7/23/18 -What a crazy week!!!!! Spiritual High

Hola todos. Que tal estan.

So this week was the start of the new cambio. It has been super great. We have been able to find a lot of great new people. 

On Monday we received cambios. Monday night a few of the members had a family home evening to say goodbye to Hermana Robinson. It was super sweet. They made us food and one of the Hermana's made a scarf for her. It was really cute. But then one of the Hermanas insisted we sang God be with you till we meet again and not gonna lie, almost lost it jaja.

 On Tuesday morning, we got Hermana Robinson all packed up. We dropped her off at the terminal, which is a big bus station, and she got on a colectivo and left. It was a bitter sweet moment. Hermana Robinson is one of the greatest missionaries I have ever met. She worked so hard every minute till the last minute and she helped so many people find the light of Christ in their lives. She was hardworking and always obedient and helped me so much throughout my whole mission. And I know she is gonna continue to help a lot of people! 

But now I get to work with Hermana Gomez. This is her first cambio as an Hermana lider and she was very stressed when she first got here. She told me she had never pictured herself as an Hermana lider, but the more I have worked with her the more I see how great she is going to be. She cares a lot about the gospel and the people we are with. She is easy to talk to and just wants to help everyone. I am excited for the chance to work with her and also to learn from her. I already feel that we are going to get a long super well. And we are finding and teaching a lot of great people here in Oviedo!!! 

So on Friday we had intercambios again. The first intercambio of Hermana Gomez. We didn't have to travel much because we just had it with the other Hermana's que are in Oviedo just the other side. So it was nice. I stayed in our area and I was with Hermana Facer. It was lots of fun. 

We had a great lesson with Joaquina where we tried to help her trust in God. Her boss doesn't like it that she is sharing with us. So she is scared to continue even though she knows it is true. But she wants to come to church so she devised a plan where she is gonna leave and meet us close to the church to be able to go. It was pretty funny because she is a very shy and kinda quiet lady but she was so very excited to make this plan to go to church.

 Then we also had a great lesson with an Hermana named Guatalupe. She is also really great. She is looking for the truth because she really wants to bless her family. We have only shared with her 2 times but she is super sweet and really listens very intently. It is super cool. She is in Villarrica this whole week though so we wont be able to visit her until Sunday. 

But the highlight of my week was definitely Friday night!

We had a meeting with our ward mission leader Friday night but he didn't show up because it was cold outside (a typical thing Paraguayans do) so we were in the church and all of a sudden Hermana Robinson shows up. WITH MINT OREOS! It was so much fun to catch up with her and I got to meet her family!! They are so funny and nice and I was so excited I didn't know what to do. The members had made some pizzas but no one showed up so they let us eat and then Hermana Robinson and her family left with us to have a lesson. So we went to go visit Ariel. At first I felt a little bad to walk into his house with 6 people in total. But Ariel is so chill and super cool and he was super excited. Then we started teaching him and it was super fun to teach with Hermana Robinson again. She is a powerful teacher. We started sharing with Ariel and we asked him how his experience at church was. He said that it was indescribable. That he never felt comfortable in a church before but he feels comfortable here and that he wants to continue coming and reading and sharing with us. Then we started talking about prayers. He said he knows God answers his prayers and told us a personal story about when God answered his prayer when his daughter was about to be born and he didn't have any money or anything to be able to help his daughter. It brought the spirit so strong. 

After we testified and read Mosiah 2:41. Hermana Robinsons mom and can speak Spanish and she testified about how the Gospel has helped her as a mom and it was a very strong testimony. It was by far one of the most spiritual lessons I have ever  had on the mission. It was super cool to be able to teach with of Hermana Robinson and her family. 

On Saturday we went to do some service for a family named Familia Recalde. We were painting their fence and then we were going to eat with them. So we started painting and all of a sudden Hermana Robinson and her family drive up. It was super funny! We got to say goodbye officially. On Sunday it was super great day. So we had plans to go meet with Joaquina and walk to church together. We went and met at the corner where we had planned to wait but after waiting for about 15 minutes she didn't come. So we passed her house and no one was there but a little boy and he said she went to the catholic church. So we walked to church kinda sad that she had stood us up. We had called Diego, Maria Asuncion, Cinthina, Vacilia y Ana Maria, and Ariel which are all other people we are teaching that promised they would come to church. But no one answered.

