Then there were 3!

So HI everyone :)

Wow what a week!

My fingers are flying.

1. I got a bug in my foot this week. 

2. My new companion is from the States! 

3.... awkward. I can't think of anything else.

1. TRUE. are you kidding me? Yeah it's true. I will spare you the long story.. but long story short.. there was a tiny little bug in my toe. it was black. I was travelling because I had pick up my new companion.. so I was with another hermana named Hermana Bernal. We disinfected a needle and some tweezers and she just started digging at it to get it out. turns out there were EGGS too. yeah. it's real. I was dying. I wanted to cut my toe off. we ended up calling the mission nurse and she told me to go to the hospital to get it all taken care of. So we went to the hospital and they did some more digging around and disinfecting ad got it all taken care of. It wasn't a big deal.. but yeah. SICK RIGHT? It was infected too.. so I'm taking an antibiotic for that. but it's healing good now.. and I don't have any more pain. haha. 

2. False. My new comp is from Peru! I don't have any pictures with her yet.. sorry. But she is great. Her name is Hermana Palomares. And you guys.. she has the craziest life. I can't believe it. It's very sad actually. Her mom died when she was 14 from an accident.. And then she joined the church 4 months later. So she is a convert. She is the only member in her entire family!! Her dad works a TON.. and she takes care of her little brother. He is 12.. and basically she is his mom. She raised him. he was 6 when her mom died.. so she was the mom and woman of the house. She doesn't have the support of her dad or any of her family for serving a mission. She doesn't recieve any emails or anything. She recieved one from president and one from her friend from the MTC. that's it. I could't believe it. so sad. please pray for her.. she is having a hard time and missig her home. but has a super strong testimony. she is a great teacher. I love her lots.

Umm.. so a trio is weird. but we are adjusting. I know this is where I'm supposed to be. We are TRYING to do everything we can to work better with the branch ad with members.. and find new investigators. We are working hard.

PS.. this keyboard is terrible. paraguay probs. The "n".. doesn't really work. You have to press it like 10 times to work. dangit.

We didn't get back to our area until thursday night late.. so we only worked friday and saturday and sunday. and we haven't had tons of luck. The only thing is Isaias... he is progressing lots. I love him. His prayers are SO sincere.. and he truly is looking for the truth. he is reading and understadig the book of mormon more and more. He will not come to church for the life of him.. so we are working on that.. but yeah.

Speaking of.. general conferece this week! YAY. I'm so excited. Hopefully I'll be able to liste to it in English. Can you believe that the last general conference I was in the MTC? So crazy. I'm so excited though!! I hope you all prepare this week and are able to get what you need from it.

I love you. I pray for you all. by name. I miss you terribly. 

xoxo 

Hermana Ehlert

This is during tranfers with me and Hermana Lopez and Elder Salazar from Chile. He is such a great missionary in my zone!!

  

My beautiful area 

The second one is with a family that is less active. we are reactivating them. Remember when I told the story of the lady Mirta that started crying in the middle of her prayer when we taught repentence? That is her. I love them with all my heart. 

The third one is Hermana Lopez and I trying to be artsy. Isnt my area beautiful? I'm so lucky!

This is us three. the day we picked her up. Aren't my companions darling? I love them lots. 

Expect the Unexpected...transfers!

HEY FAMILIA :)

Two truths and a lie.. 

1. I was sick for most of the week. 

2. Charles (the mouse) is still alive and active

3. Hermana Lopez is still my companion

AH. What a week it has been... 

1. True. Unfortunately.. it was kind of a rough week health wise. Monday night I was up all night super sick. Everything was coming up.. sorry tmi? So Tuesday I just drank sips of gatorade and rested.. but my body would not have it. It didn´t want ANYTHING inside it. It was horrible actually. I didn´t have an appetite until friday.. so basically i just slept and hung out. yuck. We went out a few hours during the evening most of the days.. but I was just too exhausted and nauseous to do much. I felt bad for Hermana Lopez.. and I was worried about our investigators!! But Friday I was able to eat some rice and an apple and I didn´t throw up.. and then Saturday I was able to eat pretty normally. I´m feeling MUCH better now. I don´t know what it was.. I think I ate some bad chicken or something. But yeah. It was kind of a bummer.. and we weren´t able to get a lot of work done. But Friday and especially Saturday we pounded hard to try and make up for the lost week and go and invite everyone to church. 

