor was it even that hot today, but the humidity here is a killer. As soon as I get the pictures of us on the walk I will put them up here, but for now, here are some awesome google images for you.