Week #96

Dearest Family!

I was able to score a computer today and I have been blessed with some time to write you this week! I am glad that the week went smooth and that everyone is doing good in their normal routines. 

This week was a good test! It was an INFERNO! I cannot believe that Paraguay does not have winter for more than a week! But as we always say the work goes on! And we are giving it our all here in Benjamin! Our investigators A. and S. are doing really good, they are preparing for their daughters operation this Saturday and we are teaching them and helping them learn the gospel. We recently taught them the Word of Wisdom, and they already follow it! It was amazing and probably a first here in Paraguay! The reason being because they dont have ANY money to be wasting in things like that, is what they said to me. So I told them that is alright with me! So we are excited to help them progress and  I can feel a better spirit around them! Another investigator that we are focusing on is a man named V. D. He is an interesting case, his wife recently got baptized in July but he didnt think his time was then, or now! So we are trying to help him realize that his time is right now. He comes to church every Sunday and reads in the Book of Mormon every day. So slowly but surely I think he is coming around! Yesterday we left him homework to study what the difference is between Having a Testimony and Being Converted. I am interested to see what he discovers, and I think it might open him up a little bit more! 

The Zone is doing good! It has its difficulties as all do, so this week the divisions were focused on helping missionaries solve their own problems and offer up solutions when they cant handle it by themself. Also this week starts up a new change! I am positive that I am not leaving, because its my last change but Elder H. I feel might be leaving so we are anxious to see what will happen tomorrow! 

Well that is all I will report this week! Thank you so much for always reading and responding! I love you all and I pray for you all always! I hope that this is a wonderful week, and I will write more next week! Chau!

Love Always

Elder Milton

Week #95

Hola Familia!

I am so happy that everyone is doing good! Especially happy to hear that Kody is alive and active again! And that everyone is healthy and studying or working :)

Today I do not have that much time, but this week was a hard one! There were ups and downs and everything in between, but the important was this weekend we had planned for a fundraiser to help A. and S. C. with their marriage plans and for their daughter S. who has a condition :) it was amazing to see how many members came to help us with making Pizzas and then selling them to their friends and family to earn some money to help them out :) They have a baptismal date and marriage date set next month so we are eagerly helping them with the whole branch behind us to support us :)

I hope that everyone knows that I love them and that I appreciate all that they do for me :) I pray for you all the time and I hope that this week is the best week! I will write much more next week :)

Love Always,
Elder Milton

Week #94 - Pictures

Service Project, building the house for the R. Family!

Elder R. and I showing off our v-neck sun burns!

I borrowed Elder R's capris to go bowling...haha it felt so weird!

Elder R. asleep on the job after a visit!

Week #94

Dearest Family!

I am super happy as always to read that the week went relatively smooth! I am sad to hear that Kody got another ear infection and I hope that the natural remedies help him get back to one hundred percent! September is here! And its not so much BER here as I would like! This week I actually got sun burned for the first time my WHOLE mission after doing a service in a V Neck :( it was painful! 

As I always love, the week was busy and full of work and blessings! I was able to do the two divisions for the week and one of them was interesting. I went to an area called Remansito with Elder G. And it was good to be with him, because he has been having some problems being motivated and excited about the work, due to some previous companions that weren't the best. But I was able to help him pick up his spirits and we got along and worked really well together that day! He doesn't have a shower so it was bathing by cups of water, haha something I wont forget soon! 

In my own area Benjamin is going well! The J. family has been difficult but we haven't been able to keep in contact with them, so we are considering dropping them for a while to see if interest sparks again...but we did find another young family that we are teaching! The couple A. and S.. They are SO cool but also SO poor...we have to help them get married before they get baptized and money is definitely needed, so we are planning what we can do to help them get married and baptized. As for my companion Elder H. and I, we are still getting along great. He is a hard worker and he keeps me working :)

Every month we meet up as Zone Leaders, Assistants, Hermana Training Leaders, and President to talk about goals and things we need to do as a mission to improve. So today was that chance and it was really good! We talked about The Atonement, Repentance, Taking upon us the name of Christ, and The difference between a Testimony and a Conversion. I was so filled spiritually! I enjoyed it so much! And afterwards we went Bowling! It was something new that President gave us permission to do, so we were the first in the mission. I still am awful, but it was fun! I wont say my score just because anything less than 300 is embarrassing to some people...like Scooter haha.

I am overall doing good! I am super blessed everyday with all aspects of the mission and my life. I cannot sufficiently thank my Heavenly Father for all that I have. I love you all so much and I hope to hear more from you next week! I pray for you and hope that this week is the best!

Love Always,

Elder Milton

Week #93 - Pictures

Cleaning the most beautiful font of Benjamin :)

I's Baptism and his family!

