Jamie's Final Letter- "My Missionary Experience"

Can words accurately describe what it’s like to be a missionary...the anticipation of the long-awaited call signed by a prophet, the surprise when you open it, the realization that you will actually be gone for a year and a half? It’s the shopping for sister missionary shoes that are the ugliest things you’ve ever seen. It’s the MTC, the food, your district, your teachers, trying to learn the language. All of it is new, exciting, overwhelming, filled with the Spirit. Then you are off to the airport for the biggest adventure of your life. You have no idea what is before you or what to expect. You land in a foreign land and you have no idea what anyone is saying. You pray and you beg for the gift of tongues. You think it would all be easier if you could only express what you wanted to say and be able to understand what in the world these people are saying. Days are filled with sicknesses, surprises, rejections, spiritual lessons, miracles, and a lot of walking, getting used to the culture, how people talk, the customs, what is important to the people. Your testimony grows as you see that the Gospel is the answer to all of life’s problems. It’s the way to be truly happy. You leave your trainer, learn to work with new companions and learn to work with and love the members. Packages from home arrive with much-needed supplies and encouragement. Zone conferences are attended and interviews help with the mission president, which help you to improve your way of teaching. It’s realizing that those ugly sister missionary shoes are your most valuable possession, since they are comfy and trusted. The Spanish comes and the Guarani you understand only by using context clues. You see the miracles, the baptisms, the baptisms that didn’t happen because people chose something else over God. You see a family enter the waters of baptism and you know that they will never be the same. They have made a change for eternity. You pray that they will accept Jesus Christ; you pray that they will see the importance of it all. You begin to train, even though you feel like you were just trained. You feel like your imperfections are magnified but you can only hope that what you are doing will be enough.

Before you know it, it is ending and you look back at what happened, what you learned, what you accomplished. As you have served others, you have grown and received many blessings for yourself. You have met amazing people who are amazing examples of how to live the Gospel. You have made friendships that will never fade. As you stand to give your closing testimony and say goodbye to the people you have served and loved, you can’t help but give thanks to a loving Heavenly Father who gave you such a wonderful opportunity and was with you the whole time. You express your love for the Savior and how He made everything possible in this life through His atoning sacrifice. Your voice is shaking and the tears begin to roll down your cheeks because you realize that while you were in the "service of your fellow beings, you were only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). You realize that you will never be the same because of what these people taught you and you realize that you have and always will love them with all your heart.

Every mission ends but the lessons will never fade. You will think of your mission everyday for the rest of your life.

Hermana Brittner

***Jamie will be arriving home tomorrow. We are holding an Open House at our home on Saturday, August 18 from 5pm-7pm. On Sunday, August 19 she will be speaking at 9am & 1pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Jeffery Way in Brentwood, CA. Everyone is invited! For those of you who live in Utah, Jamie will be returning to BYU on August 23 and would love to catch up with you then.

Bobbie Brittner

Week 78- Making a mark on Paraguay!

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”

2 Timothy 4:7

 

13 de agosto, 2012

Where has the time gone? I feel like I just said goodbye to my family and walked through the doors of the MTC, into the biggest adventure of my life. My time is coming to an end in Paraguay and I don’t know how that happened so quickly.

One of the elders said, “Why don’t you ask President to extend your mission three weeks or so, to make up for the time you were sick with dengue?” The other elders have been reminding me that if I were an elder, I would have 6 months left. Yes, I’ll admit, at this point, I’m a little jealous.

On a funnier note, my companion has officially inherited a whole new wardrobe from me. She got my skirts and shirts that have been mended and re-mended that you would really only be excited to receive if you were still serving a mission in Paraguay. Lol. Also, can I just add how much I love being tall! So many men that come up to us, grab Hermana Greer’s arm or hand and try to kiss her. They even propose to her. I guess they think I am out of their league :) or better said, out of their height range. The funniest time was when one snake (annoying man) slightly drunk, talked to us and expressed his love to Hermana Greer and then as we walked past him down the street, he said, ´mi amorcita´ my little love. Lol. I just laughed and laughed because it wasn’t me for once!

Well, we had a baptism this weekend!! Yes, a totally unplanned, unexpected baptism that was the perfect going-away gift! Such a miracle! We showed up at Lujan’s house to go on visits with her mom and she came out and sat with us. Lujan is a long time investigator who is 13 years old. We worked with her when we first got to Piribebuy but had to drop her because she kept putting off the whole baptism thing. She almost got baptized two years ago but it didn’t happen for one doubt or another. She has been coming faithfully with her mom but had some kind of fear of going in the water. We have been visiting her periodically over the last few months, seeing if she had changed her mind but we didn’t see any changes. Anyhow, we showed up at her house on Wednesday and told her that I was leaving (did I ever mention that I kept the date of my departure a secret until 2 weeks ago?). So we jokingly asked her if she would like to get baptized before I left so I could be there. Surprisingly, she agreed!! Wow, what a great going away present! She was successfully baptized (on the first attempt) by the branch President, Pres. Benitez. She exclaimed when she stepped in the water, “it’s too cold!” Her mom had tears rolling down her cheeks as she bore her testimony and spoke of how the Lord answered her prayers- her daughter finally agreed to be baptized! Lujan is a cute, spunky girl and it was a pleasure working with her and teaching her (and trying to keep her attention, haha).

On Sunday, we had the baptism after church. Sunday was the 12th of August- the anniversary of a big battle which was fought in this town. They always have a huge parade and it’s a really big deal. They have been banging the drums all week practicing, which has resulted with us doing our morning studies to the boom-boom beat of the drum. I love how patriotic Paraguayans are! Church was pushed back to 4pm with only a Sacrament Meeting. I gave my final talk on the importance of visiting members, especially new converts. Unfortunately, very few people came to church. We did have a great turn-out with investigators, however! 5 were in church!!! Lujan, who got baptized and 4 other investigators who we stopped working with because they weren’t progressing. We have been telling everyone it’s my last week and so they came to see me off. Santiago came and I think he will get baptized in the next month. Luis and Liz Mabel, the cute family we were working with, came with her little brother and stayed for the baptism. I was SO happy to see them all there.

We have been seeing so many miracles in the past couple of weeks and finding tons of families and potential Priesthood holders.   I don’t even have time to write it all. I also forgot to mention that when I went back to Loma I found out that two of my old investigators got baptized! One of them was Justo’s older brother, who had run away and we were so worried about him. I feel so happy and blessed to know that people we have to drop sometimes eventually get baptized.

It seems that everyone here in Piribebuy cries when I  tell them I am leaving, which includes me. I will miss the people here SO much. I love them with all my heart and I will never be the same. As Hermana Greer said, “You have made your mark on Paraguay and Paraguay has made its mark on you.”

As my companion has pointed out, I will probably spend the next 6 months, if not my entire life, saying, “One time on my mission...” Hope you’re ready and excited to here about it! Family and Friends thank you for your constant support and love in my life. I feel so blessed to know each one of you and to have been able to share my mission experiences with you. I hope they have helped you in your life and strengthened your testimonies.

I want you to know that I love this work. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the only true church on the earth today and I feel privileged to be a missionary in this church. I love Jesus Christ and I know that He lives. He died for us and asks that we follow Him to find true happiness in this life. Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet of God. I have spent the last year and a half testifying of him and defending his name. I know that he is guided by Jesus Christ to tell us the will of God. I love the people of Paraguay and because of them, I will never be the same.

