May Christ Lift You Up

       6. And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.

    25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in yourmind forever.

My companion and I just happened to be studying the same chapter in the Book of Mormon the other day and just happened to read, focus on, and ponder THE SAME verse the other day (verse 25).  I absolutely LOVE these verses.  We have to keep going even when we are tired, even when the climb gets tough, even when we feel alone.  To all those maybe hittin a rough patch in the road remember all the Savior went through... He´s walked your path before.  He´s here for each and everyone of us to walk it again with us.   He is our Savior and Redeemer.

Good news!  Hermana Pastora Diana quit smoking!!  She is so strong and just darling.  They are so excited to get baptized.  We will be having a baptism this week infact.  Federico Sanchez (14).  He is so stoked.  Reading his Book of Mormon everyday and praying everyday, comes to all the activities and just LOVES life.  He and his siblings amaze me!  The picture is of all of us celebrating his older brother´s (Roberto) birthday on Friday for lunch.  He turned 18!  Mission!  Not just yet but we are pumpin him up and the elders are as well.  

Happy Birthday Roberto

We had a spiritual boost this past Wednesday.  We had... DIVISIONS!  It´s been to long! :)  It was fun and a little nerve racking, honestly, to be on the other end.  Hermana was real nervous though but she ended up having a BLAST!   By the end of the day she was speaking spanish like no other.  We now have a goal as a companionship to speak 100% spanish except during pday hours :)  Love it.  She is such a go getter.  

We also found a golden family this day.   Familia Ramirez.  About a month ago, we were headed through the park in the middle of Horqueta here.  I was explaining to Hermana Border how we strive to find families when suddenly one was headed our way.  We called the other day to see if we could pass by or if they were interested in learning more.  Surprisingly they were very interested.  We taught an awesome Lesson one and they´ve excepted to hear more.   We´re going today! And they said they have been praying and reading the Book of Mormon! Pray for them!   

Oh speaking of Book of Mormon... guess what!?  I finished!!!!  In spanish!! FINALLY. :)  

Also did you know there are blackberries in Paraguay!?!  I thought there was nothing of berries.  BUT they got blackberries.  I go around pickin ´em off the trees and poppin ´em in my mouth.  Your hands get purple but they are so good.  A little smaller and milder than the ones in the states.  

We had a neat Branch activity Saturday night.  We reenacted the tree of life. It turned out beautiful.  Not to many came but we had an absolute blast.  It rained A TON Saturday night so we had a low assistance as well but a beautiful testimony meeting.  Seems like it rains every fast Sunday.  I swear the Lord tests the faith of these people SO much! Well things are going well.  Just soakin up some sun; it has been crazy hot here and I am afraid it´s not gonna get any cooler.   

May Christ lift you up.  Love you all tons!

Con amor,

Hermana Owen

Traditional Paraguayan Meal
It definitely is not weird to put a tortilla on bread

President's farm
It's so lush and beautiful out here

You will LOVE this one (with the cows)

Presidente y Hermana Duarte

Delicious Fruit here

at family night last week we put them all into a big not and untied themselves... theme was unity.   it was so fun!  the kid smiling is Federico, who will be getting baptized this Saturday!

The Youth at a FHE

the Tree of Life

Just In Time

What a week!  We were exhausted!   We had two AWESOME familiy nights.  It is bringing a TON of unity to the rama (branch)!  

We had a Hermana Eugenia (less active as of five years) come to church yesterday! It was SOOO exciting.  I had people telling me you´ll never get her to church she´ll just tell you she´s sick or something.  GUESS WHO CAME!?  :)  It brought tears to my eyes the words she said to me yesterday...  she said, ¨ The blessing brought me strength hermana, it worked!¨  We asked two men in the Branch to come give her a blessing the other day because, yes, she gave us "an excuse" you could call it that she is super sick and isn´t able to come.  Well we asked if she had ever recieved a priesthood blessing before and she said a long time ago yes. I said, "well how bout one today?"  We asked two men from the branch to come over and they gave her a blessing, and look... SHE CAME!  It was such a huge blessing.  The power of the Priesthood is real and it was definitely a testimony builder for her, especially since we had just taught her about the priesthood (the power to act in God's name) that day.  

