This is where I am supposed to be right now.

Man, this week has been awesome. To start off....

1. I discovered Polaca. OMG it is delicious and like a whole meal. Its like this Colombian cream thing. (There are like 8953457389457390745 Colombians here.) But it is like heavenly!!! :D You know whats cool. I wanted to go to Colombia on my misson, but the Lord was like....Yeah Leah its probs too dangerous for your little white self. I'll send you to Ecuador where there are a bunch of Colombians. :) God loves me.

2. I was walking to visit a family less active. OMG, my english grammar is bad. Hey I am coming back with an accent!! Anyways, I was walking and there was this man walking in front of us....he looked white, so I talked to him, and He loooked sooooooooooo much like he´d be Pops´ brother or family or something. Pops is my grandpa, but he spoke ecuadorian spanish and had been here obviously for a looong time. But then he goes. Yes, but I am from-- Oslo, Norway. WUT. cray, right??? Pops´family is from Norway!!! Maybe just all norwegians look alike or something...but NO, that's not true. He truly looked like he would be my family!!!!!! And so, I got his info and we are going to try to teach him! :) what what!!!! so that was cool. His name is Wilson Bring.

3. We made mexican tacos with a family for noche de hogar. (Family home evening). It was delicious!!!! :) They wanted to learn how to make them :)

4. I eat fried plantains all the time and crave them. yum...

5. We went with an hermana del barrio. She is less active too. Part of our "crecimiento real". which is to help the less active families become active in the church again. (the Church is 100% true ) :)    Her name is Paulina. We FINALLY got to meet her. She was always working and would always stand us up. Sooooo... she lost her job... and we visited her and she is so cool. She basically poured her heart to us and was like "I need to come back to church! I want to! I need to-."  and so we are working with her and that has been so awesome,. 

6. We visited the >Guerrero family who are sooo awesome. Um well, to start, the mom has 12 kids, the oldest of which is like 40 and the youngest is like 9 or somethihng like that. so the kids already have kids and the family is basically enough to populate a small village. This family is an indigenous family and I truly love them, I feel like I was really good friends with them in the premortal life. Seriously I feel like I already knew them and we are reunited. This family is amazing! Four of the sisters came to church this Sunday and that was awesome!!!! I am so happy for them. they are also multiple families from our list of "crecimiento real". sooo awesome. Oh yeah and Ana, (I feel like I know her from before) is 20 also. Her marido/bf isn't a member and she was like..hey come over and meet my husband. He was interested in the >Church and I want him to meet you guys, so we came over and taught the restoration and watched the video. It was awesome the Spirit was soooo strong. He was super happy about it all. He's defininitely going to be progressing. I am soooooo excited for these people. MY FRIENDS!!!

7. We also visited Sara, who is 20. She, like, i dont even know. God knows. I honestly feel like we knew each other before too!!!. Either my veil is really thin, or I am ....nope. My veil is thinning. I am finding all these people that I KNOW I KNEW BEFORE. serious. its cray and >I love it. We watched the restoration video with her and it was really good. She feels like she is the place of Jose Smith too. Oops. Joseph for you english speakers, hehe jk my spanish isn't all you think it is, haha but,  yeah it was awesome! Her baptismal date for the 8th of Feb fell through because she didn't come to church this week, but she is still progressing so much, she is scared because last time she joined a sect they really like mentally damaged her...but what she doesn't understand just yet is that This Church is the Church of Jesus Christ,. and there is no lie in that sentence. The Church has honestly changed my life. I am so happy. So, she is excited, but asked if she could take it slow and we are all for it. We are here to help and invite. Not to obligate. (Which I am soo happy to have been changing for the better everyday!)

8. I met a man named Milton Teras. Conocí un hombre que se llama, Milton Teras. Mil tonteras. jajaujaujauajuajaiujauaa    Mil tonteras is like... well use google . haha  He is so funny-. 

 Its been real.

