May 12, 2012

May 12, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

        This week we finished our cycle of zone conferences of the zones outside of Asuncion. We left Monday after our staff meeting with the office staff and drove to Encarnacion. When we arrived there Mark met with some members of the district there for some interviews. Tuesday morning we began zone conference at 8 am and concluded around 3 pm. Immediately after conference there we drove to Ciudad del Este so we would be ready for the conference there on Wednesday morning. Two of our assistants, Elders Durrant and Henriquez rode with us so we had a few hours to chat with them. We enjoyed the time with them getting to know them a bit better and they love asking Mark questions along the way. We are trying to help the assistants be ready to help the new president with all the details that go into travel and zone conferences so we tried to help them think of things they need to be ready to help him with.

    Our conferences followed the same pattern as last week where we taught, had practices and then ended with a testimony meeting.  It was so nice that over a two week period we were able to hear the testimony of every one of our missionaries. We were blessed by hearing their simple ,sweet declarations of the things they know through the spirit. Everyone was asked to share their testimony in about one minute and it was really powerful to hear the testimonies that were simple and direct.  We will remember those meetings forever. We spent the night in Ciudad del Este Wednesday night so Mark could meet with President Kara the stake president there. Thursday we drove back to Asuncion in time for Mark to meet with President Madariaga from the North mission. Friday Mark was working to complete the changes for this next week. We have 12 missionaries leaving  and 17 coming. Uneven numbers make things a little interesting with balancing where to put everyone without opening apartments when our numbers will be uneven the other way next change with more leaving than coming. We also still have 4 missionaries who are here waiting for their visas to other missions and will get one more in this change also that is waiting for a visa. We do have many wonderful missioinaries  who will be great trainers for the next two groups of new missionaries.

   Today we went to a Saturday night session of stake conference for one stake and will attend another stake’s Sunday session tomorrow.  We are both thinking of the wonderful mothers we were blessed with as Mothers’ Day is tomorrow. We have learned so much from watching our mothers as they have lived their lives loving others and caring for them throughout their lives.  We both have learned so much as we have watched our mothers be such great examples for us.

                  We hope you all have a great week!  Love, Mark and Sandy

Pictures May 5, 2012

Zone leaders and assistants at council meeting.

 Elders Wray and Hatch heading off with Book of Mormons.

Elder Ale who finished his mission over a year ago came back to
visit from Argentina.

 Zone 1.

 Zone 4.

 Zone 6.

 Zone 3.

Zone 5.

Zone 2.

 

  Zone 8.

 Missionaries heading out to work after zone conference in Coronel Oviedo

Our sweet helper Lidu left a Birthday note and Apple pie for
President's Birthday!

Office Elders Nielsen,Hair,Clark, Calvert,and Cannon with
president on his birthday after giving him a huge can of dry roasted
peanuts.

May 5, 2012

  May 5, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

                  This week was full of zone conferences and zone leaders’ council meeting. We began the week Monday with the 22 zone leaders and 4 assistants in our monthly council meeting where we come together to counsel together as to how we can help the mission improve and what needs to change. It is always good to see the missionaries come together and see their sincere desires to help their zones learn how to be better missionaries.

       Monday night we had a skype conversation with President Agazzani and his wife, who will replace us in July. They are wonderful people and have a great family. We wish we could be here to spend some time with them but we will only meet with them for a couple of hours during the transfer time. They will be great in their new responsibilities!

      Tuesday through Thursday we held zone conferences here in Asuncion and felt a great spirit in our missionaries. Friday we drove out to Coronel Oviedo for zone conference there also. Each conference we focused on the doctrine of Christ, our duties as missionaries and the blessings promised us in the scriptures that are available to us, how to find new people to teach and the importance and power of the sacrament for us personally as missionaries and also the strength available to us as teachers when we are truly internalizing our message.  In the afternoon the zone leaders and assistants helped direct some practices focusing on teaching the commandments of tithing, Sabbath day observance and how to receive referrals from everyone we talk to. My favorite part of zone conference this time was the testimony meeting we held in each conference. Every missionary shared their testimony and it was so wonderful to hear each one testify of the things they know. We felt so wonderful at the end of the week after hearing and feeling through the spirit the goodness of our missionaries and their desires to share their testimonies with the people of Paraguay. We love our missionaries and love to see who they are becoming.

