Monday, December 17, 2018

12/17/2018-Not a Day of Rest



Hey everyone this week was super crazy! We were running all over the place and we were so jam packed (ndirachori) but it was great. Lets get it started with Monday. 

So I found last week one of my old converts who after I left really fell away hard from the church. She got into some stuff she shouldn't have and didn't have any support. So I found her and it was really awkward seeing her again. But we set up a time to share on Monday and she gave us the wrong address and so we weren't able to share with her. But igual it was a good day. 

Tuesday we had entrevistas with Presidente Hansen. It was super great to see Presidente and Hermana Hansen. I love them so much, they are like my parents and they are so awesome. We didn't get home until about 5;30 so we changed super fast and went to work. But we also had plans to go caroling with a family (Familia Cordero) and so we went to their house with our Santa hats and lights and we were so ready, but the elders thought we were doing something at the church. So we went to go pick them up and we finally got to leave for caroling at a little past 8. So left and wanted to go visit our buddy Ramon. Well when we got there, we got out of the car and Ramon was so happy to see us but his wife walked up to us and was like no I don't feel like this another day. 
We were like oh Hermana we are just gonna sing for you and she was like no other day. And then she started yelling at us. She kicked us out of her house and when we tried to leave the car wouldn't start. So she was still mad and we were stuck there. So we had to push the car home like 10 cuadras o sea blocks and it was all uphill so that was a good work out. 
Then we were going to drink something cool before we went home and we lost all power in the city. So we had no power. We went to walk home and it was super sketchy because there was literally no lights and we thought someone was going to rob us. But we lived. So then on 
Wednesday we had intercambios with Lambare. We had a great day with LOTS of rain. We weren't prepared so we got drenched but we were able to find good people. Then we tried to visit Ramon again because we had a cita with him. His wife instantly came out and started yelling at the top of her lungs and screaming at us and throwing things and threatening to call the cops and chased us off her property and continue to throw things at us until we were like 3 blocks away. 
She was yelling at us to never come back and I think we are gonna have to take her up on it. At least for a little while. It is sad because Ramon is awesome and super ready but ever since his wife came back he has been miserable and never smiles anymore. But its all going to work out one day. God has a perfect plan. But poor Hermana Revatta has 3 weeks on the mission and was scared to death almost in tears. 

On Thursday we went to lambare to finish their intercambio and went straight to Pinoza to have one with them. I was in Fernando with Hermana Lefler and we made Sopa Paraguaya for the end of the year dinner here. We were also able to work hard and find new people and it was good. Hermana Lefler is super awesome and we get along really well. She is a great missionary. 

But Thursday night we had a bunch of calls because we had another companionship that had a huge fight so Friday morning we went to Pinoza and finished intercambios and I also was hanging out of the colectivo it was so busy and I burned my arm because he shut the doors on my arm (side story jaja) and we tried to find a taxi to go to libertad. Well all the taxis were on a manifestation so they weren't working that day. So we didn't know what to do because we had to have emergency intercambios with the Hermana's. I said a prayer and a taxi from San Lorenzo came flying past and I waved it down and he was willing to help us! Such a blessing. 

So Friday we got to Libertad and we had to plan and do studies with them. Hermana Fife was stressed out because she had never had to do any of that before but this isn't my first rodeo and we had to have a punto 13 o sea therapy session with the Hermana's so we could talk about their problems. It was good and we are hoping that they can start to communicate better and everything will work out. 

But by the time we finished and got back to our area we had to do weekly planning and then we left at 6 to work. Well we were able to find one person super awesome and then help our family we are working with go to the end of the year dinner at the church.
 It was super fun and the food was super good. The kids put on a little show of the birth of Christ. It just reminded me of Skyler when he was little (there is no room in the inn!) Everyone needs to go to my house and watch that family video! But it was a good night and I was finally back with Hermana Fife. 

I had missed her so much. Saturday was the first time we got to work a full normal day to work. And we were able to share with lots of people. It was good day! Cinthia told me she wanted to name her baby after me so that was super sweet. Sunday was great and Cinthia and Jorge her kid came to church. It was so cute and they had a great time. Then Sunday it has been super hot lately so we were melting but it was a good day. We found people and talked with everyone. Today we are gonna have our district activity and so we are gonna go play sports and bowl! It is gonna be super fun and Hermana Fife and I have made bets to who is going to win! Its gonna be me jaja. 



This week was great and I learned how important it is to communicate. I love Hermana Fife so much and I am so grateful because we get a long great. There has been so much drama lately and so I know that if we just communicate, we are so much happier, with our companions, our family, our friends, and our spouses. I love everyone!! Keep the chins up and Fam cant wait to skype you next week!! Its gonna be so much fun!!!!!!



--

To Heaven and Back!
Hermana Davis


Thursday, December 13, 2018

12/10/18 - What a Fun Week!!!



Hola everyone!!
This week was a tad bit insane. We didn't have a ton of time to work in the conventional way but we had an amazing week of service and Christmas filled joy!

