Chipa, Asado, and the Savior

                   Week 51                     I Feel My Saviors Love                      

               

Happy Easter!!!  I had an incredible week and those who have not watched the video yet should watch, ¨Because of Him,¨ I watched it but without sound and I was almost to tears. It is incredible.  I was reflecting on Him this week, gave a talk in Sacrament yesterday on the sacrament and Sabbath Day.  I was reading a ton and studying a ton about His invitation to Come Unto Him.  One of BYU professor´s for Book of Mormon (Bro. Johnson),  always said, that is the theme of the Book of Mormon.  I love 3 Nephi 9:14, ¨Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.¨  His arms really are extended towards us. If you doubt it, please get on your knees and pray to know, pray for humility to know that we are never too good, or

too far, or too old, or too young to know the Savior´s love for us and feel is warm embrace.  He lives and I know He is our Savior.  He loves us and desires our safety, victory, comfort,  and salvation more than we know.

The song ¨I feel my Savior´s Love¨ Kept popping into my head these past few days.  Do you ever feel like what you are studying/preparing for others ends up being exactly what YOU needed?

1. I feel my Savior's love

In all the world around me.

His Spirit warms my soul

Through ev'rything I see.

2. I feel my Savior's love;

Its gentleness enfolds me,

And when I kneel to pray,

My heart is filled with peace.

3. I feel my Savior's love

And know that he will bless me.

I offer him my heart;

My shepherd he will be.

4. I'll share my Savior's love

By serving others freely.

In serving I am blessed.

In giving I receive.

He Knows I will follw Him

Give all my life to Him

I feel my Savior´s love

The love he freely gives me

I pray that I and that we may all give our lives to him.  Consecrate our time, talents, and service to Him.  I was reading this morning in 3 Nephi 12:13 about being the salt of the earth.  Don´t lose what you know to be true.  I  love you all so much!!!   Xoxo                  Love, Hermana Owen

A 7x7 is when we complete all our goals every day of the week.  Monday we got all the lessons we had planned to teach, all the references we wanted to get, and new investigators :)  would you believe that we invite people to be baptized EVERY DAY!?  at least i didn´t realize that before the mission but it´s an everyday ordeal :)

          Mom i love you. promise i am being safe.  KEEP opening your mouth.  D&C33:10  Read this it will give you more desires and excitement i love this verse!                xoxo love hilly

P.S.  There is an interesting photo attached (bottom) of some bread... that would be CHIPA!! It was Semana Santa this past week.  Here in Paraguay it is a tradition to make chipa and EVERYONE makes A TON and gives you it FREE!!!  Best. Day. EVER!  I love chipa!  Although, we still have a

huge bag in our fridge haha.

and this photo of just me is when we ran home our first night in the house and we were drenched literally drenched in sweat!!   serious good times!

Sunday Asado on Easter con familia Rios

Hermana Gutierrez made magic bread

Chipa Chipa Chipa

Santidad Al Senior, La Casa Del Senior

 Nick I totally forgot that not only was it your birthday yesterday, but it was your GOLDEN birthday.  First off, I hope it was awesome and second it was definitely golden because it worked some golden magic down here in Paraguay!  

My companion and I have the goal to get 7x7 at least once every change (6 weeks).  Hermana Gutierrez has really helped me open my eyes again to the importance of high goals, faith, and an urgency to complete them.  She´s given me this new energy and fire for the work. We are literally working 24/7 and come home with sore feet and exhausted bodies but IT. IS. THE. GREATEST. I love her and I love this work!! 

In fact this week we decided to aim extra hard for that 7x7, plus not to mention we planned to tackle three 24 hour divisions as well. We were in for one let me tell ya, but we went in with a fast for strength, prayers in our hearts, and LOTS of faith; literally putting ourselves in the hands of the Lord.  We knew he would complete it if we did our part.  So we did!   And oh boy did we see miracles. 

The luz got cut so I have 5 minutes to tell you the greatest week of my life....