May God bless each one of you and strengthen you during the hard times and the good times in your lives.

With Sincere Love,
Hermana Brittner

Week 77- Saying Goodbye to Loma Pyta Friends!

Wow, what a week. I was able to go to Loma Pyta to say goodbye to my friends there and although I didn’t get to see half the people I wanted to, I am very thankful for that opportunity. I got to see 5 of my converts and it was so great! Josecito and the Suarez family came to the chapel to have one last lesson with me. The Spirit was so strong! I couldn’t help but smile as I shared my testimony with the people that I love so much. I feel honored to have been in the presence of so many strong members and to have been able to learn from their examples.

Hno. Suarez shared something with me that I would like to share with you. He compared ending a mission to completing our time on earth. We existed before we were born and we will exist after we die. Before we were born, the spirits in the Spirit World bid us farewell and expressed votes of confidence. They were sad to see us go but knew it was for the best. We were welcomed into the world as babies to loving families and all were excited to see us. When one departs from this world those who are left behind mourn their death while those in the Spirit World rejoice and have a grand reunion. Such it is with a mission. Those at home anxiously anticipate the missionary’s arrival while those in the mission field (or Paraguay) lament such a loss of the missionary.

I think that is the only way to describe it. And honestly, being a missionary is like being on the other side of the veil, because all you can see is the Gospel and all the temporal is removed from your eyes. You see things as they really are and you see how much time, effort and worry is wasted on the things that don’t really matter.

This week Juan Leon came to church again. I think he will get baptized. The only problem is he has very limited understanding and we will have to teach very simply. We are still working with Marium and Jorge. They didn’t come to church however.

This week is cultural week which I am really excited about. August 12 is a huge holiday because it was when a battle was fought here in Piribebuy. I don’t know the details, only that women and children fought. Anyhow, they are having a huge parade on Sunday, which is the day August 12 falls on. All the high school kids are required to participate to pass their classes so we are having Sacrament Meeting at 4pm. My last Sunday in Paraguay.

Well, love you all!!

Hermana Brittner



Going Home

 

By: Elder Phil McAnelly (1986)

Today I watched an elder leave, it almost made me cry.
He shook our hands and walked away, then he turned and waved goodbye.
I didn't know him very well, because I'm new you see
but in twenty months or a little more, that elder will be me.

His eyes were stern, his mouth was set, but the tears began to fall
As he started on that long, long walk; the longest walk of all.
Though only a hundred feet or so, five times he turned and waved.
Looking over a place he loved and at the friends he'd made.

From a simple bamboo airport shack across the blacktop strip
He began his homeward journey; the long awaited trip.
Now is the time for looking back, reflecting on his soul.
Did he give the Lord his best? Did he strive to meet the goal?

What others thought, or did, or said, has no meaning now,
for he must answer to the Lord for what he did and how.
Because the longest walk of all, the one he made today
Is the one you make within yourself as you grow and learn each day.

In twenty months or a little more, that elder will be me.
I hope by then I've done my best, for now and eternity.

Week 76- Family Baptism, Friendship Day, Snakes speaking German!

“...Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” Moroni 7:47

30 de julio, 2012

What an awesome week! I had my first baptism of a family!! It was so awesome- a very spiritual experience. Ruben and Leila finally got baptized! It was wonderful. There was a big turn out! My companion and I sang the primary song “When Jesus Comes Again” and it turned out well. There is something very special about seeing an entire family enter the waters of baptism. They have a common goal now to follow Christ and support and help one another. There is power in that, which isn’t present when only part of the family is baptized. The most memorable part of the baptism, besides the Spirit, was that Leila had to be baptized three times! The branch president’s brother Ruben, is a pretty strong guy (in construction) and when he first lowered Ruben, he threw him under so fast that water splashed all up his front! Afterwards, he gave him a huge hug. It was sweet. Then Leila went in and he lowered her so fast that her feet flew up out of the water. That happened twice and by the third time, she stood shivering in the unheated water (it is winter here) and decided to crouch down in the water and finally made it all the way under.

It was so fun teaching them and watching their testimonies grow. On Sunday, we taught them about temples, family history work and eternal marriage. Now that they have been baptized, it’s time for them to help others do the same thing!

During the baptism I thought about how much love I have for the Paraguayan people. I thought about how it’s not enough to only go to the Celestial kingdom yourself nor is it enough to only bring your family. We have to bring others with us- we have to help other families and individuals find the truth and gain a testimony and live the Gospel so that they can experience the same joy that we do in the Gospel. “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10)

Sunday was Branch Conference and we didn’t have a very good turn out due to the stormy weather. We woke up Sunday morning to thunder and lightning outside and we had no power and no water. Finally, the power came back on so we could get ready for church.

Happy Friendship day! Yes, it’s Friendship Day and they take this holiday very seriously here. People get one another little gifts and cards. It is also the one year anniversary of my first baptism, Thalia, in Paraguay. Not to mention, it’s Hermana Greer’s birthday! We are planning on having a sweet FHE tonight and sing Happy Birthday to her there. I love birthdays!

Just because it’s funny... This guy who has repeatedly tried to get our attention by yelling German phrases at us finally succeeded today. We told him we only speak English and he frantically tried to think of an English phrase. It was hilarious! The snakes just never cease to be snakey.

Well, I don’t have much else to say, except that I am excited because tomorrow I am going on splits to Loma and will be able to say goodbye to all of my old friends! I am really excited and happy that I get one last chance to see them and teach them.

Love,
Hermana Brittner

PS. Tell Sister Bush thank you for the sweet letter when you email her. It’s so exciting to have sister missionaries serving in the Hillcrest 1 ^st ward! I am looking forward to meeting them when I get home.

Week 75- Arise and Shine Forth

“...Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations;” – Doctrine & Covenants 115:5

 

July 23, 2012 

 

Two falsehoods about missionaries:

 

1. Missionaries are perfect and know everything. 

2. Missionaries don’t have any problems. 

 

Growing up as a youth, I used to think these two things were true. Missionaries seemed to live in a blissfully happy world, free from toil and strife and worries. I am very happy, it’s true. How can you not be happy when you are talking about the Gospel all day? But you also deal with hardships, setbacks, disappointments, heartbreaks (not only the Dear John kind, but the “my-investigator-chose-not-to-get-baptized-after-all” type), which are a lot more painful, and illnesses as well. I can honestly say that during my mission I have grown more than I have at any other time of my life. My time here has been filled with  hard times but also good times- the miracles, the baptisms, the spiritual lessons and sacrament meetings, the tender mercies of the Lord, the strengthening of my testimony, the miracle of seeing the conversion of people and so much more. I have met people from all over the world who I will be friends with forever and I have learned to love a people and a culture that is not my own. 

I remember in the MTC that one of the speakers described the country which you serve your mission in as “a holy land.”  He said that if you ever go back, when you step off the plane go ahead and kiss the ground because that is sacred ground to you. I now understand what he meant. Paraguay is holy land to me.

