Week 28- It is all part of a great plan!

“The Lord isn’t asking us to load up a handcart; He’s asking us to fortify our faith. He isn’t asking us to walk across the continent; He’s asking us to walk across the street and visit our neighbor. He isn’t asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple; He’s asking us to give of our means and our time despite the pressures of modern living, to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn’t asking us to die a martyr’s death; He’s asking us to live a disciple’s life.”

-Elder M. Russell Ballard, “The Truth of God Shall Go Forth”

August 29, 2011

Hola familia!

Qué tal! I am doing well here in Asunción. This weekend we had a baptism! Viviana, the niece of Hermana Troche, who only speaks Guarani, got baptized! It was a really nice baptism and the Spirit was strong. She is a sweet girl and I am glad that I had the opportunity to be there to witness it. Matias, and my companions and I, sang a hymn called “Mirad al Salvador” in Spanish and it turned out great. The baptism almost went off without a hitch, except that the font only filled up halfway. For some unknown reason the water turned off in the church and so she was baptized in two feet of water. And because of that, she had to get re-dunked 4 times! It was a record, I think. First an elbow was up, then a wrist, but in the end she went all the way under.

More good news is that Blanca is back on track to get baptized!! One of the members called us and asked if we could have a Family Home Evening at their house and if we could teach Sabbath day observance. Well, we did just that and Blanca attended as well, and it was exactly what she needed! She needed a friend in the ward, a strong family who would help her with this transition. It’s so important for members to help the missionaries. I have a strong testimony of that. To top it off, she came to church and watched Viviana get confirmed and she whispered to us, “That’s going to be me the 18th of September.” That’s what I like to hear!

Some more good news is that Teresa, my investigator from Kokuere, was baptized! Her husband is a member, inactive for years and they have a little baby boy. What’s even cooler is that her husband baptized her! It really is a miracle that we found them. To add to this, she has already taught the Gospel Principles class. Her husband’s brother, Luis, is getting back soon from his mission in Argentina. When he left, his brother was inactive. When he returns, his brother and his wife will be active members in the Church. Talk about miracles.

Matias accompanied us this week. He is preparing for his mission and always cracks me up. To quote him, “I think Paraguay turned the air conditioning all the way up because it is freezing today” and “that dog must not be Mormon because he won’t stop barking at us.”

Thalia Ramirez, my first convert, went to the temple and did baptisms this week with the ward and her brother. Qué purete! There are so many modern-day pioneers here in Paraguay- many young people- who are the only members- the first of their family to join the Church and often they don’t have the support of their parents, family or friends. Yet their decision will bless their posterity and their ancestors as they do temple work and raise their own family under the sealing covenant of the temple.

We had 6 investigators in church this week. We found a less-active member and her two non-member sons, Miguel 16, and Justo 9, and they came with us. It appears that Miguel has already had a hard life because he moved away from his family to get his life back in shape. What better thing than the Gospel to help you turn your life around? Little Justo came dressed in a white shirt and tie and it was really cute- just this little boy going to primary. When he saw the words, “haz lo justo,” in the primary room (choose the right in Spanish), it threw him off a little bit. “Choose me?” is what it translated into for him.

We have another baptism coming up. Aurora Vera is a lady in our ward who has to get re-baptized because her records were lost and she is preparing for the temple. She was baptized 30 years ago in Mariano Roque Alonso and somehow her records were lost. She has a very strong testimony and I’m looking forward to re-teaching her the lessons this week to prepare her to be “baptized” again. She has been through a lot in her life but has turned to God to find hope and strength. She is getting baptized on Saturday.

Monday night we had a cool experience. We showed up at a member’s home to have Family Home Evening but the family was not there. That’s what plan B’s are for. So we went back to look for a lady we contacted before and instead talked to her sister-in-law, Soledad. She was young, married and we found out that her first baby had passed away within months of being born. She had lost faith in God as to why this would happen to her. We taught her the plan of salvation and it was a very beautiful lesson. The Spirit was strong and she said that she has hope in God again and that getting baptized would be very “lindo,” or nice/beautiful experience. We are still waiting to have a second lesson with her.

