2/4/2019 - Loving Mission Life!

Hey everyone, Happy Febrero!

So this week was once again very very hot. It honestly is very impressive. Its been about 110 degrees with humidity so its super fun. But I hear that there are places in the states where everything is frozen over so that's fun. 

This week was great starting with Monday. On Monday we had a super spiritual lesson with a lady named Carina.

 So the first time we contacted her she was very rude to us and hated us basically. But we contacted her again a few weeks after and she let us start to share with her. So we started and she is so great. She wants to come to church and everything. So on Monday when we passed she told us she loved sharing but she wasn't going to be able to continue because her family is of a different religion and she doesn't want separation and her daughter doesn't want to change but she feels good and she wants to do it but wants to stay with her family. 

So we had a very spiritual lesson where we testified and told her that if she feels like she needs to continue she should and one day her family will follow. We shared the dream of Lehi and how he partook and then shared it with everyone else and desired that his family could partake. The spirit was so strong and at the end of the lesson she was like okay this Sunday I need to come to church. So we made plans to go with her. It was super awesome. 

On Tuesday we went to Pinoza to their district counsel in Amambay and had divisions with them after. I was with Hermana Peterson in Pinoza and it was a long day jaja. We contacted a ton of people but no one wanted to listen to us. No one let us in to hear our message. So we ended up walking a lot. But we did have a super spiritual experience with a lady named Elva. She had shared with missionaries about 25 years back and there was a white wash which means both missionaries left and the new missionaries that came in never went back to visit her. So the Hermana's now found her and taught her and she ended up remembering a lot about the lessons. 

Well we had plans to teach about baptism and invite her to be baptized. She said yes but didn't want to accept a day. We asked why and she explained that her family doesn't support her and that she doesn't want to lie and say she will be baptized and not be. We testified and I explained that it was a goal and that it is her decision and that if she doesn't want to accept its okay but that I knew she could be ready by the 23rd of Febrero. She started to cry and accepted and said she felt something in her and couldn't explain it. We testified it was the spirit. It was such an amazing lesson and she accepted. 

On Wednesday it was 1 year for Hermana Fife. She is so old jaja. 

We celebrated a little and I found a key lime pie so we ate that with the other Hermana's and then returned to Fernando. We had a great day. We were able to teach Facundo. He is going to be baptized next week and we also have Yeni who is going to be married and baptized on the 14. It was a good day. 

On Thursday we also taught all the same people pretty much. With Facundo to finish his lessons we played a game. We did a relay race where they had to be missionaries and do different things like serve, study the scriptures and well run around because they are little boys. It was a lot of fun. We taught Yeni and a lady named Romina who is also preparing to be baptized. I got to see my family from Oviedo and Gissell was there!! And we taught Jorge. It was an amazing day where we were able to minister to all our progressing people. We also got to leave with Marian all day. She is so funny. She was helping Hermana Fife and I with our war. We kept throwing leaves at each other and Marian would always collect more leaves and give it to one of us jaja. It was funny.

 Friday we had intercambios with Libertad and I stayed in Fernando with Hermana Subso. We also had a good day where we were able to find lots of new people and teach Yeni. SO yeni lives on the other side of our map. It takes more than an hour to walk there so we have to take a colectivo but it is kinda rough making the trip every day jaja. But totally worth it. We walked a ton and by the end of the day Hermana Subso was dead jaja. 

On Saturday Hermana Fife got to come back and we got to work. So we finished everything with Facundo and on the 8th he is going to be baptized. We visited Romina and poor thing she was trying to pay attention but her kids were running around and her babies were crying. I  don't know if I have already explained but Romina has 5 kids. One lived in the compana that has 12 years. But the other 4. One has 4 years one has 3 years and she has two twins that have 5 months. So when one child cries all of them cry and it is hard to have a moment of peace and her kids also don't listen to her. So we try and have spiritual lessons but it is s bit rough. But she is so awesome. 

We also we able to find a family that is super great. 

They were listening a ton and we will see how it works out. They said they are only free on Saturdays. So its gonna be hard to find them. We visited my first convert, Juan Bock and we met his son Juan Javier. It was cool. They are the exact same. Juan Javier has 11 years and he is super shy. He didn't want to talk to anyone jaja. It was fun to see them together. But we also taught Carina again and she is so sweet. We taught her el plan de salvacion and she is great. We talked about coming to church will help her with the process to the celestial kingdom and she was like well great cause tomorrow I am going. So we on Sunday morning left early to pass for her. 

On Sunday we had plans to have Carina, Dani, Yeni, Romina, Facundo, and Jorge in church! However this isn't a perfect world so not everyone came. But that's okay because Carina came and so did Facundo!! And Facundo got up and bore his testimony with me and I cried. He is such a cute little kid. We were able to announce his baptism yesterday and he is so great. We had a good day of lots of walking and we were able to pass for Jorge.  

 MVI_2106.AVI

 MVI_2096.AVI

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To Heaven and Back!

Hermana Davis

 

1/28/2019 - A Hot week in the Sun!!!!

Well this week was extremely hot!! 

There was a lunar eclipse and since then it has been record breaking heat here in Paraguay. Its super funny because that is the only thing people talk about here. We will contact someone on the side of the road or in their house and for 10 minutes we talk about the weather. Its super funny actually. 

Its been anywhere from 98 to 120 degrees. On Monday we had very interesting lessons with people very Evangelist that didn't want to talk to us only wanted to prove us that we were wrong. So that was a lot of fun. But it was still good because we were able to serve them even though they lowkey hated us.

