Hola!!!! Familia!!!!

 Monday July 29,2013

Not a whole lot happened this week. It FLEW BY!!! The last Monday I had to go with about half of the other missionaries I came here with and sign some paperwork. I don't really understand what it was that I signed but it was to confirm that I'm here and I am who I am. I haven´t received your package yet but no one has received packages as of right now. I think though that the charger for the little pink speaker may actually work for my camera. I will have to see.  I have been out in my mission for 2 months! WOW! TIME FLIES!!!  I can't wait to actually hear from all of you in an actual letter. It feels more real when I receive letters. I received a letter from the people at Syracuse high school. It was interesting to say the least. But this is really my first p-day when I will have time to actually write letters. So expect some letters soon. I will be taking out some money because next week my zone will be cleaning the temple in Paraguay and I want to buy at the distribution center a nice set of Spanish scriptures. Just so you know. Mom could you send me the recipe for banana Bread. Por Favor!! 

Our numbers were really low this week. It was super hard. Remember how I wrote about how this work is the work of the members. Well it is. We, as sister missionaries, can not teach guys alone. Well we had like 6 different opportunities to teach guys but we couldn't because we couldn't get the members to come with us.  Its super super difficult. But Another reason we didn't have much numbers is because this week was cold. And these people go into hibernation, I swear. If the suns not out the people are not about. But Saturday was very interesting..... I have pictures I want to send. But to make it short, there hasn't been a baptism in this area for a while. And we had the baptism of the sister (that's husband didn't want her to get baptized) this Saturday. Well Friday we went to the chapel and saw that the font was full and the water was nasty. And the drain didn't work!!! So we went in with buckets and dumped the water down the toilets. And then we finally get it emptied and cleaned the entire thing. Well we returned Saturday and the water was shut off! Literally no place in the whole church had water. It was ridiculous. So those elders that are in our ward with us, came to help us. We didn't have water. WELL When we finally did get someone there to fix it and we started the water, it was dirty and freezing. So when the baptism was supposed to start at 7 at 630 the water was still running and it was only half way full and we were boiling water in the kitchen. HAHAHA I never in my life thought I would have to go through this! It was so stressful and my companion is still new herself and didn't know much. But the missionaries are in charge of the paperwork and the program! Total!! Well she is baptized! She had to be baptized on her knees but she's baptized! hahahahahahahahahahahahahah.  

Our 10 year old investigator will be getting baptized this Saturday! On my birthday!!! YAY I think this is the best birthday present ever! 

Miracle of the week. We had a street contact that we thought was really really good. She works a whole lot and we haven't been able to teach her because she isn't home. Well we had a reference from one of the members. We went to contact this reference and when we walked into her small house her mother was our street contact! Not a coincidence!!! We are teaching them and they have a date set for baptism!!! 

The mission is hard but good! Don't worry about me! I can tell I have improved a little bit in the language!!! I have along ways to go but its coming slowly but surely! I can understand most of what the people in church say to me. And I have to speak in church the second Sunday of every month! My first time will be august 8th! But life is good! And I can see God's hand in my life! And the blessing you guys are receiving is great also!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

Hermana Ross

  

Natalia!

 

The elders in our ward helping us boil water for a baptism.

Cleaning  the font.

Espanol!! Quiero Hablar!!!

Sorry family. Today has been kind of a crazy day! Actually a really crazy day. We had to go to the mission home to do some work for my visa. Its why I'm writing so late. It was cool though because I got to see some of the missionaries from the CCM and we had some fun things to talk about. After we ate McDonald's! When I get home from my mission there are so many foods I want to eat. But anyways! This has been an up and down week. THE MISSION IS HARD!!! But it's good also! I'ts like every time I'm struggling its right before something wonderful happens. Its just this darn language. I want to just say what I am feeling and thinking but I can't. It's even more difficult because I can almost always understand what the person is saying. I just can't speak. It's OK, I will be able to soon. So the weather right now is cold. It's a different kind of cold though. It doesn't bug me a whole lot but it isn't warm either. I'm good with just a sweater and my rain jacket. My companion thinks its freezing. ha ha! Our apartment is like 5 minutes away from our chapel and is right next to a hair salon and a little food shop. Its nice but not way nice. I have pictures I could show you if I could email them. Hopefully I will be able to get my package soon. So our dear sweet sister isn't baptized yet because she has yet to receive permission from her husband but she wants to and she was at church yesterday. She is so strong! Keep praying for her.

