December 11,2010
Dear Friends and Family,
On Monday, after business in the office and getting the car checked out because of a warning light we drove to Ciudad del Este to begin our specialized trainings /Christmas meetings with the zones. Monday night we spoke with Robert the waiter we had given the Book of Mormon to a while ago. He is meeting with the zone leaders, along with his wife and three sons. We gave him a DVD about the birth of the Savior and wished him a Feliz Navidad. He said he had a gift for Mark also, so the next night at dinner he gave him a white “ao po’i “shirt. It is the traditional fabric that is hand stitched with designs on it. “Ao po’i “ is guarani (the other national language)for fine cloth. Any way it was so nice of him. He is such a nice man and we hope he and his family will receive the message of the missionaries well.
Tuesday we met with all the missionaries in the 3 zones in and around Ciudad del Este. We spent the morning in training and then we had lunch. We focused on planning and using our time well and how important our personal and companionship study time is. As part of those messages each missionary received a calendar with photos of everyone in the mission as a reminder of planning and using their time well. They each received a poster of the cover of Preach My Gospel for the wall above each study desk in the apartments as a reminder to be effective in their study. They also receive a small spiral book of key scriptures that will be helpful for them to memorize along with a few sweets .We also spent part of the time letting the zone leaders share with the mission the goals they had set for 2011 during the zone leader council held a week ago. Speaking of our zone leader council meetings, our desire is to help the mission leadership experience a true council setting. We want them to be prepared for similar council settings after their missions in other Church callings. During last week’s zone leader council, Mark and I let the zone leaders wrestle for a couple of hours with the important process of receiving revelation concerning the 2011 goals of the mission. They knelt in prayer multiple times to seek the Will of the Lord. It is so important for them to learn this divine pattern. They then presented the goals to President Callan and shared their testimonies that they came from the Lord. All sustained the goals by the uplifted hand. During subsequent specialized training meetings this week, the zones leaders presented the goals to the missionaries and described the revelatory process they experienced in setting them. President Callan then asked for a sustaining vote and the goals were unanimously sustained. The Spirit was very strong and it was wonderful to see our humble and confident zone leaders bear strong testimony that the Lord would be with the mission as we dedicate ourselves to reaching our goals during the coming year. These goals will make us stretch but they are believable and achievable. After lunch in each specialized training meeting, we had a testimony meeting and sang Christmas hymns. We repeated this same pattern in two meetings in Asuncion on Thursday and Friday. It was so nice to hear the beautiful music the missionaries made as they sang. It was even nicer to hear their testimonies. Every missionary in each meeting shared their testimony. It was such a powerful experience to hear 170 testimonies during those three days. We will have one more meeting next week in Encarnacion and hear from the rest of the missionaries. I am so impressed with the young men and women who are working hard and learning important lessons here in the mission. It is not easy for most missionaries at some point in their missions. How sweet it was to hear them testify of the things they are learning and how they are being prepared for their futures. Their testimonies of the Savior and Heavenly Father are growing and we received a real gift for Christmas to be able to hear each one of them share their testimonies.
Wednesday morning we were on the road to head back to Asuncion at 3:30 am. We needed to get back to be with two sister missionaries who were leaving Thursday. It also was a national holiday. It was the time when everyone walks to Caacupe to give thanks to Mary for what she’s done for them. The streets were pack in the town and for miles either way people were streaming into town as they made their pilgrimage to the cathedral there. We heard there are 200,000 people there during the height of the activities. It took us 45 minutes to drive through the little town that usually takes 5 minutes. It was such a visual reminder of all the people here who need our message!
We spent the day with Hermanas Plessl and Edwards going to lunch and the temple and having a testimony meeting. These sisters were the first missionaries that we have had for their whole missions and they were two wonderful missionaries. Even between lunch and the temple there was a little time so they went around our neighborhood to finish up their 10 contacts for the day! They stayed here in the mission home and went with us to the specialized training held on Thursday. We said good bye to them at the airport that afternoon amid tears. We will miss them here in the mission!
It has been a good week. It always is when we can see more of the missionaries when we gather for meetings. We love our missionaries and want to see them progress in their lives and share the gospel message with others. We know with the Lord’s help they can do both of those things! Have a good week! Love, Mark and Sandy
Dear Family and Friends, December 5,2010
I really can’t believe the week is over ! Where does the time go? Monday began with normal staff meeting to plan the week and make sure all the details were set for the meetings planned for the week. Tuesday morning at 8am we met with the Area Medical Advisor and his wife and the Area Mental Health advisor. They were here to check out the facilities we use for medical needs. They also checked on a few missionaries from both our mission and the North mission. After that meeting we went to a district meeting in Nemby with district leader Elder Skinner . We enjoyed our morning there. It really helps us see the needs of the missionaries when we can be with them in those weekly district meetings.