Elder P, Elder R, Elder H and I in the conference yesterday!

Week #93

Ha`upeicito!

SO to start out this email with a funny story...In the office I was able to learn a lot of things, one being the schedule of the Secretary(knowing what he does, what days in which weeks) so this week I knew he would be trying to call me (Elder T) being week 3 of the change to find out my ¨final destination¨ and so this week I avoided his calls for 4 days and having people mislead him so he couldn't get a hold of me to coordinate my flight plans. Haha well after 4 days of frustration I finally called him back and he was happy and asked me if I was ready, so I told him yes and he asked ¨Elder Milton, what is your final destination?¨ and I responded honestly ¨The Celestial Kingdom¨ haha. So he finally got me and I asked him if I could please land in Tuscon, Arizona! I am surprised that he was able to get it done so fast but now the secret is out!

I am glad that all is going well for Kali and Kody! I hope they continue to progress in their Faith In God! I still have my book and I laugh at my first Testimony I wrote! Also The Al Fox Carraway lady sounds cool! I would like to read her book as well! 

The week was really busy! We have to do at least two divisions every week so that makes it a little filled! But also this week we had Zone Trainings, which something that Elder R. and I had to get together to plan to focus on what we were going to teach the Zone during interviews with President McM. So we decided to teach about Dispensations and Apostasy. That was on Friday, and it was a good training, it was awesome to practice and see how the zone teaches and to learn and teach them how to be better! At the end of the Training I finally had my interview with President (last as always!) and it was really good, he told me he was happy to see me out of the office...then he laughed and said that could be taken two ways, the way he meant was that he was happy that I was back in the field working hard. So that was funny! We shared some good stories and he made sure that I would finish these last months off right and of course I told that was how I was planning!

On Saturday we had a very special baptism! One of the recent converts named A. A. was able baptize his son named I, and we have been able to teach him since I got here! Poor A. was so nervous to baptize his son that he begged that one of us would do it, but we bore our testimonies that he needed to do it, and that it would be unforgettable! So he agreed and did a perfect job! It was a very special spirit, and now the whole family are members and preparing to enter in the temple next year!

Sunday was a special satellite conference, but before we got special permission to confirm I. beforehand. So I. went up and asked me to confirm him...I was so nervous! The whole District of Mariano was there, 300 or more people! But the Lord blessed to calm my nervous and the confirmation was excellent and I felt the Lord speak through me! After, the conference was really good and talked mostly about Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. So I enjoyed it and everyone needed to hear it! 

As always, I enjoy countless blessing of health and energy to name a few. I know that the Lord is hearing our prayers and blessing us! Thank you for always keeping me in your prayers and thoughts. I am still working my hardest and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I love and pray for you all! I will write you more next week!

Love Always,
Elder Milton

P.S. I have pictures...but right now my tech savvy companion is fixing my card reader and memory card so please have patience! 

Week #92

Hola Familiakuera!

Finally I am allowed time to write and try to explain myself these last two weeks! As you well know that I am in this new Zone of Mariano Roque Alonso which is the biggest zone by land! there are 24 missionaries and they are all super awesome and I am super honored to be their Zone Leader along with an Elder named Elder R. 

Being a Zone Leader is going really well! Our main duty is to represent President McM. in our zones by teaching, demonstrating, and leading by example in what President McM. teaches us! Every week I do at least 3 divisions with different companionships in the Zone to give me the chance to see how they work so I can help them be more efficient and effective. So far it is going really well, thanks to the prayers and patience the Lord gives me :)

My new companion Elder H. is from South Carolina, and he is a funny little guy! He has been on the mission for 8 months and works super hard! The Lord has blessed once again with an amazing companion who knows how to work! 

Well to sum up the two weeks we have been getting to know members (the best I have ever had) and also finding new people to teach and help progress! The best news is finding a Family named the Family J. and teaching them with some family members that are family of theirs and setting a baptismal date for September 19th! They understand very well the message of the Restoration and the importance of Baptism by Immersion, they only lack receiving the confirmation that it is true! The only downside is they are a family of 7 that are only together every Sunday, so we teach them every Sunday AND we have to walk about 5 miles to get to their house! But the sacrifice is worth it and I see a future in them! :)

I understand that my time is coming short...but I am still super motivated to work hard and help this Branch grow :) I am so blessed to have this Gospel in my life and I never want to stop sharing it, so I am taking advantage of all the time I have left and putting that shoulder to the wheel. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers! I pray for you every day! I hope that this week goes well and I will write you more next week! I love you!

Love Always,

Elder Milton

P.S. I have some pictures! But for some reason my card reader isnt working...I will send them next week!