Our 10 year old boy is wonderful! he is so prepared for his baptism. We are thinking he will be getting baptized this Saturday and hopefully our sweet sister this Thursday. Hopefully! Well interesting story. Church starts at 830 in the morning and may I add that the people of Paraguay are not on time. So the time it starts is at 9 ish when in reality its supposed to start at 830.

 

OK ready to hear about the miracle of the week.... We are teaching a 20 years old male and a 15year old girl. They are going to have a baby. I know what your thinking... WHAT? I thought the same thing but its not uncommon around here. She is 4 months along. My companion said she taught a girl who was 13 and had a 1 year old baby. But anyways we had taught them lesson one! It was good. After lesson we asked if they would pray that night to know that the church is true. They had their doubts. I could tell. Well Saturday we taught them lesson two! THE SPIRIT WAS SO STRONG!!!!! I didn't understand why. Well after the lesson my companion asked them if they had prayed about the church. They said they had. This was what they said. He spoke first and expressed the joy and peace the plan of salvation brought him. He was looking for a job and he said it was helpful to know the full purpose of his life. He is so worried about his soon to be family and he wants the best for them. He then talked about when they prayed about the church. He said that they knelt down and held hands over the Book of Mormon. And after they finished the prayer they had to let go of hands because the spirit was so so so strong. He got choked up and said that he knew the church was true. She then said the same thing. That she just let go of his hand and the baby moved inside of her and she knew the book and the church was true. She wanted this for her family. She said she had never felt like that before and she was so grateful to be learning about the gospel. She is really special. In one week she has read all the way to Alma in the BOM! That is not normal in an investigator. We have a lot to teach them and they have alot to learn and correct. For one they live together and are not married. But they want to be baptized. And guess what..... They are a referencia of a member. If one thing I have learned in these past two weeks is this work is not my work. It's the Lords. And the Lord wants the members of the church to be doing the work. We only have success when the members of the church are willing to help us. That experience was so spiritual. I cried. And they have been having the discussions with the member that gave us their information. This is how our work progresses. Not by us contacting.  Our mission President said that he wants to get to a point where missionaries don't have to make contacts anymore. There are some places in South America that don't. All the missionaries do is teach. And the members do the work. THE MEMBERS ARE THE MISSIONARIES. Our investigators progress when we teach with members. We become better teachers when we teach with investigators. This is their work. It really is such a big difference.

Random thoughts. Sorry today is kind of jumbled my thoughts. Usually I have time to organize some thoughts I want to send. But did you know that you can't flush toilet paper down the toilet. I didn't know that until last week. Oops. And its two dollars to ride the bus. and I have a mountain in my area.  What else to write...Its difficult when I don't have my things. But classes of English are going good. The people here are really quite awesome. The members are so strong. We have another investigator who came to church yesterday. We had 4 out of our 15 investigators come. I mentioned that Paraguayans are not very punctual right? Interesting story with this investigator. He knows a whole lot about our church. I only found out why two days ago. His brother is a member. He wants to be baptized into the church but he doesn't have a testimony of it. But his brother joined the church just after finding out he had problems with his brain. Every time we teach him his brother, who is a member and is now handicapped, is pacing the front of his house. He never once mentioned this to us ,that his brother was a member. We found out through the bishop. I think he is a little curious about why his brother was so interested in joining the church before he totally lost control of his mind. That doesn't sound good but right now he is completely handicapped. Coincidence that his brother wants to walk in the same room as when we teach him and refuses to leave until we leave...... I think not! Also it is so super spiritual Sundays when we have Gospel Doctrine class and every single person in the room is a convert except for the missionaries. Members of the church in Utah take that for granted. I got to talk to him about my heritage. This is how well he knows the church. He knows the prophets. The people here don't know much about them. But he wanted to know about the pioneers and I was able to tell him. My companion was grateful because she doesn't know much about them. It was a good week. I pray constantly for you guys and I am constantly praying for the gift of tongues. 