Wow, what an amazing week we had! We saw so many miracles!! We once again had an amazing turn-out (it took my companion and I awhile to think of that word in English) at church. Five investigators and one potential investigator! Not to mention...Ruben and Lela are getting baptized this weekend!!! We are so excited! It has been a long journey for them. We have been working with them since we arrived in Piribebuy. We dropped them because they wouldn’t accept a baptismal date but then I felt that we should go back for them. We did so and now they are getting baptized. I felt like we would see them get baptized and we will! I’m not sure what changed, only that they have let the Spirit work within them and they are changing. They started to live the Word of Wisdom and after that, they were committed. Ruben told us that he is ready to get baptized on Saturday and it will be my first baptism of a couple- a family! I am so excited because that means in a year they can be sealed together forever in the Paraguay temple. We are going to see them everyday this week because Satan works overtime the week before a baptism. Ruben said that various people have told them that the Church is false and to not get baptized. We told them to keep praying and asking God for the confirmation to know that the Church is true and they said they would. Another challenge which arose for them happened at a Family Home Evening which we held with another part-member family. We taught about the Book of Mormon. The head of the household, who is not a member, basically attacked the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and advised Ruben to think very carefully about getting baptized. I was angry that he would say that to my investigator! I guess if it’s not coming from him, it would be coming from somewhere else! Thankfully, Ruben didn’t let it get to him. There is so much opposition in everything we do. Those who stay strong in the church are those who continue to do the little things that keep testimonies strong- read the scriptures, pray, go to church. The truth is that the simple things that seem to be of no grand importance are really of utmost importance!  

 

Strangely, my testimony was strengthened at hearing this attack against the Book of Mormon. I know that it is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith translated it through the help of God. It contains the fullness of the Gospel and without it, we would be lost, like so many others. 

 

I also wanted to tell you about Marium and Jorge. Marium came to church carrying her baby, with her three other boys- 9, 7, 3 trailing behind her. She had to walk across town to get there. They are so awesome! Unfortunately her husband has yet to come but we have met him and he is a nice guy. Get this- they were about to move out of Piribebuy because they had to move out of their apartment and they didn’t know what to do. As it turned out, one of the hermanas in the ward had a house to rent and if all goes well, they will move in there and it will be great!! They will live very close to us and be in a much better position to receive support and visits from the ward. I have come to realize that the Lord works in mysterious ways. People don’t come into the church having perfect lives. They come into the church searching for something better- a better life and hope. We have what they are looking for- it’s the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

 

Also, Juan Leòn came back to church this week. He comes and sleeps through all the classes, but I guess he must like it because he keeps coming back. We are going to see how serious he is about baptism. 

 

Is July seriously almost over? I really can’t believe it. I want to thank Sister Brown for the nice Christmas card she sent me and the photo. I received it last week. Christmas in July, right? Lol. It was sent in December but at least I got it! I love the picture of your family at Kelli’s wedding. It is really beautiful and is displayed on my desk. 

 

Notice:  Please don’t mail me anymore letters because I will be home before they arrive here! You can just hand them to me in person :) 

 

Love you all! 

Hermana Brittner

Week 74- Wow, Wow, Wow!

“Shall we not go on, in so great a cause?” -Joseph Smith

July 16, 2012

Wow, wow, wow!!! This week was full of miracles! It was definitely the best week of transfers/changes and I only hope I have time to write about all of it before time runs out.

Well we had 7 investigators at church and 2 other potential investigators! It was so cool! They just kept coming and coming. Our ward mission leader said the investigators were about to outnumber the members. Not quite true, but almost. Not quite a good thing either.

Let me tell you a little about this week and the investigators:

---Ruben and Lela. Well you already know all about them. We have been working with them for months now. They are a cute young couple. We taught Ruben and Lela the word of wisdom with Ruben’s brother, President Valazquez, and they accepted the two week challenge to live the Word of Wisdom and they have been living it ever since. They have stopped drinking coffee and alcohol and their baptism is set for next Saturday. The only catch (there always is one) is that Ruben has an alliance to a Saint who he thinks healed him and doesn’t want to be unfaithful to him. He is also worried about sinning by getting baptized twice. We are working on those doubts.
---Marium and Jorge. We found Marium while visiting a less-active family. She had just moved here from Caacupe and she had been to church once there. She really wanted a Book of Mormon which we willingly gave her and she has been teaching her son to read from the church pamphlets we gave her. She is really cool- a young mom with 4 boys. Yesterday, we walked with her and her kids to church. Unfortunately, her husband didn’t come. But get this- my companion a while back was contacting someone on the bus, when this man named Jorge came up to her and asked her for a pamphlet to read. He got off before she had a chance to get a good address from him and wanted to go look for him. A few weeks later, he came up to her again when she was on the bus and told her we had already shared with his wife. Turns out it was Marium. So we met both of them at separate times and they both showed a lot of interest. They aren’t married and Jorge is really hard to get a hold of because he works two jobs but we have plans to see him this week. They also have a son Eduardo who is of baptism age!

---Luis and Liz Mabel- We are dropping them because they are not doing what they need to in order to progress. It is really sad because we love them so much and we can see how the Gospel would change their life. They also don’t have permission from her mom to get married and they aren’t willing to fight for it. Maybe in the future...

Hopefully that didn’t bore you. But here is the coolest story ever! We are working in a new area, a little farther out and we were contacting, as we always are. I saw this older man, wearing a huge cloak, flip flops and an old baseball cap that says, “Fight dengue!” He was pretty scruffy looking and unkempt. I figured, ‘why not’ and went up to talk to him. We told him a little about our message and invited him to come to church. He didn’t seem to understand anything we were saying and we figured it was because he speaks mostly Guarani. The mission leader who was with us explained how to get to church in Guarani and we didn’t think twice about it.

Well, Sunday comes around and we get out of the first hour and one of the members says that a grandpa is here and he was looking for us. We couldn’t figure out who it could be and then we saw him and realized it was the guy we had contacted. It was easy to recognize him because he was wearing the same clothes as when we contacted him. His name is Juan Leon Marin. How cool is that? He just decided to come to church. He had his nephew drive him to the church and drop him off. It just goes to show that you never know who could be interested in learning about the Gospel. You can’t judge based on appearance or anything. Everyone deserves the opportunity to learn more and choose for themselves. So open your mouth and share the Gospel! You never know who is ready and prepared to hear it!

Something else that happened yesterday which was really cool, one of the members who is related to Ruben and Lela, had them over for Family Home Evening. The member’s husband is also a non-member and she talked about how we all need to let Christ into our hearts and follow him. It was cool and an awesome lesson because it was given out of pure love for her family and her desire to see them follow Christ. Hopefully we will see some good progress because of it. I have realized that following Christ is so much more than saying that you have faith in Him. It is changing your life and repenting and agreeing to live the commandments of God that will help you become more like Him. Words are cheap but when our actions show that we are followers of Christ- that’s when we become like Him.

Some funny Paraguayan ways-
---The advantage to being so tall here is that when the strange men try to kiss your cheeks, as is the custom here, they can’t reach your face. Unfortunately, my companion doesn’t have that same advantage :)
---The average reading age is 8 or 9 years old. If you ask someone younger if they can read, their parents will look at you like you are crazy and say, “Are you crazy? She’s only 5!”  Lol.
---Walking down the street the other day, one of the Paraguay young women, Johana who was going out with us, starting laughing.  “Do you know what that little kid just said in Guarani?” Well, of course I didn’t. “He said, ‘what a big woman!’ looking straight at me. Bahaha.

Tonight is transfers/changes and I really hope there aren’t any. My companion is finishing her training program with me tomorrow and we will see if we stay together!

Well, off to buy some souvenirs!!

Love,
Hermana Brittner

PS Happy 10th Birthday Jenna Brittner!