 I swear I don't know why anyone in Paraguay even has a phone. But the one that shocked me the most is Ariel. So we went to church and it was cold so no one was there yet. I literally mean no one. The elders were there and one other member. So we waited and waited and poco a poco some members started to show up. Then finally the Presidente de la Rama came and he came and asked us to start teaching the Primary because the teacher wasn't there. So we went to help out and man do I miss teaching primary kids. It was so much fun. About 30 minutes in the teacher came and we passed the lesson to her. Then we went to our Relief Society class and realized that only one other Hermana was there and waiting for people to come to teach the class. So she taught us. After the first hour more and more people came to church but still no one we were teaching. We entered the next class when we were sitting there one of the members ran up and told us we had to leave the class. So when we left Ariel was outside waiting for us. His phone wasn't working and so he couldn't answer our calls or call us to tell us he was there. So we went into our class and started teaching. It was really great. Then we went to sacrament. We had a missionary from the ward come home recently and she gave her testimony. Hermana Gomez also introduced herself and the new elder here Elder Padilla. His testimony was very strong. He shared with how he found the church and why he is on his mission. It was very spiritual. Afterwards to talked to Ariel and he asked us to pass by later that night. So when we got out to work we started visiting some people. But the last hour we went to go visit Ariel. We passed with a member just in case his mom wasn't there. But it was super sweet because he called us and asked if we were still coming and he was worried because his mom went to sleep and we wouldn't be able to share with him because there wasn't a woman there but we told him we had a member and were on our way. When we got there he was sitting waiting with his Book of Mormon and 3 chairs waiting for us. We taught about the Plan of Salvation and it was a very powerful lesson. He is so great and he truly listens to us and the spirit. He is so mature for a 19 year old. So he is preparing to be baptized and last night he asked what he had to do to be baptized. And it was super cool to be able to see him have this desire. Because when we first invited him it was just that he said yes and in the future he would see how he felt but now I can see that he really wants to and is taking it seriously now. It is so amazing to see. 

I know that this church is true. My testimony is confirmed each and every day I am here on the mission. I love and am so grateful for the privilege I have to serve the people here in Paraguay. I hope everyone's week is full of sunshine and tender mercies. 

Rohayhu

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To Heaven and Back!

Hermana Davis

7/16/18 - Transfers are coming tomorrow!

Okay so guess what we have cambios tomorrow. Do you know what happened to me? Well let me tell you...

But first let me tell you about my dope week. We have been working extra hard because it was the last week of Hermana Robinson. She has finished her mission and tomorrow will be going home. 

Well actually her parents are in Paraguay and they are gonna visit some people and then she goes home. But she dies in the mission. OPA Hermana Robinson. It has been pretty hard for me. I love her and she is a great example to me and is such an amazing missionary and I don't know what I am going to do without her but I am excited for what lies ahead in my mission. 

This week was really great. I really just want to talk about one day in particular and through this day you will see how great our week was. On Thursday we have what is called weekly planning, which is where we sit down for 3 hours and plan our whole week. Who we are gonna visit, what we are gonna teach, and most importantly what we can do as missionaries to help the people around us. After planning we went out to work. 

We left a little late so the whole day we were behind. We went to visit a lady named Joaquina. I think I have talked about her before but she is so great. She is reading the Book of Mormon and she prays. She is a bit shy but she is already in 1 Nefi 15. She is so great and wants to come to church. So we went to teach her again but we passed to get a member first. When they saw us walking in the opposite direction they got kinda mad and her two little nieces who have 9 years share with us as well and they started to cry because they thought we weren't coming. So we got la Hermana Celia and walked over to them. They were so happy when we should up. 

