Hermana Ross la gran mision Paraguay Asuncion

Hey family,

So....here i am in the cyber, for the last time. Its crazy to think about that. I dont know what to say to all of you. haha but I've never in my life felt so torn. I feel like I'm home here in Paraguay. I'm not going to lie. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!!!! 

When I came here I was able to be born again. Learning to speak, testing my faith, working to do the best in the eyes of the lord. But I came here with the purpose to help otheres be born again, by being baptized. I have seen people change their lives for the better. I have seen the hand of God in the lives of this children. And by being his representative I have been able to see how he has touched my life. Its been a journey. A HARD JOURNEY!!! I sure hope that I'm coming home a different person. I´ve seen that if we keep the commandments we will be blessed in all things. So I have faith in the lord that if I keep the commandments he will help me with this next transition. It literally brings tears to my eyes to know that I'm a daughter of god, that he loves me so much that he sent me here to Paraguay, to be his hands. And I dont say that to put the focus on me, but I say that to put the focus on him. Our savior Jesus Christ is everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is why we are able to be here in the world, improving every single day. I KNOW THAT MY SAVIOR LOVES ME AND HE LIVES! I just want to shout that from the rooftops every time I think about it. I don't have many words for you guys this week. I'm speechless really. But all I can say is I´ll be seeing you guys on Thursday. 

With all my heart I thank you all for what you have done for me here in the mission,

the last letter from, 

Hermana Ross. 

 

 Divisions with the sister leaders. Hermana Tanner, Hermana Houldridge, and Hrmana Kimball

This is my hair natrual in the humidity.

I found Maggie from Ettiene in Ita Enramada.

Hermana Roly had a farewell dinner for me! 
(Thank you so much Roly for All you have done for our daughter!  You are amazing!!)

Hermana Roly, myself and Hermana Houldridge

It rained this week. I hate working in the rain.
So look what I did. I'm the sun in Paraguay!
I never  thought that I would miss this heat, but I'm going to miss it!!

 

Small miracles are big in the sight of the God!

We´ve been working hard these days. Real hard. Hoping and praying for a way to find people who want to be baptized and follow the example of Jesus Christ. Its not easy. The agency of the people kills me sometimes. It is without a doubt thee most difficult part of the mission. But Sunday I was able to see miracles. Small miracles, but beautiful miracles. Sitting in the same church house now as when I started my mission, but now being able to understand every word that they talk about. Seeing my ward mission leader. A recent convert sit down at church yesterday, with tears in his eyes, because the day before he was sealed with his family for time and all eternity after one year of being baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ. Looking around me and knowing that almost everyone around me are converts to the church.

There are so many miracles that I can see now. Small and tender mercies of the lord. That I don't know if I really saw before coming on the mission. But my heart has been changed and my eyes have been opened. God loves his children so much. He knows our needs. 

Another miracle that brought tears to my eyes was to see a family, recent converts, mom, dad and four little boys sitting in front of me. The mom and the dad sat there hugging. This family is so close to the missionaries, and live in our area. They were baptized about 5 months ago. In Relief Society we had a lesson on mission work. They told us that we should never say that someone will never accept the gospel. We never know if they will change. The new convert, Maria, turned to me and said. ¨I was one of those people who said that I would never change, that ran away from the missionaries, hiding behind the door. And look at me now, I got married, I got baptized with my husband, and now my twin boys are going to be baptized by my husband this Saturday.¨I looked at her and I felt so grateful I then had to ask her ¨¨Are you happy?¨She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said. YES! 

The gospel is here in our lives to change us, to help us become better people. To help us become closer to the Savior. I love this gospel so much. We are so blessed to live in familes that are blessed to have the gospel. 

 And by the way sending me my flight plans wouldn't make me trunky. Im working hard. I dont know a whole lot about my last day here in the mission. But I can tell you I doubt we will be going to sleep in one place. My last day here is signing papers and then we go to the temple. We will have a testimony meeting and then I imagine that they will send us to the airport. Its going to be a long flight.  HAHA the hermana Murguia and I are in the same zone and we were talking about when we get home we are going to want to hang out. She is from Salt Lake. Well West Jordan. Maybe the week after. But I don't know what is all going to be happening. Í just know that it wont be easy. Well I love you guys  a ton.