Week 73- Leave it all on the field!

“Forever is composed of nows.” Emily Dickinson

July 9, 2012

I am not sure how many of you have had the chance to read the Hometeaching message for this month in the Ensign by President Utchdorf but it really impressed me. It had to do with always being in the middle point. He counseled that whether it is the day that you arrived in the mission field, or the day before you go home, you should always act as though you are in the middle point. That means giving it all you have and not thinking too much about the future or the past, but living in the moment. It was a good wake-up call for me to focus, as it sometimes seems more exciting to think about what is coming up than dealing with the frustrations and difficulties of today. Although it may seem strange, the only way to be truly happy is to live in the moment and focus on what is happening- the good and the bad. How can you make choices for tomorrow when tomorrow never comes? You can only make choices for today.

President Utchdorf also spoke about how we are in the middle point of our eternal existence. We existed before we were born and we will live after we die. This is just part of our journey of existence. I really liked that- the eternal perspective changes everything- it changes the way we view ourselves, others, and the choices we make. I know that we will live again. I know that I will see my Grandpas again. I know that Christ died so that we could have the gift of eternal life- living eternally in His presence and in the presence of God and our families, if we do everything we can to be worthy of that gift while here on earth.

I recall advice that my soccer coach gave us when we were winning by a ton or losing by a ton. “Leave it all on the field. Don’t bring anything home with you. Leave everything you have on the field and go home exhausted, satisfied and happy. Then it will not matter if you won or lost because you will know that you had played your hardest.”  It’s some of the best advice I have ever received. Play hard, no regrets. It ain’t over ´til it’s over.

Unfortunately our mortal bodies are frail and this week Hermana Greer and I both got sick. First, I got sick with some kind of cold- flu thing and then Hermana Greer but she was hit a little bit harder. We have finished a whole bottle of Dayquil, made a dent in the Nyquil, used lots of tissues and taken lots of naps. I am almost 100% better but not quite.

Sunday Hermana Greer felt the worst so I was in charge of teaching the Gospel Principles class. We headed home afterwards. I really love teaching. It’s so fun! I taught about fasting and I loved seeing the light go on in the student’s eyes. I taught the class in gloves and my long winter coat because, in case I didn’t mention it before, central heating doesn’t exist in Paraguay. Don’t worry though, we are spoiled and have a heater in our bedroom and don’t worry Mom, I haven’t heard of any cases of dengue here in Piri and anyway it’s too cold for the mosquitoes to survive, anyhow.

The miracle of Sunday was that once again, Santiago came! We often can’t find him during the week but he just still keeps coming to church. I think he is ready to get baptized, he just doesn’t know it yet. Also, he wants one of us to baptize him! Haha, a gentle explanation about how we don’t hold the Priesthood will have to be given. Nelli, a less-active Hermana came to church after Pres. Benitez visited her with us. If the members, especially the Bishopric could just understand the power of visits and the power they have as members to help less-actives and investigators come to church! If the Branch President visits someone, they are 10 times more likely to come to church than if we just visit them as missionaries. Also, we taught a recent convert, Maria Liz, about the importance of seeking knowledge through coming to church all three hours, and she came all three hours!! I think it was the first time since she’s been there the whole time since she was baptized! We were really delighted about that!

We also had some cool Family Home Evenings this week that I don’t have time to go into detail about. We have been holding FHE’s at member’s houses and inviting a few families to increase unity and cultivate friendships in the ward. It has been a lot of fun. Also, we taught Ruben and Lela about the word of wisdom with the help of his brother, Pres. Valazquez and I thought it was a really good lesson. Ruben’s response when we invited them to live the word of wisdom was “It’s going to be hard, but we have to do it, right?” They didn’t come to church Sunday but Ruben told me he was following through with his commitment to stop the social drinking he does with his friends. We will see how he did, as yesterday was the huge soccer game between Cerro and Olimpia, basically like the Super bowl here with the rivalry you would find between BYU and University of Utah (let’s be honest, my companion chose a perfect sick day yesterday because I didn’t want to have to work on game day with all the crazies out).

A little Paraguayan culture:
-One of the first thing Paraguayan kids want to know is what “club” you are, or rather, which soccer team you have chosen.
- School is cancelled when it is too cold or it’s raining. There isn’t even a question; you just don’t go, because you know no one will be there, not even the teacher. Now the whole, “It’s raining so we can’t go to church” makes more sense.
- Little kids and probably adults have no idea what a seatbelt is.
- Paraguayans use the inside of an oven to store pots and pans. Baking does not happen here.
- I saw the first clothes dryer ever this week. Chuchi, chuchi, chuchi. Mercedes, our laundry lady, bought it and we were in charge of teaching her how to set it up and use it. It was pretty hilarious. People can’t afford dryers, especially when the sun outside is free.
- In the winter, people go to sleep at like 6 or 7, because their bed is the warmest place in their house.
- The clothing style of winter is sweats or work out suits and tennis shoes. Seriously, it’s what everybody wears all the time. Jeans are not popular here. In the summer, all the girls wear leggings-spandex, and usually there is some misspelled English written on their clothes that no one knows how to pronounce.
- Halls cough drops are considered candy. I’m just happy because it means I can find them in dispensas when I’m sick!

Love you all!
Hermana Brittner

PS While writing this email, the power went out in the cyber and on the whole street, so we left, bought groceries and came back to finish it!

Week 72- Paraguayan Paparazzi, Service, and Nice Weather!

“I know that my Redeemer lives. What Comfort that sweet sentence gives. He lives, he lives, who once was dead.” Hymn 136

July 2, 2012

You may as well call us celebrities because we have the paparazzi following us everywhere we go. We have started running more frequently and have quite a rigorous schedule. Since we moved houses, we aren’t as close to the stream/nature-y part of the area so instead, we run in the neighborhood. It seems the whole world is watching. Paraguay is a very early morning society. People sleep to the pattern of the sun- they go to sleep early and arise early so at 6:30 when we go out to run, the whole world is up and moving about. We have had some interesting comments from members and investigators about us running in the morning. Let me remind you that the concept of doing physical exercise for your health is an idea about as foreign as seeing two blonde Yankees running around in basketball shorts. No one jogs here for exercise. The only time a Paraguayan runs is if they have a soccer ball at their feet or they are about to miss the colectivo. One of our investigators, Liz Mabel, said she saw us running. Well, she saw my companion running. I was walking. It was at the end of our circuit. I was tired. I am old on the mission but I know, no excuse. She asked me why I was walking when my companion was running. Nothing like having the whole neighborhood watching you to motivate you to keep going. Another lady, who was very large said, “Why are you running? You are already so skinny!” Another investigator, Justo, commented on seeing us running on the main route. He said, “You don’t remember when you tripped and fell flat on your face?” Ha! And I thought no one had seen! Well, nothing like the Paraguayan paparazzi to motivate you to get in shape!


It seems like we need to find some new ´gente´, as our investigators have been falling through with their commitment to come to church. We don’t seem to have many willing to sacrifice to keep the Sabbath day holy. Ruben and Lela came again to Sacrament meeting. We have started visiting them again. They are such a cute young couple and hopefully the Spirit can teach them how blessed they will be if they give up the things of the world and decide to follow Christ through baptism. Liz Mabel and Luis didn’t come and it seems like they aren’t getting it. It’s pretty frustrating because we care about them so much and we can see how the Gospel would help them and their little family. When you are a missionary, you have the ability to see through spiritual eyes. It’s as though the temporal is gone and all you can see is the Gospel, how it will bless people if they keep the commandments, and how they lack those blessings when they fail to do those things. The Gospel really is the most important thing in this world.


