A Baptism This Week

June 23, 2014

¡¡Hola!! 

We are playing it safe since being robbed and trying to stay in more populated areas after dark.  The only problem is it gets dark at like 5:30 and then we still have about 3 and half hours of proselyting to do, so it limits who we can go see, so that´s a little frustrating.  I really didn´t have anything of value with me when we were robbed, just copies of stuff.  The mission has all the original copies, so that´s good.  I´m definitely more wary of motorcycles now though, but Hermana K____ is so fun and positive we haven´t let it stop the work.  We have a good time together. 

We actually had a baptism this last weekend.  It was of a little boy named Tobias.  He just turned nine.  He´s mom is a member, but a little less active.   She was starting to get active again, but she just had a baby so she can´t bring the baby really out yet, but she was able to come to her son´s baptism so that was good.  There are quite a few people in that house who aren´t members so we hoping that this baptism will be a good example.  But it was a lot of fun! And Tobias was pretty happy!  

We had divisions this week too with the Sister Leader Trainers.  Hermana W____ is in San Lorenzo now so I went there.  I had divisions with her when I was still new in the mission training center, so it was fun to go out with her again.  We taught this one lady who had been sharing with the missionaries for quite some time, but she just didn´t want to get baptized yet. We brought the elders anyways to have her interviewed just to see if she was ready.  Anyways, we had a lesson with her before and there were four missionary teaching this lady, resolving her doubts.  It was kind of fun.  It was a like a team, four missionary minds and the Spirit fighting against the adversary.   I think she got baptized this weekend so it worked. 

Really though, they call it missionary work for a reason.  It´s hard work, but we have the promise if we are worthy the Spirit will help us to know what to say and where to go.  I have a huge testimony now that all good things come from God and if it isn´t good it´s not from God.  It´s as simple as that, white and black, so if you have doubts or are afraid just know that those feelings do not come from our Heavenly Father.  He wants us to be happy and find peace in this life.                                               

We celebrated Hermana K____ birthday this week and that was kind of fun. She´s 20 now! The other hermanas next door planned a little surprise party one night. They put tons of balloons in the apartment and made brownies and bought pizza, so we celebrated.  Then Hermana K_____and I made cake and had our own little celebration too for lunch.  The cake was pretty good... well except for the bottom got a little burned.  Oh well it´s the thought that counts! 

I decided though, being on a mission, I want to learn how to cook, because I really don´t how.  The Paraguans just cook, they don´t really use recipes, but they make all this delicious stuff.  So that´s my goal, to learn how to cook... but it might have to wait until after my mission because I don´t have a whole lot of time.  But I am learning a little!                     

So that´s basically all with me!  I can´t believe there are so many people coming home soon, I feel like time is just flying on my mission, but maybe it´s different from this side.  I already have more than 7 months out!!  But we do the same stuff day in and day out so the days really kind of all blur together. 

I love you guys and hope everyone is doing well!! Have a wonderful week and ROHAYHU!!  

Hermana Amy Lindsay

We Might Have Gotten Robbed

June 16, 2014

¡¡Hola !!  

So first things first.  I guess I should tell you the most "exciting" thing that happened to me.  Saturday we might have gotten robbed.... Ok not might have I did, by two guys on a motorcycle.  But don´t worry, both me and Hermana K___ are fine!  And really there were a lot of things I was grateful for. 

Usually I carry my personal scriptures and my pictures of you guys with me when I´m proselyting, but for some reason that morning I didn´t feel like bringing all that stuff.  Spirit!! So they didn´t take that much stuff, just a tiny bit of money and a Book of Mormon, (because they actually just took my whole bag), and some other little stuff that was in my bag, like my umbrella, and my hymn book, and little stuff. Oh and our phone and keys, so we had to go track down where our owner lives to get in to our apartment and luckily we can borrow the phone of the hermanas that live next door to us.  

Today I´m going to at least buy a new bag so I can carry around my stuff.  Onto to my third mission bag whoo!!  But really I´m fine!  Kind of an interesting start to a new area.  Maybe they´ll realize that robbing missionaries really doesn´t have a purpose.  But ya, so that was Saturday.  

This week we also had a zone conference which was fun.  We got together with several of the zones and had some good meetings and had a really good lunch and now we are just prepared to hit the ground running in this area.  I really do love this area and I love Hermana K_____, she´s a pretty hard worker, so we are going to have lots of success here, I can just feel it!! 

We are actually going to have a baptism this weekend for a little boy who´s mom is less active.  She was getting active again, but she just had a baby so she´s been recovering from that and the baby was really tiny.  But Tobias is really excited to get baptized so we will be working with him a lot this week to help him get ready.  Little kids are awesome; they are just so receptive to the spirit, I love it!! They are just so willing to follow Jesus Christ.  It´s going to be a fun week. 

