“Let us cheerfully do all things that lie within our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God.” Doctrine and Covenants 123:17
Sep. 5, 2011
¡HOLA!
¿M´bae chapa? Che porá! That’s Guarani for “How are you? I’m pretty.” That is the response that Hermana Young has been saying to all the Paraguayans who ask how she is in Guarani. Haha. It is the difference of one syllable with “I’m good”, so it’s an easy mistake. It’s almost as funny as the fact that in prayers, I have been praying that the Spirit would please “die”(morir) during our lesson instead of “dwell”(morar). The things we learn learning new languages. Well, I know that you would love to hear about the exciting things I eat in Paraguay but to be honest, I eat noodles everyday. At one of our lunch appointments, however, I was eating some pudding and I took a big spoonful and just before I put it in my mouth, I realized that there was a beetle right in the middle of it. Yep, didn’t finish that dish.
Well, this week has been pretty eventful, starting with conference with Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the Seventy. We had a special meeting with Hermana Arnold and Hermana Madariaga (misión pres´s wife) and it was really cool. Thirteen of the 17 hermanas were there and it was like a mini-testimony meeting. Each hermana talked about why they chose to go on a misión, the obstacles it took to get here and shared a favorite scripture. I shared the one in Joshua 24:15 that says, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” I also talked about how working at EFY helped me choose to go on a mission and how I expect that my little sister’s will have the same opportunity to go as well. Elder Arnold’s testimony was really powerful. He didn’t “drop the cane” like we expected, but he was still a pretty serious guy, but with a strong testimony. He encouraged us to get member referrals because those are the people who get baptized.
Aurora Vera was ‘rebaptized-’ haha she was golden! She is the one whose records got lost from 30 years ago. We sang “Come unto Me” /Venid a Mi. It was a nice event and she said that she “felt something wonderful in my chest…a happiness” (the Spirit).
Viviana, one of my converts, moved back to the Chaco to be with her parents. She is the one who speaks only Guarani. It’s really too bad because no in her family are members. Hopefully she can find a chapel to go to and will receive the support of her parents.
Blanca is doing well. She is very up and down about getting baptized. One minute she is stoked and the next she is not sure. She didn’t come to church yesterday, which is never good. But we had a wonderful lesson with her about the Plan of Salvation. Hermana Young said, “we can all be neighbors together in the Celestial Kingdom” and she was pretty excited about that! She has also told all of her friends that she goes to “the Church of Jesus Christ,” not the Mormon Church, because she thinks the first title is more appropriate, which is the truth. Her date right now is for the 17th of September. Let’s hope she keeps it!
Okay, so this Sunday I had the great opportunity to go to Primary. It was CHULINA, as they would say here. There were 25 kids, and only 3 adults, kinda crazy. I led the music to “Called to Serve” and “Army of Helaman.” I also told all of the kids how to say the name of the Church in English. They all looked at me with huge eyes, like “huh?” It was chulina. Then they wrote letters to the missionaries in the field. I haven’t seen a primary program yet, Mom, but I’ll let you know how it is when I do. After church we had lunch with family Adorno, and they have a cute little 4-year-old boy named Giovanni. First he asked me if I had turned 8. Then he asked me if I had a boyfriend. Then he asked for my number and proceeded to show me his two arm muscles. Chulina! It reminded me of the Bowen boys! J
Another Hermana in the Ward, Hermana Nueves died of cancer. She and two of her daughters were inactive members. We visited with her once before she went into the hospital and she had a strong testimony. After she passed away, we went back and taught the Plan of Salvation to her two non-member daughters. What a blessing it is to know that we will be reunited with our loved ones as we live righteously and keep our covenants! What a blessing is this Restored Gospel!
When thinking about the hard time this family is going through, I have been thinking a lot about Satan’s lies. There are two that are pretty apparent.
1. Satan’s Lie: Why did this happen to me? I guess this means that God doesn’t love me/doesn’t exist, because if He did, He wouldn’t let me go through this hard time.
FACT: God loves us and He gives us challenges to help us grow. Our hardest moments are often our most humble, when we turn to God and the Savior to help us, when we learn the lessons our Heavenly Father has prepared for us. He wants us to progress and grow, but often we can only do that through overcoming hard times.
2. Satan’s Lie: If I focus on myself, then I will be happy. I have to focus on my own needs and wants in order to get the most out of life.
FACT: Forget yourself and go to work. Serving others and forgetting your own needs is the only way to find true happiness and become as the Savior. The more you focus on the needs of others, the smaller your own problems will seem and the happier you will be.
Well family, as I am writing this, you are probably at Stinson Beach. I hope you are enjoying the waves and that it isn’t foggy like it is here in Asunción today. The weather here is bipolar. One day it’s super hot and the next, it’s cold and rainy.
Congrats to Aaron Whitman for getting baptized! I know that this important step will change your life for the better.
Thanks for the love and support, everyone!! I’m happy and healthy.
Until next week, Hermana Brittner
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