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

The baptism of the Arrua family

The Sweetest Moments

This week, to be downright honest, was one of the hardest weeks of my mission.  For the first half of the week, it was 100ish degrees, and since Thursday it has been raining, and we have to have raincoats and sweaters. Bipolar, seriously.

We were kind of bummed, there were a lot of people this week that we had to drop, and at one point we just looked at each other and were like...???  What the heck are we supposed to say to that??  For example:

We contacted a lady named Emilce like 3 weeks ago, and we have been talking with her ever since, she just doesn't go to church.  We went to her house again on Thursday and she answered the door with huge purple bruises all over her body.  We were like...oh flip. She let us in and then promptly told us that she doesn't believe in God anymore, because what kind of God would let her husband abuse her like that?  If He is all powerful and all knowing, why didn't He do anything?  She said that she has decided that if her husband comes back, she won't be responsible for what she is going to do to him.  I honestly thought to myself, "I got nothing."  Its like I know that He loves us, and sometimes we don't understand why we have to go through some trials, but she didn't want any of it.  It made us so sad, and we can't let it get us down, but just the same. We will go back next week after it dies down a little and see what we can do.

I have been thinking about the whole attributes of Christ thing,  I think we are sent to different areas to learn, develop, and strengthen certain attributes.  For example, in Palma Loma I learned humility, patience, and love.  In Salado, faith, diligence, and obedience. The hard part is keeping the other ones strong while we are developing new ones...dangit. But that is just how it goes, I think.

We finally got to the end of this week, and it ended so wonderfully with Alejandro's baptism. Seriously, this kid is going to do something awesome, like reactivate his whole family. We taught them about tithing on Wednesday, and his mom told us on Friday that Alejandro asked her if he could wash the dishes, but that she would have to pay him so that he could pay his tithing:) We giggled a little:)  It was freezing cold and raining buckets Saturday night, but we still had like 30 people at the baptism, with the entire family of Alejandro. The spirit was so strong, and the mom was so happy. She told us that we were "una grande bendicion para su familia."  Sincere compliments like that don't come very often, so that was really nice. It was such a good feeling to see them all there for the first time in 15ish years.

After Alejandro was baptized, we were waiting outside the bathroom with his mom, and she just started to cry.  It kind of shocked us a little bit, because she is someone who is really closed, she doesn't really ever show her emotions.  We gave her a hug, and she told us that Alejandro had told her that his new goal is to get his dad to go back to church. SO....then WE started to cry, and I can honestly say that this moment was one of the sweetest of my mission.  It made this whole last week worth it.  I can't express how grateful I am to be here and witness the changes of heart that the Atonement can bring.  It is so wonderful, and I am so happy.  It stinks sometimes, but these sweet moments are what make it all worth it.  I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and I know that what we have will help whoever wants to receive it have a better life, full of sweet moments and tender mercies.  I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!

Love,
Hermana Farish

Alejandro with his family at his baptism

WHEW...

This week has been CRAZY.  With a capital C. R. A. Z. Y.

We had two baptisms this week, the Arrua Family (well, half) was baptized this Saturday!!!  We didn't know if they were going to be able to until Wednesday, when she told us that her husband had given her permission!!  Thank you for your prayers, and we have officially decided that we are going to fast every weekend, because it has brought us such miracles.

Another miracle that happened was yesterday.  Background: Last week we contacted a member referral, and she came to church!  On Tuesday, the member told us that she had fought with her and that she wasn't too interested anymore...we were kind of bummed.  A lot.  To make it even worse, this week we literally had NO TIME to contact Jessica (the referral) again, but we called to see if we could pass by Saturday night after the baptism, and she didn't answer, so we left a voice mail.  We weren't expecting too much, but hey, fasting is awesome. We had to go bring someone to church, and on the way, we found Jessica, walking to go to church.  We were like...I stand all amazed.  She now has a baptismal date for August 15th, and we hope that we can help her to continue to have a good experience at church and progress to baptism.

Something that I have learned this week...lots:)  But the main thing that I learned was that it doesn't hurt to have a little faith in the Lord.  Lots of times during my mission things have happened where I thought...wait.  I totally expected that NOT to happen.  I had faith that what I wanted to happen would come to pass.  But...unfortunately, it just doesn't happen that way.  Heavenly Father knows us perfectly, He knows how we have felt, what we are feeling, and what we are going to feel, and, according to that, will put us in situations that will help us to improve the most.  Lots of times when the people tell us their problems, or some trials that they have had, I think on what my mom told me..."Sometimes as a missionary we feel like we need a degree in psychology." which is totally true.  I have felt so inadequate sometimes.  Luckily, we have our Heavenly Father, who knows the other person perfectly, and will help us to say the right things through the Spirit.  One of the ways that we can know that we are a successful missionary is if we feel the Spirit testifying through us.  I am not perfect, but there are moments when my testimony is strengthened as I try to help others feel what Heavenly Father feels for them.

