Be Still My Soul

So the rest of the story to Hillary's first picture below, of the lovely tiger eating Bambi is...

                                She went to the Batanical Garden and they have these stuffed animals.  Lovely huh

Isn't She Lovely

Hola!
It´s overcast again! Halelujah because this week was hot!  Noooo!  I really don´t want it to get hot.  One of our investigators (Niko- 15)  said that winter is over and it is only going to get hotter from here on out.  Yikes! Although the rain cools it down a bit.  I am sending some photos this week! 

This week was so fun!  First off, Wednesday was jam packed and we were running 2 hours late for lunch which was at a members house in the outskirts of our area (He lives in a shack like wooden house with literally only the necesities) His name is Hno Arcenio.  The sweetest and jolliest old man.   He served us like the biggest thing of meat, a loaf of bread the size of my forearm, and a WHOLE plate of white rice... Hna Toctaquiza and I had planned to eat in 10 minutes and run.  Ya not happening... so Hna Toctaquiza had an upset stomach and literally couldn't  put half her serving down.  She looked at me expecting me to do something... ¨No no you seriously want me to eat yours too???¨ She nodded in reply.  haha uh ya no sorry there´s no way.  Well Hno Acenio was watching a soccer game on his little television while we were eating.  I had an idea... I found a bag in my backpack and while he wasn´t looking Hna Toctaquiza (it is pronounced Toe-k-tah-key-zah) gave me the go and I threw a whole handful of meet into the bag and the rest of the loaf in my back pack.  I was chewing a peace of meat in the moment... Hna T. and I couldn´t hold it in, we just bursted out in laughter but then I started choking.  Hno Arcenio turned around with a huge smile on his bony skinny little face, ¨¿Que paso?¨haha  uhhhh I tried to explain I took a ¨really big bite¨ and I was choking.  We finished and left asap with a bag of meat a half a loaf of bread in my backpack... I think he was amazed at how fast we put it all down.  haha it was hilarious.  

Speaking of eating a lot... Friday at a ward activity (we brought investigators!! score!)  I had 3 Mbeyus (pronounced: M-bay-you) Mbeyu is a popular Paraguayan food... it is my favorite (when it´s cooked well and served hot)!! It´s like a corn/flour pancake not sure exactly.  It is amazing though. 

Also this week I realized the importance of following the promptings of the Holy Ghost, as well as the power of prayer.  We had a lesson the other day with this young man Nicholas (hna Tocatquiza had felt a little unsure about entering the gate a talking with him but I thought she was joking and then not thinking much of it we did.  Nothing bad happened so don´t freak out. He just said he is ¨Agnostic¨.  He doesn´t deny there is a God but he says he is happy without one.  He laughed at my testimony as I started to bear it.  I have never felt so rejected.  The spirit literally left the second he started laughing,  you could feel it... I have never felt such a contrast.  I tried teaching him about the plan but he just wore this ¨sincere¨ yet empty cold smile on his face.  My heart ached for him,  to know the truth and for the fact that he didn´t have faith in his Heavenly Father.  Hna Toctaquiza started bearing her testimony and started to cry (cuz of the spirit) but then he places his hand on her head, she shook it off, but it was the most bizarred lesson we have ever had.  We prayed and left asap and Hna T. suggested we stop and say a prayer.  That´s when I lost it.  Not sure why, I think the situation just weirded me out and I have never met someone like that.  The fact that their was no faith in his heart and no desire to return to his Heavenly Father.  Hna Toctaquiza and I had a little heart to heart (I love her) and she asked me to offer the prayer.  The spirit was so comforting.  I finished the prayer, looked up at the stars and recieved an overwhelming feeling of peace.  The words ¨be still my soul¨ were played over in my head.  I am so grateful to know I have a Heavenly Father who loves me.  He lives as does our elder brother Jesus Christ.  We are children of God.  What a blessing to know.  Here is a quote I love from Pres. Hinckley about prayer, ¨Missionaries should get on their knees and plead with the Lord... if they will do this, a new light will come into their lives... they will come to know in a very real sense, they are servants of the Lord, speaking in his behalf.¨   Also another that mom sent me on a magnet: ¨May the sun bring you new energy by day, May the Moon softly restore you by night, May the rain wash away your worries, May the breeze blow new strength into your being, May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.¨ -Apache Blessing

Con Cariña,

Hna Owen

                                                                          Companions ~ Hermana Owen and Herman Toctaquiza

Nigel's Baptism