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!!!