I love this work, and I love the people here in Paraguay.  I hope that you all have a good week, it looks like last week at the reunion was a party!  I love you!

Love,
Hermana Farish

The Arrua Family

Man Eating, Dinosaur Riding Blondes

So...yeah.  This week was pretty sweet.  We were able to see a lot of miracles and laugh a little.

First off, Thank you Jill and Family for the package!!  It was so fun to receive, and Ashlyn, you are so beautiful!  Thank you for sending me your announcement!

Second off,

We were nearing the end of our day, and all of our plans had fallen through, so we went to the main road and decided to contact everyone we saw until the end of the day...and...we got to the road and it was empty.  Not a soul, until we saw that there was a security guard in his little box thing, writing Jesús te ama (Jesus loves you) on the windows.  So we were like...okay, sign.  So we went to talk to him, and after we figured out how to get his attention, he came out and began to talk to us.  We talked to him about the Book of Mormon, and when we offered it to him, he declined by describing to us a dream that he had supposedly had.  In this dream, he had seen  2 girls, one with brown skin and the other a blonde, and that they were enticing all of the men to go to them and then they proceeded to eat them. And then rode off on their dinosaurs.  I kid you not, that is what he said.  While trying not to burst out laughing, we were like...if you don't want it, just say no, we won't bite.  We thought it was pretty funny:)

On the more spiritual side, we had a wonderful week.  Eduardo, an investigator from Palma Loma, was baptized on Saturday, and I was able to call and talk to him a little.  He has progressed so much and just goes to show how the gospel can change our lives for the better, it doesn't matter what we have done.

We have 3 people with baptismal dates for this weekend, but we aren't sure if any of them are going to make it, because Satan is working hard on them.  We have the Arrua Family.  The elders worked a lot with them, but could never get them to commit to a date, because the husband doesn't want his wife to get baptized.  We were able to put a date, and we fasted with them on Friday so that they would be able to reach this goal.  Yesterday, Ramona (the wife) still wasn't sure, so she talked with the bishop, who told her to wait until she had the approval from her husband. We were kind of ticked, but then we realized that it would be better that way.  We think. Keep them in your prayers!!

Other than that, we are just working hard, finding new people.  When we fasted on Friday, we tried hard to find new people that would accept the baptismal invitation.  We found 2!  Juana lives behind our house, and we had talked before with her mother-in-law, but we had never tried to talk with her. When we prayed before leaving to start proselyting, it came into my head that we should go and talk with her.  We went and were able to have a great lesson on the Plan of Salvation.  The other miracle was Joana.  We had contacted her house before, but she was way busy with her kids, so we finally followed up and had a lesson on repentance.  She had her first baby when she was 17, and since then has been involved with drugs.  She is awesome and is ready to start over.  Our last miracle was Jessica.  She was a referral from a member and we contacted her mom on Wednesday, and then we went back on Friday.  She told us that she would come to church, and she did!  She came because she has a friend who is member, and a wonderful example of how members should be.  There are lots of people who don't want to talk with us because of bad examples, but if they have had a good example, there isn't anything better:)

The time has gone by SO FAST.  Seriously, it seems like yesterday that I was crying my eyes out in the airport before leaving.  And now, everyone is asking me "are you ready to go??", and I am like...no.  Not even a little  bit.  Normally we don't receive our travel plans until our last transfer, so I think that is when I will be receiving them.

Anyway, on a more trunky note,  EVERYONE asks us if we have boyfriends.  It is RIDICULOUS. It makes me think that the main topic of conversation with the elders was their girlfriends, because the first thing they ask is if we left someone.  Eesh.

I hope that you all have a good week, thank you for all of your support, and now that Josh is in the field (okay, weird,) keep him in your prayers!!  I love you!

Love,
Hermana Farish

Rolls Dude!

Dear Everyone,

This week went so well until I opened up my email and realized that Josh will be leaving this week...what in the weird!! I know that he will be an amazing missionary and will be able to help so many people.

We had an awesome week this week, lots and lots of rain, but it was fine.  We had zone conference on Thursday, and it was a little different than usual.  President McMullin spoke about the dangers of pornography, and how, in a world where it is shown everywhere, we can protect our minds, spirits, testimonies, and companions.

He told us to close our eyes and make a video.  We were like...what?  But he had us think of the day when we will be sealed in the temple.  He said, you need to plan every single detail, from the paint on the walls of the sealing room, to the chandelier.  He told us that if we can make this our goal, if we can have this video playing constantly in our minds, we will not have a problem with the pornography, because we know what awaits us in the temple, on the day that we are sealed to someone for the eternities.  We will be able to look away and not have that temptation, not even go near that line.  It was a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish, and what needs to happen in order to get there.  I am so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge that we have.  It is so...so...dunno, so precious a gift.