Saturday night we were looking for a less active when a young man about 17 years old passed by.  We turned and said hi.  He stopped, turned to us, and politely smiled waiting to hear what we had to tell him.  He was off to a dispensa or something to ask a question. We introduced ourselves and asked if he had a minute to share.  ¨Ya!¨  SWEET!  Luckily we had a member with us and we went to the park across the street, taught him a short but powerful lesson on prayer and prophets.  His name is Marcelo Ramos.  He is AWESOME. We left him with a folleto about the Restoration and a chapter (3 Nephi 11) to read in the Book of Mormon. Not only did he read both, but he CAME TO CHURCH yesterday, and NOW has a baptismal date for the 30th of April!!!! He is seriously prepared!!! Best part is, his Grandma and cousins are in the Campo Grande ward (we share buildings) and he had no idea. It was the most incredible thing to see that reunion because it has been years since he has seen or communicated with them! Oh this Gospel not only brings sheep unto the fold but families together literally.  I bawled so much.  The spirit literally has been so strong lately.  I guess it´s a testament that when you work hard you got the spirit.  This gospel is true. Si o Si.  LOVE YOU ALL.

con cariño,

Hermana Owen

P.S. Weather is cooling down!!! I LOVE IT! We were freezing last night! Sweaters and jackets are coming out! summer is leaving yay!

LOOK WHO WENT TO THE TEMPLE FINALLY!!!! Dilce Barrios who became one of our greatest friends and little missionaries in Loma!  She got baptized about a year ago now (just a few weeks before I arrived to Paraguay) and went to the temple this past week! We communicate through email! so exciting!!!

Santidad Al Senor, La Casa Del Senor

Hermana Gutierrez y Hermana Owen

This Was Life

Querdida Familia y querdidos amigos mios,

This semana was spiritually incredible, but the work was hard. I know the Lord has called me here for a reason though at this time. This morning my companion shared a beautiful scripture with me that really helped me, lifted up my head that seems to be getting put down a lot for not reaching goals like I want, or having the same/drive that I used to. Helaman 7:8- 9 ¨Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren. 9 But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren.¨ He is thinking about oh how great it would have been to serve in a different time period, maybe when the work was rolling and baptisms were coming like no tomorrow, but like he says, ¨I am consigned¨… I am too, and I need to find joy and ways to work effectively now. Maybe it may be hard but I have faith looking at the big picture that the Lord is hastening his work and that those who are prepared are and will be found, by our obedience and faith.

3 big happenings though: 

I´ll start with the temple.   We had a testimony meeting before entering with our zone (12 elders and 6 hermanas).  It was beautiful.  It was held in the Moroni cahpel next to the temple. It was such a strength to hear the testimonies of the other missionares. We have such incredibly strong and valiant missionaries in our mission.  We had an 11 oclock session.  I just soaked everything up. I am so happy because I am to the point where I can understand spanish enough to be emotionally moved (including crying in Conference in Spanish!).  The first part of my mission I though it would never be possilbe.  The secret was... listening with love.  Like Elder W. Craig Zwick talked about the importance of listening. I loved his talk.  

Anyway the temple was just splendid, the spirit so thick. Hermana Suarrez was working in the temple that day, she is a member from Loma. I love and adore her. They are long time members. I was sitting in the Celestial room, closing my eyes, when all of a sudden she taps me on the shoulder.  She had open the English Bible to Hebrews 6:10-11.  

(10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.   11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:   12 That ye be not aslothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.)

 She told me I needed to read this.  As my eyes started to eat each word I was overwhelmed with the spirit.  I felt the love of my Father in Heaven all around me.  Tears dotted my dress and I glanced up to see Hermana Suarrez over in the corner.  She gave me a smile, a wink, and nod of the head that seemed to say, ¨Thank you.  It´s true.¨   I have never been so grateful to my Father in Heaven for this opportunity I have to be a missionary for him.  I wouldn´t trade these experiences for anything!

2. Conference was just beautiful!  My favorite talks were by Elder W. Craig Zwick, Elder Niel A. Anderson, Elder Russel M. Nelson, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, and that of Elder Lawerence E. Corbridge.  Seriously spiritually filled. Oh and did you guys know yesterday was Easter!? haha Happy Easter. I loved Elder Christofferson´s talk on the Savior.  