 Im cutting my hair today. I have been losing a lot and its scaring me! The altitude does freaky things here. and were on the equator, or its the lack of exercise. jk I walk like 5 miles a day at least, haha or its the diet., but its time. Im cutting it. We went bowling with our zone today. It was so fun,. I love each of these missionaries, unfortunately, I left the picture on a friends camera and didn't transfer them. but later!! :) Life is amazing. >I hit rough days all the time, but I can FEEL my Savior´s love. I am so happy. Oh an mom I got your package!! Thank you sooooo much for the scarf and the pepper spray and the everything. I love you guys!!! :) My dearest family. I love you and my friends also. SO MUCH!!! and Rachel I got your letter. You are a doll. I'm so proud of you and your work. Dats right . mah gurl is serving in the Richmond Virginia mission. Look out for Sister Marion, y'all, or Sister Arce or Crandall, or Moore. They are roughing it up in Richmond, haha And mah girls in LONDON and UKRAINE and WYOMING. and my girls who GOT MARRIED!!!. "sHoUt OuT tO tHaT tOiLeT!!"     jk not this time. SHOUT OUT TO MY LOVES!! I am so glad that God is taking care of you. Although we are passing through rough times and dangerous times... we are alive and happy. and PROTECTED MORE THAN ANYTHING. Car accidents, cancer, chemotherapy, etc. Im so proud of you guys. Strengthen your relationship with God. He truly loves you and is watching out for you. He's totally watching out for me too. I promise!!! :) I know that God lives. I am so thanksful to have a God who loves me so much!! Jesus Christ is amazing!!! :) Yo sé que esta es la iglesia de Jesucristo. No tengo dudas. Estoy tan agradecida por tener un Dios que me ama tanto y me ha dado una familia y amigos tan especiales. Sé que me ama. Sé que me esta guiando CADA DÍA. Me da desafíos para ayudar me a crecer y ser la hija que Él quiere que yo sea. Esta vida es muy corto y es nuestro tiempo aquí en la tierra para preparar para regresar a vivir con Él. Nuestra salvación no es un juego. Disfruten la vida y tomen las decisiónes correctas. :) La vida es más fácil con la Iglesia. Es una promesa. This life is SO much easier with the Church. I promise.

con amor,

Hna Tankehdoh (thats how im known here. hehehe)   TANGEDAL

me and my companion and Hna Cajas!!   BOWLING!!  

It's Been a While!! (December 30, 2013)

BUT I'M BACK!!!! BACK BACK ... BACK AGAIN GAIN GAIN. HAHAH :)

Yeah that's right. Me. Sister Leah Tangedal. I am back .) and feeling really good!! I'm so stoked to start a new year. Well where to start...

Some cool things that happened. A couple of weeks ago I was like ''lets go see Olga!'' and so we did. On the camino (path) I found 5 dollars. Weird, because it was suuuuupppppper windy and there were a million people walking by, but no one saw this 5 dollars. 5 dollars aqui (here) gets you a long way, and it was on the way to Olga's house so I was like ''well it's not mine and I don't need it, so it's Olga's''. So, we went to her house, but she wasn't home.  Later that night we came home earlier because I got a little sick and we had to call some people, but I called Olga to see how she was and she said she was horrible! I was like, what?? Why?? And she told me that she lost 5 dollars while walking and now doesn't know what to do, and then I was like...ummm are you serious??? Where do you think you lost it? And then she told me and I was like,... I HAVE YOUR 5 DOLLARS!!! and then we both freaked out over the phone. Super crazy!! She was soooooo happy that I found it . Me, too. Then I was like, well...... (she is a less active member of the church) just come to church tomorrow and I will give it to you!! And so, that's what happened. We went to pick them up, took them to Church gave her her 5 dollars, and they LOVED church, she loved every class and every message and her 3 little boys (who are so cute) were soooo happy to be there!! I am sooo happy that happened.

Hmm... we have an investigator that we contacted in a really funny way, but i won't talk about that until i get back home... hahahah anyways, she's so cool and we gave her a Book of Mormon. She told us that she reads it everyday and she says that it makes her day go sooo much better, because she feels really peaceful when she reads it. Uh . Heck yea!! We just have to help her understand that that is the Spirit and the Spirit  testifies of the truth and if the book is true then Joseph Smith was a prophet and if he was a prophet, this is the Church of JESUS CHRIST restored on the earth once more!!! yayayayayee!!! :D so awesome.