This week we found a lady named Jessica, we did follow up on a street contact, and we were able to talk with her for a few minutes.  She is a single mom with a 3 year old girl who has severe brain damage due to a leak in the bag that the baby was in while she was in the tummy(sorry, I don't remember what it is called in English).  She is amazing and we are planning on helping her out a lot.

I am surprised how much I thought of home this week.  Everyone asks me how much time I have, and when I say 11 months, they are like..AHHHH you are almost done, are you so excited and blahblahblah, and I have tried so incredibly hard to not think about it.  Today my plaque fell off in the bus and I was freaking out.  I felt so...off without it. I am trying so hard not to be trunky, because I know that I will regret it afterwards.

The popes visit was ridiculous.  There are reruns still playing on most of the channels of all of the miracles he did...and how is it that he can heal people?  I have been trying to think it through but I can't figure it out.  There is the scripture that talks about how all of the people who said to Jesus that they had done miracles in his name but he didn't know them...no se.

I am doing fine, loving life, working hard.  Sometimes I feel so inadequate that I let my faith down a little, but I am working on that.  In Palma Loma I learned patience and humility, and I am here to learn about faith.  It is so interesting how there is something specific to learn in every area.  I cannot even express my love for these people.  I love helping them, I love feeling the spirit with them, and I love them so much.  I love being a missionary, and even though it is the hardest thing that I have ever done.  It is so worth it, so incredibly worth it.  Thank you for giving me this opportunity to come here and learn how to be a good servant of our Lord.

Also, Eduardo, from Palma Loma will be baptized this week!!  Junior also will be baptized this week!!!  Also, Vicente, was a reference from a member, has a date for the 1st of August, we will see how that goes!!

I love being here, I love the cool weather, and I hope that you all have a good week!

Love,
Hermana Farish

My "Homemade" Rolls

Ai Húepate (FLIP in Guarani)

Bueno...

We had a huge miracle this week.  Eduardo, after two months, will be getting baptized this Saturday! He came to church yesterday, and we had an amazing lesson with him afterwards.  He was so prepared, and it was a huge blessing from the Lord that we even found him.  Something else that was a blessing was Teli.  She is the ex-partner of Eduardo, and she was born into the church, but never really had a testimony.  She decided that she didn't want anything to do with the church when her dad, who was a returned missionary and active, committed suicide.  We began to talk with her and read the Book of Mormon, and she is now active.  It has been such a blessing to be able to work with her and Eduardo.  Teli told us yesterday that she has changed so much, as well as Eduardo.

This just adds to my testimony of the Book of Mormon, that it was inspired and that it is a precious gift from our Heavenly Father.  I know that He loves us because he gave us the Book of Mormon to help us change our lives and the lives of those who surround us.  We began reading it as a mission to help us learn to better use it to help the people we teach. As I read it, the phrase, "The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion," came true!! Elder Neil L. Anderson gave us a promise when he said:

"First, find scriptures in the Book of Mormon that you feel and know are absolutely true. Then share them."

If we have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon, we can know for certain that all of the other points of doctrine iin the church are true.  It is absolutely essential.   I was thinking the other day...I have come to depend so much on the book of Mormon, and when I finished it, I was like...Now what??  Read it again, and again, and again.  It is something that will never grow old.

My biggest challenge this week was to not work with the "Its the last week of the transfer" mindset. It surprised me a lot how much I struggled with it.  But it all worked out, with Eduardo's baptism. I may not even be here, but igual no mas.  We find out our transfers tomorrow, but I have no idea what is going to happen.  President is kind of unpredictable. One thing that was hard as well was that a lot of people said that I would be the sister training leader, and I was like...um no...it was kind of like...it could happen but I would prefer that it didn't.  And I didn't get a call yesterday, so whew, we're in the open.

Speaking of time, can you believe that it has been 11 months?  It has gone by SO FAST...Marcus Alton (he's in the south mission) heads home this change...everyone is going  home!!  Have you seen Susan Hutchins?  She should be home by now...this is so nuts.

Anyhoo, I love being a missionary, and Eduardo's baptism makes all of the stuff we have to put up with worth it.  I was thinking the other day, I love Paraguay.  Its like my type of life now.  I am so used to it that I can't imagine it any other way.  I didn't ever think that driving, or asphalt roads as a normal thing, or being on time on a regular basis would scare me...whoops.

Apart from that, not much happened, lots of rain, lots of...no se what. We find out transfers tomorrow, so we will see what happens!!  I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Love,
Hermana Farish

Happy Birthday Family Diaz!

Tender Mercies of the Lord

This week has been full of lots of experiences, some good, some not so good, but from all of them I have been able to learn a lot about my purpose as a missionary and how I can listen to, recognize, and follow the guidance of the Spirit.