I read a talk from last conference this morning about our Savior by Terence M. Vinson entitled, ¨Drawing Closer to God.¨ It is just beautiful. One of my favorite parts is his experience with Elder Holland,    ¨Just a few months ago I sat with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as he assigned missionaries to their missions. As we left he waited for me, and as we walked he draped his arm around my shoulder. I commented to him on his doing the same thing once before in Australia. He said, “That’s because I love you!” And I knew that was true.   I believe that if we could have the privilege of walking physically with the Savior, that we would feel His arm draped over our shoulder just like that. Like the disciples heading toward Emmaus, our hearts would “burn within us” (Luke 24:32). This is His message: “Come and see” (John 1:39). It is personal, inviting, and embracing in its invitation to walk with His arm around our shoulders.

¨  The Lord is our Shephard.  I testify He loves each and every one of us.  

The third big thing is:   We moved houses!! That ate up a bunch of our proselyting time.  The new house will be a bit of an adventure... lots of bugs and dust... but to look on the bright side we’ve got bananas, avacados, and gratetfruits outside!!

Life is wonderful!!  ¨I am going to look back on this and smile, because it was life and I decided to live it!¨ 

Con Cariño,

Hermana Owen

Welcome to Mburucuya

                                               Week 48                             The Fabulous 4

That´s right... we had changes this last week.  Hna Tomco and I were 100% sure we weren´t goin anywhere, until I called the Hna Gutierrez from Mburucuya (inbetween Loma Pyta-first area- and Campo Grande-second area) and asked about changes. She started to laught and said, ¨Tu no sabes sobre tu cambio?!¨  My heart just stopped.      What?!    Hna Gutierrez obviously knew something I didn´t... she said I should call my district leader and find out so we did.  Because we the Sister Training Leaders people assume we already know everything so no one tells us anything.  President will assume the assistents will say something, the assisstents assume our district leaders, and the district leaders know we talk to Pte. a lot so they assume we know everything. haha.  WELL...  We called our district leader on Tuesday around noon and found out some of THE most heart breaking news... we were splitting up!  I went right down to tears.   It´s the first time, for us both, that a change has really been hard.  We grew so close over the time together and I learned SOOO much from her.   I think we could both feel it coming though.  Oh it was so sad.  

However... I wasn´t tragically sad because... I moved just next door!!!  I am now in (get ready for this one Hermana Wood!) MMMMBURUCUYA!!! Serious!  Just so you all know, it´s right next to Campo Grande.  Imagine Grandma and Grandpa Rhead´s neighborhood being Campo Grande and Mt. View Mburucuya.  (across a main busy street)

Mburucuya is actually a fruit.  It is pronounced asi:  Mboo-roo-coo-yah.  It is a guarani word well Guarani for passion fruit I believe.  Everyone makes juice out of it here.  Loving the area so far and my new companion is Hermana... GUTIERREZ!! haha no wonder she was laughing.  I just adore her.  She has THE greatest laugh and is one of the most humble and loving people ever met.  She is from La Serena, Chile. Her dad is Argentine AND... Dad her dad served is the Buenos Aires Sur mission with Pte. Aguero.  El nombre de su papa es:  Eduardo Gurtierrez (you can find him on facebook asi) AS WELL as two of her uncles (Santos Gutierrez and Alberto Jofre) ALL WITH Pte. Carlos Agüero!!! No lie. You probably know one of them??  We were so excited. I am really excited for this change.  Hna Gutierrez is now a new Sister Training Leader and Hermana Tomco is in Campo Grande with Hermana Torres (from Puerto Rico/California).  They too are sister training leaders.  Yup!  4 Sister Training Leaders!! I am so excited. It is going to help the sisters a ton now. We split them up so we can cover almost the whole mission in one change.  We have almost 60 hermanas.  So exciting!  And they´re absolutely wonderful. 