Also, tomorrow is Hermana K_____´s birthday so we will doing something fun to celebrate, probably go get pizza and make a cake today or something like that.  As for my apartment, it´s really actually pretty nice.  There are two rooms and a kitchen and a bathroom which is a step up because my last apartment was just one room and a bathroom, so I enjoy having a little more space.  The only thing that´s weird is our shower, it just comes out of a little tube, but it´s hot water! So I really can´t complain!!

The members here are awesome!  We don´t have as many lunch appointments as my last area, but the few we do have are always delicious!  This one Hermana, Juliana just cooks so good!! But she cooks a lot... and then gets offended if we don´t eat a lot so we walk away really full from her house, but it´s fun really.  Honestly, I wouldn´t want to be in any other place right now.  I know that it is the Lord´s work and that He is protecting us.  All of the great missionaries in the Book of Mormon went through great afflictions before they had success.  Alma and Amulek were in prison for three days but afterward they were able to change so many lives and bring people to the waters of baptism.  So, it was kind of annoying to have two guys just come take my stuff, but really it could have been worse and I know that everything happens for a reason.  Sometimes the Lord gives us trials to make us stronger. 

I want to work even harder this week!! I love the Lord, I love His Gospel, and I love this work!  I know that the message we are bringing to people is true and the Jesus Christ really restored his church on the earth again.  I know that this is that church!  Hope you have a great week!!

Everyone at home are always in my prayers!   All is well and Rohayhu!!

Hermana Amy Lindsay

I´m in Ñemby

June 9, 2014

¡¡¡Hola!!!

So, I´m in a new area!!! Right now I´m in Ñemby.  It´s actually not too far from Asunción. My area has a lot more campo (countryside) now, so that´s fun.  It´s kind of like a mixture of city and interior, but I love it already.  I´ve just been so happy from the minute I got here on Wednesday,  I don´t even know why, but I guess it´s because it´s just where I need to be.  It´s fun, I see a lot more chickens and cows just roaming around.  They actually have a ward here, so that´s different for me and they baptize quite frequently.  The elders in our ward just had a baptism this last Saturday. 

There are six missionaries in this little ward and all North Americans, it´s kind of crazy.  My companion is Hermana K___, and she has about 10 months in the mission.  We get along really well, she´s a really good teacher, and she is really excited about the work so we have lots of fun together.  We also live next door to other Hermanas that our in our ward too.  Hermana R___ and Hermana W___.  It´s fun, it´s kind of like college and we are in each other´s apartments quite a bit.  Then there is Elder A___, he actually goes home this next transfer and Elder C___  and he actually just leaned over from the other computer and told me to tell you "Hola 208" Haha... I don´t know I guess because he´s from Idaho too.   

Anyways I´m super happy here and I´m excited to be doing the Lord´s work.  Every day is precious because time just seems to fly by so fast, but I´m happy to be here in Paraguay.  There really isn´t anywhere else or anything else I´d rather be doing right now than preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know that this is his work and I know that we have a message that not only blesses lives, but makes them better and brings them happiness.  I hope all of you recognize that blessing.  This work is not easy but so worth it.  I just finished Elder Ballard´s book, "Our Search for Happiness" It´s a great book to read for members and nonmembers alike.  Especially if they want to understand more about the church and why we do what we do and why we believe what we believe, because really, this life is time to find that happiness and to live our lives more in harmony with that of the Savior´s.

That´s basically all from me for this week, I´m just kind of getting adjusted and learning the area.  This week we are going to work super hard and find lots of miracles. Oh ya, and we didn´t get any of the flooding here so that´s good. We are safe and dry, but today we are going to try and find some boots for me...just in case. 

All is well with me.  Enjoy your week and Rohayhu!

Hermana Amy Lindsay

Layering is going to be my best friend!

May 26, 2014

¡Hola!

So good news, my companion is feeling much better, so we were able to work this week, bad news is, it´s cold.  Today is actually nicer, but the past few days I´ve had to unpack my coat and scarf and gloves to stay warm, and we had to pull out the heaters.  I never thought Paraguay would get to that point, but here we are.  I´ve never minded the cold, but that was when the houses had heating and insulation and I didn´t have to walk around in it all day.  Layering is going to be my best friend this winter.  It´s hard though, because no one really wants to talk to you because it´s so cold, but we are still finding miracles.  

I guess my miracle for the week was our investigator Luz.  There was awhile that we couldn´t find her.  She was never home and when she was, she was busy and didn´t want to share with us.  Turns out that she had heard something she didn´t like about the church, but I think she missed sharing with us, because when we finally were able to sit down with her again.  You could see the spirit touch her heart and she has actually been setting appointments with us.  This weekend she even went with us to a baptism.  This weekend the stake did something called a baptismo wasu, where all of the missionaries in the stakes and their converts got together to all be baptized in one area.  It was kind of fun.  Kind of like a normal stake baptism, but for them it was something different, although most of the missionaries didn´t really know what was going on and there was a lot of stress.  Everything worked out fine though, and I think it was a cool experience for all of those who participated and it was a good thing for Luz to see as well.  