Uncle Craig, I want to THANK HIM!!!  I gave our 10 year old investigator one of those CTR rings. He hasn't taken it off since. I have given other children some as well. If only you could see their faces when they put those rings on! It's so priceless! Well I know the church is true, and I know you guys are super blessed and so am I. These people are so humble. I wish other people would be like that. Love you all!!!
 

HERMANA ROSS!!!

Running to the top of our district!

Look how green it is here!!!

Water!!!!

 

 

 

 

Sent:	Mon 7/15/13 10:34 AM

I have so much to write! I love you guys so much! This has been a really hard week! I'm not going to lie. The hardest week of my life but at the same time the best! But to start off with some questions you have! First off I wish I wouldn't have even brought my straightener and hair dryer. Trying to use them with the converter is ridiculous. If you are going to bring one make sure it works with the  plugs. I am however glad that I brought your converter, mom. Just for the reason that it converts the plug in the wall. If you want to bring stamps to the MTC it is only for the MTC. I have to pay some serious dollars to send mail here. By the way, How much money did I take out of my account? I'm curious to know how much different the money is here. Here it was worth 300 dollars. There are shops everywhere. So if people really want a straightener bring one with the conversion or buy one that works here. I don't ever use mine. And to be honest I don't have any time to.

 P-days. We start off our p-days with study and then email. We email in this small shop that is also the home of a small family. We get an hour and I found out that I can print emails. My companion didn't understand my question last time. After email we go and shop for food. IT IS CRAZY!!!!! Probably the most stressful thing I have ever done. First off we put all of our things in these lockers in the front of the shop, lock it and then shop. The people pretty much leave their carts in one spot in the store and grab everything they need. I have written a letter with more details of this  and you will receive it when I mail it. But to say the least its stressful!

But have I mentioned that miracles happen in the mission? Because they do! This week I want to tell you about one of my new investigators. We were teaching this father and son. Juan is the father, and Silvio is the son. We were teaching the first lesson and we had just finished teaching the first lesson. And were talking to them about baptism when the father, Juan, said he had been baptized when he was a boy! WHAT!!! We seriously sat there in shock because we had no idea! This entire lesson he didn't say a word. But his son is not baptized! Silvio is 10 years old! OH HE IS SO SO SO SPECIAL!!! He told us that he knows the church is true. and wants to be baptized now. His dad said that he wants this for his son only if his son knows its true. Silvio has been our little buddy! He is perfect. Natalia is doing good! We have scheduled this Saturday for her baptism. We don't know much about what her husband thinks but she has had a fast and I think she feels that he will let her. She is wonderful. Miracles happen! Its no coincidence that we found Juan and Silvio!

This week we had zone conference on Tuesday! It was crazy! My companion has only been in the mission for 3 months and she doesn't know a whole lot. For example we had to take a bus to arrive in zone conference. Well we missed our spot to get off, and we ended up thirty minutes into Asuncion. We were late for our meeting and had to take a taxi to the mission home. Its really difficult for me to understand our president because he speaks like the people from Argentina. They speak a different dialect of Spanish. Which is part of the reason I'm struggling with the language so much. The people of Paraguay drop their S's and use vosotros and vos. These are words I'm not allowed to use. Have Craig explain why. But I learned Spanish in Argentina and the Spanish in Paraguay is definitely different! Plus they mix their words in with Guarani. But at zone conference we learned how to clean a stove and had burger king! It tastes different here though. We have 3 meals during the week with members and the rest we cook on our own. Its pretty good. The problem in Paraguay is there are tons and tons of members. But tons and tons are inactive. Mainly I've noticed because of work. Its hard because these people have a whole lot of nothing and to tell them that they need to keep the Sabbath day holy and not work is difficult. In our ward we have 4 missionaries. Me and my companion, and two elders. This last Friday the ward had an activity. It was super awesome! TALENT SHOW! Lots of dancing mom! I have pictures I want to send you. And after we finished we had hot dogs. Silvio came with us and is really good friends with the elders also.