Love,

Hermana Ross



The Chacaritas in Centro.  This is Paraguay!



And Sopa.  RICO HAHA.  I'll explain when I get home.



Me and my companion Hermana Houldridge

A super sweet sister, Hermana Roly made me an apple pie!



 

 

So we got a little trunky last Monday.  But just for Monday!



We left the pumpkin at the door of our
mission leader.

We cleaned out our freezer and made a snow man.
(Little does she konw that she will be coming home to this in Utah!
From the heat to the cold!)

Paraguay!

Zuchini bread

Zone Conference!! They were decorating the church house for a dance that night.  Ha Ha we all laughed saying it was prom.

 

 

Hey guys,
So I'm really feeling it now. Everyone is telling me, this is your last couple weeks so you better enjoy it. I am enjoying it. Today i have to organize my things a little because this next week is our district
activity, so i wont have time. I don't want to do everything my last monday here. So things are pretty good here. It's just hard that nobody is assisting church because it is so far away. I'm pretty dang tan from my year and a half here in the mission. You should see my watch line.

So the mission right now is good. Working hard. We´re trying to see some serious miracles. A cool expericence this week was we were contacting and found this young guy who is 23. He
is someone that believes in God but not in organized religion. He has been looking through many different churches but never found one that he liked. We couldnt teach him in the moment because we didn't have a woman with us but we gave him the Book of Mormon. I could feel again the special spirit that that book has. I was able to testify of its truth, and feel the spirit testify through me. I'm going to miss this feeling. The work is a work of miracles. I love this gospel. We´re working to
see a baptism before I come home.   But I love you guys tons. I'm going to try to
answer some of your questions. My computer isnt working very well.
Hermana Ross.

Im writing in a cyber that is owned by a member from Uraguay. She is amazing. Her son is in Equador serving. We talk with her while were writing.
Hermana Ross




Im glad that you guys arent coming here to pick me up. Really I would
love to come back to Paraguay but it wouldnt be the same to have you
guys here. And you would not want to be here in the heat! just letting
you know. haha But halloween almost doesnt exist here. Everything is
christmas right now. Today when we went to buy our groceries we found
that it was decked out christmas. So yep. The mission in utah sounds a
lot different from here. our mission leader explained that here is
like 50 back tracked. Its not very up with the new. We contact we are
trying to strengthen the areas where we are. But without a doubt this
area is the most organized that ive seen.
hermana ross

Crazy week!!

Oct. 27, 2014

Hey everything is pretty crazy these days. We´re working and trying to find a lot of miracles. We have found some people that are nice its just hard because we live so far a way from the church to assist. We´re working on it.

The pie was DELICIOUS!!! You should of seen the faces of the american elders. They about died. But This week we also made a pie with one of the sisters in our ward. Hermana Cordone. We make the pie crust with pig fat but because it was really hot the bag exploded in the face of my companion and the hermana.  But not much new. Im tired. Really tired. The heat is tanning my skin and making me just want to sleep. I dont have much time to write today because i have some writing to do for the offices. Love you guys. 

Hermana Ross. 

Frogs....Toads!!!!!!!!!! EWWWWW It gets hot and the frogs come out. Everyone was laughing at me and telling me that i dont have prince charming at home so i should kiss him. NOT! They scare me.

 

The toads are huge!  They "toadly"  scare me!

Hermana Cordone and my companion making pies.

Apple pie!



He is definately not my prince charming!!!!

