Interviews with the District
A pig sleeping in the gutter! He was huge!
Elder R. and I in front of the church in Santani!
Dear Family!
Well this week was another week of traveling! On Wednesday we had a little capacitaion (training) with President McM. and his assistants. We had to travel an hour and a half to an area called Santa Rosa in my district. Well President benefited the time to give us our interviews because he rarely comes out this far! So the interview went really good! We mostly talked about the unity and what it really needs so that was a good conversation! After 5 minutes of talking he told me that I was good so we ended the interview there haha but that's okay with me!
On Saturday I had to travel back to Santa Rosa for another baptismal interview! This interview was really special. The youth didn't know Spanish she only speaks and understands Guarani. So I had to have a translator present in the interview! It went really good and she was really excited for the baptism! Turns out her Dad wants to be baptized too! But he killed someone so that will require an interview with President McM.
Yesterday. We had our District Conference! And that meant that we would have to wake up at 2 in the morning and take a bus to our conference with the members! So this was our focus for most of the week, is to try to motivate these members to go to this conference! We ended up taking 22 people with us which was really good for considering what time it was! The bus was full. So I stood up the whole ride there fighting the Zs! The conference was really good. The Leaders spoke, Elder P. spoke (he has 1 year in the mission) and we also had an Area broadcast from Elder Bednar! It was super powerful! Well on the way back I was so tired that I just laid down on the floor and slept all the way home! We got home at 6 and I was still super tired! But we were so grateful and amazed at the testimonies of the people that went!
Well this week we really feel that we found somebody that has been prepared to receive the Gospel! His name is J. We contacted his mom one day in her little washing clothes business and we asked if we could teach her and her family! She accepted and told us that her son J. really needed it. So when we arrived later that night we met up with J. and we taught him about the Restoration and when we presented the Book Of Mormon he acted super surprised, he was really quiet during the whole lesson until we presented the Book of Mormon, he then expressed to us part of his story that one of his cellmates from prison gave him O Livro De Mormon which is the Book of Mormon in Portuguese. Well he doesn't understand it so he always thought that this book was only in Portuguese! So he begged us for the Spanish copy and of course we gave it to him! He was pretty excited! He would've came to the conference but somebody stole his Motorcycle the night before!
Well family I did get your package from President McM on Wednesday! I loved all the stuff you guys sent me! I have the Tombstone pin on my backpack, I used the New York tie on Sunday and this brainteaser has been really useful in all my travels! So THANK YOU so much! :) I love you guys and I pray for you always! I will write you more next week! :)
Love.
Elder Milton
Hola Familia!
I am still in unbelief that people are in school again! Time really flies right under your nose if you arent careful! But I am sure Megan is enjoying her Senior year! And Kali and Kody are doing great also! I am super glad that all went with Fallon and her pump :) I am sure it is a little different but it should be easier! Also Happy Birthday Ryann! I cant believe she is 13...wow like I said time just flies!
Well this week was another crazy one in the ¨Real Mission¨ this week I had another division with the Zone leader named Elder P. (from Colorado! Close to Aspen hahahaha) So I had to travel 3 hours to get to his area and I stayed for three days to make use of our time working instead of traveling. The division was really good! I haven't talked so much English in a long time! We taught a bunch and I learned a bunch! I came home to my area super motivated to work and develop this area!
Well my motivation was really tested the rest of the week. All our appointments cancelled. Nobody wanted to hear us. Our Unity leader didn't come to church, and we didn't have any power in the church or our house(the same place) on Sunday! I am not going to lie I was pretty beaten up! But I kept a prayer in my heart and I tried to keep the smile on my face and we endured! It is probably one of the only weeks that I can say that I had to endure in the mission. The rest I have enjoyed! But I know that this is part of the mission and part of life. I dont want to complain but it was a good test :) I know Heavenly father sent it to me for a reason! I had to be put in place and humbled or I had to learn something, whatever it is I am grateful for it and I will continue to do as he would have me do.
With this week as it was I had a lot of time to think. I really have to find these people that are prepared to recieve the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The people that we find and that are baptized are the pioneers of this area! They are the future leaders and will be the foundation of this unity and one day branch! We need to help them prepare and help them have their testimony founded on the Rock, our Saviour Jesus Christ. So the focus for my time here willl be to find these people and prepare them. They are going to have to have STRONG testimonies which requieres A LOT of work. But nothing is impossible :) and I know I will find them!
Well this is my short message to you this week family! I hope that everyone continues to work and study with the new school year! I love and miss you all a bunch! Thank you for your love and support and especially your prayers. You are always in mine and I will write more next week! I love you!
Love Always.
Elder Milton
Mi Querida Familia!
Well needless to say I took a peek at the pictures before reading the email! And from Megan's smile I knew right away that there was a new dog in the house! That is so awesome! I am sure Kody and Megan especially are really happy and excited! A Labrador is super obedient! So you will have to teach him some commands and tricks! :) The story is really sad but ended well that you guys officially adopted him :) Trigger!
Also I still can't believe that school is almost in full swing! Man time passes too fast! But the school blessings are always super spiritual! I am glad and grateful that Mike holds the Priesthood to do this! I am grateful for his worthiness to his calling and his faithfulness. Being in Paraguay where there is a huge need of Priesthood has really filled my gratitude for the Priesthood.
