Week #54

Hola Familia!

Wow it seems that you guys are on the same schedule as Paraguay! I have seen a few people put up Christmas lights this week also! Except it is burning hot so it still kind of confuses me this Christmas in summer deal haha...but the lights look really good! Kody has no fear...I would NEVER go on the roof! My hands are getting sweaty thinking about it as I am typing!

Sounds like most of the plans are finalized for the big trip! I am still quite jealous! Its an old school trip back to Las Vegas! But most importantly I am super happy about this sealing! I look forward to pictures and I will be thinking a lot about you guys this week. Thanksgiving as many know doesn't exist here so I will go one more year turkeyless! But that is okay I am happy to continue to work here in San Pedro.

This week we had a good Unity Counsel and it seems that some of the members are getting motivated to work! Last week our group leader Hermano J, his daughter randomly passed out so they went to Asuncion and I guess it was a really bad anxiety attack. From what she told them I guess its from all the kids and her cousins picking on her because she is a member of the church! I felt so bad and even worse when this family was thinking about leaving the church. I talked to them and calmed them down luckily and tried to inspire them, and it worked! They came to this counsel willing to help more than ever! His daughter is doing a lot better and we are having Family Home Evening with them regularly to help them!

We did stop by the L family this week. She did not want anything to do with us. She told us she wasn't going to go to church anymore because her Mom doesn't like it. So I told her that her Mom has never been, but she has and I know that her and her family like it! So then she countered by saying that all we want to do is baptize her, so I told her if that meant saving her and her family from Hell then yes we want to baptize her! She came up with more excuses about being busy so we gave her the talk by Elder Bednar from General Conference for why we are so persistent and told her we would come by another day! It was sad, but like President told me in my interview, people always do have agency.

Hermana C is progressing so well! She will have an interview this week with President McM and we are planning for a baptism this Saturday! She is ready and she has changed so much. The only thing we are worried about is she is under conditional freedom, so it might be postponed but President will know what is best!

Thank you for the support of my pictures! :) haha something about Elder S just says to mess with him. But he is a good sport and he does fight back! I just don't send you his pictures haha. But I am hoping to stay together one more change with him! But we will find out next week with the word of changes!

I had to be a little hard on the M family this week, they believe that any church that preaches Jesus name is a good church. They are comfortable in the church they are in. So I had to get after them a little bit with their own testimonies of the Book of Mormon and we read 1 Nephi 14 with them. They still didn't come to church but we have hopes for them!

Well the Holidays are almost here! But don't be too bummed or miss me too much! Time is going by fast so please enjoy my absence! Haha :) but all our family memories and times inspire me to look and help families so that they can have similar and long lasting happiness through the gospel! We will skype soon! As soon as I know the schedule I will let you know! Thank you all for your time and love and prayers! I pray for you every day! I love you and I will write more soon! 

Love Always,
Elder Milton

Week #53 - Pictures

Cleaning the well in the rain! 

Elder S snoozing on the sidewalk waiting for our bus at 1  AM - haha it was so funny!

Elder S snoozing again on the bus to Santani! This time I wanted to share some cake with him! haha he hates me for this!

It is the key that Jesus gave to San Pedro¨  I had to hurry before the Catholics got mad at me! 

 (see Matthew 16:18-19)

That is why it is called San Pedro! 

Week #53

Hey family!

How is everyone doing?! I hope super good! It sounds like last week was a good week! I am sad to hear that Mike is still a little bit sick with his nasty cough but I hope he gets over it sooner than later!

The Phoenix Temple dedication sounded so cool! I would've loved to hear the Dedicatory Prayer! Now there are 2 temples I will have to visit when I get back and I am so excited :)

Thanksgiving is so close! It sounds like its going to be a blast! I am quite jealous :) but it will be one that I hope people remember always for Mom and Mike´s sealing! Megan will be Black Friday shopping! That will be so fun! Her dress also looks so pretty! Her hair is still so long! Kali´s hair too! Its so pretty! :) I am sad to see poor Kodys face! Poor guy sleep screams and sleep walks, two deadly combinations!

We started the week out with a service project at Hermana Cs house! We would empty her well and then clean it in the rain! Luckily Elder S was willing to drop in there and clean the deepest part! It wasn't too deep! About 8 meters but it was a cool and uplifting experience :) (no pun intended Mike)

This week would unfold to be an interesting but good one! We would start it out getting right to work and trying to really focus on some of the less actives and the members. Then we would go to Santa Rosa to have a training and our interviews with President McM. Well we got there on time and were studying when he called us up saying that he just left the other area and would be there in 2 hours this was at 12 PM so I decided we would go work and proselyte in Santa Rosa for two hours which was really good! 

