July 25, 2009

Here's this week's letter!

We have had another full week here in the mission field. Half of the time we just do not know what day it is. Sunday started off with an early morning trip south to a town called Yaguaron for a branch conference. Members living in a town nearby by the name of Pirayu came to the branch conference as well. I stood with my counselor in the mission presidency outside the doors into the chapel and welcomed members arriving on foot and bus for the conference. A member of the district presidency came flying up on a motorcycle, one of the common methods of transportation here. The members of the branch in Pirayu have been without a branch presidency for awhile and have been presided over by the branch president of the Yaguaron branch. We were ready during the branch conference to call a new branch president for the Yaaguaron branch and call the old branch president of Yaguaron to preside over the saints in Pirayu as their new branch president. He was also called to be a counselor in the district presidency. These are humble, good men who had been members for about two years. They bore sweet testimonies of the gospel after being sustained. Sister Callan and I spoke during the sacrament meeting. A group of young women sang a beautiful hymn in the Indian language of Guarani. After the meeting I set apart the new presidents. My counselor and the district president set the others apart. The newly called branch president of the Yaguaron branch then walked out of the class room after being set apart and down the hall and directly into an ongoing baptismal service and welcomed a new member into the branch. What the young leadership may lack in experience they more than make up for in faith and willingness. The man baptized is named Andres and lives a few blocks from the chapel. I bore my testimony and spoke at the conclusion of the baptismal service and spoke of the need for the members to fellowship Andres as a new member of the Branch. These are humble, beautiful people.

We also experienced our first 4 missionaries leaving for home after completing their missions. Two went home to Panama and the others to the United States. As part of their last day here I conducted interviews with each one and then we took them to the temple for a session. We met President Udall, the temple president, and visited with him for a few minutes before the session began. He mentioned that he would like to set me apart the next time I come to the temple to be a veil worker so I could help when our missionaries come in groups for their yearly temple session. President Wade and his wife from the north mission were also there going to the session with a number of their returning missionaries so it was nice to see them and visit. I met Javier Vitale who is serving as an ordinance worker at the temple. He is the brother Gordon Wilson taught and baptized in the 60’s while Gordon was serving part of his mission here. Gordon, Mom’s cousin, is now the president of the MTC in Buenos Aires. Small world. After the session, President Udall invited us to take our missionaries into a sealing room and with Sandy and I acting as parents and our missionaries acting as proxy sons, President Udall sealing a number of sons to parents. It was wonderful to look into the excited faces of our missionaries as we knelt at the altar together. President Udall then had Sandy and I stand with our missionaries and look into the reflecting mirrors as he bore testimony of eternal families and challenged the missionaries to plan for temple marriages and a righteous posterity. It was a powerful experience. A missionary from the north mission was also there. His parents came down to tour his mission with him before returning home. In the middle of the sealing session, Sister Udall brought them into the sealing room, having just arrived from the airport. We watched this mother and father embrace their son for the first time in two years there in the temple, followed by them kneeling at the altar to perform proxy sealings. Amazing! Anyway, after the temple session we took the departing elders over to Polistas, a popular restaurant a few minutes from the mission home. It is a Brazilian-style restaurant like Rodizio’s (sp?) where the servers come by the table with various types of grilled meats. They come by every minute with different offerings that are delicious. They also serve fresh fruit juices mixed by other waiters at the table. They also have a large salad and pasta area along with a desert section. Way too much food! All for about $9.00 US or about 50,000 guarani. I am still getting use to buying a loaf of bread for 15,000 guarani. After the dinner we took the elders to the mission home for dessert and a testimony meeting. Each shared a very emotional testimony of their feelings about the Lord and their missions. Sandy and I then concluded with our thoughts and testimonies. We can’t believe the love we already feel for these great missionaries. We then took them back to the mission offices for a short rest. Sandy and I fell into bed exhausted. We were up again at 3:45am to head out to the airport for our final goodbyes and to see them off. In a few weeks, instead of 4 leaving we will send 4 off but will welcome 20 new missionaries arriving on the 6:20am flight from Buenos Aires. Twenty new missionaries with all of their luggage! We hire a truck to haul the luggage back to the offices where we will orient the missionaries and introduce them to the mission and their new companions.

