This week was nuts. With a capital N-U-T-S. We had a division on Tuesday with Bella Vista, Hermana Harper and Hermana Douglas. I stayed in Salado with Hna Douglas, and we had a pretty good day. We contacted a ton of people, and I was able to get to know Hna Douglas a little better.
And then...Wednesday was normal, Thursday we had a multi-zone Christmas conference, which was just amazing. I do have to say though, when we watched the slide show with all of the crazy mission pictures, I just lost it. After seeing the picture of the little old lady just walking down the street with a full grown dead chicken in her hand...haha, I was like...well flip, this is my last zone conference. I am not trunky, but I am worried about leaving this place I have grown to love so much. I know that I'll survive, thousands already have, but it stinks.
On Saturday and Sunday was when we weren't able to do a lot of finding. We had to go empty the pila with buckets, which was A LOAD of fun, even more so when we turned around and saw that a piece of the ceiling had fallen off and into the font, and there were black worms in the font... I thought when I saw those and tried to squish them and the head was still moving...I was like..."how much do I love Gabby??"(the kid who got baptized). I just took a breath, imagined that this font was like the pond up at the Andrus reunion and that I had survived until now, and we got it emptied and clean and worm free. Heck yes.
We had the baptismal interview and then the end of year dinner with the ward. A fun miracle that happened was that my comp and I were outside and we saw a middle aged couple and their teenage daughter, dressed in Sunday clothes, standing awkwardly outside the church. The girl went inside and then came back out, which was weird because I had never seen them before, so they weren't members. So therefore, we went to contact them and they asked us if there was a meeting going on. We were like, well no, but there is going to be a huge dinner! Turns out that they had gone to their pentecostal church but the doors were shut, so when they saw that ours were open and that there were people, they decided to go see what was going on. We invited them in, and they stayed for the whole evening. We and the elders had put together a spiritual thought at the beginning, and we were praying that they could feel the spirit. The elders got their reference, and they are going to go see what happens!! Does that count as an attendance?;) haha, no, but it was a good night.
Sunday morning, baptism, church, ward council, there are a ton of people affected by the rising river and flooding from all of the rain so the ward has put together a relief effort, and it was amazing to see these people work in unity to help others. It was a good feeling.
Other than that, it was a good, spiritual week. I love being here in Paraguay, I love the people and all of the experiences that the Lord has let me have. I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful New Year!
Love,
Hermana Farish
Monday, December 28, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Well, Crazy Life
This week was crazy, what with changes and all, and I am now with my new companion, Hermana Noorda, from New Hampshire!! We hit it off right from the start, and we are so excited to be working together.
This week was really hot, like 115 degrees, with occasional flooding. All of Paraguay is under water, it seems like.
And, my old comp Hermana Fardos is out of danger. She is still recuperating, but was transferred to another area a little closer to the hospital in Asuncion. I was so grateful to work with her, she taught me a lot about how to bring the spirit into a lesson and how it is so necessary. I learned a lot from her.
We had changes on Wednesday, and we were able to get a lot of things done this week and find a lot of new people. We are contacting like crazy, and handing out the cards about the "A Savior Is Born". A ton of people are so much more open if we talk about just Christmas.
One thing that was interesting to me this week was that we went to follow up on a contact named Monica, but we found Maria, her mom. We began to teach her but we really didn't feel the spirit. I said a quick prayer in my head to ask for it, and just as I finished a couple of drunk guys next door began to fight and punch each other, and we were like, "oh flip". But what was interesting was that the guys just randomly stopped, sat down, and began to talk again, and it was tranquilo. When we began to teach again, the spirit was with us, and Maria was so much more open, and she accepted the baptismal invitation. Strange how the spirit works sometimes.
The work is progressing, we are working as hard as we can, and it is interesting...everyone makes trunky jokes and whatever, but I have realized that I am going to miss this place with its dengue, lice, mosquitos, heat, whatever. I have grown to love it, and it has become my world. I love this place so much, and I may or may not be freaking out a tad bit. Not too much, just a tad:)
I love you so much and I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas!! A Savior is about to be born!!
I love you,
Hermana Farish
This week was really hot, like 115 degrees, with occasional flooding. All of Paraguay is under water, it seems like.
And, my old comp Hermana Fardos is out of danger. She is still recuperating, but was transferred to another area a little closer to the hospital in Asuncion. I was so grateful to work with her, she taught me a lot about how to bring the spirit into a lesson and how it is so necessary. I learned a lot from her.
We had changes on Wednesday, and we were able to get a lot of things done this week and find a lot of new people. We are contacting like crazy, and handing out the cards about the "A Savior Is Born". A ton of people are so much more open if we talk about just Christmas.