 

Well Que Haku!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 20,2014

Could it get any hotter here in Paraguay. We got up to 50 degress celcius
and 122 degress F. Its so hot the whole body hurts just walking outside and
the air conditioning just barely helps to cool us down at night. They say
that this summer is going to be the hottest summer in a long time here in
Paraguay. My companion kept telling me that she doesnt know what to do when
it gets to be December, January. HAHA I just told her. Dont worry about it!
But in my mind i was saying, thank goodness i will be home in the cold. But
i know that my body isnt going to be ready for the cold either. How is the
weather at home?
So this last Tuesday we had interviews with president. My companion and I
were waiting to enter into the office when one of the elders informed me
that the time that I would be having for my interview was going to be
longer than everyone else. I asked why and he said that it was my LAST
interview with president. I looked at him in absolute shock! WHAT! Normally
they have the last interview the last week. But they are starting the
interview for the whole mission so to make it easier for president, he had
my last interview last week. He laughed at me and told me. ¨I dont like  to
have a final interview with anyone before they have actually ended their
mission but I don't have the time in the month of November. So you will
listen to what I am going to tell you, then put it in the back of your mind
until you're in an airplane going home.¨It was terrible.
I can tell that you guys are getting tired of the whole writing thing. I
only recieve letters from mom and Jessica now. I finish my computer time in
like 10 minutes because I don't have anything else to say, or read. haha
well thats life.
 My mission leader is seriously thee best mission leader.  HMMMM well if i were a missionary eating at home,right now I would without a doubt choose the sweet and sour chicken! Haha
but thats just me. I miss the food from home. When I come home I want to
cook for you guys. I have learned at lot from my companions as far as
cooking goes. But a lot of it has to do with central america. SPICY!!!!!!
And by the way my companion the Hermana Houldridge loves cooking and has
spent all of her misison looking for a way to make the things from the
states here. It is not easy because the ingredients are not the same here
as they are in the states. But she figured out how to make PIE!!!!!!!!!! So
tomorrow for our district activity we are going to take apple pie. We´ll
have to see what the american elders say. Because last week they were all
talking trunky about how they want to eat a good thanksgiving dinner.
I know that I'm coming home in a month but I want to hear from you guys. So
that its not such a shock getting there. I know that its a whole new world
there but i want to know how you all are. Thanks mom for writing me.
Well,
love you guys.
Hermana Ross

I love you guys tons.
oh and funny story. The name of our apartment is Edificio Tupasy. We had no
idea what it meant so we decided to look it up. Its Guarani. It means
Mother of God......WE LIVE IN THE VIRGENS HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahah








Oct 13, 2014
Hey guys, whats new in utah....Looks like just about everything.

Well so there are a lot of things new here in Amambay. My new companion is the Hermana Houldridge from Seattle Washington. She is 22 years old and came to the mission from attending BYU, Provo. She is studying landscaping management and has a little more than one year in the mission. She will be heading home in February.  Amambay has all americans here right now. Elder Shuman from Spanish fork, who knows my roomates Kenzie and Lauren Bushman from Snow, Elder Freeman from Arizona, and my companion and I. Having an american companion is TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!  We have yet to talk in English, just so you know. We both have time in the mission so we are both acustamed to speaking spanish, its easier that way. 

This week was a week of patience. I felt for a moment that the whole world was falling in around me. Our golden investigator moved to live right in front of the church in Ita Enramada. AHHHHHHHHH Our golden investigator moved out of our area but in front of the church where we attend. how hard is that? But we are going to give the reference to the sisters who live in Ita Enramada. The Hermana Argueta is there training this transfer. 

Another investigator told us that she doesnt want to be baptized, but the miracle is that this sunday her mom and her came to church. WHAT! It was such a suprise. They are progressing but slowly and shurly. Everyone progresses at different rates.  It was the primary program so the spirit was so strong. I had to laugh at the reaction of my companion when she got to know our ward. She also came from el campo to the city....HAHA she looked at me in the middle of the primary program and said.....Wow seeing this ward i know that there is hope for every other ward and branch in Paraguay. HAHAHA I thought the same thing when i got here. Its a well organized ward. Everyone working together. 

My mission leader is funny. Funny story. He is a recent convert along with his wife. And because we dont have a church house we have our corelation meetings in his home. My first friday here in Amambay my companion was teaching me the area and she didnt tell me that we were going to go to a house of a member. We knocked on the door and he acted as if he was an investigator. He was not nice. My companion was such a bad actor. I could tell that it was all a joke, but then he took out a huge knife and told us to get lost. HAHAHAHAHA I just started to laugh. My companion was not a good actress. But im a VERY GOOD ACTRESS hehehehehe. This transfer I took my new companion to go and get to know our mission leader. She fell for it. And we all laughed really hard. But the Hermana Houldridge is super sweet. I kind of felt bad to play the joke on her.