Much of this week has been spent in continuing missionary interviews. Every interview brings something new. As I have mentioned before, the strength of these missionaries is overwhelming. One young man, when I asked about home and family, said that when he left his parents in the United States were married and when he returns in a few months will still be married but to different people. I couldn’t believe it. He then asked about what would be his status as a sealed child as it relates to his parents cancelled sealing. Tears filled his eyes as he expressed gratitude for his mission and the gospel. Another young elder from Mexico who wears hearing aids and speaks in the muffled tones of one suffering from hearing loss spoke of how the hearing aids he received with the help of the Church had helped him teach the gospel more effectively. He said he was very introverted before his mission because of his challenges but now as a missionary he was happy to open his mouth to share the gospel. He said occasionally people make fun of his speech but it doesn’t bother him because the Lord is helping him not to be afraid. I don’t think I will ever complain about anything ever again!

It has been really cold here this week. We hear from the citizens that it is colder than ever. We heard that it was snowing in the central part of Argentina yesterday. Some were thinking that if it rains on Sunday here, it could turn to a bit of snow. That would be unheard of. We continue to get bits and pieces of USA culture dropped into our daily lives around the city. The other day we were in a little German grocery store and as I looked over the items available, the sound system started playing “Handy Man” by James Taylor. We had a Big Mac and fries at McDonalds today and it tasted the same. Here the parking lot of McD’s was filled with Mercedes and BMW’s. McDonalds is considered upper crust dining. We found a Mexican food restaurant that is quite good. We celebrated the 24^th of July with dinner there.

Well, with the great blessings come the challenges as well. I informed a new missionary of his grandmother’s death yesterday. I called a worried mother today to assure her that her son’s discouragement would pass. Tomorrow we will experience our first missionary returning home early from his mission for personal reasons. I didn’t get much sleep last night worried about this young man and what to do to help him. I know we have much to learn and many more experiences to grow from. This is the Lord’s work. Of that I am sure. We love you all and pray for your well being. Your prayers are much appreciated. God bless you all our dear family and friends……I better sign off for now……Love, Mark and Sandy

Asuncion Temple

Sandy's Make-shift office

Office of President's Secretary

Multi-purpose room in office

Missionaries leaving

Dad's office

Missionaries Leaving

Departing Missionaries at Asuncion Temple

Stake Youth Missionary Activity and Paraguay BBQ

Here are some of the latest pictures from Mom and Dad. They recently helped with a Stake youth activity that focused on Missionary work and getting the youth excited about serving missions some day. They also had a nice night with the newly called counselors of the mission presidency. They were kind enough to teach Dad how to use the BBQ at the mission home!!

Libertad Youth Missionary Activity

Hermana Callan and a new friend

The whole group at the activity

Future Missionary

Enthusiastic youth on mission day

Elders training the future missionaries.

Elder Bararet teaching young future missionaries

2nd counselor and family

Counselor's wives and daughter

1st Counselor and Daughter

The meat is almost done!!

Paraguay Asado

July 17, 2009

'It has been a full week for Sister Callan and me. The highlight was the three days spent interviewing about a third of our missionaries. The opportunity to sit done with them one on one was wonderful. We are interviewing the missionaries who are serving here in Asuncion first and will finish those interviews this coming week. The following week will see us back out on the road to interview the remaining missionaries in the one stake and 5 districts outside of Asuncion. We have missionaries from all over Mexico, Central and South America serving in the mission as well as a few from Canada and the United States. We also have a missionary serving from Wales. He speaks Spanish with a British accent. It is hard to put into words the strength and faith of these missionaries. Many, especially those from Latin America, are the only member of the Church in their families. They have been members for a few years and here they are on missions. Many receive no support from home. Their fellow missionaries have become their family. They have few possessions other than their clothing donated by others but their hearts are filled with a love for the Lord, His work, and their fellowmen. It has been interesting to hear the variations in their way of speaking Spanish. I must admit that I have needed to ask a few to slow down a bit in speaking so I could understand them. They are so capable but also just young men and women still capable of doing dumb things. Their energy is boundless and if directed properly can accomplish amazing things. My love for them continues to grow. Sister Callan and I need to be on our toes with the missionaries. They come to interviews with many questions from their gospel study and missionary work.'
'I met again with my counselors in the mission presidency for our twice a month presidency meeting. I issued my first three callings this week and was so impressed with the immediate acceptance of these new callings to serve in the various districts of the mission. Tomorrow we invited my newly called mission counselors and my mission executive secretary to come over to the mission home for a dinner and also to be set apart. We invited their wives to join us along with any available children. One of my counselors wants to show us how to us the barbeque on the patio. He is bring the meat and we’ll supply the rest. Sunday morning we will drive out to Yaguaron for another branch conference. Tomorrow morning Sister Callan and I have been asked to speak to a youth group in one of the wards here in Asuncion. They are gathering for a youth missionary activity and the bishop called yesterday and invited us to share a message with them. It should be fun. The office missionaries prepared a map and wished us well on this solo venture outside of familiar surroundings. There are few street signs to help navigate around the city so the office elders prepared a google map and made sure we knew the directions. I’m sure we will be able to make it.'
'We went to lunch today with President Terry Wade and his wife Gina of the Paraguay North Mission. They are sweet people who have presided over their mission for about two years now. They lived in Farmington years ago and Cam Arrington was their bishop. They took us to a nice Chinese restaurant they knew and we had a great time discussing our lives here in Paraguay. We visited their home and the mission office. I can tell I will learn a lot from President Wade. He offered to share a computer program one of his office elders developed a few months ago that has really helped him keep track of all of the keys statistics of the mission and the missionaries. I am also in the process of converting all of the weekly letters from the missionaries to me from paper to email. I will be able to more quickly read the letters and respond to them if the missionaries email their letters to me each week.'
'Sandy and I will be heading back to Buenos Aires in a couple of weeks for a two day new president’s training with the Area Presidency. We also heard that in November Elder Bednar will conduct our Mission President’s training in a city yet to be announced. The temple in Buenos Aries will be closed in November so we will go to another city for the training. Attending a temple session is part of the training meetings. It will be great to see the other new presidents and their wives who were with us in the Provo MTC.'
'I finally got the exercise bike put together that we shipped down here and have been able to get in a few sessions. Sandy has a treadmill that she uses next to my bike out in the exercise room. It feels good to get the heart rate up a bit for reasons other than the mode of driving here. Well, I better get to bed. Please excuse any incoherent sentences or misspelled words. It has been a long day. We have to get up early to get out to the youth activity. We love you all very much and share our testimonies that the Hand of the Lord is moving the work forward in this choice country. We continue to pinch ourselves as we look around and realize that we are really here. Take care of yourselves and drop us a line now and then. We pray for you fervently. Reciba un abrazo virtual…..Mark and Sandy'