Saturday my companion and I had some serious cravings for some Alfajores. Remember what these are? They are kind of like candy bars. Well I bought 8 this Saturday and they are all gone right now! We eat breakfast and lunch and never eat dinner because  we proselyting this time. So when we plan and study those Alfajores are gone! Sunday I actually was actually able to understand a lot of the things people say. Its easier to understand because I can translate in my head but its really hard to speak it.  And I have been rejected a lot. But I was reading in 3 Nephi chapter 21 verse 9. My job is only to preach the gospel! No more and I shouldn't feel bad when people don't want to hear me. I did my job. This week we went proselyting in Gycitu.I don't know how to spell it We taught a family home evening and gave the children chocolate! I wish you could see their faces!  But it is the homes by the river. On the blog with Hermana Jones in Paraguay she served here. She served in this area and I have met and taught the members in her pictures. The only problem is we have to wear our boots to proselyte in this area because it is flooded from the river. I don't know exactly why but my companion said that something in the river broke and it is rising. These homes by the river are the ones that are so small. Boxes really. Lots of the families are having to take higher ground! They have nothing and the stuff they do have is now being filled with water! We have a new family of members that live down there that could use your prayers.

Some other random thoughts. A lady in the ward does my laundry. My zipper on my black skirt broke. What should I do mom? It has only rained one time here since I've been here and if this is cold weather then I am seriously going to die when its hot weather. But the one time it did rain the streets were flooded in like 10 minutes. Its crazy!  When we have dinner with the members the main things they eat is pasta and rice. This is normal. But the food is not really that different from home. I haven't had to try anything really crazy yet. My apartment is next to a hair salon and on the main road. My companions family is all members of the church. She is pretty strong. She is allergic to mosquitoes and the first few weeks she was here she got really, really sick. Her family is her strength. She has two brothers, the same age as Trent and Jared. And her brother Jared is the same age as my Jared.    Also I teach English classes every Saturday at the church. Its crazy! I'm the only one out of the 4 missionaries in this church that speaks English but I teach our investigators and the missionaries. Its been so beneficial that I worked with the elementary kids. I feel like I am learning more about English then I am about Spanish. I have to think about what part of my mouth I use to speak Spanish and what part of my mouth I use to speak English. What vowels are and what is the best way to teach someone who doesn't know the language at all. It will help them and me in my future life I know it. Also my companion asks the baptism question like every person we talk to. I don't know how I feel about that because I'm really not blunt at all. Well I love you all! I have to write my mission president right now! I hope I answered some of your questions! By the way my hair is a fro! Love you all!!!!! Keep strong and follow the commandments!!!
 

LOVE HERMANA ROSS

Dancing at a ward talent show!

 

You can see how the river is rising. This poor home is flooded!



Now you can see why we need boots!!



Our apartment and a...... dinner??

Paraguay!!!! My new home!!‏

From:	Tiffany Ross
Sent:	Mon 7/08/13 10:24 AM

Well I have a ton to write. First off I'm fine.

Well where to start. I will start with the flight here. There were 31 missionaries that came to Paraguay with me. LOTS! It is the most that have ever come to Paraguay. Its pretty awesome. When we arrived in their international airport my first thought was ..... wow! its so small and its so GREEN!!!! The sun was out and it was beautiful! When we got out and they were checking for our visas all of the missionaries except for four (including me) I had already received my visa for Paraguay! It was super, super, super easy to go through customs. And right after they checked my visa President and his wife were waiting. THEY ARE AMAZING!!!!!! So sweet! and they don't speak English!!! Hahaha it was awesome. The airport was super chill. Only two baggage claims and president and his wife were helping us grab our bags, receive our visas, and go through customs. Which in the states doesn't happen. HAHAHA the guy at customs also let all of the hermanas go through without having to check our bags. All the elders had to though. It was kind of funny. We spent the first day here doing lots of things in the mission home, learning about the money, learning how to do different things also meeting with the president. You should be receiving a photo soon. But that night we slept at a hotel nearby. And the next day we received our companions and headed off to work. 