So to answer questions again. Yes we still clap at the doors but here in the city there are more doorbells. With Cameras. Its one of my least favorite areas to do contacting. But we do receive a ton of referrals every single week. This last week we recived more than 10. We have been contacting a ton trying to find new people. Its a lot like Ettiene in this way. Im reminded of one time that my companion the Hermana Hidalgo and I went to touch the doorbell and the person came over the microphone. HAHAHA We asked if we could share a message, they told us SI....I asked if we could come in....they told us....oh dont worry we can see you from here, we´re listening. hahahaha I will never forget those things that happen here in the mission. Tomorrow we have interview with president Agazzani. It will be interesting. This transfer I'm kind of in shock. I dont feel like its my last transfer but every single Thursday when we have planning and we are planning for days that I wont be here I feel weird. I dont know what I want to do when I get home.  I know that the lord is preparing great things for me at home but I dont know yet what awaits me.

yeah mom my hair is really long! I love It!. And yes my last day here they will be giving us a pill that will be to kill all of the parasites. It will give me Diarea BAD!!!! But im used to using what ever kind of bathroom that is in my path! HAHAHA  The pill cant have a worse impact on me than what ive passed through here in the mission. ive heard that it is about one week of the after affect. We´ll see what happens.

Well i feel weird to write you guys knowing that i will be seeing you guys in one month. Whats new...you guys have all forgotten about me surely...hahah im here and i dont know how im going to come accustomed to the home life again. Everyone here is telling me that im going home soon....Especially those missionaries. So to bug them when they do that i just laugh and tell them....Well at least i´ll be home for thanksgiving dinner. HAHAHAHA They all follow this statement with OUCH!!!!!! Im excited to see you all again.

Love you guys tons,

Hermana Ross.

Conference!! Christmas for Missionaries!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey it was a week of miracles. I'm going to try to make up for the small letters that I have written these last weeks. So this week I was feeling what my companion is feeling. Tired. HAHA but conference was a big help to get us motivated to keep going. Endure to the end. So last week we couldn't find or teach really any of our investigators. They had all left out of our area and it was almost impossible to find or teach. This week our goal was to really focus on getting the investigators to the general conference.

So miracles of General conference.

Friday we taught a girl and talking about baptism, she told us that she hasn't received an answer from God if she should be baptized, and that many people laugh at her because she is thinking about joining the "Mormon" church. We sat down and told her that the day after she would have the chance to hear the words from the prophet of God. I remember looking her in the eyes and saying...."Tomorrow, you will receive your answer, and you will hear it from the apostles of God. Will you attend the conference with us tomorrow to receive your answer?" She attended the Saturday morning session. Where if you remember.....They talked about putting God first, and how we shouldn't worry about what the men are saying. President Uchtdorf also talked about how we can receive answers from God. The first session was all for her! She is praying and trying to find her own answer now. Sunday morning we were able to attend Church with another sister. She is a huge miracle also. She told us that when she was eight years old she remembers that her dad received elders in her home and attended church with them. She remembers that her dad, every single night, would read the Book of Mormon and tell his daughters, I know that this book is true and it has changed my life. She said that she never attended church, that she never had given much thought to the missionaries until we knocked on her door and was reminded of everything. She attended the first session on Sunday. Her and her little girl. She is preparing to be baptized.   I saw all four sessions in English. It was super funny. The Hermana Murguia was sitting right next to me all of the conferences. It was weird seeing the fall leaves when its spring here. I feel like I'm closer to my birthday than to Christmas. 

God is so aware of his children. Its amazing how conference can answer so many questions. I'm comforted and excited to see what awaits me in my future. I'm excited to keep working.

Hey I love you guys tons.

Hermana Ross

Correlation with the mission leader.

Exercising in front of  our house in the morning!

My companion and I all dressed up for conference.

It was a great conference!

