Week 23- Special Changes!

Along the pathway of life, you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to be inspired, and souls to save.

-President Thomas S. Monson

July 25, 2011

HOLA!

I have been transferred to a new area, due to special changes. I am now in a trio with Hermana Young and Hermana Alvarenga, who is from San Pedro, Honduras. She doesn’t speak any English so I am learning a lot :) I was pretty sad to leave my beloved Kokuere but that’s just the mission for you. It is the Lord’s work, not our own and He will send us where we need to be. I am now in Loma Pyta North, which is a neighborhood in the northeastern part of Asunción. I am right next to the airport and we see jets flying over us all the time. We are in a ward, instead of a little branch and there are a ton of members who are willing to help us. One thing I am very excited about is that there are a ton of young women who can go on splits with us. I love working with the youth! We have a baptism lined up for Saturday, so pray it goes through. It is for a girl named Thalia, who is 14. Her brother is the only member of her family and he is preparing for a mission. He is going to baptize her on Saturday and it’s going to be purete!

We switched areas with the elders, reason still unknown, probably just inspiration. There haven’t been hermanas here for 8 years and the members are so stoked to have us back. We are living in the old elder’s house and when I got here and saw it, I wanted to cry. It was the most disgusting, filthy house I have ever laid eyes on, with garbage up to your knees. After cleaning for 3 hours, it was livable and we spent a few hours today cleaning as well. I can’t believe that some elders live in such filth. Elders, do the dishes and clean your bathroom! Your mothers would be ashamed! Besides that, it’s a sweet house, with a roof to go on and everything.

I have been studying a lot about faith this week and how important it is to trust in the Lord and his path for our lives. I know that as we obey the commandments and work diligently to do good, that Heavenly Father will bless us and guide our lives and help us in ways that we didn’t think were possible. All He asks is for a willing heart. He will be as big a part of our life as we will let Him be but He will not take away our agency to choose. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only path to true happiness. No hay otro camino. I am so grateful for this experience to go on a mission and serve my Heavenly Father, after all that He has given me, it is the least that I could do. I am happy and healthy. As they say here, estoy contenta. I love you all!!!

Love,

Hermana Brittner

Week 22- I've Fallen In Love!

Hola, Hola, Hola! I have fallen in love with Paraguay! We have already been together for 3 months now and I plan on a lot longer. We got off to a rocky start with Dengue and all, but I think things have mended. I love the orange sunsets, the scruffy kids playing with kites made of plastic bags in the streets, the futbol obsession, the Paraguayan pride, the Guarani language, the chipa man “Chipa Borrero!”, the laundry hanging up to dry, the mandioca, pan and noodles, the little kids taking baths in tires, their smiles and “adios!” every time we pass, the fact that I can pretty much speak Spanish now, and the faith of the people in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

How is everybody this week? The weeks are just flying by. It was warm this entire week, until Sunday morning when we had a thunder and lightning storm. !Que pucha! You know what that means... terrible church attendance. But we found a family and we are so excited! Luis is already a member but he moved from Olimpia and so we didn’t have his records. We just happened to find his house, which was miracle. He has a wife, who is Catholic and a 17 month old, Luiscito. His wife, Teresa, is now our new investigator! He really wants this for his family. She has already prayed and feels good about the Book of Mormon, and we got to hear her first prayer aloud! It was really hard for her because she was so used to reciting prayers. She had never prayed from her heart before. But with the rain on Sunday, it was a good excuse for her not to go to church. Hopefully this Sunday she will go. Please keep her in your prayers. We showed up to take his family to church and there he was in a white shirt and tie with his scriptures but she wasn’t ready. It was a huge step for him though, since he hasn’t been to church in many years. He had the opportunity to take the Sacrament and renew his baptismal covenants with God after many years and that is something special.