July 12, 2009- Weekly Letter

Well, Mom and Dad are going to try and write every P-day from now on which is on Saturday. I'll try and get anything they send posted by Sunday. Here are some excerpts from their letter this week. They were also able to go to a welcome party this weekend and here are some pictures from that!

"This morning Sandy and I followed my counselors in the mission presidency down to a town called Paraguari about an hour from here. We have a branch there and today was the branch conference. My counselors brought their wives and one brought his daughter who served in the Spain Malaga mission just after Robert left. They were so careful to make sure we didn’t get lost along the way. When we arrived I was escorted into the branch president’s office where the branch president carefully and very formally reviewed the agenda for the branch conference with me. He humbly asked if I had any changes to make in his agenda and seemed relieved and more relaxed when I pronounced the agenda perfect. His name is President Alverez and I really like him. I really love the people here. The leadership of the units is composed of men and women of great faith and humility. I will learn much from these wonderful Saints." "During sacrament meeting Sandy and I sat together on the stand (I love that part) with the branch president to my left and my counselors and the district presidency behind us. I realized that during the business of the conference I would be sustained for the first time by members of the Church in Paraguay. As their hands were raised in a sustaining vote I must admit that I felt great love and appreciation for their acceptance of their new mission president. I really want to serve these wonderful people as well as the fabulous missionaries we have serving with us. Sandy and I both spoke at the close of the sacrament meeting. Sandy is getting better by the day with her Spanish. We heard today much more Guarani being spoken by the members of the branch. The Sunday School Instructor who taught the Gospel Principles class would teach a concept in Spanish and then teach it in Guarani. Many in the country towns speak primarily this Indian language. The Church just finished a second more accurate translation of the complete Book of Mormon into Guarani. The missionaries and members in many of these rural towns are thrilled to have the Book of Mormon available to them in its complete form." "Sandy continues to care for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of our missionaries. She will become quite the nurse. In three years she will have seen about every health challenge. I’m really proud of her as she lovingly and firmly works with the missionaries. Friday night Sandy and I were invited to a welcoming party at one of the wards. The youth prepared native dances and we ate a delicious meal. The members have been so kind." "Sandy and I send our love to you all. The gospel is true and it is exciting to contribute our small part in establishing the Church here. We pray all is going well for you back home."

July 12, 2009- Pictures of the Mission Home

Well I decided to split this one up into two post because Dad sent so many pictures. This post is just pictures of the mission home that they will be living in for the next 3 years. They thought it would be nice if we could see it! It also looks like there are plenty of bedrooms for visitors....

Dad was probably happy when he saw this.

The pool which they will probably rarely use because they will be so busy!

Is that a ping pong table?!

Their wall of missionaries!