Now we are just going to focus this week on finding new people to teach. I know the Lord is preparing people in this area, we just have to find them!  

This week we had some visitors from the states.  This student from BYU is doing his senior project here.  He´s into the whole film thing like Joey, but he came here with his Dad to shoot a video, to help missionaries understand the culture and what the people are like here before their missions. He wanted to go to Argentina because that´s where he served his mission, but it´s pretty dangerous with his equipment right now, but his Dad served here so I think that was fun for them.  I think it´s an awesome idea though! Watching him film the members this past Sunday was a blast.  They take great pride in their country and they know exactly what sets them apart. The idea is to work with the church to do this for missionaries all over, but he has to have the finished project first before the church will consider it, but seeing all of his equipment reminded me of Joey! 

Oh and I believe it´s Poppy´s birthday this week, so wish him a ¡Feliz cumpleaños! from his favorite granddaughter...who is in Paraguay and that I´m very glad that he´s "still alive" ;)

Anyways all is well with me for now.  Hope everyone has a great week! Work hard.  Follow the Spirit.  Remember the Lord in all that you do!

Rohayhu

Hermana Lindsay

Six Months Out

AHHHHHH!!! I can´t believe that I already have six months in the mission. How did that happen?? It just feels like yesterday that I was on the plane headed to Argentina and now I only have a year left.  It´s weird, because I´m still in my first area.  I´ll have been here for 5 months when I leave, but I don´t want to think about leaving Pinozá just yet.  I love the members here and there is lots of work to be done.  I´m actually in one of the nicer areas.  Our church is really big in comparison.  My companions last area didn´t even have a church, so the members here are very blessed.  They are few and far between, but they are a good bunch and they are all like family.  

We are working with a little girl, Helen.  She is the daughter of one of our other investigators, Alma.  Alma can´t get baptized just yet, but Helen is going to turn 8 very soon and she loves the church and always goes with her grandma and aunt (her aunt is like the same age as her so they are more like cousins) who are members.  She wants to get baptized, so we are going to start working with her. Little kids really can feel the spirit more strongly, they are more humble and they know the truth.  That´s why Christ teaches we should become as little children.  They are innocent and submissive.  If only it were that easy! But like I keep saying, that´s what the atonement is for! So we can become better every day. 

We got to go to the Temple last week.  The temple here is small but sooo pretty.  The minute I walked through the doors I felt at peace, like I had come home.  I enjoyed every second and I didn´t want to leave because I won´t be able to go again for another year.   I want everyone to be able to feel that peace in their lives and as a missionary I can help them obtain that goal.  It really is the Lord´s house.  I’m definitely going to make attending the temple a habit after my mission.  

A dog gave me a nasty bruise on my arm.... last week!  I´m not even sure how it happened.  We rang the doorbell and the dog was barking through the fence and then the lady came out and I turned to talk to her and all of sudden there was a pain in my arm, but then we ended up sharing with this lady and the dog wasn’t vicious when we passed through the gate so I don´t even know what happened.  But it looks and feels like someone punched me.  Haha, but at least it wasn´t a bite.  That´s still my biggest fear here. 

We spent a lot of this week going to the hospital for the problems my companion was having. They don´t really explain what´s wrong here, they just give you the medicine and send you on your way, so Hermana was a little frustrated, but she is feeling much better now so we are going to work super hard this week to pick things back up from that lost time.  Luckily the hospital is super close to our area so we didn´t lose too much proselyting time.  

Thursday was La día de la madre here, or Mother´s day.  The day before, the Branch had an activity to celebrate.  People sang, and danced, and read poems in Guarani.  It was super fun.  The elder´s quorum put it on and I´ve never seen them all so excited for an activity before.  There was lots of food.  The typical food of Paraguay.  There was empanadas, milaneisa, and of course sopa!  and cake, but we had to leave early so we didn´t get any of that.  

Then on the actual Mother´s day we had lunch with a less active member.  I just love the Paraguayans, their hearts are so big.  Two weeks ago she gave us lunch, but she wasn´t going to be home so we just took it with us.  Well we didn´t have any forks so we asked for some and so then she thought that we didn´t have any forks, like at all, so during lunch she brings out this sack and says, "Hermanas, I have a gift for you"  And she had gotten us 4 cups, two plates, and two forks.  They really do have the biggest hearts here! 

This week we are going to focus on finding a miracle.  We decided that we needed to work on our faith and so we are going to do just that.  This is the Lord´s work and so I know miracles are possible, you just have to pray with faith and following the promptings of the spirit and keep your heart open because a miracle could just be disguised as an everyday occurrence so you have to look a little harder to find them.  But God is a God of miracles.  I´m so grateful to be a part of this great work! I hope all of you are striving everyday to find the miracles in your life!

Rohayhu! 

Hermana Amy Lindsay