Oh man so many great things! So many great things! :)   It was rough for a while, but then I just decided to make some changes slowly and I feel like I'm on the top of the world! I'm so stoked to start the new year. oh yeah!!! Soooo here in Ecuador, they make big dolls called (viejos) old men, and they burn them. It's like burning the año viejo (old year) and starting from scratch. We were like, oh my gosh! it's like baptism!!!! And so, I know that there are a lot of people who are ready to stat a new year and WANT  to get baptized. They're ready! I know it! El Eden is going to become the next Provo. I'm on it!!!! 

Today, we had transfers. My companion, Hna Calderon was sent to Ofelia as well as Hna Davila. Hna Finley is staying here and she is going to be training. She is pretty stressed, but i know that she is ready to train a missionary. I prayed to not train because I know I am not ready yet, and voila! I am not training. I got a new companion and she's pretty cool. She's from Honduras. Hna Palau. Good times. It's a bitter-sweet transfer because some of the people that I got really close to moved to the coast or to Otavalo (the more more indigenous area). but i know i will serve with them again and be able to be graced by their presences. They're excellent missionaries. I am so proud of them. Speaking of proud. My best friend Ellen Stone stoker got married on Friday the 27th to Devin Stoker. Love you guys. And my best friend Scott Long got married to Tressa Allred Long on Friday the 27th. annnnddddd my other best friend Maria Ann Lydiksen got her mission call to England London South. Soooooooo proud of you all. All of you and Rachel an Brittni, you guys are on missions right now. Virginia and Ukraine are blessed.  :) soooo happy. yes...we are locked out of our house and the dueña (boss-lady) doesn't come back till the 10th, but I think we'll find a way in.... hahahaha i hope. 

Life is great and I am so happy! I have learned a lot of new and wonderful things. Although, I feel like burning the dolls is voodoo, I'm going to do it!!!! Its like baptism and who doesn't like baptism!? Washed away from all your sins and you receive the Holy ghost. I'm stoked. I'm so ready to accomplish all my new goals. I want to ring every doorbell here in Eden and San Isidro Del Inca. I know there are diamonds here and they are waiting for someone to share this amazing gospel with them. I am not here for me, but for the Lord. I am ready to forget about myself and focus on the needs of those around me because as we see in Mosiah 2:17, when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God. :) I'm so ready and so excited to start working super hard!!! Maybe I was a little depressed for a little while. I don't know what depression even is. I'm Leah Tangedal, but I don't know. There were some rough times,  but life has turned around. I'm going to finish reading the Book of Mormon tomorrow I think.....my goal is 100 pages. We have to be in by 5 because it gets REALLY cray around here on new years hahaha. soooo I have time. 

But yeah. life is amazing. I am so happy about my goals, my plans. God is amazing. I am so happy that we have a God who loves us and sent us His Son to atone for our sins. He died for you, and me. and all of us. He knows exactly what we go through and He has told us that He will forgive us of our sins an relieve us of guilt and sadness if we just come to HIM. COME TO HIM. Its so amazing. I have really learned so much more about our Savior in these few months on a mission. I'm so happy right now. Life is amazing. Be good examples. LEAD BY EXAMPLES Y'ALL. 

Love you all and I will send you pictures one day when I have my cable and its not locked in our house. hahaha :)

Con much amor,

Hna Leah Tangedal

MERRY CHRISTMAS (12/24/2013)

I love you guys!!!!! I hope you have a Merry Christmas and i am so proud of you Scott and Ellen . you guys are getting married :) ahhhhhhh yall on missions are doing great things. The mission is hard, but worth it. jghdjghdjklsfghdugrt Jesus is amazing and >He loves us so much. Don't forget that,. Christ lives. Everyday should be like Christmas. I love the Lord. 

Patience is a virtue and fortunately for me, when I get back...I will have that hahahahahaha thank you Lord for answering my prayers. :)

Laura, you had a baby. I cant believe it. So proud of you!!!!

All you living life. continue to do great things!! love you all!!

I love life!!!!!!! I love you all

Hermana Tangedal

SALUDOS DE ECUADOR!!

our zone

me and the pres and his wife

our table