Our area is pretty crazy because it is huge! The actual “centro” part is not that big but there are all these other parts that are very far, called companies. They are like the outskirts of the city. There are members from many of these companies and very few come because of the distance. For example, there is a company called Cordillera that takes about 2 1/2 hours to walk to on foot- 20 minutes in colectivo. If it’s raining, the colectivo doesn’t come and you have to walk or if you don’t have any money, you have to walk. The kids are not able to come without the colectivo. There are a handful of hermanas who come faithfully from these far away areas. They don’t come every week but they come as often as possible. Their sacrifice is inspiring to me. It makes me realize that going to 9:00 AM church, 5 minutes from my house, is a luxury. And yet, I still don’t always make it on time there.


Something that this area and the Spirit have been teaching me is the importance of stepping outside of yourself and helping others. The ward members here don’t see the importance of doing visits, like visiting teaching, etc. But it is so important!! Many times in life we are so caught up in our own problems, in our own lives that we fail to reach out and help others. That is the only way to true happiness- caring about others and making them happy. It is so important to magnify your callings, especially that of home and visiting teaching. I have decided that those could possibly be the two most important callings in the Church!!


This past week was ‘San Juan’ week and they celebrate here by having parties and making mbeju, a traditional Paraguayan food with flour and Paraguayan cheese.


Well, life is great. The weather is fantastic. It has been warm and sunny enough that new freckles have been sprouting on my face again! Last winter must have been abnormal; some kind of freak cold front that came through, because it was FREEZING then, but this winter has been just beautiful! Despite the warm weather, apparently some kind of bug is going around. We haven’t gotten sick yet but keep us in your prayers, as we don’t have time to deal with nonsense like that. Also, if you could pray that we will find the chosen ones- the ones ready to change their lives for Christ, that would be great!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

PS Happy 4th of July!! I am proud to be an AMERICAN!

´Til next week,
Your favorite Paraguayan,
Hermana Brittner

Week 71- "I AM..."

 June 25, 2012

I am the hope of Israel.

I am Zion’s youth in Latter-days.

I have been called by a Prophet of God.

I have been endowed with power from on high.

I have been set apart by the Priesthood authority of God.

I am one of 52,000 full-time missionaries.

I wear a black name tag everyday.

I am a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am a Christian soldier.

I am a defender of truth, helper of the hopeless. I stand in holy places.

I fight for righteousness.

I am a full-time missionary.

I am a Mormon.

We have seen a lot of miracles here in Piribebuy this week. We had a training meeting with President Madariaga and he called us to repentance (in a kind and loving way). Basically, he encouraged us to work towards our daily and weekly number goals and be more diligent in accomplishing them. He gave us a lot of pointers that we are excited to implement into our area. It seems like we just rush from place to place, teaching, contacting, finding, yet we never have enough time.

Santiago came to the ward baptism we had on Saturday and church on Sunday, even though we weren’t able to teach him this past week. Although he has been an “eternigator”, I think he is ready to get baptized. He has a few doubts and fears, especially about being completely submerged in water to get baptized (you may laugh but here in Paraguay, baths do not exist, and only the rich have ever been in a swimming pool. Occasionally people swim in streams or the river, but they never really swim with your face under water and therefore, many have a great fear about putting their whole face in the water). We will see what can be done to build his faith.

The baptism was for 8-year-old Benjamin, whose dad recently became the new Elder’s Quorum president. We are very excited about that, because our branch has been without one since I got here! The baptism was great, with missionaries being the main show. We gave talks, sang a duet, led the music and provided the refreshments. We are working on helping the ward members become self-sufficient in this aspect- so it’s not just “the missionaries” responsibility. We are not a one-stop baptism organizer, despite what the members might think!

Beatriz did not go to church last week and we learned that she had recently started a new job. She has been looking for work for months and finally found something she loved, cooking food. We were really worried about her, because she is a new convert. She told us she would talk to her boss about not working on Sundays. Sunday, we were sitting in Relief Society and in she walks! It was such a happy moment! After class, we found out that she had quit her job so she could keep the Sabbath day holy! Wow, I was so impressed with her! She is a really strong convert, one of the strongest I have met and I continue to be inspired by her.

We had a cool Family Home Evening with the Valazquez family. We used candles to represent the authority of Christ. We lit one that represented Christ when he was on the earth and then he gave it to his Apostles (we lit other candles). When the great apostasy came, we blew out all the candles and we sat in the room in darkness (spiritual darkness) and then when I was reciting the First Vision in Spanish, Hermana Greer lit a candle, as Joseph Smith later restored the Gospel and the authority to the earth again. It was really cool. I love the restored Gospel and I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father that it is on the earth again.

In church, I gave a talk about unity in the branch. I basically dropped cane. That is a missionary term for “called them to repentance”. My companion said it was good, although none of the members complimented me on it. Lol. Well, we are supposed to tell them what they need to hear right?

The weather changes a lot lately. Half of the week it’s super freezing and the other half is pleasant and all you need is a light sweater.

Love you all!

Hermana Brittner

PS. I love EFY (Especially For Youth)!! I am so excited Taylor is going to Santa Barbara! Just today I was telling my companion how awesome the cafeteria is there. Lol!

Week 70- More Miracles in Piribebuy!

June 18, 2012

What I’ve learned since being in Paraguay: If you feel like there’s a bug on you, there is.

We experienced a miracle at church yesterday! The young couple, Liz Mabel and Luis, came to church with their two-month old baby. Luis was planning on working on Sunday but after a powerful lesson about Sabbath Day Observance, he finally committed to coming and was true to his word! We are very excited for him. Hermana Greer made him a promise from God that if he observed the Sabbath Day, his family would always have enough to eat. It was really cool. We are now focusing our lessons with them on receiving and recognizing an answer to know if the Church is true, the importance of marriage and some Word of Wisdom issues. If they truly have the desire, it will happen. It all depends on them.

We also had another investigator, Santiago, come to church. He is what we would call an `eternigador` because he has investigated the church for a long time with the elders and still hasn’t gotten baptized.

We had a sweet Relief Society activity this week that we helped out with. We talked about visiting teaching and the importance of making those visits each month.  Hermana Greer and I did two demonstrations- one of a terrible visit, which was really funny which I really enjoyed, and one of a good visit. The bad visit included not preparing a lesson, asking for food, laying across the chair and talking about nothing of importance.  I really hope it inspired the hermanas here to get more involved! Visits to members are so important for the growth of the ward!

I don’t know if I have mentioned before but there are a lot of older women in our branch, who speak primarily Guarani, so the majority of our lessons in Relief Society on Sunday are taught in Guarani. I can understand, more or less, what is going on because they mix in Spanish words every now and then and I know a few Guarani words. I’ve gotten use to it and it seems normal now.

Thought I would tell you a little bit more about where I live. In 1869, Mariscal Lopez, a famous Paraguayan military guy, named Piribebuy the capital of Paraguay. I’m not sure when they changed it to Asuncion. The town I am in was also a site of a huge battle in the triple alliance war. The Brazilians attacked the Paraguayans and the women and men fought and died here to defend their country.