To start off, we found 2 atheists this week, which is really weird, because the majority of the people in Paraguay claim to be Catholic.  In my personal opinion, there is no such thing as a real atheist, because as we began to talk to them, we found one that believes in Satan, which is ridiculous because if Satan exists, so does God, and the other one was an inactive that was born in the church, but after her father commited suicide, she stopped believing in a loving God, which is reasonable, and we had a wonderful discussion about the tender mercies of the Lord, and how, every day, there is something, however small, that the Lord has given us.  Her husband isn't a member, and we look forward to working with him in the future.

We focused a lot more on following up on investigators and street contacts this week, and it paid off. We found Juana, a lady who lives in the chuchiest (fanciest) house that I have ever set foot in here in Paraguay.  I was totally out of my element:)  We talked about how faith is so important and how, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can become worthy to be in His presence again and be an eternal family.  Hermana Francani did the baptismal invitation,  I was so proud of her:)

Another miracle was that we found Paula again.  She was the lady who asked what she needed to do to be baptized, and set her own baptismal date, and then we never found her again.  We passed by late last night and found her:)  We shared a quick message on hope through the atonement. We will have a lesson with a recent convert who was a drunk before she was baptized on Wednesday, so that she knows that there is still hope for her son, who is trying to get rid of his drug addiction.

We were also able to meet with a family that was going to be baptized almost two years ago, but because of something that happened with the bishop and some other members, they decided not to, and since I arrived here in Palma Loma, we have been trying to meet with them, and finally they let us in on Friday.

Something interesting about all of these little miracles was that they all took place after a REALLY long day, and most of the time during the day is the hardest time.  I have really seen this week that when we work hard throughout the day, and when we have enough faith, Heavenly Father will give us blessings.  We talked with all of these people when we could have done something else that maybe wasn't as wise of a use of time, but we have seen the tender mercies of the Lord, like it says in 1 Nefi 20, that the Lord will shed His tender mercies on all of the people who have the faith sufficient to put in Him.

I know that the Lord loves us, and I know that He wants us to be able to achieve our full, divine potential.  I know that it is hard, and sometimes, it can be the last thing we want to do, but it is in these moments when we have to exercise our faith in Him and His ability to perform miracles.  I love you all so much, and hope you have a good week!

Love,
Hermana Farish

My "Hija", Hermana Francani

Awesomeness All Around!

We had another really crazy week...things are just insane!

To start off, on Friday, we had an amazing experience.  The mission planned an open house for a chapel in our zone, and we were invited with 3 other companionships to head over and give tours of the chapel.  We weren't sure at first how it was going to work out, but by the end, it was awesome! 

The tour started out with a recording, the one that you listen to in the visitor's center when you are in front of the Christus.  Afterwards, there were banners talking about the life of Jesus Christ, the prophets, the Book of Mormon, and the family.  It was short, but so powerful.  After that part, the people were led to the baptismal font, where elders dressed in white were waiting to explain baptism to them.  All of the auxillary organizations were there, with presentations about their specific organizations.

At one point, not a lot of people were coming in who weren't members, so we went outside to contact people and invite them to participate.  We contacted 2 youth, and it was AWESOME.  We began with the Christus, the life of Jesus, and all of that, and when we got to the family, I asked the boy about his family and it turns out his mom died about a year ago from cancer.  I was able to testify to him about eternal families, and how our message and the Atonement of Jesus Christ made it possible to see his mom again.  The Spirit was SO strong, and they gave a ton of references to the missionaries, and set up an appointment for the missionaries to visit them and their families.  Even if this open chapel was only for these two people, it was SO worth it.

On a slightly less spiritual note, we totally felt like temple square missionaries.  Seriously, we were specifically told to look professional, and with the whole tours of the church thing...we had a good time with that...laughing all day.

Also, Hilda and Zaida were baptized this weekend!  We were so happy, they both have been working with the missionaries for almost a year.  Hilda was struggling a little, because there were some nasty rumors going around that we pay people to get baptized...eesh.  Lots of people were bashing her and just doubting her decision.  But, she made it through and was able to take this huge step.  She doesn't really have ANY support from her family, and we hope that she will be okay.

Zaida's parents came to the baptism, and had a wonderful experience.  One of the members of the ward put on the video of the Restoration, and the mom of Zaida began to cry, and also cried when the missionaries sang "A Child's Prayer" for a musical number.  It was such a special experience!:)

I was reading this morning in Mosiah 4 about repentance, and when the people began to feel their worthlessness, and how they had to humble themselves and give their hearts to the Lord.  I loved when it talked about the joy that filled their souls after they received the remission of their sins.  In Alma 36, Alma is talking about his experience with repentance, and how, even though his pain and anguish was deep and bitter, it didn't even come close to the sweetness and depth of his joy when he knew that he was clean, pure, and completely forgiven.  I challenge you all to take advantage of this repentance process, humble yourself before the Lord and feel of this joy:)  I know it works, and I know that it helps us to be better and be happy.  I love this work, it is what I love to do, and I hope that we can all press forward and remain firm in what we know to be true:)

Love,

Hermana Farish

Hilda before her baptism

Zaida before her baptism

Whew!