We completed 3x7 this week!!! Hermana Gutierrez is a flippin hard worker! :) I LOVE it!  We got 6 lessons on Saturday and gotten 4 or more on the other days!  That´s a lot for me at least, coming from Campo Grande, where it is literally a miracle if you can get 4 or 5 in one day. Mburucuya is small and not many assist so we have a lot to do with less actives but I am so excited.  We have a goal together for our area of 3 baptisms.  A goal of 85 baptisms for the month of April as a mission.  We are working hard.  We found a darling couple.  The husband is a less active and his wife is a nonmember.  Her name is Hilda and she has a date for the 26 of April. Yippee!  We are hoping to take her to the General Womens Conference this Saturday and hopefully a lot of Young Women.  Yeserday we gave talks in Sacrament. I copied a talk I had done beforeish because I wanted to give everyone my view of Paraguay.  I started out by saying the following, ¨Crazy bright sun, sunburns (at least me because I am so white), ice cold water and homemade fruit juices, terere, hierbas (herbs), mangos falling in the street, peeling oranges and gratefruits and sucking out the juice... the way they eat them here is so strange, i am excited to show you guys...  fruit of every type, delicious chipa, mmmm mbeyu, Guarani ite (means ¨a lot¨ in guarani), crowded collectivos, rocky streets, sore feet, giant trees, singing birds, beautiful sunsets, sweating a ton, but popsicles in the winter, hot chocolate from the members, homemade guayava jam, vori vori (a soup with corn balls, vegetables, and meat), sopa paraguaya, and tons of love from all los Paraguayos.¨  By the end I´m in tears and have come to recognize how much I truly love Paraguay.   

We are excited for General Conference... I really hope I will get to watch it in English!  Like I said this is going to be THE BEST change I ever did have, well, you can say that again and this is why... 

1: General Conference

2: TEMPLE!!! TOMORROW!!!

3: 3 Bautismos en Mburucuya

4: 85 Bautismos como mision!

5: 4 Sister Training Leaders

6: We complete one year (that one is sad and crazy)

7: New Area!  

I think there were more but I am forgetting. But anyway excited for a wonderful week especially for the temple tomorrow.   ¨Oh the Spirit of God like a fire is burning,¨ that is how I feel right now.  So filled, so ready, so excited.  LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! Enjoy conference.  Soak it up. Nothing is like watching it the moment it takes place. Elder Holland dijo,

" If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.” —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

And a big congratulations to two of my best friends MICHELLE SWEENEY and BRIANNE STANDAGE. I will miss dearly being at both of your weddings but know that I love you two SOOO much and am sooooo happy for you both!

Con much Cariño,

Hermana Owen

The Fabulous 4 (hermanas) with Pte.

Hermana Owen y Hermana Gutierrez
Service Project for a less active member

Celebrating Raquel's Birthday
Raquel has set a date for baptism, April 12th !!!!

Best Week Ever

             Literally this was one of the greatest weeks of my mission!  Caminabamos con prisa y con una sonrisa (we walked with haste and a smile)... as President told us to do. We had 9 LESSONS with members this week! So great!  Had a great huge asado and music night with the ward on Saturday and TONS of people came INCLUDING Raquel AND HER MOM!!! So exciting!!! :)   I love this ward SOOOOOO much and never want to leave. Hna Tomco and I really just had the most memborable and incredible week together.  We are both on the edges of our seats because changes are this week.  I am supposing nothing will happen because we are helping with changes again and training and what not but who knows.  We both keep praying and then saying but we pray that we will be willing to accept thy will.  ¨A donde me mande iré Señor. ¨ But seriously I don´t think anyone has ever taught me as much as Hermana Tomco has.  She is a gem.  She really has taught me two of the greatest lesson I believe... that is humility and letting others serve you.

Plus this change is going to be THE GREATEST CHANGE OF OUR LIVES!!!   All to look forward to...

-Going to the temple

-5 baptisms

-Easter

-General Conference

-A General Authority comes to visit and is planning a huge fireside for Investigators and Menos Activos with President

-We complete a year!  what?