Hermana Eugenia

We had a little dramatic catastrophe happen two days ago.  So Saturday morning we had planned to go at 8 am to clean Hermana Eugenia´s house but when we showed up she refused our help saying, ¨no no I am leaving anyway to go down town, another day hermana another day. ¨  haha okay hermana.   So we decided to stop by a couple other houses to see if there was any help to offer.  Unsuccessful we returned home, did our studies, and by the afternoon we were headed out to work.  We were stopping by Familia F (as a plan B... luckly plan A fell through because...)   As we showed up no one came for like 5 minutes. As we were about to leave Hermana F came running out from behind her house.   As she came out front I noticed what looked like cake or jam mashed to the side of her head.  I said, ¨Oh hermana you have some...¨ And before I could finish she said, ¨I know I know.  It´s sugar. I just fell.¨  uhhhh what had happen was an hour prior to our arrival, she had fallen really hard while cleaning a tile / brick bathroom floor.  It was wet and she slipped smacking her head on the sharp, brick, ridged edge of the doorway.  Not thinking much of it she grabbed her head in pain after blacking out a little and then held out her hand, noticing it was wet, and finding it covered in blood, she looked in the mirror and it was running down her neck.  She was all dizzy she said and so she put sugar on it to stop the blood... (another cool thing I've learned in Paraguay.)  It had stopped bleeding but we thought it must have been real deep.  She was the only one home at the moment.  We recognized that maybe this was the service project the Lord wanted us to do :)  We sat her down and washed the sugar out of her hair.  We ran back home to grab some oitment and medicine because she was hurt bad.  Maria and Sebas, who live around the corner, waited with her while we ran home.  We came back, shampooed her hair, cut the hair off where she had fallen.  It was pretty bad... (let me just say I will never be a doctor,  my arms were all shakey as we were doing all of this and I felt my face go cold and white).  We applied some ointment then got her laying down.  We brought in her clothes and folded them and then were able to go get her dinner.  It was just the greatest day.  Even though that sounds traumatic  she is doing a lot better.  She ended up going to the hospital and getting stiches.  Yesterday we went to visit her and brought and applied some more medicine.  It was just such a tender mercy of the Lord and actually how he placed us in her pathway at that moment.

It was another week full of miracles.  We  are having so many adventures and memories!  I love Hermana Border and this work so much!!  Let´s go dominate another week!!! Love you ALL so much!

Con Cariño,

Hermana Hillary Owen

​ 

Dessert for Family Night...
home made oreos and Cake from the store 

All three birds are names "Te Quiero",
which is the only things they know how to say.
They are so funny to watch dance.  They are so loud. 

NOCHE de HOGAR with FAMILIA MARTINEZ! 

headed in Pte. Duarte´s truck out to his farm! 

17 Miracles

This week was FULL of miracles! We couldn´t stop counting!  In fact there was definitely more than 17 but I´m playing off the movie okay? :)

#1: The orange blossoms are blooming like crazy!  It smells like a Spring in Arizona and it makes every day ten times better.  The air out here in Horqueta is so clean and pure!

#2:  Wednesday you wouldn´t believe how much Hermana Border spoke!!! She is improving so much!

#3: We taught Atilio Gimenez (husband of this AWESOME investigator Zuni we have).  It was one lesson to remember.  He listened and we had his kids listening and interested and at the end we knelt in prayer and he offered the last prayer.  Oh that was a miracle!

#4:  Finally got a hold of, found the house, and taught a less active FAMILY (familia crystaldo).  They are awesome! Their niece is Suci, who was just baptized.

#5: HermanO Frutos shared with us this week!  We read from the book of mormon and he promised he would come to church on Sunday... didn´t BUT not discouraged we were just happy he was sober and home!

#6:  We arrived to teach some new converts (Roberto and Mariela) and guess who showed up right when we did!?  THEIR DAD!! He usually NEVER wants to share with us or ¨can´t¨.   But this time he ACCEPTED! And we shared the message of the restoration.  The spirit was so thick!  He accepted to learn more about the gospel.

#7:  HermanA Frutos is opening up to us so so much!  She told us her life story and conversion.  She gets so so excited to see us and ward members.  She is so much happier, despite the hard and sad life she has and does live.

#8:  Hermana Sofia (mother of Sebas)  went to pull out a good amount of money the other day.  It was for her buisness, and to do that it usually takes like 48 hours.  She was a little nervous something would go wrong or she wouldn´t be able to recieve the money.  Sebas looked at her and said something I´ll never forget:  ¨Mom, don´t forget ´the blessing.´¨  The blessing being the gospel :)  Isn´t that darling.  They have seen so many blessings since just Maria and Sebas have been baptized. :)  Anyway miracle part... she went and returned within just ONE hour with all the money!  That day we had planned to teach tithing and she was so full of gratitude, she not only accepted to be a full tithe payer but she wanted to start this  past Sunday.  haha I love her!