Dear Everyone, 

Not gonna lie, when we found out we didn't have changes, we were kind of bummed, especially with the whole situation with the ward, but we have seen so many miracles this week.  I made a goal with myself to do something for my companion every day of this change.  And it has made SUCH a difference.  I began to make her bed, or make her breakfast when she didn't have time to make something, or little things like that, and it is so amazing to see the difference in our relationship.  We are good friends now, and it is so much easier to bring the spirit into our lessons when we testify and support each other.

On the subject of Jacob 5 and the pure love of Christ, I was also reading there this week, and I was thinking about our ward.  There have been so many disasters, so many people hurt or offended, that the people who have been here for a while don't really feel the spirit or see the true reason behind the gospel.  The youth are amazing, and we have some awesome converts and some less actives with some great potential.  I was reading in Jacob 5 and it was talking about how the main, old natural part of the tree died and the only things growing from the still living roots were young, tender branches (youth).  In order to save the tree, the master of the vineyard grafted in wild branches (converts and less actives), that eventually gave the same fruit as the natural branches gave at first.  So...we have to find people to baptize and reactivate.  No pressure.  

We had a lesson with a member couple yesterday, and it was on charity.  We asked him, "brother, how would you describe charity, the true love of Jesus Christ?"  And he said...tithing.  TITHING!  We were like...um, yeah, so you just failed that little exam, like big time.  This same member has been like persecuting a less active..ready for this story?

So, about 4 years ago, there was a member lady who spoke to this brother about tithing, and apparently he began to talk about her tithing problems the next day in SACRAMENT MEETING:  so, naturally, her daughter threw her shoe at him in the middle of sacrament meeting.  What would you do?  Anyway, for the last 4 years, they have been bothering this sister, like not allowing people to serve her, to the point that they told the missionaries that they couldn't visit her.  So, we went to visit her.  When we went, we clapped, she came, and asked us, "Do you know how to sing?"  We said...yes? and she said "do you know the hymn Come, Come Ye Saints?" and we said...yes? So she let us in.  We started to ask her questions, and she told us, "You aren't here to ask questions, just to sing."  So we said a prayer and began to sing Come, Come Ye Saints.  About halfway through the song, she just started to cry.  We finished, said a prayer, and left.

We went back this week and just got blown away.  Me not so much, but my companion was ripped apart.  We went back and clapped, and then she came out and just started to rip into us.  Not even us, almost everything she said was aimed at my companion.  She called her an idiot AT LEAST 10 times, and began to tell the both of us that we were just little girls here and that the only reason we came was because we didn't have anything to do at home, and really no one was going to listen to us and just a bunch of CRAP.  My companion began to cry...and that NEVER happens.  We were like...okay...?  We are pretty sure that she is just trying to put on a tough face to the world, as if to say that she doesn't need anyone else, including God.  Flip.  We were kind of a little traumatized, but we are going to go back and just love the heck out of her...can you say that?  We just hope that we have the spirit and that somehow it can touch her heart.

This week got me thinking.  Really, what have I done here?  I feel like just another person, trying to do good in a world where they want the bad because they don't know any better.  A sister finished her mission about 3 weeks ago, and when we finish we have to answer some questions, one of which is what have I left to Paraguay?  And I thought...hmm.  I don't even know.  I feel like I haven't done ANYTHING.  I am working, walking in the sun, sweating to death, and all for what?  There are still so many people who need what we have, and every time someone gets close to being baptized, Satan begins to attack like crazy from all fronts.  Not gonna lie, I was kind of depressed.  But then I found a quote from Mother Teresa that says, "My work is a work of love, not statistics." I was like...WHOAH.  We are working with lives here, almas (souls) y su salvaciòn (and their salvation).  It doesn't matter what we do if we do it with love and the desire to touch the hearts of other people, and help them change their lives.

This week was rather psycho.  We only had one normal day of work, and lots of other activities.  We had a Zion's Rescue on Saturday in another ward, so we spent the morning over there.  A Zion's rescue is when all of the missionaries and youth from the stake come to one ward and we do splits with the youth and go to the less actives in the ward.  I was able to be with two awesome young women, and it was fun to help them make contacts with people.  It kind of reminded me of when I was training and was scared to death of contacting...it helped me to see a little bit of progress:)  We were able to find 2 less actives and had an amazing lesson with one of them.  It was such a good experience to help these young women learn how to give their testimonies and help to bring the spirit into the lesson.