One thing that was interesting to me this week was that we went to follow up on a contact named Monica, but we found Maria, her mom. We began to teach her but we really didn't feel the spirit. I said a quick prayer in my head to ask for it, and just as I finished a couple of drunk guys next door began to fight and punch each other, and we were like, "oh flip". But what was interesting was that the guys just randomly stopped, sat down, and began to talk again, and it was tranquilo. When we began to teach again, the spirit was with us, and Maria was so much more open, and she accepted the baptismal invitation. Strange how the spirit works sometimes.
The work is progressing, we are working as hard as we can, and it is interesting...everyone makes trunky jokes and whatever, but I have realized that I am going to miss this place with its dengue, lice, mosquitos, heat, whatever. I have grown to love it, and it has become my world. I love this place so much, and I may or may not be freaking out a tad bit. Not too much, just a tad:)
I love you so much and I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas!! A Savior is about to be born!!
I love you,
Hermana Farish
Monday, December 14, 2015
Dangit, Dengue
The subject line says it all: my companion, Hermana Fardos, has dengue. WOOHOO!!! For those who don't know, dengue is a mosquito transmitted disease, kind of like malaria, and it is nicknamed the bone breaking disease. Doesn't that just give you warm fuzzies? She was admitted to the hospital on Thursday and is getting out today, so we had special changes, and I am with Hermana Borjas, a local missionary from the chaco. She is awesome, and speaks Nivacle, like German and Hebrew mixed together, it is pretty sweet. She will be heading home this next week, so I have no idea what is going to happen with transfers. We will see what happens. So, we have been in and out of the hospital all week, and on Saturday Hermana Borjas and I went back to Salado for the baptisms of the Arrua family, the other half. It was awesome, and it was nice to see someone with whom we have been working for so long get to baptism.
So yeah, that was basically our week. As far as the spiritual side goes, we are studying the Holy Ghost as a mission this week, and yesterday I was reading in 3rd Nephi 19, and I looked up a reference in 3 Nephi 9:15, which talks about how Jesus glorified the name of his Father. The question that came to my mind is whether or not I am glorifying the name of Christ by my actions, words, thoughts, whatever. Just a question to have in mind!!! I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
So yeah, that was basically our week. As far as the spiritual side goes, we are studying the Holy Ghost as a mission this week, and yesterday I was reading in 3rd Nephi 19, and I looked up a reference in 3 Nephi 9:15, which talks about how Jesus glorified the name of his Father. The question that came to my mind is whether or not I am glorifying the name of Christ by my actions, words, thoughts, whatever. Just a question to have in mind!!! I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
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| The baptism of the Arrua family |
Monday, December 7, 2015
Stupid. Ostriches.
So, let me just sum up our week in one sentence:
We were attacked by ostriches.
Yep, have a good week!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
Haha, jk, but really. There is a lady who has two ostriches, we went to follow up, and we sat down outside, and the member (who came out with us on our appointment for the FIRST TIME) was first attacked by the ostrich...apparently they don't like hats. Whoops. he's probably not going to come out again...dangit. So, the whole entire lesson everyone was looking at the ostrich because they were nervous, but it didn't happen again because we beat them (the ostriches) up with an umbrella. Eesh. We finally could feel something resembling the spirit, and we were like..YES, keep going, and then the ostrich went to the bathroom. I swear like a gallon came out. My comp and I just looked at each other and just started to laugh. We were like...okay, I just give up. It was one of the funniest things I have experienced in my long life. Not very spiritually edifying, but hopefully you can laugh a little.:)
Someone told me the other day that here in the mission, we get as much experience as an 80 year old person. I am not sure it is to that extent, but it definitely helps. I am so glad that I was able to come to the mission. I know that it was the right thing and it has helped me so much to become the person that the Lord needs me to be. I have so much to learn but I know that He will help me.
I don't have a lot of time, but it was a good week, and the rest of the Arrua family is going to be baptized this weekend!! We are so excited! I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
We were attacked by ostriches.
Yep, have a good week!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
Haha, jk, but really. There is a lady who has two ostriches, we went to follow up, and we sat down outside, and the member (who came out with us on our appointment for the FIRST TIME) was first attacked by the ostrich...apparently they don't like hats. Whoops. he's probably not going to come out again...dangit. So, the whole entire lesson everyone was looking at the ostrich because they were nervous, but it didn't happen again because we beat them (the ostriches) up with an umbrella. Eesh. We finally could feel something resembling the spirit, and we were like..YES, keep going, and then the ostrich went to the bathroom. I swear like a gallon came out. My comp and I just looked at each other and just started to laugh. We were like...okay, I just give up. It was one of the funniest things I have experienced in my long life. Not very spiritually edifying, but hopefully you can laugh a little.:)
Someone told me the other day that here in the mission, we get as much experience as an 80 year old person. I am not sure it is to that extent, but it definitely helps. I am so glad that I was able to come to the mission. I know that it was the right thing and it has helped me so much to become the person that the Lord needs me to be. I have so much to learn but I know that He will help me.
I don't have a lot of time, but it was a good week, and the rest of the Arrua family is going to be baptized this weekend!! We are so excited! I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
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