One of my favorite things about being a missionary is being able to go up to a random stranger, armed with the Spirit of God, and teach them a lesson/the Gospel and help them find peace in their life and we both come out better for it. Like Dario, who’s grandma just passed away and doesn’t understand the nature of Christ and God. Or Mariana, who’s parents are divorced and she lives with her aunts far away from them. The GOSPEL of Jesus Christ is the solution to every problem we have in this life- because it is the purpose of this life. It is all part of a great plan.

Something else that I have learned from the Paraguayans, is that all you have in this life like “el pan de cada día”(food) and “la salud”(health) is a gift so that you can work and have a happy family life and the Gospel/God. I think I pray for these things in every single prayer I’ve said here. Why is it that we Americans think we need every toy under the sun to be happy? Why are so many of us so obsessed with how we look/appear to others, that we forget the basic necessities of life and what is really important? Something to think about.

This week President Arnold of the Area Seventy is coming. I am looking forward to the conference. I have heard that he likes to “bajar la canea” or in other words, drop the cane and whip missionaries into shape. We shall see!

Keep the faith! You are all in my prayers, especially you, family.

And congrats to Christina Cecchettini, who is going to the Texas, spanish speaking mission his week! Enjoy the MTC! Suerte hermana!

Becca Jones, I have not forgotten about you! I have a letter coming your way- you’ll get it in a month or so. Haha. I am glad your East Coast experience was awesome!

Con cariño,

Hermana Brittner

Week 27- Three Rubias in Loma

“Regarding one’s testimony, remember, that which one willingly shares he keeps, while that which he selfishly keeps he loses.” Thomas S. Monson, Pathways to Perfection

August 22, 2011

Hola!!

Well, another week in Loma Pytá- my old companion, Hermana Alvarenga, says we are living in the glory in Loma in Asunción- great members, great area, shopping Mariano is in our area, lots of work to do- what more could we ask for? And it’s true I am super content here. Oh yes...ch-ch-changes! Hermana Alvarenga from Honduras changed areas but we are still in a trio! Introducing Hermana Carly Springer from Gilbert AZ/Sandy UT. She is also a BYU student, studying English, so that makes three rubias (blondes) preaching the Gospel here. And yes there are snakes (the human kind) everywhere- “rubias, que hermosas!” Ha but that’s just what happens to hermanas here in Paraguay.

One of my favorite things about changes and conferences is going to the office. It’s always so much fun. This time, I saw 3 of the elders from my MTC district! What a happy reunión! Elder Labra the Australian, and Elder Wilkins and Nielson were there. I feel like they are my brothers- MTC ties will never die. Haha. I love that I actually know a lot of missionaries now and have friends here.

Exciting news of the week- we have a baptism this Saturday...Vivian Benegas. Her aunt is a member and Vivian has been going to church with her. The problem is she only speaks Guarani because she used to live in the Chaco. So her aunt translates everything for her when we teach. This Sunday, she was the only investigator in the principles of the gospel class so the teacher taught her in Guarani. As missionaries we just stared at the teacher, because we couldn’t understand anything in Guarani, except for when he used words in Spanish, like Jesucristo, Maria, Jose. It was pretty cool though.

This Saturday we went on splits- Hermana Young went with a local, and Hermana Springer and I went with Matias, who is preparing for a mission. It was so fun! We took the collective (bus) to one of the poorer areas and I think I contacted everyone in the whole neighborhood! I finally feel comfortable with my Castellano (Spanish) and I just love talking to people. I am SO glad that I had a companion who was a native speaker, because it has made a huge difference in my Spanish. We went to teach a family- two of the kids we had taught before- we show up at their gate and the mom, Ana, says, “do you want to work?” They were putting in a barbed wire fence with wooden posts. We said sure, but she wouldn’t give us a shovel, only Matias. So Matias started working while we taught the plan of salvation and later he joined us. When the mom finally sat down with us, she said she has always wondered where we go after we die and we told her we have the answers. She is Roman Catholic apostolic (is that right in English?). She looked me in the eyes and said, “Yes, but how do you KNOW?” I had the opportunity to testify that it’s in the scriptures and that we have modern day prophets and leaders and modern-day revelation and that I have felt the spirit testify to me about it. Also, that there is life after death and that we can be with our loved ones forever. And that we do know exactly what happens to us after this life. It was a cool experience.