One awesome thing (okay, 3 awesome things) that happened this week was that we were able to teach Paula again, the lady with which we spoke last week about the Atonement.  We finished talking about the plan of salvation, and how the things that we do in this life (like baptism, for example *cough, cough*) have a huge impact on our eternal progression.  When we finished, she asked us, really quietly, "When would I be able to be baptized?"  We were like...um...this has NEVER happened before...someone is asking to be baptized!  We were on cloud nine for the rest of the day!  

2nd awesome thing-our ward has been struggling with the whole unity thing for a long time, and this week, we had an amazing attendance at the ward family night, we almost had the whole congregation there, with less actives and investigators.  We had lots of games, soccer, ping pong, Zumba...it was pretty great.  And what was even better was that it wasn't because of us.  Some of the members had called or texted some less actives and lots of members to come, and it worked, and now people are starting to build relationships with the other members, something that hasn't happened for a really long time.

3rd awesome thing-we had 5 investigators in church! Hilda Ojeda and Zaida Rodriguez will be baptized this weekend!  Hilda is 67 years old, and has an awful open wound on her leg from diabetes, and she came to church, and in gospel principles, she totally bore her testimony, and for us as missionaries, we were so happy that she has begun to develop her own faith in the prophets and the Book of Mormon.  We are teaching her to read by the Book of Mormon, and really, we can see the Lord's hand in her progress!  Zaida is 13 years old, and we are a little skeptical with baptizing younger people, but she came to church by herself, and has really shown that she has a testimony and wants to progress.

My trainer was just called to be one of the sister training leaders of the mission...how cool is that?  I was really blessed to have her as a trainer, especially as I hear of all of the horror stories from other people.

Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you, last week when we went to visit a new investigator and we started to talk about the Atonement, and this lady was so incredibly stressed about her son and his drug addictions.  She told us that she had basically lost hope.  And I felt prompted to share with her the story of the Atonement.  That thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, her son can repent and move on.  It was SO powerful, and she just started to cry.  The Spirit was there, and in this moment I was so grateful for my own personal testimony of the Atonement that allowed me to relate to this woman.  It would have been so easy to simply judge her, but to have a testimony that fit her needs was a wonderful feeling.  This was an amazing revelation for me...just that sometimes, when we have trials, they are just things that we need to overcome so that we become stronger and less judgmental, and become more like the Savior. 

Anyway, it was an amazing week, and we will have two baptisms on Saturday, just the blessings of God arriving so fast that we just don't have room:)

I have been thinking a lot about how the mission has changed me.  This is my goal, that I can permit God to change me so that when I return, I will be a faithful and useful servant to Him in all aspects of his kingdom.  I hope that I will be changed, and that I will be someone that has charity for everyone.  I found a quote from Elder Nelson, and basically he says that the decision to serve a mission and the understanding that we obtain will determine our spiritual and eternal destiny, as well as the eternal destinies of our posterity for generations.  I hope that this experience will be like that: something that will change me so that I will be what God needs me to be.  I have a LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG way to go.  Dangit.

Also, I wanted to tell everyone thank you for the mountain of letters that I received last week, I had letters that were sent before Christmas...I don't even know how that worked, but it gave me a "heart attack!!":)

I love you so much, and I hope all is well at home.  I hope you have a wonderful week!  Be happy and be grateful in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!!! 

Lovelovelovelovelovelovelove,

Hermana Farish:)  

oh my heck i love you!:)

Ward Activity

My "Heart Attack!"

He Is The Gift

Hola a todos!

How was your week? How are things going? Are you excited for Christmas?  Because I am TOTALLY excited.  For a lot of things, really.  There is a really cool video online that has been circulating through the world that is called, He is the gift.  christmas.mormon.org.  You should all go watch it.  Basically, it talks about how the real reason behind Christmas is Christ, the person who started it all.  It is really good, it would make a fun family home evening.

We had a baptism this week!  We baptized Elena and Samuel, her nine year old son.  Elena was a missionary in Guatemala and Africa for an Evangelical Church, so she has a strong Christian background.  The thing that caught her attention was that she would be able to do baptisms for her brother who died.  I don't think we realize what a priviledge that is, to be able to help the people that we love who didn't have the chance in this life to be able to have a second chance.  How cool:)

Saturday was really crazy.  One of the recent converts of my companion went to the temple to be sealed, so we woke up at 5, were on the bus by 6, and in Asunción by 7:30...yuck.  Since I wasn't involved with these people, I couldn't go inside, so we had divisions and we worked in Palma Loma (my new area) all day. My companion was Hermana Fardos.  She is from California and has a little bit less time than me, so it was fun to teach lessons.  It taught me a lot how to lead into a lesson and how to teach at all levels so the people can understand.

I received your package mom, and it was AWESOME!  My companion loved, loved, loved her stocking, she wanted to open it right then and there!  We are going to see how long she can last.  How long WE can last.