Ismael has moved away due to family complications so he is no longer our investigator. Fabi still hasn’t been to church due to her parent’s restrictions but we have hope that they will come around. We found a boy named Christian who is 13 and his mom is a member but inactive. He says that he has always been interested in learning more about religion and there is just something inside of him that wants to know more. The obstacle is that he plays competitive soccer and has lots of games on Sunday.

All in all, things are good here. It’s so cool just going around talking about the Gospel all day. I know that being a missionary is a great privilege and I’m so grateful to my Heavenly Father for each day I have as a missionary. Hermana Young and I make a good pair and I think having her as my new companion will work out very well.

Happy birthday to my little Jen, Jen, whom I love. I hope you had a wonderful 9^th birthday! I love you and miss you!

Con mucho amor,

La Hermana Brittner

Week 21- Five Months As A Missionary

¨Those who bring happiness to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.¨ -J.M. Barrie, Author of Peter Pan

July 11, 2011

Hello, hello, hello!

Well I got a new companion: Hermana Emilee Young from the tricities WA area. The funny thing is that I already know her because she was in my ward at Liberty Square at BYU! Haha, small world. She is also in the BYU Nursing Program, so we have some common interests. Her Spanish is beyond amazing and I can only hope to speak as well as she does someday. I think this will be a good change. Hermana Astle went to Concepción, 7 hours north by collectivo with my old MTC companion, Hermana Peel. Lejisismos! Hermana Astle spent 7 months here in Kokuere.

Yesterday morning (Sunday) there was a thunder and lightning storm, so basically that means kiss goodbye any hopes of investigators or menos activos (less actives) coming to Church. I think Paraguayans are allergic to rain! It´s hot today, last week it was cold, yesterday it rained. The weather is unpredictable and keeps us on our toes. Ismael, we don´t know why he won´t get baptized. Maybe he is allergic to water? Fabi still hasn´t been able to come to church due to her father. We are working on finding some more chosen investigators.

One of Satan´s lies is that since all churches worship the same God, it doesn´t matter which church you go to as long as you worship God. Lots of churches, one God. However, there is only one true church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the one with the authority of God, restored through the prophet, Joseph Smith. I know this is true! My testimony has gotten so much stronger as I talk and testify of this everyday. We had one lesson with a lady who said, ¨I am a prophet, you are prophets because you are preaching the gospel.¨ I tried to explain to her that this is not correct, that there is only one prophet on the earth today but she just would not hear it. She did not understand and did not want to hear what we had to say. Good luck teaching the Restoration to her! We tried.

I am learning so much everyday! I love being a missionary! I am grateful for my health once again, for el pan de cada dia, for the Restoration of the Gospel, for the example of my family, my friends and the faithful members of Kokuere. Don´t ever give up the fight and don´t ever forget that our Heavenly Father loves you!

Congrats to my friends Courtney Newby who is going to the Calgary Mission and Lucy who is going to the Hong Kong China Mission!

Cariño,

Hermana Brittner

Week 20- Happy 4th of July from Paraguay!

“I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, that for me a sinner he suffered, he bled and died. Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me.” Hymn #193- I Stand All Amazed.

Dear Family and Friends:

¿Mba´e chapa? That is Guarani for “how are you?” Happy 4th of July!! Happy belated Canada Day! To celebrate the 4th of July, we are having a Family Home Evening at Flia. Flores and eating panchos (hot dogs)! We are going to teach about how important religious freedom is and also say the Pledge of Allegiance and maybe sing the Star Spangled Banner. I can honestly say that I have never been more grateful to be American...or just to be from somewhere that is not a third world country. There are SOOO many things that we take for granted...so many. I am grateful that most people in America know how to read...that we have traffic laws that are actually obeyed...that we have WAL-MART...that we believe in education and following our dreams...that we have religious freedom to worship how and what we will...and for many, many other things. Eat some barbeque for me and enjoy the fireworks. I have gained a new sense of pride, appreciation and perspective since spending my days in Paraguay.