They had all of the missionary trainers waiting for us at the mission home. And we were introduced to our new companions. My companions name is from Bolivia! She speaks no English. But she is sweet. She is 19 and has been in the mission for three months. Something cool about her, she has a brother the same age as Jared and his name is Jared. Also mission president said that the sisters who just came in will be trainers after two transfers because 12 new Hermanas will be coming in. AH!! A little scary! After meeting our companions they put us in taxis and we were off. She is an awesome missionary because she placed a Book of Mormon to the driver and he was way excited about it. My area is Ita Enramada. Its so diverse! Big homes and homes that I would call boxes, rather than homes. I realized why I'm sent to Paraguay. Not once have we been rejected here. I mean there are people that are a little more excited to hear our message and some that aren't but every single one will take the time to talk  to you. They are so friendly. Friday my companion and I taught 8 lessons in one day. And only three of those were scheduled lessons. The people here are so ready for the gospel its insane. I don't know how to explain it but its amazing!!! THESE ARE MY PEOPLE!!!! You should look up this area on Google. Its stunningly beautiful!  So I want to tell you about some of my investigators. One dear sister, GOLDEN INVESTIGATOR!!! But there is one problem... her husband doesn't like the church. We teach her at the chapel but she is supposed to be baptized this week. Please pray for her! We are hoping her husband will allow her to be baptized! Another young man, he lives with his mom and sister. He attended church with us yesterday. He is awesome too. . Well my companion and I knocked on this door  and this older guy answered. He looked so sad. We started talking to him and found out that he had a daughter pass away when she was 5 years old. We will be teaching him again soon. 

Sunday was interesting!!! I can understand and communicate with my companion at least a little bit. But the people in Paraguay speak two languages. The closing prayer in sacrament meeting was so confusing! I couldn't understand any of it... and I can usually understand prayers because I can pray in Spanish. Well I turn to my companion in confusion and she just says, she said it in Gaurani!  This is ridiculous! These people speak so slurred! I can't pick out much of their words. One day I will though!!! Its a miracle in itself I can even communicate and teach lessons with my companion. I can understand about 80 percent of what she says but I don't know how to respond very well. I placed my first Book of Mormon by myself yesterday! Cool huh?

 Well I have a lot to write and I'm a little overwhelmed with this crazy new life I'm living but all is well. I received a water bottle in the mission home, and I am going to be using my debit card today to buy some boots. Its not even cold here but it does rain a lot. Its really, really muddy and mosquitoes are crazy! I HAVE 30 mosquito bites!!! Hahaha crazy I know! So many things here are so different. I am going to go shopping for the first time today and I will have to tell you how that goes. But I love this gospel, and I know its true! Thank you for you love and support!!!  FRIENDS MAIL ME!!!! I love you all! The gospel is true! And the people of Paraguay are absolutely awesome!! Almost as awesome as my family! 

Love you, 

Hermana Ross

Paraguay!!!!

 

Sent:	Tue 7/02/13 1:02 PM

My dear family!!!!! I'm here in Paraguay! I can't believe it. When I hopped off the plane it was so beautiful I cant even describe it. But you need to know that I'm here and I'm safe. My mission president is wonderful! He speaks no English! And I am actually going to have a Latin as my first companion here from what I can understand. But I absolutely love it! This is where I'm supposed to be and these people are my people! write you soon! Guess what? I understand quite a bit of the español tambien! Love you all!!!!!!!! Happy 4th of July!

 

Love, Hermana Ross

Last Day at the CCM

Alright I need to just write real quick but I am leaving the MTC at 4:15 in the morning. My flight for Paraguay leaves at 7:05 AM . My mission from what I know is Paraguay Asuncion. I'm leaving with 35 other missionaries! Love you and am grateful for all you do. I will write you on my next p-day in a week. Love ya!

 

Love Hermana Ross

                                                                 The Moroni District