June 17, 2012

                                                                                                                                     June  17,2012

Dear Family and Friends,

      Another week full of great experiences has passed. Monday we were invited to an asado (BBQ) at the home of the Grau family. We had a fun night of eating and visiting with most of the wives and  members of the mission presidencies we served with here. The Cellas, Vidals, Jaras, Ocampos, Graus are all wonderful people and we learned a lot from them.  We shared scriptures that related to our experiences in our service together and it was a sweet evening.  We love so many of the people we have gotten to know here so much!

   Tuesday we went to lunch with President Beck, the General YM President ,President Osguthorpe, the General Sunday School President and President Arnold(Area President). They were in Paraguay to hold some meetings with the leaders and youth. After lunch we had our Exit Interview for the mission with President Arnold. We can´t believe we are at that point already! Mark spent the rest of the day driving President Beck to his meetings and attending them also.

    Wednesday the packers came and packed and took away our clothes, books and other items that are heading back home. The house looks bare without our photos and personal items in it. As the van was being loaded our sweet helper Lidu was out on the patio crying. We will miss her so much ! She has been a sweet friend and help to us and the mission! She has worked for 5 mission presidents now and knows way more than we do!

   Thursday and Friday some of the 18 missionaries who will be finishing their missions next week came into the office for their interviews. It was fun to see them and their companions! The office was being painted all week and recarpeted so everything was a bit crazy but it´s time to get it ready for the new president!

     Saturday we drove to Encarnacion for another interview and then went to President Perez´s home for dinner. It was a nice evening eating and saying our goodbyes to them.

   Sunday we drove to Natalio Diez where a chapel had recently been remodeled. Mark had been asked to dedicate the building so we enjoyed the block of meetings ending with the dedicatory prayer. We saw Elder Hopkins and Stewart who had helped with the open house there the day before.  We again said final goodbyes to sweet friends there and then drove to Ciudad del Este for more interviews.

    We are planning to meet a former missionary and his father for dinner tonight which will be fun. Elder Facer  taught one of the waiters at the hotel and he is excited to see him again and see if we can get him ready to receive the missionaries again. Robert has become a good friend of ours over the last few years, we hope someday he will be ready to accept the gospel and bless his family.

   Today is Father´s Day and We are grateful for the wonderful fathers that we both have. I am grateful for the great father Mark is to our children and we are grateful for the way our sons and sons in laws are raising our grandchildren. We have been greatly blessed!

   We love the mission! We love this work! We love the things we have learned. We love our missionaries! We love the Lord! We love Heavenly Father! We are so grateful for all we have experienced over the past three years. We will never forget it and will never  be able to give enough thanks to our Heavenly Father for what we have experienced here in Paraguay.                                              Love, Mark and Sandy

     

Post Mission Speaking in Church

We just thought we'd post when President and Sister Callan are speaking in church after they return home this summer! They will be speaking in the Farmington 13th Ward at 9 AM on July 8th, 2012. The address is 347 South 200 West Farmington, Utah 84025. You can click on the link below for a map of the church's location. Thanks!

Map to Church

June 9, 2012 Pictures

 Elders Stewart,Hair,Dyches and Soria at lunch during zone and
district leaders training.

  Elders Althoff,Dexter,Gleason,Wray and Knudsen.

  Elders Ramos,Faas,Guizada and Althoff.

  Elders Love,Hager,White and Hauser.

 Elders Mower,Clark,Lamb and Love.

 Elders Snow, Neves and Graham.

 Elders Hatch, Richards, Beatty and Marple.

 Elders Griffin,Van Mondfrans and Bowers.

 Elders Wilson and Mairena.

 Elders Kiing and Griffin.

 Elders Dyches, Chatterley and Henriquez.

  Elders Shaw, Kartchner and Holmgren.

  Elders Ponce ,Tilleman and Schouten.

 Elders Pastul,Sievers,Clement,Durrant and Schone.

Elders Durrant,Schone,Stewart and Coggins.

 

All of the district leaders.

 All of the zone leaders and assistants.

 Sajonia district meeting- Backrow Elders Rodeback ,Martin,
President,Sevy.Horton,Reyes, Front row- Van Mondfrans,Izurieta and
Varney.

 Mercado cuatro - a market area we drive through occasionally
but don't shop in- kind of interesting area.

 The Perez family from Encarnation after Hermana Perez was set apart
for her mission to Argentina.

  The mission presidency. President Jara and wife on left and
President Ocampos and wife on the right.

 With the Horvath family after they were sealed in the temple.

The Horvath family with their son Saul.

June 9, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

      Monday morning we had the most wonderful experience as we entered the room for our Zone and District leaders’ council. The room was full of more than fifty five marvelous young men who were there ready to learn. The spirit spoke so strongly as to their goodness and their strength and power because of whom they are and the priesthood that they hold. It was a powerful moment for me that I will never forget. I think often of the good things these young men and women will go on to do in their lives as they continue to share their testimonies and love of the Savior wherever they go throughout their lives. We are going to miss this experience so much! We had a great day with these young leaders and we feel confident that President Agazzani is going to receive a great group of wonderful missionaries!

    Tuesday we went to a district meeting in Sajonia and Elder Van Mondfrans led a good meeting , relaying much of the information from the meeting on Monday which is exactly what we hope will happen. Wednesday we met with President Perez from the Encarnacion district and his family so Mark could set apart their daughter Cecilia for her mission to Argentina.  She is a sweet young woman and will be a great missionary. Thursday night we had a Mission Presidency dinner at Paulista’s  a churrasqueria (buffet then lots of meat brought to the table).   The Jaras, Ocampos, and Vidals are all great people. We enjoyed spending a fun evening with them and talking about their experiences in the church here. They also had lots of questions for us . We have been blessed to know some wonderful families here who are working so hard to help the church be stronger. They have been wonderful counselors and secretary for Mark in the mission presidency. There is so much to do in the districts that they are able to do so Mark can stay more focused on the missionaries as much as he can.