    Today was Mark’s birthday and he had fun receiving phone calls and a few notes and gifts. Our sweet helper Lidu baked him a beautiful and delicious apple pie. She loves to cook American food and has only a couple months till she will need to begin cooking Argentine meals for the new president. She has been a great blessing and friend to us while we have been here!

                                                        We hope you have a good week. Love, Mark and Sandy

Pictures April 29, 2011

  Elders Stewart,Knudsen, Henriquez,

Clement and Holmgren in CDE after interviews.

 

  Elders Knudsen, Gonzales,Dexter and Gleason in Ciudad del Este.

  Elders Madsen, Barrios, Kartchner and Salas.

 Elders Stewart, Bulkley, Marecos,Olson and Holmgren in CDE.

  Elders Omanson, Lorenzen, Henriquez,Clement,President,

May and Neves in Santa Rita.

 

 President, Elders Olson,Clement,Stewart,

Henriquez,Coggins and Garzon in Obligado.

 

  Elders Baldwin and Allphin in San Ignacio.

 Elders Weekly and Shelley in San Ignacio after interviews.

Elders Ramos and Snow who are zone leaders in Pilar.

April 29, 2012

  April 29, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

     Last Sunday after district conference in Ca’auazu we drove on to Ciudad del Este so Mark could finish interviewing the missionaries in the rest of the mission. On Monday we began early in Hernandarias with the missionaries serving there. We then went to the stake center in Ciudad del Este to interview the remaining missionaries that are serving around that area. Tuesday morning we drove to Encarnacion, stopping in Santa Rita and Obligado to interview those elders. We spent the rest of Tuesday in Encarnacion where everyone from those areas was interviewed. Wednesday we headed back to Asuncion stopping in Bogado and then San Ignacio to complete the interviews. Mark just needs to interview the assistants and he will be finished for this round of interviews. Two of the assistants traveled with us this trip so they could talk to the companionships but also so they can learn the mission a bit better so they can help the new president when he comes. We enjoyed having them with us and learning a bit more about Elder Clement and Elder Henriquez .

    Mark felt very happy with the missionaries as he spent time with them during the interviews. We have some wonderful missionaries who are trying hard to improve in their responsibilities here in the mission. The personal growth of the missionaries is one of the great blessings that happens for missionaries and we are blessed to be able to see that growth in our missionaries as we have spent time here with them.

    Our son Matt had his birthday this past week and we are so grateful he is our son. We are grateful for the great family he and Jessica our raising and the good things they are doing in their lives.  It was also my birthday this past week and when we got home from a day of interviews Mark noticed some messages for me on the computer and realized that he had forgotten that it was my birthday. Oh well! Two of the three years we have been here he has totally forgotten until someone reminded him. He felt bad both times but I know it is just evidence of the many things he is trying to do here in the mission. I told him I have no bad feelings about him forgetting because I know he is focused on good things, but after the mission he better not forget!!! I might not be so forgiving!

   Today is our 36^th  wedding anniversary and I am so grateful for the covenants Mark and I made in the Salt Lake temple 36 years ago. I am so grateful for the knowledge that we can be bound forever to each other and our family if we qualify through our obedience.  We attended our ward meetings today and the bishop invited us to speak when we arrived. We both bore testimonies of the real sealing power of the priesthood and the blessing it is in our lives.

     We hope you all have a wonderful week!                                                We love you! Mark and Sandy

Pictures April 22, 2012

   Looking out the hotel window in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 Montevideo, Uruguay.