So it is now the Copa América de Fútbol here in Paraguay. It’s like the World Cup, but only for South America/Central America. This makes things kind of tricky with teaching appointments because every night, people are watching the game!! And of course, we as missionaries aren’t allowed to watch. It’s a temptation but I am resisting. Also, all the kids are on a 2-week summer vacation so we are looking for more people to teach. This Sunday, Ismael came to church again. This is great...although he refuses to get baptized. He has started doing family history work, going to institute classes and even bought a suit for church. He is just like a member but hasn’t been baptized! We are not exactly sure why he won’t get baptized. We stopped meeting with him a few months ago. Hopefully he will change his mind soon. We have also been working with a 13-year-old named Fabiola. She is so cute and knows the Church is true but her dad won’t give her permission to get baptized. We will see what happens.

I am grateful for my testimony of the truthfulness of the restored Gospel. Working with so many less actives and hearing some of their odd theories on religion have really made me appreciate the simplicity and truthfulness of the Gospel. I know it’s true! I would not be devoting 18 months of my life to a mission if it wasn’t.

Cambios “transfers” are Wednesday and we find out TONIGHT if they will impact us. So nerve wracking! Pretty sure my trainer is leaving- we will see! I will be sending lots of pictures next week so be ready!!

Cariño,

Hermana Brittner

Week 19- Journal-Worthy Events

“The true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.” -True to the Faith

Hello, hello, hello!!

How is my dear family this week? I hope all is going well. I have had some journal- worthy events this week. The first is that I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday. I knew it was only a matter of time before I was asked to give one. Pres. Flores asked me Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I was up at the pulpit, speaking in Spanish. It went pretty well and wasn’t as hard to write as I thought it would be. I talked about the Book of Mormon and how important it is to read daily personally as well as with your family everyday to benefit from it. I truly believe that if more families in our little branch took the extra time and effort to read the Book of Mormon as a family everyday, that the love in the branch would increase and the Spirit and the overall unity would grow. I challenged every family to do so. We are promised so many blessings from reading this book! I have grown to love it so much more since I have been on my mission. So that is my challenge to everyone, to read the Book of Mormon for at least 10 minutes everyday with your family.

Another journal-worthy event this week was my first splits with a member. Hermana Astle wasn’t feeling well again for part of the week and so I decided to venture out on my own and preach the Gospel. Any junior companion knows that they can rely on their senior companion a little bit if they don’t quite know how to say something in Spanish but going out with a Paraguayan meant I was teaching the whole lesson SOLO, in charge of everything. Basically it was like a moment of truth..here I am going off on a cold night in Paraguay and it was up to me to understand everything, teach everything, respond to everything. It went WELL! It was a little nerve wracking but I did it. I taught a less-active member and then a 16-year-old girl, named Cristal as well, about the Book of Mormon. I am pretty sure some of the grammar principles went out the window, but they knew what I was trying to say and the Spirit made up for the rest. The gift of tongues is so cool!

So changes (transfers) are coming up NEXT week. Si o si, I am staying in Kokuere. President Madariaga likes to keep missionaries in the same area for 4-5 changes. But the question is, will I get a new companion? My companion has had five changes here already, which usually means it’s time to go. Maybe I will get a Latina companion and then my Spanish will really take off. If Hermana Astle does leave, you can expect some sweet pictures because we get to bring our camera around if one of the companions is leaving. We will see. I LOVE the members in our little branch. I wish they would understand the importance of helping the missionaries in the work more, though. Everyone here is first-generation members so they are still learning a lot about callings and their responsibilities. Even so, they are like my family.

Something that I am grateful for is that I was taught how to pray when I was a little child. Every time we meet someone we teach them how to pray the correct way. A lot of people recite prayers here- they don’t realize that you can speak directly to Heavenly Father like you are having a conversation. And a lot of people pray to and worship the Virgin Mary and Saints. I respect the Virgin Mary but I am so tired of hearing about her! I am grateful that I can have a relationship with God, my loving Heavenly Father, through prayer. It is a great blessing in my life.

