“It´s a great day to be alive, I know the sun is still shining when I close my eyes.” - Lyrics from a country song of which I can’t remember the title.
Nov. 7, 2011
¡HOLA, FAMILIA!
Well, Christmas is fast approaching here in Paraguay even though the temperature says different to me. That means that in the grocery stores, lined up right next to the watermelons, are the artificial Christmas trees. Weird. Three Kings Day in January is when they exchange gifts. I am sure I will learn more about the traditions as the days pass.
Well, I am still in Loma!! Whoo! However, Hermana Young is not and I was very sad to see her go. The good thing is that we will both be at BYU together after our missions! When she got the call, she said, “I am leaving the best ward in Paraguay!” Which is true. My new companion is Hermana Tua’one. She grew up in West Valley, Utah but her parents are from Tonga and Samoa. No one here can correctly guess what country she is from. They guess everywhere but the US. She graduated from UC Redlands with a degree in Political Science. I think we will do well together. She is technically a Senior Companion but since I know the area and all the people, I am taking charge with planning and everything. It’s a lot of responsibility but I am getting the hang of it.
When we got on the bus today Hermana Tua’one laughed. I asked her what was up. She told me that it had been a while since she had gotten on a collective/bus and had everyone stare. That’s because it has been a while since she has had a tall, white, blonde companion that everyone stares at. She has dark skin and dark hair, so she blends in. Me, on the other hand, not so much…Good thing it doesn’t bother me anymore!
Two of our investigators came to church yesterday! They are the little siblings of Gissell who was baptized 2 weeks ago. We have been teaching them and they are planning to be baptized. We just need final approval from their Mom. They are so smart and receptive to the Gospel, they are great. The 9 year old even bore her testimony in Sacrament meeting yesterday. Yep, that’s our investigator!
We are on the hunt for new investigators…(this is the point while typing the email when I turn to Hermana Young and say, ‘what else happened this week?’ But she is not here.) When we went to the office for changes/transfers, I saw 6 of the 7 mission companions I have had! It was great. I’ll send pictures later. I’m at the point now where all of the weird things about Paraguay have now become normal. So I’m sorry if my emails are not as interesting as they used to be. Let me know what you would like to know!
If there is anything I’ve learned on my mission, it is that we are in the Lord’s hands. We do our best and put our trust in Him. We are obedient and He leads us to where He wants us to be, where we will be the happiest, grow and learn the most. When we are keeping the commandments, we can go forward with faith and trust that the Lord is guiding our lives and we need not fear. When we are baptized, we are promised the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. All we have to do is be worthy of it.
I am still happy doing the Lord’s work. Thanks for the letters and love.
Until next week,
Hermana Brittner
PS. The next transfers/changes are 3 days before Christmas...so hopefully I can stay another month so I don’t spend Christmas in a new area!
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