#9:  We have been completing all our goals this week and teaching a TON of lessons.  We were on a role.  A little sad because Saturday afternoon we were suppose to head to Concepcion for a leadership meeting and be there until Sunday.  However we recieved a call from our Zone leaders Friday night telling us that we didn´t have to come to the leadership meeting!  That meant ALL day Saturday in our area! We taught EIGHT lessons!  Haha you bet we went for another 1 mil ice cream cone! It was a stellar day. Exhausted, but success!

#10:  One night we were headed home after completing all of our goals, however we were a good 10-15 minute walk away (having 5-10 until we had to be in the house).  We started to run, but poor hermana border´s knees are a little soar from all the walkin and running so we decided to walk and not hurt her.  I said a little prayer in my heart that we would be able to make it home on time and guess what time we arrived home!?  9:27... three minutes to spare.

#11:  So there was this darling old lady expressing to us the other day how she is just getting old. Her heart is failing her, she forgets things all the time, she couldn´t speak for 15 days once, and her vision is failing her.  The poor thing!  I suddenly imagined the Savior (instead of me) sitting next to her and my perspective changed.  I saw her, you could say, as he would.  There was a sudden love that over took my heart for her and I felt as though she was my sister.  There honestly wasn´t much we could do but we took her by the hand and told her  how much she meant to her father in heaven and that she is a daughter of God.  She said, ¨ Thank you, thank you, my love.¨ And tears rimmed her eyes. Sometimes we need to take the time to see  people differently and remember their trials and difficulties do matter and learn to see them through the Savior´s eyes.

#12:   So little Faviola Frutos (daughter of Hermana y Hermano Frutos)  has now changed her mind about becoming a Judge when she is older.  She has told her mom, ever since we started teaching them, that she wants to grow up to be a sister missionary for a year and a half and then go study and become a judge.  :)  She reads to her mom from the book of mormon often, but not just reading it, she quizes her mom on what they read by asking her questions :)  So cute.  Such a little missionary already.

#13:  We found a golden investigator Liz Sanchez (21) this week.  She says she is actually searching right now in her life to know which of all the paths is the true path that will lead her back to God.

#14:  We ate like Kings!  Our mission leader is seriously awesome.  He bought us 3 meat shishkabobs(spelling?)  with  mandioca the other night; not to all the work he does for us.  Horqueta is very blessed.

#15:  ICE CREAM!  I think I mentioned this but this was really exciting!  OH one I didn´t mention was last nights´ GIANT bar of sopa paraguaya Hermana Pastora (the tiny gma who hits me and is so strong... we are BEST friends) she served us. It was AMAZING sopa! 

#16:  We completed the week with 6x7!  THat means we completed our goals EVERY day except for one!! We worked so flippin hard but it was so worth it!  I love this work!

#17:  Got letters!  That was exciting!  Thank you for the love and support you ALL give me! xoxoxo LOVE YOU ALL TONS!

Con Cariño,

Hermana Owen

 P.S. Congrats Kate on the job and starting college! What an exciting time! love you tons! 

pic: just some horqueta beauty!

I just love Hermana Border 

On the bus, our trip to Concepcion

bon apetite!  our bunny meat tortillas familia martinez gave us for breakfast! yum! actually a little creepy if you ask me.  I saw the skinned bunny.  5 days ago it was hopping around in their backyard. gulp.

Cleaning behind the oven
Before
After

We Tookem' to Zion

So let me just take a deep breath here.  I am having a hard time breathing. I think that was definitely the bubble burster? fauset turner onner? cherry on top? no, last straw? no, big whammy?   Anyway, seeing those pics of Michelle and Jake, thanks for the warning dad, but I went STRAIGHT down to bawlin.  Man, I am so so happy for you both.   Sending my love and felicidades!

This week was one to remember (not to mention Mish´s wedding).  We have been preparing these youth to go to the temple by gathering names of family members that have past on.  Almost everyone brought at least 1-2 names.  The spirit of Elijah was incredible, and radiating in their faces.  The President of the temple told us we made history, by being the first group of youth to bring their own family names to do in this temple.    