So, today we went to Pizza Hut...and on the way we passed Burger King, McDonalds, and a TGI Friday!  My mind was completely blown. It was an interesing experience to eat pizza after 5 months...bliss:)

Now that the baptism of Elena and Samuel is over, our goal is to literally search.  Clap at every house and find the people who have been prepared for the gospel.  Here in Paraguay, you only have a doorbell at your gate if you are really wealthy, so you have to clap.  It felt ridiculous at first, like the whole a kiss on each cheek when you greet someone thing, but now it is normal...how weird.

We were walking yesterday and someone drove by and yelled out in English "Hey Elderas (they don't know we are hermanas, so we are elderas, not elderes), How are you?" and then proceeded to call us witches.  Sheesh.  Some people's children.  You would think that if someone was going to learn English, they would learn something useful.

Something that really took me out of my comfort zone (more than usual) was that I was asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting with 10 minutes to spare.  In Spanish.  Something that I used was the hymn "Have I Done Any Good?" In this hymn, it asks the questions that we need to ask ourselves every day, tells us to get a move on, and then proceeds to promise us the blessings we will receive when we do what we need to. If you have some time this week, read it and ask yourselves the questions. Mosiah 18 talks about what we promised when we were baptized, and how that involves helping others.

Something that made me sad was we visited a less active on Thursday, and this lady (like 75 years old) wanted to die.  She hadn't eaten for 3 days, because she just wanted to die and go to heaven with her mom and brother.  It made me so sad, because she just didn't have anything to live for anymore. She didn't want to go outside, nothing.  So we talked to the Relief Society president and a group of us on Sunday went over to talk with her, like a visiting teaching thing. We went back today and she was 100% different.  It was a testimony to me of visiting teaching and how the people respond so much more when they know that they are valued and loved.

Yeah, life is good, I love being a missionary, even when you sweat off everything and the only makeup you have is sunscreen and bug repellent, it is the best:) I hope that you all have a good week, and remember to ask yourselves what you have done today to help someone feel the love of Christ through you.

Love,

Hermana Farish

Baptism

Baptism

The paper says "After a day of much heat"  Apparently this is what happens to makeup in humidity

Well, it is officially...winter...

Hola everyone!

You know that it is going to be interesting when it is only 70ish degrees and you are sweating like you had just ran 10 miles at 3 pm in St. George and all you were doing was walking around! And it is only spring...but whatever:)

This week went by SO fast. One of the highlights of this week was when I biffed it into a puddle of muddy, warm, mesquito filled water...yeah, it was great. I stepped off the colectivo, took one step, and faceplanted it into the water. Hermana Chempén started to freak out...but I was laughing too hard to notice...the front of my skirt and legs were COVERED in mud, and a lady walked by that we had taught the week before. She was like...¿Que en el mundo...? (What in the world) Yeah, it was pretty great. We were on our way to a member's home for lunch, and when I walked up looking all gorgeous, she just rolled her eyes and showed me to the water pump:)

On that spiritual note, we had a baptism on Saturday, Gabby Lequizamon, ll years old. When we visited her on Friday, we weren´t sure if she understood the importance of baptism and the changes she is going to have to make in her life. When we told her we were going to wait another week, she just...I don´t know, deflated. We felt like the worst people ever. But then we asked her to bear her testimony. It was one of the sweetest, most sincere testimonies. So therefore, she was baptized:) And when she was confirmed the next day...holy cow, the words, "I say unto you, receive the Holy Ghost" were so powerful, and she looked so happy.

We had several investigators come to church this Sunday, even though it rained. When it rains here, the attendance drops up to 50%. crazy. Anyways, one of these, Laura, came with her 2 year old daughter. She missed her collectivo, so she took an expensive taxi, which took her to the wrong church, but she still came! YAY! Her baptismal date is November 11, and I hope that she continues to be awesome.

One thing we really struggle with is the welfare progam and discerning the true desires of our investigators. Our area is really poor, and it looks like a jungle, with dirt roads and so much green that my eyes hurt. One of our investigators, Miguela, is like this, and we just hope that her desire is true and that we can help her to develop a testimony.

We contacted a new family this week, la familia Lequizamon. When we clapped, the guy that came didn´t even have a shirt on...we were like, oh great. But we had a great lesson with him and his wife. He changed his clothes,. and when he came back, he looked like he should be a general authority or something. and his wife looked like the next Relief Society President. It was great, except they didn't come to church...dang it.

There is this recent convert named Milciades that just loves the norteamericanas...he is a little mentally impaired, but is so sweet. He only speaks Guarani, and pronounces my Name hermana favi...yah, we had the kiosko again Saturday morning, and when we went to the church to pick it up at 6:30 am, he was there in his suit, ready for the baptism at 5 pm. So sweet.