He then called me saying they were 20 minutes away so we found our way back to the chapel and started studying again. He calls me in 5 minutes saying they were met with some protesting and didn't know when they would arrive. 3,000 people decided to protest against their debts so that was really weird but it was a peaceful protest! So we go out and work again and he finally calls me at 6 PM saying he was 5 minutes away! 

My interview went really well, we mostly talked about the Unity and its struggles. I expressed to him that I wouldn't want to leave San Pedro because I feel like I haven't left it any better than when I found it! So we will see in a couple weeks if the Lord grants my wish! But he was glad that I was being diligent and that we were working hard and that San Pedro will progress. So it was a great interview! Our training wouldn't end until 9 and we wouldn't catch a bus until 2 AM and get home at 3 AM. But it was so worth it! The Lord blessed me and I wasn't even tired the next day when I had to wake up at 6:30 AM like usual!

We had our branch conference so we had to get up early and travel 3 hours to Santani! So we woke up at 3 and headed out at 4 AM. It was a great conference! Presidnet McM was there and it was a good turn out! Hermana C came and I think she really liked it! We would travel back and I was pretty beat! But it was a great conference! Unfortunately the L family was still traveling but we will be focusing on them this week!

The weather has been really good! My health is good! There really is nothing I can complain about except my attitude that I need to better, but I am working and I am grateful to have this time on my mission and all these crazy experiences! It makes it fun and unforgettable! I love you and I will write more next week!

Love Always,
Elder Milton 

Week #52 - Pictures

Fish for my birthday!

It rained and flooded our yard! We had to sweep the water so it wouldn't flood the church!

I finally constructed this frame...I have been sleeping on the floor WAY too long!

Week #52

Dear Family!

I am glad to read again that everyone is doing good! I am sure that everyone is having fun with school and work! Also looking ahead to Thanksgiving! I would be excited too! Except Thanksgiving doesn't exist here...or anywhere else besides The United States :)

52 weeks! That is actually quite crazy! I try to keep it hush hush here in San Pedro! Having a year in the mission qualifies you to be old and super smart! Which I don't profess that I am either! So I can say that looking back at the year, I have learned SO much. And that I have seen SO much also. Good times and bad I have been super blessed and I am so grateful for the time I have in the mission and I look forward to another year of hard work :) I have much to learn and a lot to accomplish for this next year so thank you for your prayers and support :) this year will go by fast!

This week was a good week of work! The weather was decent! I started the week working with the new Elder R and it was a good division! He had a lot of excitement to talk to people so it was great! The rest of the week we would learn that Hemana L went to Asuncion for the week for some medical check ups. So we are praying for her that she will still be open to us when she returns! Hermana C is doing excellent! She is really changing and understanding! But didn't come to church so we will have to check up on her today! 

We found some new less actives named the M Family. They are an old couple that have a hard time walking to church so they need someone to pick them up! But their testimonies are so strong! They were the first baptisms here in San Pedro 4 years ago! The wife has a huge testimony of the church and the Book of Mormon. She told us she went to the Catholic church for over 40 years but finally got to know who Jesus really is when she joined the Church of Jesus Christ. She expressed to us the regrets of raising her 10 kids in the Catholic Church and now none of them want anything to do with the Church of Jesus Christ. She was really emotional but she told us that she made a covenant with God and that nobody would stop her from keeping it, even her kids! It was super powerful! It impacted me a lot! We will be looking for some of her kids who live here to see if they will open their hearts to our message, so we are excited and determined!

The week would be a good week of work, but very few showed up at church. There is something that I need to do, but I am not quite sure what. So please keep this Unit in your prayers that it can progress! I love you so much and I pray for you guys everyday! I will write more soon next week :)

Love Always,
Elder Milton 

Week #51

Hola Familia!

Hey everyone how is it going?! I hope super good! I am glad that the family enjoyed Halloween! In a very unique way this year :) but I am glad to hear that all is well! I did receive the birthday wishes so thank you so much! :) I didn't really tell anyone it was my birthday, but Elder St did find out by looking at my passport two days before! You know me, I don't like attracting attention to myself but he would tell Elder S and Elder R (big mistake) so they would wake me up at on the 29th and dump flour on me and complemented with a bucket of cold water...but all is good! I like a good prank haha :)

This week was super hot in the beginning! But it would pour this weekend and cool things off, but super muddy!