Our district menos 2 elders. It was a great day!  The members brought
 us all empanadas to eat for lunch.

 

Another cool experience that I had was we watched all of the sessions in English. But when it was the time for the people to speak that were speaking in spanish. My companion for the day Hermana Murguia and I went and listened in Spanish. I felt very blessed to be able to understand. I know that God has blessed me so much. He helped me with the gift of tongues to do His work. I love spanish!

Love ya mom. I hope you are keeping strong! Keep going !

Love your daughter who is not so far away, just in another country,

Hermana Tiffany Ross

 

Crazy days!

September 29, 2014

Hey sounds like things are going good. Every letter that i send you guys is shorter and shorter. Sorry i cant find the words to write much. Its a little hard having a companion who is ending her mission in a week. I feel tired too. I dont want to come home. Today we will be heding to central asuncion to do some shoping with a sister in our ward. Im tired and i dont have words to say. But im going to send pictures. love you guys.

Hermana Ross

Asuncion!!

Lunch with the sister's in my district.



In Sajonia, a park close to the church where we practiced singing.

Divisions with the sister leaders.



Thought this would make you smile!

Giving service with a smile.



Cleaning a home of a sister in our ward.



My companion!

Our lunch appointment fell through.  Love being in the city.
PIZZA HUT!

The church house in central Asuncion.

Operation Sunshine!  My 3rd time to help the doctors from the states.
They come to help children with cleft palates.

Hermanas from my district.  This is the view from the hospital.

September 22, 2014

So many things happening. sorry my letters are so short.  So this week we had divisions with the sister leaders.  Hermana Kimball from Ogden, and Hermana Tanner from Ogden.  Ha ha i think my companion and I were in a little shock.  They speak a lot of English.  I could not talk to them in English.  It didn't work.  But it was fun.

Today we have a district activity.  We are going to play soccer.  ALL OF OUR ACTIVITiES
ARE SOCCER!!!!!!  Welcome to South America.  But it will be fun.

THis area is full of people very prepared to hear the gospel.  The firstweek I got here we walked by a house and I felt  so strong the desire to knock on the door.  So We did.  And there was a beautiful young woman who left.  She is 18 years old and and has a baby who is 10 months old.  We taught them about the gospel of Jesus Christ and I invited her to be baptized.  She accepted and was so open to do everything.  then we couln't find her.  Well this week we were able to find her again and she attended church yesterday.  She loved it!!!  All of the members were telling her hello and how much they love her.  She told us that next Sunday she is going to come better prepared with diapers for her baby.  She wants us to teach her boyfriend, who lives with her.  He is a nice guy. They are a new family to our are.  So we're working that they can be baptized on 11th of October.  Yes!!!!  We're seeing miracles here.  We are working hard. I'm going to to send you guys pictures.  Hope that will make up for the short letters.  I promise I will think a little bit more of what I should write next week.
Love you guys.
Hermana Ross
(Her mother is having computer problems.  She will have to download the pictures later. sorry!)

Sing a solo?...... What?.........

Hey hows things going? So this area is the promised land. There are a lot of people that we are teaching. Right now we´re teaching a mother and her daughter. They have baptismal dates for the 27th of september. The father that I mentioned in my last letter is a member....hhaha we invited him to be baptized and then he told us that he was baptized when he was younger. ooooppppssss haha We have also found a lot of part families that we are working with. The area is a beautiful area. So this week we have zone conferences, and our zone is in charge of singing a musical number. Practically our whole district are latins, and they cant exactly hit notes....so they asked if i and the other americana would sing solas. WHAT????? SINGING WAS NEVER ONE OF MY TALENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are crazy. The elder gave us the song count your many blessings, and then asked if i would be able to hit the notes and understood what they mean. HAHAHAHA I laughed at him telling him that never before in my life had I sang in front of an audience. The people here think.....oh an american sister.....surely she can sing and play the piano....HA! Well today we have our practice and we will see how it goes. So I know a lot of things have changed at home. I dont want to come home. If i could i want to extend my mission. I dont know what i want to do when i get home, or what i want in my life. NOTHING IS THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!! But I'm not the same either. Sorry my letters are getting shorter and shorter. Its really difficult to write in English. And I'm not joking about this. I have to really really think to be able to write you guys. All of the people that want to be my friends on facebook are from my ward. Accept them. Well my dear family. I dont have anything else to write,

Hermana Ross

Getting ready to go play football (Soccer).
 