 

with all the young woman waiting at 10pm at night for the colectivo to come pick us up to go to ZION!
(haha asuncion ... the templo:)

this is daise (21) our temple pte´s daughter

this is dora!  she is 19 and wants to serve a mish

We had em all watch a little of 17 miracles and talked to them about how sacrifices bring such incredible blessings.  They saw what these early saints were so willing to do, why wouldn´t they too?  They got so excited.  We challenged them to cut out worldly music and tv to try and prepare spiritually.  Hermana Amado and I had the wonderful opportunity of accompanying them.  We had three of our recent converts going (Sebas, Maria, and Suci).  We loaded the bus Thursday night at 10:30pm.  Traveling all night was rough.  It was freezing!  2 am I had been tossing and turning all night and felt so bad for everyone.  We had a few blankets but it was so cold.  I prayed for everyone to have warmth or at least a little rest so we´d be able to stay awake for the temple and this amazing experience.  I suddenly felt part of my own little pioneer company traveling to zion.  In the temple as they each did 15-20 baptisms at 8 in the morning, the sun was rising and came pooring in the baptistry as if the heavens were opening.  I imagined their family entering the gates of heaven, closing my eyes, tears dotted my dress, and for two hours (or the whole day) I 

couldn´t wipe the smile off my face.

 I don´t think we recognize HOW blessed we truly are.  For the past month or two they have been gathering together to have huge hotdog sales, and selling pizzas like crazy to earn money. We earned a little less than half of the travel money needed but luckly the branch pitched in and we will be doing more selling of hotdogs and pizzas to earn the money back and earn for next year.  Oh it was incredible.  Plus to bring family names they literally go around doing interviews and went to graveyards.  There is nothing on the internet on their family search like there usually is ours.   These people are incredible and I just want to sacrifice EVERYTHING so that EVERYONE of them can go.  I tell them how much their Heavenly Father loves them all the time and it just lights them up. :) I would say that´s one of the greatest blessings being a tool in the Lord´s hand is seeing the spirit work through me and touch their hearts, helping people feel and see who they truly are.  

Hermana Border and I got back on Friday at 7:30 just dead and sore.  We dropped our stuff at the house, grabbed our proselyting stuff and went to work.  An hour and a half of work and we completed our goals!  We came back exhausted but Saturday we worked even harder, teaching a total of 8 lessons and reaching our contacts goal.  We decided to celebrate by buying icecream. So that is our new tradition.  Everytime we teach 7 lessons in one day we buy ourselves a 1 mil icecream cone from ¨puerto rice¨.   yum!  The Lord is so good to us!  We also completed Sunday.  I´ve learned you literally just have to trust 100% completely in the Lord. He makes the impossible seem possible, like Audrey Hepburn said, ¨Nothing is impossible, the word itself says i'm possible.¨   :)    Remember you are possible and to trust in the Lord!

the beautiful purple flowers that actually only grow in
Asuncion at this time of year... I LOVE THEM!

some of the flooded houses in Asuncion, so sad!  just miles and miles of this when the river rises

the sunset on the way back to Horqueta after the temple

here´s an excerpt I loved from Bishop Knight´s email the other week... from C.S. Lewis: 

¨Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.¨

Con mucho cariño,

Hermana Owen :)

Golden Week

                   

        We went to Concepcion for an awesome Zone Activity.  We went to a HUGE bridge and the Paraguayan river runs under it.  It was Beautiful!  They claim there are crocodiles inside

the wind on the bridge  was insane!! and we ran all the way there in the heat it was awesome! i am fried and dead though haha

This week we saw so many little miracles. 

 I tell you all one that happened last Monday leaving the house at 6 after pday.  As we knelt to pray before leaving the house I thought about some recent converts by our house that we should probably go visit.  I brushed off the thought going back to our origional plans.  We left the house and headed down the street; however, we reached the street that heads to Yesica´s, Mariela´s and Roberto´s houses  (the new converts that had come to mind) and I recieved a distinct impression almost like a yank.  I stopped and said nope let´s go see Yesica.  We didn´t question it for a second. 

I´m trying to be better at being decisive and I think it´s actually helping me learn to follow and recieve more promptings of the Spirit.  Well this one was definitely a promptings of the spirit.  

Yesica had just been penning through the pages of her Book of Mormon that day not knowing where to read but wanting something to strengthen her testimony.  It was perfect we are doing a Book of Mormon reading challenge and started reading from the beginning with her.  

THEN, afterward we found a GOLDEN investigator named Mirna Ortiz.  She understood every point of lesson 1 (the restoration), had so many wonderful questions, and when we handed her the book of mormon she touched it as if it was gold.  She was so excited to get reading.  