 On Tuesday we had a great district counsel and were able to get out to work. We found someone I had taught a year ago and also we taught Facundo. Facundo is a little boy who is gonna have 9 years and who is getting baptized. He can't read so we always try and read one verse in the Book of Mormon with him. So we were reading and his grandpa was there helping us and he was getting super mad. He was like he needs to quit playing and make time to read. He needs to be more responsible and make the time and he always lies to me right to my face and I am sick of it he needs to shape up and grow up if he wants to get baptized because if not he is not getting baptized I will say no because he needs to be more mature. He went on for a long time and we sat there for a minute because its not our place to tell the grandpa. But he kept yelling at little Facundo and treating him like a 30 year old who needs to quit smoking. So I was like Hermano you need to remember he is only 9 and he is gonna learn and have all these good habits when he grows up and following your example. Right now he has 9 years. The grandpa kept going off that he never reads and I was like he cant read! So that was interesting. 

On Wednesday we had intercambios and I went to Herrera wit Hermana Barja. It was funny because when we were taking the colectivo we pushed the button to get off and Hermana fife got off the colectivo. I was right behind her but before I could get off the coletive started driving away. I rang the button again and again and again but he wouldn't stop. I sat there pushing the button and he got super mad and was like I will drop you off at the next stop. So I sat on the colectivo as I watched it leave my companion and got dropped of at the next stop and had to go find my companion. That was fun jaja. She told me she was literally yelling compañera no! as the colectivo drove away and people around her were staring at her crazy jaja. 

But we had good divisions. We found lots of new people and Hermana Barja is great but a bit timid in the work. She doesn't contact much and isn't super direct in the lessons. So it was nice to be able to see her by the end of the day have that confidence in herself. 

On Thursday we had a surprise house inspection but we passed jaja. We also had to plan for the week and it was funny because we were super tired and so we laughed at everything. We finally got out to work and we able to minister good to the people we have. At the end of the day we got a call from Marian, a young lady in the ward who always leaves with us. She received her mission call and wanted us there when she opened it. So we went over and she got her call to...URAGUAY!! It is so cool and she leaves super soon. She leaves on the 28 of March! Crazy. 

The elders called us that night and were like, are you home? We were like yeah we just got home and they told us to go back outside. So we did and they sent us a pizza! It was the best. 

On Friday we had entrevistas with Presidente and it was really sad because it was my last entrevista with him. So it was nice to talk to him. We got home and we have someone who we are teaching that lives forever away so when we got home we changed and went to her. However she was not there. So we had to come back down but it was a blessing because we were able to visit Jorge and Deolinda. Jorge we watched the restauration video and it was very spiritual. He knows its true but he is very stubborn so he wont accept baptism if he feels like that's what we want. So we are letting him take his time because everybody has their own time. 

So then we went to Deolinda. We were wanting to talk to Deolinda alone because her mom was visiting and we needed to be straight with Deolinda but we couldn't be in front of her mom. So we passed and God answers prayers because she was alone. We were able to teach her and she has doubts to leave the tradition of her family. So we explained she doesn't have to leave her family and their traditions. We only want the best for her. She promised us she was going to come to church but spoiler when we passed we knew she was home and didn't want to come out. So yikes. But we had a great lesson and she finally understood that if she comes to church once that doesn't mean she can never go back to her church and that's when she told us she would go to see how it was. I don't know what happened but we will see.

 On Saturday we walked our whole area pretty much. So we had lunch at the very bottom of our area and had a cita right after. So normally we go studies after lunch cause that is when it makes the most heat but we just decided to leave and work. But it was a bad choice jaja because it was so hot and we were kinda loopy. Also none of our citas were home. So after we had to walk all the way to the top of our map to visit Yeni, an investigator who is planning on getting baptized the 9. But she wasn't there either. But we ran into the elders. But then we had to go back to Jorge and it was a lot of walking. But Jorge was also already sleeping so it was good exercises. 

On Sunday it was a super hot day as well. But we had the chance to go to church and we went to pass for Deolinda with a member but you already know she wasn't there. Jorge couldnt come. He said his blood pressure was at 400. Which I mean I'm not doctor but that sounds like it should kill him. But this Sunday we listened to the youth bare their testimonies about EFY. It was so cool to see all the youth get involved and share their spiritual experiences and how they were able to learn more. It was so powerful. We were also able to teach Yeni por fin and we had a great lesson with her. We talked about the plan of salvacion and how we need to do our part so we can have our families for ever.

 Yeni is pregnant and she needs to get married before her baptism so she is really focused on the families and what the best thing for her family is. It was a spiritual lesson and she really opened up to us. It was great. 

We also found another part family where the mom is a member but her daughter isn't. It was great. We walked into the lesson and she was like I want to get baptized how can I do that. We were like wow. So we taught the Restauracion and gave her a Book of Mormon she said she would read it and come to church. She has 5 kids and lives alone. All her kids are 4 or younger so she feels overwhelmed and said she needs help. It was also a really great lesson even though the kids were all crying. It was the largest test of my obedience to not be able to hold one of the babies and help her since we cant have kids on our laps or in our arms. Its so tough!! But the spirit was still there. 

 

Honestly the mission is the best thing in my whole life. I encourage everyone who is thinking about serving a mission to really pray and do it because it will bless your life and your family so much!! 

And we don't have to leave and have a plaque to be a missionary. I encourage everyone to pray and fast for a missionary opportunity to share your testimony or to serve someone in need. God knows who needs our help and we need to listen and then act so we can be instruments in His hands. I promise you that if you pray and fast for a missionary moment than you will receive one and the joy you will have for serving those around you will give you the strength to overcome your own difficulties that you have in your life. I love you all and I am praying for you!!

Look up Alma 29:9 and Alma 6:6 for help as well for motivation and missionary work!! I love the scriptures!!!!

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To Heaven and Back!

Hermana Davis