“...The noblest aim in life is to strive to live to make other lives better and happier. The most worthy calling in life is that in which man can serve best his fellowman.” –President David O. McKay
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Happy New Year- 2012!
...It’s nearly midnight- we know because “bombas” are going off more frequently and getting increasingly louder outside. As we lay in our beds, we wait for a few more minutes before getting up and racing to the roof. Stepping into the warm night air, the noise becomes louder- boom, boom, whizzz, whee, whee, as the fireworks go off around us. I stare up at the black starless sky, which may be void of stars but it is not void of light- fireworks of every color blaze through the air. In every direction fireworks shoot up- orange, blue, pink, red, glittery, huge lights falling in the sky. It’s a colorful contrast to the otherwise black night sky. I turn in a full circle but can’t choose which direction has the most, the sky is filled with the colorful wonders everywhere I turn. The moon sits low in the sky; a golden burnt orange color, as if it wants to be noticed among all the mayhem. This is the New Year’s celebration in Asunción, Paraguay. We see a huge fireworks show coming from the “Centro,” the inner city as well as from Mariano, Luque, Zeballos Cue, and Moroni. Across the street, we see a huge party- Paraguayans celebrating in the New Year in their backyard with food and music- and when we hear cheering we know it is 12:00 and that 2012 has arrived. Thank you 2011- the year of my mission- you have been a beautiful year in my life and I hope that 2012 will be as well. For the next few minutes, I ponder the wonder of a new year, a fresh start, a new beginning, and a year full of hope, promise and a bright future. Dos mil once as begun.
The new year started out quite monumentally for me, with the Bishop asking me an hour before Sacrament Meeting if I could give a talk. Being the missionary that I am, I agreed and gave a talk about our duty as members of the Church to do missionary work. We are to be witnesses of Christ at all times (Mosiah 18:9) and always be willing to share the Gospel. The cool thing about this experience is that there is no way that I would have been able to say more than “hola” if I was asked to give a talk out of the blue in Spanish a year ago. Thank goodness for the gift of tongues! We are truly made equal to the challenges we face.
Well, New Year’s Eve is about the same as it is in the states except they explode fireworks at midnight. The difference is that they have super huge, quality fireworks that they can buy on the streets. I also think it’s just an excuse to drink, which is why us missionaries go home early and celebrate with our companions. It was pretty fun, chill, tranquillo. Also, Paraguayans don’t make New Year’s resolutions, which isn’t too surprising since they aren’t chasing the American dream; they are just “tranquillo.”
This week we worked a lot with the MLS list- the list of all the members in the area. It is HUGE and we are attempting to find every listed member on there and see if we can get some investigators from it. As it turns out, many members have moved or passed away so we are cleaning that list right up. We have been working with members a ton for that reason and it has been an interesting project. It’s too bad that most of the directions that we receive for people aren’t much better than “the house with the big mango tree in front.” We have been fasting and praying to find new investigators, especially complete families. I know that God is listening but unfortunately not all the investigators are.
This week I am speaking at a fireside about EFY (Especially for Youth) because they are having it for the first time EVER here in Paraguay in a couple weeks and all the kids are nervous about going. Don’t you worry; I am going to get them excited! I am EFY´s biggest fan!
Well, I just know this gospel is true. I have no doubt about it. We should be examples through word and deed of what we believe. It’s the only way that other people will come to know the truth.
Love you all,
Thanks a bunch for the many Christmas cards and packages!
Hermana Brittner
PS: One of the members has a pet owl... They named it Ricardo. I call it Hedwig and it is a baby and so cute! It eats rice, noodles and potatoes. I don’t think that is the normal diet for an owl, but hey, it’s Paraguay!
No comments:
Post a Comment