Our investigator Blanca didn’t go to church. Our golden investigator went to her parent’s house for the weekend and they convinced her not to join the church because it has too many ¨rules¨ like going to church every Sunday and not drinking coffee and paying tithing. It’s really too bad because she knows the Church is true and has a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I think she will get baptized someday in the future. We are pretty much dropping all of the investigators we have had because they aren’t progressing/they have testimonies but just “don’t want to get baptized.” Opa! Entonces. That´s Guarani for “over/all done.”

Anyway, that’s all! Love you all! I love hearing all of your news and seeing the pics. It looks like you are doing well! And Kelli B, your reception seems like it was beautiful! (from the few pics I’ve seen). Taylor, hope your first day as a sophomore was awesome and congrats on making the Varsity volleyball team!!

Love you!
Hermana Brittner

Week 26- I Know That My Redeemer Lives!

“He lives! All glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, Sweet the joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!”’ (Hymn #136- I Know that My Redeemer Lives)

August 15, 2011

Hola!

It’s going to be a short email this week because I am uploading pictures to send home through the mail. This week was great! We have changes (transfers) tonight and we are very nervous as we expect it will be our last week as a trio. One of our trio is leaving so that means either our trio splits up or they put a local in with us for a change. I love LOMA! All the members here are great and are so excited to work and share the Gospel. We sang in Sacrament meeting yesterday- Hermana Alvarenga and Matias, a 19 year old member of the ward who is preparing for a mission and is really cool, and I sang and Hermana Young played the piano. Matias sang the first verse and then Hermana Alvarenga and I sang the second in Guarani. Guarani is the second language in Paraguay and they speak it mixed with Spanish usually. Hardly anyone knows pure Guarani, just words and phrases. It’s a really cool language though. And when we started singing in Guarani, every Paraguayan in the room had their eyes on us (which was everyone, haha). Fue purete. Then I sang the third verse in English and then we all sang in harmony the last in Spanish. It was cool and the Spirit was really strong.

Mariela, the cousin of Thalia, came to church yesterday for the first time and she has set a baptismal date for the 2nd of September. Blanca is still our golden investigator that we are working with. We told her about the word of wisdom. She said she drank alcohol occasionally and drank coffee, but after that lesson, she said, “Well, I won’t drink that anymore.” She gave it up just like that. It’s amazing how feeling the Spirit and what really having a testimony can do. She is awesome!

Walked by the temple today for P-day. Me encanta ver el templo. We went to take pictures and we saw the guard, Hno. Falcon and the janitor, Hno. Sanchez, who are both in our ward and who feed us lunch. Hno. Sanchez helped translate the Book of Mormon in Guarani, which is an amazing feat and he bore his testimony in pure Guarani in Sacrament meeting which was really cool to listen to.

We had a cool lesson with the Gonzalez family. Both parents and their two kids were baptized but only Hector, who is 15, still goes to church. We taught them that obedience to the commandments always brings blessings. It’s like in 1 Nephi 3:7, the Lord never gives commandments, without a way to follow them. Many people say they have to work on Sundays and that’s why they don’t go to church. Obviously, working is important, but we encourage them to find a way to both feed their families and obey God’s commandments and to have the faith that God will help them with their righteous desires. There is always a way. Here is a hint: if you ask a less active family if they have been reading the Book of Mormon daily, they will say no. Most don’t even know where it is. One sure way to keep your testimony strong and healthy is to read the Book of Mormon everyday. It will give you spiritual power and keep Satan far away. Like the primary song says, “Scripture power keeps me safe from sin.”