We had an investigator come to church because we invited her sister to church on the street the other day.  Oh the Lord is helping us so so much even when I feel like I am doing nothing because I am just one person wishing I could be superman and do everything.  I have to have patience.   We are seeing so much success.  Oh and guess who came to church!?!  HERMANA FRUTOS!!! Still workin with her husband but the other day her daughter recieved a priesthood blessing because she  had a crazy fever and afterward she was telling her mom how someday she wants to be a missionary.  Oh there are so many things to tell you all yet so little time!  Love you all so much! xoxo

Con cariño,

Hermana Owen

our day we literally dressed identically not meaning to and we had sooo many people asked if we were twins.  it was hilarious

PASTORA turned 77  !!!! She invited us for dinner AND our branch mission leader came it was awesome!!! Because of him we had less actives and new investigators in church on sunday! success!!!

I'm All Yours

My goodness... what a week. So as you all know there were changes and I am now training here in little Horqueta but with some BIG responsibilities.  We are getting the members and youth all ready to go to the temple, which we might get to go, but we have to help them (especially our new converts)  gather names!  It is so fun! I love this work; it´s happening on both sides. 

My new companion is darling!  We are twins.  Man Wednesday- when we recieved them- was so intense!  Hermana Tomco, Hermana Lutz, and I will be the only ones training sisters and we all go home together! We are  all so excited.  The new 3 sisters are all darling.  I will be training the one and only Hermana Border from Layton, Utah!!  Not kidding they called our names right, you go and hug, the whole shabang, but it was so funny... we looked at one another and we both had braids, white shirts, and red skirts.  Okay that´s not that crazy but get this.  We get home and she pulls out two-band shoes!  Yes she brought two-band shoes too and she loves to run, and her favorite treat is dark chocolate covered acaí and pomegranites from cosco and reeces!!! We both love art, music, and lots more.  I love her!  It puts me back like crazy.  She is EXACTLY where I was when I started my mission, which actually was not that long ago.   She is going to be an incredible missionary.  She has such an incredible testimony, gone through a lot in her life.  She lives with her mom, brother, and her sister is married.   We have seriously such a blast together.   Oh and everyone thinks we really are sisters and keeps telling us we look alike.  She reminds me a ton of Lindsey Heap! 

This week was just an adventure.   I felt a little overwhelmed but I read yesterday in Alma 37:36-37...¨Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thydoings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

 37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

 The Lord is so good to me.  He answers our prayers and with us all the way.  Don´t ever be discouraged. We have to learn to FULLY and completely trust in him.  I was on my knees the other night just thinking I am so inadequate and how am I to fill this spot?!  Then a peaceful  thought came over me, I am not to fill any spot but turn my life over to him.  I told my Father in Heaven pretty much, ¨I´m all yours!¨   ¨Do what you want with me.¨ Tears rolled down my cheeks as a heartful assurance took me over saying I will do EVERYTHING that I can do so that the Lord can fulfill what he needs to and right now that is getting Hna Sofia and Hna Pastora baptized the 23 of August, that is training and helping Hna Border become an incredible missionary, that is exciting the ward and helping prepare the ward for the temple, that is reactivating familia frutos and many others, and last but not least finding other lost sheep to bring to his fold.  

I may be small and weak but as children of God our potential is endless.  Let him make you into what you truly can become.  He needs us.

This week good news... Hermana Sofia and Pastora came to church.  Hna Pastora grabbed my face again and hit me haha she gets so so excited to see me it is the funiest thing ever.  I love them!  They are reading the book of mormon and progressing!  Suci and Hna Rogelia came to church! Other investigators and less actives are coming!!  Oh it is so exciting.  With Hna Sofia we planted a forget me not flower Hna Border had.  We taught her about faith and had her plant the seeds to symoblize her planting this gospel message in her heart.  She was so excited and yesterday told us it´s growing... in her heart. :)

Con Cariño,

Hermana Owen

Surfin the Bramas
(wish you could see her face - a good Hillary face saying "ahhhhohhhhh")

My companera nuevo Hermana Border con Presidente y Hermana McMullin

WE LOVE REECES

mom i love you so much!!!! I had two crazy dreams one last night and one the night before!  last night was with the WHOLE family and getting mish ready for her wedding!!!  crazy!  and the one the night before I GOT MARRIED!!  sealing and everything haha.  no se porque!  kate leaves in a week!?! wow!  love you mom OH and your packages got here SOO fast!  Thank you for the sweaters and reeces pieces :)  you are the greatest!   mom there are golden oreos i found in asuncion!!! haha