I am playing the piano for the primary program, and am starting a weekly piano class for teens, to see if we can attract some new investigators. No one plays here, and does anyone have any suggestions on how to teach to so many different levels and needs? Just a thought.

Also, the scriptures are the Best, especially the Book of Mormon. I love it so much, and I cannot wait for General Conference this Saturday. We will also be able to see the Women's Conference on Saturday, which I have heard is the bomb.

My Spanish is coming along, people can understand me! WEIRD!! I am trying to memorize phrases in Guarani....and epically failing, but whatever.

I am so proud of all those in the deer hunt, congrats, I am glad no horses were shot:) Anyways, I hope every one has a good week, be obedient and read the scriptures, because that is how you will grow and develop your testimony so you can bear it to others:)

Love you all!

Hermana Farish

During a weird moment...

Baptism of Gabby Lequizamon

Two Weeks Down!

¡Hola!

Well, what a week this has been. It has gone by really fast, that is for sure.

On Monday, we had a lesson with a nonmember lady named Chiquita. She has a less active grandson who is struggling with lots of major issues. Our goal is to baptize her and get him help an back to church. We are trying so hard to stay positive and keep smiling.

On Tuesday, we met with a family of recent converts. My companion and her ex companion were the ones who baptized them, and so they are really close. When we got there, we were surprised to find that the mom was totally freaking out.  She told us that she no longer believed in Joseph Smith, the book of Mormon, or any part of the gospel. Hermana Chempèn did awesome, she just expressed her love for them and started to sob only after we had left. That was really hard, but when we went back on Saturday, she (the mom) said she had thought about it and was fine, so...I don't know. I also came down with a pretty legit cold. Whoop!:)

Wednesday, it was raining like crazy! We met with an investigator family for our last lesson, and it is so hard when they are such good people but they won't commit to do anything or to progress. That is what we are struggling with the most right now, helping people to keep their commitments.

Thursday, it rained again! We met with an 11 year old girl named Shirley. Shirley is so awesome. she has a testimony, she reads and marks up the book of Mormon, and tries so hard to choose the right, but her mother will not let her attend church. and because she is 11, she cannot go by herself. There isn't really anything we can do but pray and keep visiting every so often.

Friday, Hermana Favela Shared this quote with us..it is kind of long, but totally worth it.

"I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldy talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, praised, recognized, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, diverted or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table to the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stoked up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go 'til he comes, give 'til I drop, preach 'til I know, and work 'til He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My Banner is clear."   - Henry B. Eyring.

How cool is that? I thought it was pretty epic. Friday night we set up a kiosk for the Church in el centro de Luque, and I tried not to take it personally that while we were setting up, every single person moved at least 100 feet away...yeah, it was great.

Saturday, the highlight was probably the lesson with Gabi. Gabi is 11 and is going to be baptized on Saturday! YAY! While we taught her about tithing and fasting, there were pigs squealing, chickens, dogs fighting underneath my chair...the works:) About halfway through we heard a scream and turns out her sister tore a tendon in her foot and had to go to the hospital, so...we kind of left really fast. It was one of those situations where you either laugh or cry.

Yesterday, I played the piano for church and for the Primary program practice. They are trying so hard, and it was fun to be in that environment a little bit again. All four of our lessons fell through, so we decided to contact, and, believe it or not, not one person was interested. So thirty contacts later...yeah. it was rough.

The food isn´t all that different...I have grown used to fat on beef, and i am trying to force myself to like bananas and mangoes (she wouldn't eat bananas even as a baby). I love pears they are so good here, and I have lost 2 lbs! yay! I like my companion, she is way chill, a little too chill sometimes, and since it is really important to me to be exactly obedient, it is kind of hard. I don't know where to draw that line between being nitpicky and on time.

As an American, and especially with my hair, I stand out like crazy. we get a lot of honks and whistles, especially from the drunk men...We live in an apartment on the second floor. I like to think of it as a penthouse, with high ceilings and lots of windows:) I have a pretty hardcore cold, but i am on the tail end of it, so that is good.

We are counting down the days for conference. We watch it at the chapels idk when. Going to the store is crazy. they have armed guards everywhere, and you have to give up your bag at the front because there is such a high risk of theft. Sad day.

One thing that I have learned this week is that we cannot do this without the members. The members help to create a lasting and enduring base of testimony that will help the recent converts. So, my invitation to everyone is to go and find the full-time missionaries or your ward mission leaders. Ask them what you can do. They need your help, and so do the investigators and less actives. I know that when you do this, your testimonies will be strengthened, and your families, jobs, studies, and lives in general will be blessed.

Also, a huge thanks to those who helped with my family history. I love to read those stories and draw strength from them. When I think my life is hard, I read about the lives of the pioneers and about the men who left their sick wives with 10 children to go on a mission.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and remember to be obedient! I love you!

Love,

Hermana Farish