I am going to close with my testimony. I am so glad that I chose to go on a mission. I am learning so much everyday and my testimony is becoming stronger everyday. I love being surrounded by strong members who love the Gospel and by companions with strong testimonies. I love this Gospel and I know that la Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de los Últimos Días is the true church on the earth today, meaning that it has the authority and power of God through the Priesthood. Wickedness never was happiness, and happiness comes through obeying the commandments. Therefore, keeping the commandments equals happiness and muchisimos bendiciones! We have a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers. Keep the faith!

I love you all! Good luck to the girls who start school this week! I love Tay, Rae, Jo and Jen and think of you often!! And good luck to Kelli and Andrew who get married soon! I love you!!

Love,

Hermana Brittner

Week 25- Service First!

“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17

August 8, 2011

Hola Hola Hola!!

How is my family? I hope all is well. This week was awesome!! We had 11 investigators in church yesterday. It was miraculous. The week before we had 8 and that was a miracle. We only brought 4 of them with us, but they just kept coming! They came on their own, which is unusual. I love LOMA PYTÄ! The members here are so strong. Many of them work in the temple weekly because it is so close. We have so many people that want to feed us that have to rotate members and now we are having dinner appointments, which never happens! My trio is doing well, we are going to enjoy our last week together. “Estoy contenta” as they say in Spanish, I am content.

This will make you laugh...the other night I was clapping houses in my sleep. I started clapping like I was clapping a house and I woke up my companions. A missionary´s work is never done.

Well, updates on my investigators. My mission President Madariaga and his wife went with us to our appointments one night last week and we visited Patrocinia, our eternal investigator. We had a turn of events there, as President was inspired to commit her daughter, Luz, 14, to baptism. He said that her mom will follow in her footsteps. Luz is a little rebellious and has never wanted to share with us before but she went to church yesterday which was a big step! Also, Carolina, who has had trouble stopping praying to the Virgin Mary, has made a lot of progress. She is a professor of Guarani at a Catholic school and has very strong faith. She loves the Book of Mormon and has a strong testimony of it. She even writes summary reports for each chapter after she reads. It’s awesome! She is progressing well.

I remember in the Missionary Training Center that they told us that every time someone accepts Jesus Christ into their life and begins to change to align their lives with the Lord’s commandments, it’s a miracle. I do believe that. I see miracles everyday.

Cool story: We were sitting in Patrocinia’s house, teaching her and a customer came in. Patrocinia is a hairdresser and we teach her in the room in her house where she cuts hair. Well, a customer came in and she started curling her hair (yes, they go to the hairdresser just to get their hair curled- I think it’s because curling irons are super expensive here). We were still sitting there when the customer was done and she came and sat by us and we started chatting. Her name is Blanca, she is 24, a nurse and lives with her aunt and uncle. Well, we were chatting with her and telling her what we do and whatnot and she said, “So when are you going to come to my house and teach me?” Haha, that´s exactly what we like to hear! So we have gone to her house twice now. Sunday she came to Church. It was fast Sunday and she cried throughout the entire Sacrament meeting, because she felt the Spirit and cried at the baptism we stayed for after the meeting (a baptism of the Elder´s). She is looking for God in her life and for the inner peace that comes from having the Spirit with you. Things are looking good for her to get baptized!

It’s like the investigators are finding us this change (transfer). We are having a lot of success! I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for everything...to be a missionary, to have investigators to help towards baptism, for the gift of tongues, for all of you who support me and most of all, for my Savior, who makes it possible for each of us to return to our Heavenly Father with our families after this life, and also to have peace now in this life. Today I went to the Zoo and Botanical Gardens and it was great...so peaceful and calm to be in nature. I was thinking of true happiness and how our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. This happiness comes only through the Gospel...obedience to the commandments and following God’s plan for our lives.

I hope this letter finds you all well. Remember that Heavenly Father is always there to listen to our prayers and that we are never alone. He is always there for us. Sometimes he puts trials in our lives to help us grow and become more like Him but He will always be there to support us through them. I LOVE YOU.