Wednesday was our monthly zone leaders’ council here at the mission home. We have 11 zones now so we had 22 zone leaders plus the assistants here. We had a good morning of teaching and sharing and then a lunch of my Mom’s recipe of chicken dressing casserole. The elders thought it tasted like a thanksgiving dinner and that was my hope! After lunch Mark had the elders work on setting some goals for 2011. We left them alone to work it out between themselves and they told us it was a great learning process for them. They were anxious to share their goals with the district leaders and trainers on Thursday when we held our leadership training meeting. That was another full day and by the end we were feeling so wonderful at spending two days with some very wonderful leaders and missionaries. I was especially happy as I watched the zone leaders sharing and teaching the district leaders and trainers the things they had learned on Wednesday. I loved it when they bore testimony of the things they had learned and invited others to strengthen their own testimonies so together they could help the rest of the missionaries in the mission. There is great joy in watching these young men and women growing into the wonderful people we see them becoming. I always think of the good things they will be able to do throughout the world after their missions.
Friday we attended a sweet baptism in Nemby. The Servin family was so happy as the parents and two of the three children were baptized. The ward came out and supported them so well. They had cake and other refreshments and the members were so good to reach out to the new family as a part of their ward. There were probably 60 people there that evening. Saturday we also went to a baptism of a woman here in our ward in Herrera. She is hopeful her children and boyfriend will soon be baptized also.
Today we attended church in Ita after going to Paraguari for an interview. I visited the primary which had 5 children in it. They adapt the program to fit the numbers here but they are trying and doing their best. We are excited to hear the First Presidency Christmas devotional tonight. We leave in the morning to head to Ciudad del Este for specialized training with the zones there. It’s been a busy week but a good one! We are finding more time to spend with our missionaries in smaller groups and it has been nice as we see what is happening in their different areas. Hope you all have a good week.
Love, Mark and Sandy
November 28, 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
Last Sunday we had a nice evening as we went to a missionary fireside at the Centro Stake. There were future missionaries and returned missionaries there to learn how to prepare for missions and share testimonies of their missionary experiences. After the meeting the returned missionaries had displays set up from their missions . One sister served in San Antonio , Texas and learned English beautifully. Mark spoke also along with the stake president. The area presidency is really encouraging the people here to prepare for and serve missions. It will really strengthen the church here when the number of missionaries from Paraguay increases.
Tuesday we went to a district meeting in San Antonio here in Asuncion . Elder Taylor is working hard to lead his district! That night we got a nice phone call from our son Robert saying he had gotten a new job that he was really excited about. The Lord is blessing his family! Laura also changed jobs and found a better situation for her. They are both happy about their new jobs.
Wednesday we went to sign our legal documents so we can stay in the country for another year. We also went to the international police as part of the process to be fingerprinted. We asked to meet with the main boss there so we could thank him for helping us with all the missionaries’ legal papers. We were visiting with him at the end of our conversation and we gave him a music CD of some hymns and also a DVD about the Savior and some chocolates. We asked him to let us know if there was anything we could do to help the process and he said “ What I really need is a computer!” That wasn’t exactly what we expected him to say. Here he is the head of the Interpol begging for a computer from us! Things run differently here !
Thursday we had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with our office staff , the assistants and our helper Lidu and some of her family, her daughter Christy and son Andy. Lidu and I cooked all day Wednesday and made a nice traditional meal. I learned a few things since my attempt here last year so the meal tasted just like it would have at home!
As we were preparing the meal Thursday morning Lidu made President a big glass of fresh squeezed lemonade made from our lemon tree here at the house. That’s not something we will ever have at home on Thanksgiving but it was perfect! We were glad our children in Utah were all able to gather together that day also!
That afternoon we went to a plastic surgeon to have a little spot taken off President’s hand. The surgeon was trained in Germany and came highly recommended so we felt okay about it. I did have a few doubts when we went the first time and he was ready to do the little procedure until he realized he didn’t have any sutures, so we had to reschedule it. He seems to be healing fine and it hasn’t held him back.
Friday morning we drove 5 hours to Ciudad del Este for a couple of meetings and then spent the night and returned to Asuncion the next day. While in Ciudad del Este we visited with our waiter, Robert who we gave the Book of Mormon to last time we were there. Elders Roberts and Facer have been meeting with him. He was excited to tell us his children are excited to read the Book of Mormon and Bible. We had a good visit about the importance of studying the scriptures together as a family and bore testimony of the way it helped our family. We’ll see what happens with him and his family!
We brought Elder Avila, an area seventy , back with us from Ciudad del Este. He had some meetings there and some more with Mark here in Asuncion this weekend. He is a wonderful man and we enjoyed the time in the car visiting with him.
Sunday we were invited to speak to the ward in Nemby. The whole meeting was focused on missionary work with new members speaking and bearing testimonies. It was a nice meeting. Elder Guenther and Rivero are serving in that ward . Wherever Elder Guenther goes he gets the work moving well!
I have been thinking of my gratitude for the Book of Mormon this week. What a wonderful gift is ours to have that book to read and study. I finished reading it this week and as I was reading about Mormon and Moroni and Ether it really hit me how much we owe all the early prophets and leaders who did really hard things in their lives so we could have that book in our lives. Each one of those men had times in their lives when they felt very alone but they still held true to their convictions and covenants so the work could come about the way the Lord needed it to. I am grateful for the opportunity we have to come to know the Savior more by reading and studying that book.It’s time to start over in First Nephi! We hope you all have a wonderful week and try to stay focused on the important things during this holiday season! We love and miss you all! Mark and Sandy