We had a great lesson on the Plan of Salvacion and she asked us what she had to do to enter in the Celestial Kingdom. It was so cool. The next day we passed again to explain. She is so great and it was a very spiritual lesson. After we went to visit another girl who has a baptism date but she wasn't home. Her grandma was and she is a member but stopped going to church due to problems in her branch. We started to visit with her. She has been going to another church for a long time now. We read the Book of Mormon with her in 3 Nefi 11 when Cristo comes to the Americas. By the end of the lesson she looked at us and said, Yep I remember this is true. Then at the end she said a prayer that was really powerful and thanks Heavenly Father that she could remember what was true. Then we went to go visit a family we found on Monday. Edgar and his wife Ana Maria and his mom Vacilia. 

We were running a little late and had to walk to their house, they lived a bit far. When we got there Edgar, he is a bit of a bigger guy and he is a policeman so he looks kinda mean. He was just sitting out in front of his house waiting for us with his Book of Mormon in his hand. He told us he was worried we weren't going to come. We taught them and read with them. He said he prayed but didn't get his response so we taught about the Spirit and read the Book of Mormon with them. They said that as they were reading they felt very calm and happy. We explained that it was the Spirit and they are really excited to read and pray again. Then they gave us some food and we got to know them more. It was super fun. The mom Vacilia is super funny. She was making jokes about her whole family. 

After we went to have a lesson with Ariel. He is super cool. So we taught his about the Restauracion. He was listening so intently and he felt the spirit. He told us he had never gone to any church before because he doesn't like how they don't follow the Bible. But he told us he wants to come to our church to be able to feel more of the Spirit. It was a very cool experience. And He did come to church on Sunday. He is a very serious guy. He has 19 years but he doesn't really joke around about anything. But that is super great because he studies the scriptures and really is looking for the truth. He is gonna be baptized si o si. Hermana Robinson and I were talking about how great this day was. It was very spiritual. We could feel exactly what we needed to talk about and who we needed to visit. It was super great. 

On Sunday Hermana Robinson and I gave talks in the branch. It was super great. We were praying to know what we needed to talk on and it was so cool because both of us gave our talks not knowing what the other person was going to talk about. But we talked about the same topic. The Joy the Gospel brings through Trust in Christ. It is so amazing how the spirit works. God really does have a plan that is perfec and He will lead and guide us if we are willing to trust in Him. 

I was reading in the Bible this week and I found a scripture that I really liked. It is 1 Corinthians 1 verse 25. It reads," Because the foolishess of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men". This scripture is really powerful because a lot of times in our lives we forget about God and His power when something in the world passes. But even in the strongest point of the world it is still weaker than what God can do. We have to trust in Him and He will make sure everything turns out fine. 

Now as for cambios. I am staying here in Coronel Oviedo como Hermana Lider and I am gonna train a new Hermana Lider named Hermana Gomez. She is from Utah but her parents are Latinos. She seems really nice and I am excited to be able to work with her. We are going to find a lot of Miracles here in Oviedo. And as for Hermana Robinson, well she has completed her mission. She is one of the best missionaries I have ever known. She works so hard and gives her 120 percent always. She teaches with power and with the Spirit and always strives to be better. I am so grateful for the chance I had to serve by her side these last 6 weeks. It has been so great to learn from her everyday so I can be a better missionary. 

I know this church is true. I know God has a plan that is perfect, and I know that He loves us and is watching over us. Whatever happens we just need to trust in Him and it will all turn out fine. I love you all. Talk to you next week. 

To  Heaven and Back

Hermana Davis

7/7/2018 - Happy 4th of July! - New mission President!!

Hey everyone.

So this week was super crazy. First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!

 On Monday for p-day Hermana Robinson and I celebrated 4th of July and it was super fun. I got decked out in my American headband and socks and wore red white and blue it was super cool. Then I made hamburgers with bacon and she made cookies. It was so good!! We feasted it up. It was super fun. 

On Tuesday we had a cool spiritual moment. So we were walking to a lesson and we passed a little girl sitting outside. We passed her and said adios and kept walking, not really thinking anything of it. So then we went and were on our way to our lesson when we both felt the need to go talk to the mom of the little girl. So we walked back and asked to talk to her mom. But a lady came out and we started sharing with her. It was the little girls aunt. So we started sharing and she had shared with missionaries before but wasn't ready she said. So we felt the need to read the Book of Mormon. We were reading and she said that she had passed through hard times and knew God was watching out for her and so she wanted to learn more. We have her a Libro de Mormon and then we set an appointment. When we returned she has read everything we gave her to read and said she felt really really good. She accepted a date to be baptized. It was really cool that the Lord really does help us if we listen. Her name is Joaquina.