People stop and ask me if my companion is my daughter
and if my husband in Latino.  Crazy!!!!

 

 

Miracles still exist...They still do.

Sent Sept. 8, 2014

Hey family,

First off....I have some news......JESSICA'S ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahaha I know you guys know that already but I wanted announce it to you. hahaha. Second off mom, dad, sit down please......So I got a phone call Monday night from my district leader....who was so dang sick. He actually came with me in my group.  He informed me that he lost my package in a trip from the offices to Amambay. He was so so so sick about it. Poor guy. He thinks someone robbed it from him while he was talking on the phone waiting for the bus. Who really knows. But I wanted to thank you for sending me the package. hahahahaha I had to laugh when he told me what happened. Its an experience of the mission. I'm sure the person that has the package needed it more than me. hahaha 

So this week we worked and worked and my companion is becoming super trunky, and I'm just here working. But we had an investigator that came to church on Sunday. It was really a miracle.  He is the dad of a recent convert and a part family. He went all by himself because he saw the blessings that his family is receiving for his wife paying her tithing. He is really shy but he liked it a lot. He drinks a lot but he actually laughed and enjoyed the meeting. He's progressing. I actually could feel the spirit  in the reunions. It was amazing. There are so many returned missionaries from the ward its crazy. Its a rich area, Almost every family I have come to meet here have visited Utah once in their life times. 

I don't have a whole lot to write you guys. Time is flying fast. sounds like everything at home is pretty crazy. I cant believe how fast time flies. My district leader is bugging me every night about how much time I have left. But I love the time that I have here in Amambay. All the members tell me that its the best tomb that a missionary could have. hahahaha TERRIBLE SON!!!!! Well love you guys.

Hermana Ross. 

AMO AMAMBAY!!!!

Hey family,

So a lot has happened here in the mission. I was transferred. I'm now in an area that is called Amambay. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!! Its so different than my last area. I´ll explain why. Its a ward, the attendance is at 150 (its the second oldest ward in Paraguay) and yesterday we had our ward council. We went and didn't talk at all, because our mission leader does all the talking. All of the members have cars, and right now because they are reconstructing our church house I go to the church house in Ita Enramada. I'm going to "die" in the same church house where I began my mission but in a different area. 

When I had my interview with president I got the feeling that I would be leaving. He also asked me what were my goals before heading home. I told him that i wanted to learn humility, and truly forget myself in the mission these last two transfers. The lord has answered my prayers and has put me with my companion, she's  from Nicaragua. She is a convert to the church. She was baptized when she was nine years old. She is the fifth child of 12. She will be ending her mission this transfer. She was the companion my companion when I left from Ettiene. When she left for the mission she was the only member of the church in her family. She came to find out that her mom was baptized and that when she gets home she will be able to go to the temple with her. Her family doesn't write her because they don't have Internet where she lives. She is so so so humble. I'm excited to learn from her here. I love the area. Its rich but many people are being baptized and the ward is organized. It is the perfect place to just loose myself preaching the gospel. We have some awesome investigators who are progressing. I'm pretty sure at the end of the month we will see some awesome converts to the church. I'm excited! 

Love you guys, 

Hermana Ross. 

oh p.s. I'm writing you guys in the cyber (home w/ internet) of members. Almost EVERYONE HERE ARE MEMBERS!!!!!!!! I love it!

Basilica

Walking up the stairs of the Basilica.

This is where they put their hands to pray to the Virgin.
It broke my heart to see people crying in front of the Virgin.

Me and my companion from the top.

The flag from the top of Basilica.

Dancing clothes of Paraguay.  AWESOME!!!!

Running into an old companion at transfers.
She trained a Paraguain this transfer and she is training again.
CAPA!!!!!!

I have gone Chuchi!!  ha ha  and so has my......

......my new companion!!!  :)