   Friday the Horvath family from Encarnacion came to Asuncion. We picked them up and went to a broadcast from Argentina of the General Young Men and Sunday School presidents who were visiting there. Afterwards we brought the Horvaths back to our home to sleep before going with them to the temple Saturday morning. Sister Horvath received her endowment and then they were sealed. It was sweet to be with them. Brother Horvath has served in the District presidency since we arrived and they have been preparing to enter the temple for some time. He and Mark have become good friends. It was great to be with them there in the temple before we leave! They have been members for about six years. Mark gave him a white tie for the temple because he didn’t have one. He became emotional when he showed us the tie he was wearing and that it had belonged to the missionary who taught him. He said now he would be able to wear the temple tie and think of his friendship and love for Mark. These are the experiences that will be a part of our lives forever.

   I have been thinking a lot recently about the many ways the Lord helps us here in the mission. Every day missionaries receive the help we need to accomplish the Lord’s work. The language blessing is one that never ceases to amaze me. For the whole time we have been here we have never seen a missionary who couldn’t learn the language. Of course there are different levels of pronunciation and vocabulary but every missionary is fluent within 6 months on the mission. Some elders were telling us the other day about a conversation they had with some missionaries from another faith who had been here for thirty years. They wanted to know what the secret was because all of our missionaries can learn the language so quickly and so well.   I have no doubt that the gift of tongues is real and that learning the language for the mission is a spiritual endeavor. I have received the help I have needed and know it is beyond my own abilities. I am so grateful for this experience to see the spirit in action in such a visible way. What a blessing to be involved in this work!  The best part is that it never has to stop. There will always be ways to share the gospel if we look for them.

    Well I better run.  We love you all. Have a good week!  Love, Mark and Sandy   

   

    

June 3, 2012 Pictures

Ex Elder Harris (between us) and his twin brother. Elder Harris
finished his mission here a year ago and came back with his brother
for a visit to Paraguay.

 Elders Clement and Dexter with young man after stake conference.

 Elders Nielsen and Cannon with the Quintana family and Oscar and
Victor,all are members of Barrio Herrera after stake confrence.

 Elders Escoffre,Graham,White and McGee after conference.

 Elders Altoff and Wistisen,happy companions!

 Part of the young adult choir who sang at conference in Fernando de la Mora.

 We met this young man when he was in the MTC in Provo preparing for
his mission in Salt Lake when we were there working on our Spanish for
our mission. He has served and been home for a year.

 With President Texeira from Fernando de la Mora stake.

With the Texeira family.

June 3, 2012

                                                                                                                                          June 3, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

      We are watching the weeks fly by and we can’t believe how fast time is flying. We went to a nice district meeting this week and Elder Obray did a good job leading the meeting. The next day Mark went out teaching with Elders Schone and Wilson. He enjoys being out teaching and seeing the missionaries in action. One of the couples was in conference today and they are excited to move forward and continue to learn more about the gospel and prepare for baptism.

   Thursday we had a nice visit with a young man who served here with us our first two years. Elder Harris has been home from his mission and came back with his twin brother to show him Paraguay and his mission. It was good to see him.

   Friday we spent some time organizing the house in preparation for the move. We are decluttering a bit and getting things ready for the new president and his family. The house seems to collect things from each president and we have gotten rid of a lot of old things that were taking up storage space that will be needed for the Agazzani’s and their 5 children.

  Saturday and Sunday we were invited to a stake conference for Fernando de la Mora which is the stake we live in. Mark spoke on Saturday and we both spoke on Sunday which was our last stake conference in Paraguay. We felt sad to see many people for the last time. We saw a young man there that we first met when we were preparing our language skills before the mission at the MTC in Provo. He served his mission in Salt Lake and loved it. He has been home a year and lives in the Moroni ward in the other mission. It was fun to talk to him about his mission.

   Tomorrow is our last Zone leaders’ council and we also invited all the district leaders so we can make sure everyone is well trained when they greet the new president. We feel so much love and gratitude for the wonderful missionaries that we are serving with here in the mission. They are working hard to help people learn about their Savior and the true church and help them make the covenant of baptism. They are also progressing personally also!  The mission is such a great blessing for us as we participate in the work! 

Have a great week!     Love, Mark and Sandy

    

May 27, 2012 Pictures

 Youth and leaders after fireside in Fernando de la Mora South
Stake. They all came on the bus (colectivo).

 Elders Hemmenway,Nash,Hager and Buckner doing practices at district meeting.

 Elder Hager teaching during district meeting.

  Hermanas Lefler, Paipa, Elders Nash, Hemmenway, Buckner, Hager, Leishman and Clanton after district meeting.

On the road between Tobati and Caacupe.

 Ovens used for making bricks in Tobati. The town was full of these.

 The Cathedral in Caacupe.

 Virgin Mary statue that legends say was carved by an Indian who was
saved by Mary. Faithful Catholics make pilgrimages to Caacupe to give
thanks for and ask Mary for blessings.

 Baptismal area .

Mary carving close up.

Stained glass window showing the indian and the carvings of
Mary- he made two of them. One is Tobati and the other is in Caacupe.

 Close up of chipa .

 With the Gonzalez family.

 Ciudad del Este Stake Presidency with President Callan. Presidents
Gonzalez,Kara,Insaurralde      .

With the Kara family- He is the stake President in Ciudad del Este.