 On Wednesday 4TH OF JULY WOOHOO !!!

We found another vaso escogido. So we decided to go visit a little old lady that Hermana Robinson had found with her last companion but never could visit her again. When we walked in there was a guy sitting there. We started teaching them. His name is Ariel and he has 19 years. It is the son of the little old lady. He is super cool too. He doesn't go to any church because he has studied the Bible of all the churched have something that doesn't go with the teachings of Christ. He said he always prays in HIS way and we asked what HIS way was and he said he was studying the Bible and we need to talk to God and give him thanks and ask for the things we need but we need to do it all in the name of Christ. That is exactly how we pray. He had really good questions and we also felt the need to read the Libro de Mormon with him. As we read he said it was very interesting and that he wanted to study more. He is super cool. 

Thursday we met our new Presidente de la Mision, Presidente Hansen. He is very very different then Presidente Wilson but I think he is going to do really great things for the mission si o si. We have a mission song now and a theme, Arriba Juntos. It is pretty cool. And Hermana Hansen is super cute she doesn't speak any Spanish poor thing. But it was so cool because she asked Hermana Robinson to be her translator!!! I was so proud watching her. Hermana Robinson is basically Latina. It was so cool. They also asked her to give her testimony. It was very spiritual.

 Then we had to go to Asuncion because Friday was had our Meeting with all the Leaders of the mission. But Presidente wanted us to ride back with him. So Hermana Robinson and I got to ride back with him and Hermana Hansen. We got to get to know them and share stories from our mission. We also got to update them a little bit on some of the rules we have. It was really fun to talk but I have talked so much in English lately it hurts my brain to have to translate everything from Spanish to English. Thursday night we were in Asuncion and we got to go on splits with the Hermanas that are in that area. Its called Herrera. It was fun. Friday was very spiritual. We had our consejo de lideres. It was super cool to see how different it was.

 I can't even tell you all how spiritual it was. It was super great. And Presidente said he spoke Spanish on his mission but not really since so he is trying to remember everything and he is doing pretty good but it was funny because he got up and looked at us and said (in Spanish) Wow I know what your all thinking our Presidente can't speak Spanish... (then he paused) and you are correct, but I have the Spirit and that's what matters most. It was super funny and cool to see how much faith he has to rely on the spirit. 

Friday night we traveled back to Oviedo and got here pretty late. Saturday we walked a ton. We had lessons in like all 4 points of our area. But we had good lessons and got to press service and help a member move. It was really nice. And that brings us to Sunday. It was VERY VERY COLD. 

Guys, Paraguays weather is super bipolar. I thought Utah was bad but no. Paraguay man is a whole new level. Yesterday it was probably 100 degrees and today it felt like maybe 5. It rained all day as well. But the work continues. We were able to visit some good people. One of the people we are teaching, Diego, couldn't come to church because he had to get a ton of stitches in his hand from a futbol accident. And Maicol, his grandpa took him to the Catholic church with him and said he couldn't go to church with his Grandma. So its been a little rough for him. Maicol isn't gonna be baptized on the 14. His grandpa doesn't approve and he is scared to tell his grandpa how he feels so he isn't gonna be baptized. It is really sad because Maicol is very sweet and he knows its true. He is more ready then anyone else I've met. But his grandpa said no. So now Maicol is really torn up because he wants to be baptized but can't. I feel really bad for him. But I know that God has a plan that is perfect and that He is running things here.

This week my testimony has grown a lot. I like a quote that says God will guide your footsteps if you are willing to move your feet. I know that is true. If we are willing to listen to the Spirit and act on the promptings we receive, He will guide us to exactly where we need to be. 

I testify that that is true. I am so grateful for all your support I hope everything is going great!

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To Heaven and Back!

Hermana Davis