Well, enjoy the sun and summer because it is finally winter here! Some days are pretty chilly- it’s like cold with humidity, and other days are not quite as cold. Don’t worry though, we bundle up and stay warm. Usually the members give us hot chocolate and bread. Yum yum.

Well, that´s all, folks!!

Until next week,

Hermana Brittner

Week 18- What will you do with the time you have left?

¨For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.¨ Alma 34:32

Well hello again!!

Another week has passed here in Kokuere and I am still as healthy as can be, por suerte. My companion on the other hand, did not have this luck. She has been really tired and so we figured something must be wrong. We got to go to Asunción on Wednesday to see the area doctor. I love going to Asunción! It usually means letters, packages, seeing other missionaries and sometimes even Burger King! You never know how much you could love Burger King until you live in Paraguay for a few months. So we went to see Dr, Hollingsworth, who is actually from Cardston, Alberta. Go figure! So we had a little consultation, she got a few tests and they concluded that she had parasites!! How terrible. But the good news is that with a few little pills, those pinworms are now gone! Between she and I, we have had 5 trips to the hospital/clinic/doctor in the past 2 1/2 months. The cool thing is that I have been able to rub shoulders with the nurse and the doctor who are on missions here and see what they do. It makes me really want to go on a medical mission as a nurse when I am older! Or a humanitarian mission. It would be sweet. But anyhow, back to my current mission. We are both finally in good health and ready to rock and roll! For the past two changes, one of us has always been sick and so I still don’t feel like I have gotten the true mission experience of working day in and day out. But that is about to change. And I am so excited!!

So more health news. An elder in my zone got dengue again (Elder Balanzategui, who actually went to Deer Valley High School for a year- small world, right?) and had to be hospitalized for 6 days here. And now he has been reassigned to Argentina, so as to avoid the danger of getting dengue a third time, which is very, very serious. So please keep him in your prayers. Rumor has it that the problem with missionaries getting dengue is going to be reviewed by the First Presidency, as in what to do if a missionary gets dengue. Should they be reassigned somewhere else? It is kind of worrisome, because if they send missionaries who get dengue somewhere else...that would include me. But of course, that is just a rumor right now, but in the meantime, I am covering myself in bug spray every time I leave the house.

It’s got me thinking...what will I do with the time that is left? Every missionary knows that they have a time restraint- 18 months for hermanas and 2 years for elders- everyday that I am in the service of my Heavenly Father is truly a gift from him. Because nothing in this life is guaranteed. In fact, our very tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed. And so what will we do with the time that is left? My mom told me an interesting thought...that all of our days are numbered...it’s as though we each have a countdown or a timeline of our lives and we don’t ever know when it will be up. Not to sound morbid, but death is something that will come to each of us. Those are the only guarantees in life, right- death and taxes? I would like to add that the covenants we make here- baptism, the temple- those are permanent as well and the sealing power of families- that families can be together forever after this life- and these are covenants only found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. D & C 124:93, ¨whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.¨ And so it makes one think...what do I want to do, what do I want to become.., as a missionary, as a person, in this period of my life? Because before we know it, this period, this stage, this time will be over. And we better have given it all we have in the time we were given. This situation of my fellow missionary was just another reminder to me to live more fully, laugh a little louder, love a little more and make the most of each day that God has given us as a gift to learn and to grow and to become more like Him.

Speaking of sealing ordinances, congrats, Leslie and Dano on your marriage!! I am SO happy for you and was thinking about you all day on Thursday...send pics soon!! And I was thinking...even though I couldn’t go to your sealing, I hope you can come to mine...but give me a few years. ;)

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Brittner

PS: I almost forgot...we found the little rat!! Por suerte, he died somewhere we could see him. We found his little tail sticking out from under our closet...he must have died on the way in. My brave companion pulled him out by the tail and we put a little RIP sign on his bag before we threw him away.