The water and electricity randomly go out in our house. It happens at least a few times a week in Piribebuy and makes you appreciate running water and light when it eventually comes back on. When you walk out our front door and turn left, you run into a cemetery, which is in the middle of a neighborhood. It’s a constant reminder of those who have passed on. Even more strange, all of the coffins are above ground and some are stacked 3 high.  Actually there is cement placed over the coffin, so it’s a cement outline of the coffins.

 I am not sure who our miracle baptism this weekend is supposed to be, but we will see!! We started working in a new area and I am really excited! We basically killed our old area- we had talked to EVERYONE. We started looking through the area book to find new investigators and I love it- it’s like a treasure hunt! I sort of feel like Sherlock Holmes. haha

God is real. He loves you and He is there for you. Don’t ever forget that. All you have to do is get on your knees and talk to Him.

Love you all!! Happy Father’s Day! Enjoy the heat. Down here the weather is quite nice!!

Hermana Brittner

PS: Dani Edgar is going on a mission!!! WHOO-HOO Always knew she would go!! Congrats! She is going to Taiwan!!

Week 69- A Juicy Story!

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19

12 de junio, 2012

Stomach, liver, other assorted guts. No, I am not talking about the BYU cadaver lab. I am talking about the dispensa (the neighborhood corner store) that is in front of our house. Walking in to buy saldo (cell phone minutes, because they don’t have phone plans here- it’s pay as you go), I get the surprise of seeing a recently slaughtered cow lying on the counter. The lady who works and lives there has her hands covered in blood. She looks up, smiles at us and asks how she can help us. She laughs at the look on our faces- surprise, disgust, interest? Who knows? I mean, this is Paraguay. I should be used to these things by now. She laughs and asks what we would like to eat. I say, “not that” and I look down to see the liver, the stomach (green inside), the other organs, and four huge black hooves still attached to the legs. How do you eat that? I ask. You take off the hooves and boil it of course! How could I be so silly? Of course! No, there is no mat, no gloves, just that old cow sitting on the counter where they set the other products they sell at the dispensa. And this is where they sell the good meat, according to our neighbors. I am pretty sure germs don’t exist here and that’s why it’s okay. The lady behind the counter calls her granddaughter to get us our saldo. I hand her a 20 mil Guaraní. The butcher lady takes it, reaches into her little plastic cup full of change and hands me back an old 10 mil Guaraní, covered in cow’s blood. Well, that’s the meat of the story. (Haha)

What has been happening in Piribebuy? We have been talking up a storm and fighting back discouragement with our second week of no investigators at church. Our district leader has given us an awesome promise- that if we look through the binder of old investigators, we will find a golden investigator who will be baptized this month. I am excited for this. We have been working with 16 year old Liz Mabel who has a 2 month old baby and her boyfriend, Luis.  They have had a rocky life but they are as sweet as can be and want to change. Luis works a lot to pay for the milk and diapers for their son.  Liz Mabel just barely finished elementary school but every time I see her, she has a big smile on her face. They didn’t come to church because they went to her mom’s but we had a really cool Family Home Evening last night with them. We went to the Flia. Valazqyuez house and tied up President with thread on a chair and said that is what sin does to us. We then took scissors and cut him free and that represented the Atonement. We then watched a movie about Christ. I hope that it had an impact on them and made them want to change for the better.

Our recent convert Beatriz is doing great. She received a calling to pass out the Liahona (church magazine) to members. We also had ward council for the second time and it was very effective. We chose 15 names of members to work with. Our branch is struggling with ward unity and the leaders are struggling with visits. We are holding an activity on Thursday to explain and encourage the relief society sisters to do visiting teaching visits. I think it will be successful at helping them realize how important it is.

The reason we couldn’t email yesterday is because the internet was down at the two cybers in our area and we had waited till the last minute to email. To avoid this in the future, I am asking that those who email me will email me on Sunday nights or early Monday morning so that we can send our emails out earlier. That would be great.

Happy Father’s day to all those dads out there! A special hug goes out to my Dad, Jason and all my uncles!

PS They have milk men here in Paraguay still! They drive around on little motorcycle carts with jugs of milk in the back and people wait in their houses with jugs so that the milk man will fill them with milk!!

PS. Congrats to Jimmer on getting married!  Only wish he had chosen to experience mission life first!

Love,

Hermana Brittner

Week 68- What is a Hero?

June 4, 2012

What is a hero? Lately I have been thinking about what true heroes are. True heroes aren’t the people who receive praise from the world, who are rich, who have the biggest house and cars, or who are on the front cover of the most magazines. They aren’t the people who suit up for big sport teams or sing in front of millions of people. True heroes may not even be known outside of their own hometown. To me, true heroes are people who quietly live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the people who sacrifice and work for the cause of truth, who put the needs of others before their own. True heroes do not look for recognition of man, but rather, they are concerned with what God thinks. They are those who endure to the end of their lives, never tiring of doing what is right and helping others. They may experience turbulent trials and difficult circumstances. They may experience ridicule from others because of their beliefs, but they never give up the faith. My parents are true heroes. Members of the Hillcrest 1st ward who always serve tirelessly for the benefit of others are true heroes. My young women and primary leaders, the bishopric... are true heros.  You are a true hero. I am a true hero. And I am grateful for every true hero in my life who continues to be faithful in this great work, who continues to live the standards of the Gospel, who gives me a beacon by which I am guided, a standard by which I live by and an example by which I live. May Heavenly Father bless you and strengthen you as you go forward in this work.

We had a crazy week here! One trip to Asuncion and two trips to Caacupe and we also walked to two areas that are super far. We walked to Itagua which took us over 30 minutes but it was a scenic, pretty hike. The problem is that we decided to go in the middle of a huge rainstorm! Do not ask me why, but it made for quite the story, stomping through the mud and walking in the rain. When we finally arrived at the member’s houses, they thought we were crazy. The good news is that we got a return date for a lunch appointment on Wednesday. Hopefully it won’t be raining then! I love being a missionary because I see parts of Paraguay that only the locals and Mormon Missionaries ever see. It really is a blessed land here- everything is so beautiful and green. This area is very clean and rich. Quite different from the Paraguay I have seen and known in the past year.

We are officially searching for new investigators. We are always doing that but it’s at the point where everyone has either gotten baptized or is not progressing. We didn’t have anyone come to church on Sunday which was pretty disappointing. Please keep us in your prayers that we will be able to find a family to teach. I want to bring a family the blessings of the Gospel.

The chill is setting in which makes it more difficult to work because people start going to bed as early as 6: pm because it’s too cold to do anything outside. June started and so has the cold!! My area is supposed to be one of the coldest areas around because there are so many streams and trees. Should be interesting! So when you are at home and sweating in your big houses, you can just think of me and how much I suffered in the heat a few months back. Just say to yourself, “What would it be like if I had to walk around in this heat for 5 more hours, preaching the Gospel, looking for someone to invite me into their house to listen?” Yes, the heat traumatized me, but it was all worth it! Hopefully I will survive the cold easier!! Haha.

I am looking for the little miracles in the work. They are all around us, we just have to look for them. Like the fact that we had a pretty good church attendance, even though it rained. The testimony meeting was really powerful and I just love having church in Spanish. I went on splits with one of the Young Women on Saturday for the first time in this area (my “daughter” is growing up!) and I realized how comfortable and used to everything in Paraguay I have become the culture, the language... It was a good experience.

