March 17, 2014
Hello Family, how are ya’ll
doing?
Here is a re-cap of my week.
Monday: Monday was a pretty chill P-day, we just kind of went
around and bought stuff and that was pretty legit because I got some really
cool socks and I was able to get a watch and that was sick. After P-day was over, we went to the Palma Ponce
family (Grandma Ilsa and Matias) and when we got there we learned that Grandma
Ilsa had smoked after we talked to them on Sunday and that was really sad
because the daughter and the grandma both lied about her not smoking, and it
was a little heart breaking because they lied. Luckily, 10 year old son, Matias,
called out his grandma and she confessed.
We told her that we couldn’t baptize her if she had been smoking and she
said she would quit.
Tuesday: We had a district meeting so we didn’t really get going until a little later, but we talked to the Soto Family and that was pretty cool because they are all inactive and the one sister wants to come back because her mom and her son have been going to church and her son is 7 and wants to get baptized as soon as he turns 8, which is this month, so we are working with them. They have been a little difficult, because they say they will do things, but then they don’t do them, but we still feel very hopeful that they will come back to church. Next, we talked to the Florentine Duarte family that is going to be baptized on April 12th, they are super cool – they are “Golden” – and don’t have any problems they need to fix. They asked US for a baptism date … which was so cool, we just need to get the dad. We taught the girls English tonight – they are so worried about not passing their class and having to retake it and they don’t have the money for it – but here come the Lord’s Messengers to the rescue! We are reading The Book of Mormon with them, and it’s a promise that if you read The Book of Mormon in the language you want to learn, that by the end of the book you will know the language (so if you and dad are going to Italy, you should for sure read The Book of Mormon in Italian). Lastly we had a family home evening with a family, and it was kind of hard, because I taught the lesson and I messed up – I’m still learning. That family gave me a cake for my birthday and that was pretty chill.
Wednesday: Wasn’t that cool, but we
talked with a family of menos activos “less actives” and they said that they
know that they need to come back, it is just hard for them because church is so
early. It’s kind of sad, but I think that they can for sure come back. Next we talked with the Soto Family. They are really nice and they gave us passion
fruit juice which was pretty good. Lastly we went and talked to a member and
her dad, and he was hammered and was talking to me and my companion, and my
companion wouldn’t let me talk to him because I apparently need practice
talking. HaHa. But the dad was really
funny and would like throw the bible above his head and then open a random page
and yell at us to tell him what it said.
It really was sooo funny!
Thursday: We had a Zone Meeting and
that was really long and so we didn’t get out of the house until 5 when we went
to visit with the Soto Family. After
that we talked with a guy name Ariel, who wants us to baptize his family, and
so that would be pretty cool. We then
taught another guy and it was really sad because he was like quoting the Bible
but then was like “You Christians are liars, and I don’t believe in God, and I
only got baptized because my family wanted me to.” Apparently he had gone through some tough things
in his life and blamed God for everything, which kind of sad, but it was chill because
we promised him that if he prayed right now he would know it was real, but he
wouldn’t, and I feel like the only reason he wouldn’t is because he did believe
and didn’t want to be proven wrong. I did
hear some American music while I was out walking around and so that was pretty
cool.
Friday: We talked to Soto Family
again, and then we talked to a mom who has a menos activo “less active” in the
family and we are for sure trying to get the kid back to church because he is
19 and can serve a mission. The kid prays
and reads The Book of Mormon, he just doesn’t go to church which is weird. So Friday I was so tired so I got an energy
drink called “Dark Dog” and it was terrible!
I didn’t like it, but I drank it because I am a man and I am pretty sure
that overrides everything. J Next we went to the Palma Ponce family’s home
and Grandma Ilsa had stopped smoking and so we were really excited about
that. Finally my companion and I went to
go interview some people from our District because they had a baptism the next
day.
Saturday: It rained the whole day
.... we didn’t teach ... we didn’t do anything! Haha.
Saturday evening we went on splits, and I was asked to be the witness
for a baptism the Hermanas were having.
It really was such a mess. People
in Paraguay don’t ever go swimming, and apparently the baptismal font was
filled too high and the lady being baptized freaked out because the guy baptizing
her held her under the water too long.
But what was sad was that her foot popped out and so I told him that he
would have to redo it, but she got scared and didn’t want to be re-baptized. They tried to talk the woman into having me
baptize her, and I was getting ready to do it, but they said that she didn’t
want to be baptized anymore. It was
pretty sad.
Sunday: We baptized Ilsa de la Cruz Palma and Matias Jose Ponce Palma
(Elder Gummersall baptized Ilsa and I baptized Matias). It was super cool and you could feel the
Spirit really strongly! There were a
couple of other people there and it all went really well. After the baptism, we taught them another
lesson, and they told us that felt really, really good! It was super cool. After the baptism, we taught a lesson to a
guy who initially didn’t want to let us in (he is 16 and has a huge smoking
problem), but by the end of the lesson he accepted to be baptized if God gave
him an answer, so that was pretty cool!
Finally we went to the Eva’s house (Eva is a member) and talked to her
and her daughters. Her daughters want to
get baptized, and one wants to serve a mission, but the dad doesn’t want them
to, which is really sad. We feel really
good about them, though, so we will see what happens.
Monday: Today we ate at Burger King, then we walked
around and I bought another watch, so that was super cool, and now I am writing
to you.
This week my comp and I made French fries and potato chips and I burned my finger in the oil. I realized I didn’t bring any melaleuca with me, I had a little peppermint that I put on it, and it seemed to help a bit, but if you can send me some melaleuca, that would be great.
I really like it here in Paraguay,
but the more I think about it, I don’t think it is somewhere you or dad could
ever live, it’s very different than Newport.
We talked to President McMullin’s
wife and she told us that she had heard that Elder Gummersall and I are doing
fantastic things. It’s kind of
interesting because we came newly into an area which had been closed down
because nothing was happening and it seems like there is so much happening now. It’s really super cool.
Thanks so
much for the pictures of Emma. She is so
cute, it’s crazy to think that she will be two when I get home and get to meet
her. I really like the picture of Hurley
protecting her. Tell Chantelle “Good
Job,” and that I love her.
Well,
email time is over. I love ya’ll mucho,
and I will be thinking about you! I love
you mom and dad, have a good week, and let the family know that I love them!
Love –
Elder Turley
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