Well news in San Pedro! We are teaching and talking to a ton of people! We only have 11 members in our ward and 5 less actives so 16 total members! So I really am starting from ground zero. The people are really friendly! We have one family that is on the point of being baptized, we are just helping the Dad work to gain his testimony! But the mom and three kids are ready! The family is named the L family! :)
Well this week we worked hard and Moroni had his first showing chopping down a tree this week! So first I had to climb this tree and cut the branches because it was really tall and it would hit the power lines if we just chopped it down. So after that we cut it down from the trunk with an ax! It was awesome! I got so many blisters! The Sister was really amazed, and she introduced us to her Grandson named E that was born in South Carolina but moved to Paraguay when he was 8! So he spoke a little English! It was awesome and a sign from God to find the people prepared! We set an appointment later this week! :)
Part of my calling is that I have to do a division weekly with members of my district! So this week The Elders from Santa Rosa needed a baptismal interview! The problem is they are an hour and a half away! And we can only get there from scheduled grey hounds...So Friday night we left San Pedro at 10 pm and arrived at 11:30 pm. After we split up for all of us to work in Santa Rosa for the day! So we could save time and money. So I went with Elder V from Argentina who is my brother in the mission! (Which means that we had the same trainer) so it went really good! He reminds me JM from Argentina! He was really nice and a hard worker. I also had the chance to interview the Sister that was baptized. Her name is NM. She was more than ready and had a really strong testimony! She had to be married before so that is why it took so long for her to be baptized, 2 years! So she was really set :) The division ended really good! We worked really hard and taught a lot and I got to know some of the investigators! The day ended and we encountered a problem! On Saturdays the Greyhounds leave at 6 pm in the afternoon and 1 o clock in the morning. Well we worked until 9:30 pm! So we had to take the Greyhound at 1 am...this is the real mission of Paraguay is all Elder R had to say haha. But I got home at 2:30 am and slept like a rock and worked the following day! It was an experience! I will have to do it again soon but its just so different here than in Salado!
So this week was good! This next week I will be traveling again to work with the Zone leader! Which I don't have any problem, just that his area is 3 hours away! But as Elder R said this is the real mission :) haha. But Thank you all for your love and support! Especially your prayers! I felt them so strong this week! I love you all and I pray for you always :)
Love,
Elder Milton
P.S. I am excited to get the package! I will tell you what I would like for the next one! Also read 2 Nephi 9 please and send me pictures of my mission call opening! Please :) i love you!
The Ca. Family! Before the smooch!
The double-decker bus! Named Marcopolo haha....
We were walking one day and all of a sudden this Camaro in the middle of the road was completely open blasting music! The first Camaro I have seen in 9 months! In the middle of this Cowboy town! So I asked the owner if I could take a picture with it haha....
Hola Familia!
It gives me much joy that everyone is doing good! And that the week went well! I cannot believe that school starts this week and next week for Megan! This is CRAZY!
Cleaning the temple sounds so awesome! It is something I look forward to doing one day! Maybe not encountering a rattlesnake but all of the other things sounded sooo cool and spiritual! :)
So where do I start? Well Tuesday night was a really emotional night! We had our normal ward activity which turned into the Farewell Elder Milton activity that Elder G planned out! Everyone thanked me for my service and surprisingly some of them got really emotional! Which meant I got emotional! Towards the end of the activity the Bishop approached me and gave me a huge hug and thanked me personally for all the work that I had done in Salado! I was incredibly humbled. Well this part was the easy part! The next part is that I visited the A. family and they were really sad and poor M. cried also! But I told him that I would be back soon! I visited the M. family, and the Co. family and all of them expressed their thanks to me! I was super touched! My final visit in Salado was to the Cs Family. Hermana Ca has been like a Mom to me for these past 7 months! So when the time came to say goodbye I extended my hand and she surprised me with a kiss on the cheek and a huge hug! This lady is pretty big so I couldn't escape but she cried and I cried. haha I was such a baby! Well she sent me off with that and made me promise her that she can go to the airport in a year to see me off! So I promised her that she could and told the family I would be back soon!
Wednesday morning I finished packing up and headed to the office! I had the chance to talk to President McM for a little and he told me that I was going to like San Pedro and that it would be really interesting! Haha so with that I took my double-decker bus and traveled for 8 hours to San Pedro! I was greeted by Elder Re. from Peru my new companion and 2 other Elders named Elder P. from Paraguay and Elder Ra. from Peru. Which later I would learn all just finished training in the mission. So with a young District Leader Elder Milton comes a young district! Today I will have the chance to teach my first class to them so we will see how they like it! They all work really hard and we are going to get a long great!
Well San Pedro! It is OLD it is 200 years old! But the church has only been here for 4 years. The unity only has one Holder of the Melchizedek priesthood and we need 5 to be a branch so we are working for that! Also I live in the house where we have our meetings! I feel like a Mexican monk in the monastery. Its so different! Sunday was really different but it was really spiritual! The missionaries are in charge of everything! We are teaching people how to run and to organize the church at the same time looking for new people! So it is great! But the people are really nice here! All speak Spanish and guarani! And there are a bunch of Brazilians! So Portuguese also!
My companion and I are getting along great! Yesterday he admitted to me that I am only the 2nd gringo that he gets a long with so that was an honor but not for our country haha. He is really nice but really timid so we are going to get a lot of work done! Its a little different being the Older Companion and having the cell phone and also talking to 6 missionaries daily but I enjoy it! Its a huge honor and blessing!
So these are the details of the week! And my new area! I hope that you guys can imagine it a little! But I am doing really good! I am healthy and the weather is really hot! But nothing new haha. But thank you for your time to read my letter and I will write you more next week! I love you and pray for you all!
Love,
Elder Milton
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