Funny quotes of the week:

-Said to my companion by the ward mission leader, when he went to do visits with us, “Hermana Brittner walks so fast because she has such big feet.”

-Said by a 95-year-old Paraguayan lady, to my companion, “You could be Paraguayan,” then looking at me, “You couldn’t be Paraguayan- you are too tall!”

I love this work and I love the changes that come into people’s lives as they accept Christ and the restored Gospel. No matter what changes they have to make to their lifestyle, it is worth it because it shows on their face that they are happier and more at peace with life, when they are keeping the commandments. I love my Savior and I hope to be able to serve Him all of my days.

Sincerely,
Hermana Brittner

Week 67- Finding our way around Piribebuy!

28 of May, 2012

One of the things Hermana Greer thought was strange when she first arrived here was the fact that there are really no concrete directions to get anywhere. This area is better- they actually have street names and street signs but numbers do not exist. The postal workers walk on foot when they have to deliver something and just ask around the neighborhood until they find the people they are looking for. So do the missionaries. It goes something like this: “Go up two blocks, turn right next to the corner store, go straight for 3 blocks then you will see 3 houses on the left, it’s a white house with green gates and lots of plants.” I guess I have gotten used to these directions, because it doesn’t seem to phase me anymore, but my companion is still getting used to it.

This week the weather has been great, except for two rainstorms. We went out to work in the rain and an American lady stopped us.  She was a missionary from another church and she was contacting us to invite us to her congregation! Well, I wasn’t going to let her go without inviting her to our church and explaining about the Book of Mormon. So that’s just what I did and I’m pretty sure I saw little flames shoot up in her eyes at the sound of the Book of Mormon. It was a short conversation! I am so happy to be serving in Paraguay where that isn’t a common occurrence. I have heard it happens quite often in the States. I am just glad I don’t have people attacking my beliefs all day long. Anyhow, I came away with a stronger testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I know that it is the word of God and there is nothing anyone can say or do which would lead me to think otherwise. I have seen too much, traveled too far, and been too blessed, to not believe in it. The Lord has restored the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth today and given us a living Prophet to guide us.

Relief Society and Young Women were combined on Sunday because so few people showed up. The teacher, Mercedes, shared a story and talked about the importance of record keeping. She shared a story of a renowned violinist who had a chance to study at a great school but chose to give up the opportunity and sell his beloved violin to serve a mission. By the end of the story my companion and I were both crying. I thought about how much my mission means to me- how much it has changed me and how it has given me a greater perspective into the Gospel and this world. I thought about how it has taught me to love another people more than I love myself. I thought about how little I have had to sacrifice to serve a mission and how much greater the blessings have been that I have received. I am eternally grateful for all the experiences I have had here.

Earlier today while I was emailing pictures, I sat next to people speaking German. It was pretty weird to hear something that wasn’t Guarani or Spanish. We dropped Lujan and Ruben and Lela and we are now looking for new people to teach. We had a miracle on Sunday- two investigators came even though it was raining! Liz and Julio, who are 15 and 11 and kids of a less-active lady we are working with. Unfortunately, she chose not to come and her son Julio could only come because he didn’t have a soccer tournament due to the rain. I guess that was one good thing about it raining!

One of the highlights of the week was going to our Saturday lunch appointment at a ranch. The forest that surrounded their home was beautiful! We had an awesome lesson where we acted out the 10 commandments (minus the 8th one). It was pretty hilarious and the best act was when one of the boys acted out not praying to graven images- he pretended like he was praying to a thermo of terere/a pitcher of tea.

Anyhow, that’s all!! Love you all! I love that Hermana Young and Sara Crase ran into each other in Provo-small world!

Also, congrats Franklin for successfully finishing your mission- we will have to have a jam session when I get back.  Also, Happy Birthday to my little sister, Jodie!!

Sending my love your way,
Hermana Brittner

Week 66- Che Paraguay...Soy Paraguaya...I am Paraguayan

21 de mayo, 2012

     This week Beatriz was baptized and it was perhaps one of the most spirit-filled events of my mission. It was great! Beatriz is the most ready investigator I have worked with on my entire mission. She easily accepted the Word of Wisdom and the decision she made to quit drinking coffee wasn’t even difficult. She is so great and was definitely chosen. Before she found the gospel she was sick and unhappy with her life. She has done a complete 180 and she kept saying over and over again in her testimony at her baptism, how happy she is, how she knows this is the true church and that the Book of Mormon is true. She is also the only investigator I have ever had who completes all of the reading assignments we give her without a problem. Reading is not a past time here in Paraguay. In fact, many Paraguayans don’t even know how to read. This makes it very difficult to learn in the Gospel.  But Beatriz is super great and reads a ton. I think baptisms are a lot like weddings. A lot of the time the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff seems to be going wrong  and falling apart but the person getting baptism (or the couple) is blissfully unaware because they are so happy about this next step they are about to make in their life. At her baptism we sang the Primary song about baptism and the President of the branch baptized her. Apparently the door that leads to the font was locked and the brethren were thinking of all sorts of ways to hoist our little investigator over the panel of glass and drop her into the font (crazy huh?). Thank goodness that they figured out how to open the door. It was a wonderful service. It puts everything into perspective and makes everything worth it when someone accepts Christ through baptism. Her confirmation was equally wonderful, blessing her with the strength to have a calling and that her three children would be able to experience the blessings of the Gospel as well.

     Yesterday at Church I spoke about temples. It was so easy for me to talk for 10 minutes on a Gospel subject in Spanish that it’s ridiculous. I wish someone would have told me that it would be this easy when I was freaking out at the MTC (Well, I guess lots of people did.) lol

     We have been watching “The District 1” dvds as part of the training program, which are based on the lives of missionaries on the states. They show lessons they have taught and how they work with the ward... Every time I watch it, I laugh at how organized they are in the states!! South America is not like that! The church is pretty new down here, only about 30 years old, and our branch council this week (when we have it) consists of the branch president, the ward mission leader and a hermana who works in the primary along with my companion and I. That was the attendance from the entire branch. The funny part is that I was thrilled we were finally having it and that attendance is actually better than what I have had in other branches. I would just like to say that missionaries in South America have different trials than those working in the states. I appreciate so much the openness and faithfulness of the people here to accept us into their homes. I am sure it’s not like that in the states.

When I think about leaving South America it makes me really sad and even more so when I think about leaving my beloved people of Paraguay. I’ve been talking to Hermana Greer who served in Colorado for a bit before arriving here, and I keep asking myself, “Since when did America become atheist?” A country founded on the very right of religious freedom now cringes at the sound of the word God (unless they are using it in vain). People strive to forget about the very Creator of their souls who has given them everything, our Heavenly Father. I am not trying to be negative. I love America and have never been more proud of the freedoms and advantages we enjoy as Americans, but I have gotten use to a different type of society here which is a society based on the faith of a creator bigger than they are- who they rely on for food, health and happiness. When we ask people if they have faith in Christ, they openly reply, yes! Some people even have a tone of ‘duh, who wouldn’t?’ in their voice. I love the Paraguayan people and their faith, some of it misplaced, but nevertheless, they are believers, young and old. It was something that surprised my companion when she first arrived.

Sara Crase, you are engaged!!!! Wowwww I am so excited for you! Thanks for the last dearelder and I hope to hear more about your engagement!! Pictures please. I am really bummed though, because although I will arrive in the states in mid August, I will have just returned and I will not be able to attend. The good news though is that you will be living in Provo still. So no worries there.