That's it, in a nutshell of my crazy exciting life! We have a fun noche de hogar (night of fun) planned tonight with Sandra, her kids, and Flia Troche!  So excited!   Studied faith this morning and I love what Pte. Howard W. Hunter said... ¨If everything could be proven by positive evidence there would be no need for faith.  If the element of faith is taken out of the Gospel, the plan is destroyed. Faith becomes the bridge by which the unbeliever can cross over and become a believer.¨  (that is from the little book you sent me mom).   Each test of faith we have in life is like running a race but not knowning how long it is. We just have to keep going knowing that in the end- be it heaven, today, in a year, or in a week- that the prize will come.  Put your trust in the Lord.  Love you all!

we woke up and the whole sky was red

Hermana Gamarra (who feeds us American food ;), me, Hermana Tomco and Marta

Con cariño, Hermana Owen

p.s. yes i recieved two packages.  recieved dad´s fun perc backpack all the shirts and yes ctr rings.  i still have to give out all the others but it wouldn´t hurt to have more :)  thank you for everything!

response to Nick's letter: which told of Nick not wanting mom to go back and get her phone cuz he'd be late for school...until mom said, but you can write Hillary a quick letter on the phone on the drive to school... he was then willing to go back and get the phone...

gosh i want to cry that is the most precious thing ever!!! Nick I LOVE YOU.  That made my week more than anything. xoxoxo love hilly i am SO flippin impressed you went on a black diamond!!!!WOO! DOUBLE! impressive.  love you sooooo much!  hope you had a fabulous day at school! Learn anything exciting?

response to mom's letter - who dreamt she heard Hillary's voice loud and clear, but couldn't see her, say, "mom this was the best week ever, it was so awesome..."

mom that is crazy about your dream!  BECAUSE IT SERIOUSLY WAS THE BEST WEEK EVER  not kidding you! i´ll tell you in the letter. (above is letter)

A Few Days and A Few Heros

Monday: Rainy, lots of traveling, lots of walking, 

Amazing lesson with Raquel on the Palabra de Sabiduria

Tuesday:  Realization that talking or writing in Spanish or English... there is no difference.  Hermana Tomco and I have laughed a ton about that this week.   It happened for both of us. There seems to be no difference now.  It is just second nature.  I realized today also that a lot of people will let us in here to listen, but the hardest part is letting the message in their hearts. They are willing to open their doors to us missionaries but not their hearts to their Savior who is the one really knocking.  

   Also exciting, did another division with the Hermana Minks (I love her) and she saved some Lihing Strawberry Sourbelts from her package for me!!! THE best candy in this universe! We had black honey bread for breakfast; se llama pan de miel negro. :)  

Wednesday: We have some soon to be GOLDEN investigators!   Sandra and Santiago!!!! They are a darling couple who just beem with potential. Not kidding, future bishop and young womans or relief society pte!  AMAZING family. They have 3 darling children. The best part is that the familia Troche is all pumped because they live around the corner and get along great!  Raquel was all excited about her baptism this coming Saturday the 15th, but yesterday we sat down with her and her mom and results are sad... she wants to wait a little more :(  Her mom i didn't think  it was all going to go through with the whole baptism until we started talking to her about times and then she flipped.  We had a great lesson though about the restoration with her and Raquel (Sunday- yesterday) and asnwered a ton of questions.  Raquel just called us and said we need to talk! what? I don´t know what is happening.  BUT good news hermana Tomco and I had a great number of contacts this week and lessons with members. So the Lord is blessing us a ton.  

Thursday: WE COMPLETED!!! We put goals every day but for some reason it is just harder to reach them here in the city but we are still adjusting and figuring out what goals are best to put with traveling for divisions and all.  We had a miracle:   Gladys (A reference) was home when we planned to pass by around 7 and she said that´s the only time she is ever home!  The Lord´s hand is in the work.  We set up an appointment to return so hopefully she will be new this week!  Also I treated the Hna Argile (with whom i did divisions) to the famous Mbeyu of Paraguay!  My favorite!

Friday:  We had our hero, Hermana Coronel, accompany us to a lesson with an ancient less active, Hermana Sara Culman. Seriously she is my hero.  Convert to the church, faithful mother of 9, weekly temple goer, missionary-ite!, and forced to marriage at 17 years old and still with the man today. She is one of the tallest spirit giants i know and just a hero. I know her mansion in Heaven has got to be amongst the tallest.