Well the news is that The Lopez family passed their interviews on Monday! So we were super excited! Then on Wednesday we visited them again to confirm plans for their baptism and Hermana L would tell us that she still isn't ready for baptism. We would try to explain to her that she was ready and that baptism doesn't require someone to know EVERYTHING. We read scriptures with her and tried everything we could to help her realize that she was ready, but her heart hardened and she told us that if we keep pestering her then she won't go to church anymore. It was super sad to hear that! We are doing this out of love and worry for her, and most importantly for her family! So I was really hurt by this. As always it was ultimately her decision. 

I would go to Santa Rosa with Elder R to have a baptismal interview, so I told Elder St to go back and to really help her to pray for her answer if she was ready from God. He went and with a member named L that had a similar doubt and I think she ended up getting more upset. I really don't know. I felt like we did everything we could! We did it all as we were taught and as it instructs in Preach My Gospel. It was really sad. And she didn't go to church. So we will have to visit her and her family and help them.

Not everything was negative this week! We did have a Hermana named C C come to church and she is progressing super good! We are helping her stop drinking alcohol and she is reading the Book of Mormon a ton! She came with her son L and they are super nice!

Everything happens for a reason! I have to learn something or I need to help prepare the L family more! Whatever it is I will discover it and carry on :) as I am supposed to! But thank you all for your wishes and prayers! I hope all is good and I love and miss you all! I will write more next week!

Love Always,

Elder Milton

Week #50

Hello family! 

¿Mba´écheipa?

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes!! :) 20 is actually a number that scares me! I think if I were with you guys then it would sink in a little more! But my birthday this year will pass just like any other day in the mission! :) So I don't feel 20 in the least bit! But thank you so much for your love and your wishes! I cant believe it is 50 weeks! That does shock me! That just means these next 54 weeks I will have to work even harder than I already have! :)

I loved the package! Thank you so  much! A used paperback Spanish Idiom book is perfect! I have really started to study the Guarani grammatics and...its really hard haha. But I am learning! ¿Mba´écheipa? Means how are you?

The adventures of the kids in Apple Annies looked super fun! It reminded me of all the pumpkin patch adventures that Megan and I had! Did you guys get some peaches?! I have seen some of their peaches! They were so huge!! Megan is growing up! Looking at her Senior pictures really slapped me in the face! haha metaphorically speaking! They were beautiful! :)

Because of him was a super good video and caused a couple tears to roll down my cheeks but it really is amazing. We are so blessed!

Well the news about the changes is: I am staying and finishing the training of Elder St! Which is what I wanted! So I cant complain! Elder R would end up leaving to go work in the mission office as the new mail man, so Elder S is now training a new Elder from Peru named Elder R! Elder S left and now the Zone leaders are now in my district! So this will be a new experience!

The L family is doing really good! They came to church and we prepared them all last week the best we could! So today at 5 PM they will have their baptismal interview! We are so excited for them! :) We are so blessed to have people progressing in the Gospel and making changes in their lives!

Funny story time! Elder S and I got prepared to go to a service project in the Friday morning. We got there and it turns out the family wasnt home...so we walked back to our house really bummed not to give Moroni attention. As we were walking home we pass this guy who gets off his motorcycle dressed in a Monster Energy drink shirt walking towards his house. So I decide to stop him and talk to him! We are dressed in our service clothes. I ask him if he likes Monster and he told me he loved it, so I told him I really liked it too! He was super surprised and went off explaining that he rides motorcross and that is where he got this shirt. So I put a Gospel twist on it to tell him who we are and what we do! He was super nice and receptive! Out of nowwhere he asked us if we like fish? So I told him yes, so he then told us to hold on for a second and he ran inside and came back with a bag with 5 good sized fish! Told us to take them and to cook them up! They were cleaned and everything! So that would be our lunch to share with Elder S and Elder R! But It was so awesome! Fish is super expensive here! So it was so genuine! We have to go back and talk to him!

So this week was another scorcher! But as usual filled with blessings! Thank you so much for all your prayers and thoughts :) I love and pray for you always! I will write more next week! :)

Love Always,
Elder Milton