Love you all,
Hermana Brittner

Week 65- A Baptism, Family Home Evening and a Monkey!

“If we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we will miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us.” -President Uchtdorf, Nov. 2011

May 14, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!! It’s people like you who make this world a better place. It was great hearing from my family yesterday, always a treat. Mother’s Day in Paraguay is celebrated tomorrow, not sure why it is different.

This week was very busy. What I am realizing is that it is a blessing to have so many progressing investigators but it’s also a lot of work! My companion keeps asking if things are always like this and of course, I tell her no. We are very blessed right now to be working with so many interested people. It’s tricky because the new missionary training program that missionaries do their first 12 weeks in the field adds an extra 1 1/2 hours of studies into the morning and it really cuts into our proselyting time. We have two investigators that are supposed to be baptized this Friday. We have been praying that everything works out. They are on opposite sides of our area and we are supposed to see them both everyday. My companion started singing, “Over the river and through the woods, to Lujan’s house we go," because it is such a hike over there. Did I mention that my area is very hilly? Every other street is up, down, up, down, so yes, I am getting super fit.

The highlights of the week were the baptism of Kuka, the ward mission leader’s son, a family home evening with Ruben and Lela and petting a monkey. Yes, petting a monkey! Let me explain in order...

Kuka just turned 8 and it was really cool to see a dad baptizing his son. It’s not terribly common here to see a worthy, active Priesthood holder baptizing his son and there was a great spirit there. Four of our investigators came- Ruben and Lela and a new couple we are working with- Fernando and Maria. The event was of course chaotic for me, as we lacked another witness for the baptism and the baptismal clothes were a disaster and we started 45 minutes late. I should really be used to this by now but all is well that ends well, right? Kuka is now a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We had Family Home Evening with Ruben and Lela, the young couple we have been working with. We watched the 1980´s church movie, “Families Can Be Together Forever,” which I really like, regardless of how cheesy it is. The Spirit was strong, as we all shared our testimonies. Ruben and Lela have become regulars in Sacrament Meeting but for some reason still aren’t ready to be baptized. Keep them in your prayers.

Here’s the monkey story, definitely a highlight! We found this awesome new investigator named Carlos who wants to change his life for his kids and has already read a ton of the Book of Mormon. His family has a pet monkey named Moni.  I petted Moni and then it was Hermana Greer’s turn. Moni immediately attached himself to her arm and started bearing his teeth as if he was about to bite her. Yes, it was frightening, but according to Carlos he is very nice to people he knows. Moni also has a pet chicken which he has raised and treats like a daughter. Yes, a monkey with a pet chicken, only in Paraguay! Also, Moni eats mandioca and bread, not your typical monkey food!

Other highlights of my week include teaching the Plan of Salvation to the primary kids because their teacher didn’t show up. I just love the kids here! Another highlight was watching how my new companion reacted to her first crowded, colectivo/bus ride. It doesn’t bother or surprise me anymore because I am use to it, but I have to admit that they are quite unusual. First of all, after district meeting in Caacupe, we have to wait from 15 minutes to an hour for the bus to pick us up to take us back to our area. When we get on there is absolutely no breathing space at all. All the seats are filled and people are crammed in the aisle. There are at least 5 people touching you, as you are all squashed in between each other in this tiny colectivo. The worst part is when new people get on and try to jam in, or people have to get off and push through the huge crowd of people to the exit. It’s quite an entertaining experience.

Well, love you all! Keep the faith!
Hermana Brittner

Week 64- Life is great in Piribebuy!

“And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.” Ether 12:18- The Book of Mormon

Hello, My Dear Family and Friends:

This was a great week, a busy week, and a stressful week. We saw a lot of miracles here in this little town and the weather has been absolutely perfect. Things have been pretty crazy training and whitewashing at the same time. My ‘daughter’/new missionary and companion, Hermana Greer, already speaks pretty good Spanish and has absolutely no fear of talking with people.  She will yell at people across the street in order to stop them and talk to them about our message (she said she had to do that in Colorado because if you didn’t, people wouldn’t talk with you).She had a bit of a hard time adjusting from teaching the American way, the more analytical way of thinking, to what the Paraguayans need, simpler and more focused on how you feel about things. She is also obsessed with fruit trees- there are tons in our area and all in season. She talks about them a lot and dreams about them. It’s very entertaining. We have a huge mango tree in front of our chapel and our new house has a mandarin tree, grapefruit and banana tree in the backyard.

Speaking of our new house, we finally moved out of the house the elders had previously lived in. It’s such a breath of fresh air to have space to be organized and have everything clean. Our house is complete with a backyard and attic- pretty chuchi! We are very happy and very blessed to be there. Thanks to President Valazquez and his family and our Ward mission leader and his family, we moved in without a problem (I have now seen a table being thrown over a banister to get it down from the second floor). The branch members here are great and always willing to help us. I feel very blessed to be here. 

We have some really awesome investigators right now!! Lujan, who is 13 years old, is getting baptized on Saturday. She prayed and received an answer that the Book of Mormon is true! How cool is it that the God of the entire universe listens and answers our prayers? Beatriz, who is a sweet lady, is progressing well. We taught her about Sabbath day observance and she told us that she is not going to go grocery shopping on Sundays ever again, even though it’s what she has been doing her whole life. We also taught her about the Word of Wisdom and although she has had coffee her whole life she is giving it up cold turkey. She said she falls asleep at night dreaming about her baptism. She reads the Book of Mormon like crazy. When she had a doubt about there being only one true church, we assigned her 2 Nephi 28 in the Book of Mormon to read and she said she found her answer in there.Ruben and Beatriz are a young married couple we are working with and they came to church again!! He has a lot of doubts about the Word of Wisdom and he doesn’t want to get baptized a second time ( he was previously baptized in another church) because he believes it’s a sin to be baptized twice, but they also prayed and know that this church is true. We still have some work to do with them, but I have a feeling they will be getting baptized soon! 

We had zone conference this week and it was really focused on talking with everyone and doing our contacts. The AP’s are really funny so during the whole meeting we laughed constantly. Lots of my friends and old companions were there, including Hermana Pingel, Hermana deVries and Hermana Van Dusen. It was so great to see everyone. I found out that Leonardo was baptized in Villa Hayes last Saturday and I am so excited for him! After, we went to the temple and it was a great experience, as always. The whole session was in Spanish and so my daughter/new companion had to listen to it in Spanish in her second week in the country. Yep, she is guapa. 

I feel very well taken care of in our new house and with so many lunch appointments. The food here is so good! And let’s be honest, in my book, an area is only as good as the lunch appointments. haha Also I am still living the good life with my two packages from Mom and Katrina and Lyndon. They are like the gift that just keeps giving :) and filling my stomach.

I am so busy, focused, and a little stressed with all the work that has been going on that I don’t have time to think about anything else. I love it here and I feel like I’ve really found my niche in Piribebuy with my mission daughter. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this time in my life to grow and learn and help others do the same. I thank Him everyday for this opportunity to serve Him. It has been and will continue to be, one of the greatest adventures of my life. 

Love you all,

Hermana Brittner

PS. Kristen Hoopes, you are going on a mission!!!?  Wow, I am so happy and excited for you :) And thanks Alicia, for the letter and I’ll write you back soon!