Hermana Owen ~ Paraguay Asuncion North: Historia de Exito

This week... Hermana Goimarac´s echo in my head, "The weeks only get better, each new week is "the best"." :)

I fought wars with Mormon, burried the plates in the Hill Cumorah with Mormon (he´s my new hero... I WILL marry a man like him), and prayed with the Jaredites these past weeks while traveling the country side of Paraguay. These past few weeks we have been to Pedro Juan Caballero (bordering Brazil), Yby Yau, Benjamin Aceval, Mariano Roquialsono, and Concepcion for all the divisions. Since we are out lejos our trips are 1-8 hours long. My favorite thing to do on the trips is open up and devour the Book of Mormon. I am almost finished in Spanish! The stories just come to life and I love imagining that a lot of the stories took place right here on these beautiful plains of Paraguay.

We traveled a lot this week including a fun road trip with President and the Assistants. Hermana Amado and I were priviledged to teach part of the Zone Conferences. We taught about why and how we can and should use the scriptures more effectively. I feel like my relationship with the scriptures has grown and is growing so much in the mission. President is having everyone memorize 100 scriptures to the lessons we teach. It is fun because we have competitions. It is a huge motivator and animator.

So our Success Story... Thursday it was POORING rain and the streets turned to mud rinks. We skated to every lesson. Shoulda taken a picture of my shoes. They are caked in mud it is awesome. It was 730 and we were going to catch a bus at 830 to head to Concepcion for zone conference on Friday. We could have easily gone home but decided nah there has to be someone waiting for us. I named some people and Hermana Amado picked one: Maria Louisa. She is a less active we contacted in the street. So we went straight away. We found their tiny house with one light lit in the window, hidden in the back of a small street. It was a wooden house, the size of a suburban. We clapped and her husband popped his head out, then she. They were a little surprised to see to sopping wet missionaries outside their house especially at this time at night. (Everyone goes to sleep early here when it rains, no actually it´s more like they bundle up all day in bed if it is raining. School is canceled and work. Paraguay is so chill.) Anyway, they quickly let us in and right then and there my friends we found some of the Lord´s lost sheep. No one has every mentioned this family. TheFrutos family. We came to find out that Hno Frutos and Hna Frutos are both members, their three children no = baptisms!! Hno Frutos almost served a mission! He has made some mistakes in his life, but he has so many desires to change and repent. They are tini tiny people and full of humility and love. We gave them a Book of Mormon to begin reading, testified of our Savior and his redeeming love, and finished with a prayer. The Hno offered it. They were so excited saying that they want to come back. It was such an incredible small yet powerful lesson. Hermana Amado and I lefted, speechless. Seriously the only word we could utter was, "wow...." Like Ammon said, "and this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work." (Alma 26:3)

This work is constantly changes lives, including mine. This past Saturday we had the baptism of Maria!! She was so excited. She really has had a change of heart. At first she wanted nothing to do with us, but with time, and a regular study of the Book of Mormon she has come to as clear as I or any of you know that these things are true. We invited her to bear her testimony afterward. She was a little nervous but got up and within the first few words tears began to fall. Her grandmother and great grandmother were both present (both nonmembers). Her grandmother began to cry along with her and to hear the words that left her mouth. I think EVERYONE was a little humble and surprised. I am not kidding you it was one of THE strongest testimonies I have heard a convert bear on my mission. I will never forget what she said in the end... "I know this church is true and I am willing... to endure to the end." Are you too, willing... to endure to the end? I am reminded of the words of King Benjamin as he counceled his people to serve their Heavenly King, "I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are recieved into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." (Mosiah 2:41)

Con Cariño,

Hermana Owen

The 3 pics below: family of maria and us at baptism, me and maria- all clean, my new BEST FRIEND maria´s great grandma! she is HILARIOUS!!! she is flipping strong even though she is flipping tiny haha