 On Monday we decorated our house for Christmas. We made a tree and put up lights and snowflakes. I cooked and we enjoyed our day. It was good. Then we got out to work and we had a Family Home Evening with Margarita. And it was good because she had it will some other women in the ward and now she is making lots of friends. So that is really good. We also passed for Ramon again because he came to church but we didn't get to talk to him after. So we went to his house and it was late. We had to walk home so we were just going to stop and see how he was doing. When we stopped by he was drunk, but the best part is  that when he is drunk he wants to pray and read. So when we tried to just stop and talk to him he was like no Hermanas wait here I'm gonna get my book and we will read and pray and I will feel better. So he left and we read a little and prayed with him. He told us he couldn't read so we were worried because that would help him a lot to be able to read whenever he felt like drinking. But later in the week we were teaching him and he started to read a page and we both were so confused. We asked him if he could read and he was like yeah of course I can read. And we both started laughing of confusion jaja. We told him we thought he couldn't read and he asked why and we told him its because he said he couldn't. He called himself a liar and kept reading so that was funny. 

On Tuesday we did a district service project. For Light the World we went to serve and we found an older lady who hasn't been coming to church very often and we went to clean her patio and cut down her trees. I got to play with a machete it was awesome!! 
We also went to teach Cinthia again and we taught her boyfriend and they both accepted a day to be baptized. They just want more unity and help in their lives because they don't have work or money. But I know that the restored gospel is the thing that is going to help them the most. But the service took up pretty much our whole day and I only walked away with a few blisters and burn marks from making a raid blow torch jaja. 


On Wednesday we had our first full day of work and so we tried to make the most of it. We started working and we received a reference of a lady named Delsi who had shared with the Hermana's before. When we passed for her, we started teaching her and asked her if she knew the church was true, if she had the chance to pray about it. She said yes and continued to tell us one of the coolest stories of how someone got their answer. 2 days after the Hermana's had invited her to read and pray, she was watching tv and flipping through the channels and there was nothing on. Nothing to watch. So she decided to read and pray like the missionaries invited her to do. After she tried to watch tv again and still nothing was on until she flipped to one channel where an old man was testifying that the church was true. I showed her a picture of Russell M. Nelson and she said yeah it was him. He is the prophet right? And I said yes. She said yeah he was saying that this is the true church and I felt that it was right. Isn't that such a cool story? We tried to pass with her again but she was hanging out with all her friends and she only has 19 years so she was a tad bit embarrassed we had showed up. But we will visit with her again this next week.

 On Thursday we had our activity of Christmas with Presidente and Hermana Hansen. It was so much fun. We went to their house and had a devotional and I translated for Hermana Hansen. She told a story of when her son showed true charity at the age of 5 and everyone was crying of course. We also got to eat and play ping pong. I almost beat presidente. I was so close and then he was like I don't want to lose so we will stop playing here and he left jaja. I was sad but it was a lot of fun to play. Then we all showed a talent as a district and I gave the idea of synchronized swimming. We wanted to do it last year and didn't get the chance. But Hermana Fife and I worked long and hard and we got a great dance and it was super fun.

I attached the video I think so everyone can watch.
It was super fun to plan and watch the elders dance to it. We took pictures and had a blast. But it took up our day but it was so much fun! I love it because it was very focused on the family and how Christmas is a time to remember the family and the mission is a time to prepare us for our families. Weird... 

Friday we cleaned out the font and we visited Margarita to prepare her for her baptism. She is super ready and so excited. We also visited Lourdes and I got to see one of my converts from the first time I was here in Fernando named Rosie Rivas. Lets just say it was not what I was expecting but it was great to see her. We also found out our buddy Ramon has a wife jaja and so that was a shock. Saturday was one of the best days!! 

Margarita was baptized!!! She was so happy and it was such a great service. We took pictures and we got everything ready in time. Everyone came to support her and it was so cute. She was so happy when she came out of the water. She gleamed!! Also Saturday was super calm here because they have a holiday with La Virgin de Caacupe so everyone walks to a city named Caacupe to worship the virgin and so no one was here in the streets and if they were they were drunk so it was an interesting day. But it was amazing because Margarita was baptized!! I love her so much. 

On Sunday the day started off with a small miracle. So we left in the morning to go pass for Ramon to go to church. He wasn't answering but we thought igual we are going to pass. So we did but he wasn't there and then we were going to be late to church. 
We were suppose to be there at 8;15 and it was already 8;15. We started walking super fast and I felt the impression to walk on a street Soldado Ovelar instead of 15 Mayo and if I did someone would help me. So without a second thought I walked straight to Soldado Ovelar and right as we turned down the street to start walking to church a family Familia Cordero drove up to us in their car and told us to get in. They took us to church and we were late. It was a great little miracle and a testimony of how the Lord is in the little details of our lives. 

Church was awesome and Margarita was confirmed. We also got to work after church and it was good. We found a lot of people very very closed but igual it was good to be able to share and try to help serve them even though they didn't really want us to sweep or clean. It was good. 

Well this week was another great week in the Gran Mission, Paraguay Asuncion. I am so grateful for the chance I have to be here and learn how to be better and more Christlike everyday. I am grateful for the people here in Fernando and especially for my great companion who is a constant example to me. I have learned so much and I am grateful for the chance to continue to learn. I love you all! 

--
To Heaven and Back!
Hermana Davis
 

















2/4/2019 - Loving Mission Life!

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