TE AMO,

Hermana Brittner

Week 24- She Got Dunked!

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

August 1, 2011

Hola hola hola!

So I had my first baptism!! It was awesome! First, let me explain what happened. Thalia is a 14 year-old girl who has been investigating the church for months now. She is a spunky little thing and lots of fun. Her brother joined the church two years ago and is the only member of his family. Well, Thalia received her answer that the church is true as we watched a movie about the Restoration of the Gospel. Her parents were less than thrilled and getting permission was an issue. But they agreed, we set the date, she got interviewed by the District Leader and on the day of the baptism we went over to have the permission sheet signed. Her brother went in to have their dad sign it and came out white as a ghost. “He said he won’t sign it!” The baptism was in 1 hour!! I was shaking in my hightops, as my little sister Rae would say. Thalia was upset so we told her that she needed to go in there and tell her parents that she really wanted to get baptized and why. She went inside and left us three missionaries praying with all our hearts that she would get permission. In that moment, I thought of all the prayers that are said in temples around the world for missionaries- that missionary work can continue, about all of you, my family and friends, back at home praying for me and for my investigators and how powerful those prayers are. After a few minutes, she came out and she had permission! It was a miracle! It took a lot of courage for her to face her parents and tell them. They knew that it would be a lifestyle change and a huge commitment and I think they were worried that she wouldn’t live up to it- but in the end they gave her permission. They didn’t come to the baptism however- I think that is pretty common here- but it was wonderful nonetheless. Her brother baptized and confirmed her- he is preparing for a mission and it was a cool experience for all who attended. Earlier in the day we had a service project and a lunch- the youth here are awesome. There are about 25 and they all came to the baptism. We have a baptismal date with Mariela, Thalia´s cousin now...it is in a few weeks.

We have two other investigators, Carolina, whose main concern is that she doesn’t want to give up praying to the Virgin Mary because she has a lot of love for her, and Patrocinia, who doesn’t believe that Christ can change her life. Estamos en la lucha por ellas, or, we are in the fight for them.

I had a wonderful experience in Sacrament Meeting seeing Thalia get confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Following her confirmation, Mercedes, an adorable 10 year-old girl, gave a talk. She spoke clearly and well, but her talk lasted only 30 seconds. I was thinking, wow, that was short, even though that’s how long it would be in primary. She came back down and sat with her parents who were sitting in front of us. Her parents were beaming with pride and smothered her with hugs and kisses upon returning. Her parents couldn’t have been more pleased and thrilled with her performance and it was, in fact, a great job for a 10 year-old. It got me thinking about our Heavenly Father. Sometimes we feel inadequate, like we aren’t good enough, we don’t measure up. But our Heavenly Father knows us. He knows our talents, our weaknesses, our abilities and he gives us challenges and expects us to do our best to overcome them. As we do our best, we can be sure that he is looking down on us as these parents looked at Mercedes...with pure love and joy, so proud of us. Our Father in Heaven loves us perfectly because He is perfect. And so whatever our abilities, let us use them- even if they are that of a 10 year-old and then we can be rest assured that He is pleased with us.

Being in a trio with a Latina has helped my Spanish immensely but at the same time, it has showed my deficiencies in the language as well. It is something that the adversary would have me focus on- what I don’t know, instead of all that I do know. It makes me think...why don’t they just send Latinas here, who already speak? But I can’t doubt that Heavenly Father has a perfect knowledge of what He is doing and that I am here for a reason. I will trust in that reason, even if, up to this point, I only speak as well as a 10 year old :)

Back to saving souls...

Until next week,

Hermana Brittner

PS. One of the funniest moments at the baptism was this: There are two huge doors in front of the font. The brethren opened one side with a key but the other one, you had to reach up to the top and unlatch it. It was pretty high! None of the brethren could reach it. So they asked me, being about 6 inches taller than everyone to do it and I opened it with ease. Everyone laughed, including me. I knew there was a reason they sent me to Paraguay ;)