Week 17- Kokuere

Hello everyone!

Another week in Paraguay! Well, this week I have an interesting story to tell, as usual. A few nights ago, I woke up to the sound of a plastic bag being moved around and I thought I was going crazy. I fell back asleep and an hour later at 4 AM I woke up again and woke up my companion as well. We were sure there was a rat in our room! We decided to find the little rascal and a full blown search commenced, looking in every drawer, nook and cranny in our closet. An hour and a half later and we still had not found it. Of course, we didn’t really want to find it because that would mean we would have to figure out what to do with it but we needed to find it. The next night, we hear it again but go back to sleep and decide to buy some rat poison. So we buy it and leave it out, with our new slogan being “kill the beast!” We didn’t think anymore of it until my companion was talking on the phone in Spanish to a member, getting ready to leave and she screamed in ENGLISH while on the phone, “Oh my gosh Hermana! There’s a rat in our house!!” We trapped the beast in the kitchen by closing the door and then stood on the countertops while it ran around (what would you have done?). It was living behind our fridge and stove. We tried hitting it with a broom, chasing it and doing all manner of things to it, all the while filming it on our cameras. It was pretty entertaining. Too bad I can’t put it on youtube for 16 more months. Anyhow, we had to go to an appt. and so we decided to leave it in the kitchen and let it eat the poison and die. Great plan, right? Yes, except we found it’s droppings all over our counters. So today for Pday we deep cleaned our house and we were sure we would find it’s dead little body somewhere. Unfortunately, it is still nowhere to be found. So we are just waiting for it’s carcass to start stinking in the next couple of days so we can follow the stench to it’s dead body. Living in Paraguay is such an adventure, right? All of the elders have rats living in their houses too, and there is a little mouse living under the sacrament table in the chapel as well.

That was our excitement for the week and we hope to have no more like it! I was thinking, I am sure you are all curious about Paraguayan cuisine so I thought I would give you a quick lesson:
1. Deep fry it in lots of sunflower oil.
2. Serve with mandioca (it’s like eating a baked potato) or pan (bread).

That’s all. Every lunch appointment we have, we eat noodles cooked in oil, some type of meat mixed in and sauce with mandioca or bread. For this reason, I think I have gained 10 lbs. Paraguayans are really blunt and so they haven’t been shy about telling my companion and I that we are both getting a pansa (stomach) that wasn’t there before. So my companion and I have begun to speed walk everywhere we go in hopes of burning some extra calories. It’s pretty entertaining to see how fast we can get places, all the while counting how many times we get snaked.

The work is good and I am glad to be doing it. We had one of the inactive boys, Jose, (he’s 15) pass the sacrament on Sunday which was really cool. He has just come back to church. He didn’t come before because he didn’t have shoes to wear to church and he was just lazy (he told us this). When I think about the sacrifices that people have to make to come to church here, it really makes me admire them. This kid had to wash his church clothes by hand in a tire with some soap, hang them on the clothes line and then iron them. Then wake up at 6 AM while the rest of his family slept and his friends of course, were sleeping in and catch a collectivo at 7 AM to get to the chapel by 8 AM. He had to quietly leave his one room house made out of sticks and cardboard, so that he wouldn’t wake up his family. It wasn’t easy or convenient for him. But it was the right thing to do. Because of his faith and his determination to do what is right, he will be blessed. While his friends are out doing whatever, he is at church. He is making good choices, preparing to go on a mission and to the temple. That is the kind of faith that moves mountains, changes lives and makes a difference in the world. He is a great example to me and I hope that I can have that kind of faith: to always do what is right, even when it isn’t convenient, popular or fun. I know that when we obey God’s commandments we are blessed, even when it’s not what everyone else it doing. I know that God loves all of his children and wishes to bless them. So keep the commandments!

Love,
Hermana Brittner