Saturday: Paraguay has Jasmin flowers blooming everywhere!  And Citrus fruits and ripening!  YAY!  We also found a funny old man named Mariano who wants to be baptized. He has a crazy wife who is sick in bed. The two are hoots and loved listening to us!  

Sunday!!!  Raquel and Hermana Sara Culman and Elvida Vitale (new convert!) came to church!!! A GREAT week indeed! 

xoxoxo

Con mucho Cariño,

Hermana Owen

A Paraguayan plum ! So Yummy !
You could eat a million... I did ! Not a good idea !

Hermana Owen and Tomco on the bus

A Paraguayan Arizona Fall

This is week 44

Candle lit studies (all our bulbs blew out this week... what are the odds, all three).  Drizzling rain.  Cars splashing.  Busses honking.  Motors whipping by.  I got my rain boots on... it´s a good day :)  The last few days have been rainy and it is an answer to our prayers because the heat was just excruciating.  We had a busy past week.

Tuesday consisted of capacitation with President... more interviews and training a zone.  Wednesday we did divisions in a close town on the outskirts of the city (Asunción).  There are a lot more trees and dirt roads so it was a lot colder.   It rained that day and so the night was FREEZING!  We didn´t even sleep with a fan or air conditioning!  A less active member we passed by shared some caliento caldo (hot soup) with us and homemade tortillas :) yum! We also (Hermana Johnson and I) taught a neat lesson to an investigator.  She had invited her dad to listen but he was contradicting everything we said and began raising his voice. Hermana Johnson and I stayed calm and had prayers in our hearts. I don´t remember what was said next, but the spirit was PRESENT.  The words Hermana Johnson and I began to say, and mind you I don´t remember, silenced the man and he didn´t speak for the next 20 minutes until we asked him if he would pray and ask God about these things.  He smiled and looked a little taken back.  The spirit had literally touched him.

Thursday was lunch at Familia Cañiza´s! I love them!  Like 40 family members live in this tiny tiny property with like 4 tiny tiny houses. It was a humble lunch.  She had her beautiful white crochet table cloth folded perfectly over their ironing board.  Their table is falling apart... along with a lot of things in their house, from the rainstorm.  I asked to use the bathroom before we ate.  The floors were mud, the toilet was wet, trails of ants were going in every direction up the walls, little toilet paper, and no water to top it off.  So I went back with dirty hands which I still need to get over, I still feel a little sick doing that, BUT its not unusual here in Paraguay.

Friday was a DREAM!! We went to Itagua (Ee-tah-wah) for divisions. Oh my life it is my favorite place I have now been to twice in Paraguay!   It is FILLED with palm trees and all sorts of trees, literal jungle.  Crops, fields, hills, and you can see out for miles.  

 The weather was like Arizona fall weather, just perfect.  We had a NDH out in the middle of these farm lands (pitch black and a fifteen minute walk from any road).  We watched a video from the D&C videos about how the family is ordained of God.  It is darling and GUESS WHO is in it!?!  The one and only Bro. Heap!! I think he is holding up Gavin? is my guess... to shoot a hoop haha.  

There was homemade empanadas a fun 45 min. bus ride back to the house (their area is HUGE).  I did divisions with an Hermana Braunersrither who is from Fortworth, Texas! She is darling.  

Saturday we had a beautiful COLD run, I´m gettin major ¨Arizona Fall¨ vibes here, don´t know why.  We laughed a ton as well.  

BEST NEWS!  Raquel came to church and LOVED it, especially all the testimonies!! yay!! She walked to church with a member family  (Familia Troche who i LOVE!).  We put a date with Marta (Hno Ricardo´s girlfriend) yesterday. I don´t know if I have mentioned much about Marta because she has kind of been an eternal investigator BUT she accepted a date for the 12 of APRIL!! It was neat because come to find out they were planning to get married the 5 of April. INSPIRED.

I love this work so much!!!!!  

Love you all. Xoxox

Con Cariño,

Hermana Owen