Week 15- The Important Things in Life

¨Being of good cheer makes it possible for us to turn all of our sunsets into sunrises.¨ -Elder Marvin J. Ashton

Hola, Mom, Dad, hermanas, familia y amigos,

Como estás? Another week has passed and I am still here in Kokuere preaching the Gospel with Hermana Astle. Nothing epic has happened this week, such as contracting a dangerous deadly disease, or going to a bicentenario celebration in Asunción but it was a good week nonetheless. We have been working with a lot of less-active members and have had some little miracles happen everyday. It is sad to me how people can feel the Spirit and join the Church by being baptized and promising to always take Christ’s name upon themselves and then forget or just not fulfill their end of the bargain. Hopefully we will be able to remind them what they felt at baptism and they will want to return to church.

So surprise? We had dropped our investigator Ismael because he didn’t seem to be progressing- he couldn’t commit to get baptized. However, his aunt has told us that he still talks about it all the time and asks her questions about the Gospel. Unfortunately, that has not resulted in him taking the step to come to church (as it stands, he has been once) but we are going to teach him again this week and hopefully he will progress. Hopefully he will take the lunge (or the plunge) into the baptismal font and change his life for the better! If people could only understand the blessings that their Heavenly Father has for them...they would be lining up at the font and the only fear they would have would be how clean the water is! (this is Paraguay, ya know). This week we are praying for some golden investigators. To all of you in Kokuere who want to get baptized, where are youuuuu?

I don’t know if I will ever get used to the poverty here and the living conditions in which some people live. And yet people are happy here. Of course there are still stresses here, one of the biggest being “how will I feed my family?” But little kids laugh and smile, even if they have nothing. I guess you can’t miss what you have never known. Kids are perfectly content to play soccer in the street barefoot with a plastic bottle as a ball. One thing I have learned from Paraguayans is that life is not about the money, the toys, the gadgets, the electronics (one of the members here once asked me what an iPod was), the social status, or seeing how many things we can do in a day to fill up our planners. No. Life is about sitting in a chair sippin the tereré and talking with your family. It’s about spending nights together, just talking and just being together, because that is what is most important in life. When you take away all of the other “stuff” that always seems to be so important at the time, what are you left with? Relationships you have built and wisdom you have learned. And guess what? That is all you will take with you after you leave this life, too. So maybe we can learn a lesson from the Paraguayans- to slow down, look around, watch the sunset and relax. Because “men are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25) and isn’t that what we all really want anyway?

Speaking of family, I have considered asking permission from my mission president to watch the show “Extreme Couponing” this Wednesday, June 1st on TLC because my sister is going to be on the show!! But I don’t think they have TLC here nor do I think the mission president would approve. Becca, I am so proud of you! I am also happy to say that I have couponed with Rebecca Davidson and have been there to witness her shopping transactions in all of their couponing glory. Also, feliz cumpleaños to my Dad and Little Jo! I love you!

Well, that’s all for now. Until next week...

Mucho amor,

Hermana Brittner

PS Only in Paraguay is a bathroom considered nice if it has a working light and toilet paper.