  President and Hermana Peterson from the Neuquen, Argentina Mission.

  In Montevideo, Uruguay.

 Montevideo

 Montevideo, Uruguay temple.

 At Mission presidents' seminar in Uruguay.

 With Elder Avila, area seventy from Argentina.

 The group of mission presidents we started with. The Detlefsens
from Argentina, Da Silvas from Paraguay, Callans and Petersons from
Bountiful.

 With the Kradolfers the director of temporal affairs for the area.

 In Ca'auazu with the district presidency.

April 22, 2012

April 22, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

       We had a great week! Twice a year we are invited to the mission presidents´ seminar and it was held this week. All of the 14 mission presidents from our area the South America South Area  gathered in Montevideo, Uruguay  to be taught by our area presidency for the three day seminar. The area includes ten missions in Argentina , two in Uruguay and two in Paraguay.  The other seminars we have attended during our mission have been held in Buenos Aires, Argentina so it was fun to visit a new county for this one.

We flew to B.A., Argentina on Wednesday and spent the night in a hotel there for one night . The next morning early we were on a flight to Montevideo.  It is always fun to gather together and see all the other presidents and their wives and area presidency members and wives.  We spent Thursday in meetings being taught about the importance of constantly teaching the doctrine of Christ and repentance to our missionaries. Elder Foster talked about the things he wished he had known when he was a mission president like having the vision of where we need to go as a mission and many things about how to help people really find the truth that will change their lives and hearts. We enjoyed time that evening at dinner visiting with the other presidents and wives. There is always so much enjoyment in coming together and sharing experiences and encouraging one another. Friday we had another day of meetings and trainings. The afternoon session the wives had a separate session so we could all focus on things specific to our responsibilities. The four wives of mission presidents who will finish their assignments this year were given time to share testimonies and thoughts from our hearts. The four of us, Hermana Da Silva, who is Paraguayan and serving in Uruguay, Hermana Detlefsen who is Argentine and serving in Argentina, Hermana Peterson from Bountiful,Utah who is serving in Argentina and I have grown quite close over the three years since we began our missions together. One of the great blessings of the mission is the relationships we have built with others in our same situation and our area leaders.

Friday night we went to the Montevideo  temple where first we were taught by President Arnold and then attended a session together. The Uruguay and Paraguay temples are built exactly the same so it felt very familiar. We have now been able to attend a session in temples in Argentina, Uruguay and of course Paraguay. Saturday we had a half day of meetings where the Presidents finishing this year all bore their testimonies. It was so sweet to hear each of them share power testimonies of  the things they know and have learned during this experience.

We flew home arriving in Asuncion at midnight . We slept and then were on the road to attend the District conference in Ca´auazu. The conference was wonderful and we felt a great spirit there. People were so kind to us when they realized it was our last visit to their district. One sister we said good bye to was Sister Franco who lost her husband to cancer shortly after we began our mission while he was serving as Branch President . It is so nice that we can stay connected through email after the mission.

              While we were returning to Asuncion we had a sweet experience with the man who was sitting next to us on the plane. We chatted a bit and shared that we were missionaries talked about our families and asked if he knew anything about our church. He told us he knew of our temple in Asuncion and that when his son was younger they were passing by the temple and his son pointed to the statue of angel Moroni and said, ´´He is my friend !´´ We shared with him a bit of the history of the church and told him about the Book of Mormon reading a part of the introduction with him and explaining that the prophet Mormon whose name was on the book was the father of Moroni whose statue was on our temple. He was quite interested and gave us his name and number so we could have the missionaries call him and go teach him .  The Lord really does prepare people to be ready to receive the wonderful message we have to share. He promised us he would tell his son who his´´ friend´´ on the temple really is! We really do love the Paraguayan people! They are kind and loving and willing to talk with us and listen to our message.

This week our grandson Christian had his birthday and turned four years old. He is a good boy and we love him so much!   We hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Mark and Sandy