2. TRUE. Can you believe it? It´s terrible. So we bought mouse poisening supposedly. It looks kind of like rice but it´s red. We didn´t want to buy a mouse trap because we didn´t want to have to deal with a bloody dead mouse. So. Anyways.. we put this poisened rice stuff all over the pension and then in the morning.. ALL of it was GONE. Not one piece left.. So we thought it was a great sign.. and waited for a dead, poisened mouse to show up. but to no avail. This week we have put out mouse poisening every night.. and every morning it is gone. So.. either charles has some friends and cousins and brothers.. or we have a super strong rat that is immune to our poisened rice stuff.. great. It´s awful. At night we can hear his moving around and stuff. YUCK RIGHT? Missions in Paraguay are fun. hahaha. I´ll keep you updated on our little rodent friend. 

3. TRUE... kind of. OKAY. SO shocker of the week. As you know.. we just finished the last week of transfers. Officially I have been with Hermana Lopez in Hernandarias for 6 weeks. I was going into this transfer super chill.. I didn´t think there would be transfers.. like no way right? Hermana Lopez still needs to finish her training.. and I didn´t think he would move either of us after the white wash.. well. It´s true... neither of us are moving.. BUT... we are getting ANOTHER COMPANION. A third.. and she is NEW. So.. I am going to be training Hermana Lopez.. who is halfway through her training right now.. and then training another who is brand new. I don´t know her yet.. but I do know that she is Latina as well. So yeah. We are going to be 3. It is going to be an adventure for sure. holy moly. Can you believe it? Yeah.. I couldn´t either. Also.. I found out that I will also be an Hermana Leader.. that means that I am over the other hermanas in my zone.. and I will be doing divisions with them and stuff. I´m excited!! It should be a fun time. So yeah.. totally unexpected right? like woah. Right now we travelled all night.. and are in a city called Encarnacion.. right by the boarder of Argentina. Wednesday we will cross over and get our new companion and then return to our area Thursday!

Something I´ve learned on the mission.. the Lord likes to put me in positions that are WAY out of my comfort zone. I know that the second I get comfortable.. something is going to change. "There is little growth in your comfort zone, and there is little comfort in your growth zone". It´s a cheesy little saying.. but it rings true to me. The Lord has different things in mind for me than what I had in mind. I just have to trust Him.. and as his disciple.. and especially as his missionary.. I have to trust that he know´s what is best.

Umm.. this week was REALLY hot. It´s starting to get hot here.. like super hot. like "wow I´m going to die my melting.. hot"... but not to complain.. haha. Everyone keeps telling us that we are just in spring. yay. hahha.. but really. I was really grateful for our AC this week when I was in bed most of the week. the humidity is crazy too. It bothers my companion more than me though.. which was surprising because she is from here. 

I was also able to do a quite a bit of reading and studying.. when I wasn´t sleeping I was reading.  I´m studying and trying to figure out what an investigator needs to feel and experience to be converted.. and my role in that.. and how I can help them feel the spirit and power of conversion. I´m learning lots. 

So I told you that we went out and worked Saturday. The week was really hard and made me REALLY miss home. Being sick sucks.. but being sick when you are in Paraguay and all you want is your mom.. sucks more. So when I finally had enough strength to go out and work.. it was amazing. I had a whole new appreciation for what I am doing as a missionary. I just felt so much peace and the spirit so strongly as we went from house to house and talked to people on the streets about what we were sharing. It was like a calmness.. but also I had a drive inside me that I haven´t had a ton of this transfer. I don´t quite know how to explain it.. but I just am SO excited about the work right now. I know there is lots to be done.. it is very clear and visible in the rama here.. but this transfer I´m so SO excited to start getting work done. I can´t wait. It should be good.. and weird with three people.. but I´m sure we will figure out our rythm and groove. 

We have some really cool investigators too.. but this letter is already real long. Remember Isaias? He is truly searching. and pleading and praying to find an answer.. and it´s cool to see a change and growth in him. He finally opened up to us this week a little bit more. He is VERY shy. But this week he told us that a part of him thinks that our church could be true.. but basically he is just comfortable in la iglesia catolica.. and his whole family is members.. and yeah. He STILL won´t come to church.. so we are working on that with him. But his prayers at the end of lessons are my favorite part. I have never heard someone pray some humbly and fervently. I love listening to them. He is growing lots. Our goal is to baptize him this transfer. 

Anyways.. another week gone and passed. I can´t believe it´s almost October!! And THEN general conference so soon too! Crazy. 

I love you all. I pray for you all. 

XOXO 

Hermana Ehlert :)

September 14, 2015

Well hi family :)

1. There is a mouse in our pension

2. I sang in our branch choir for branch conference. 

3. I ate chicken heart this week. 

1. TOTALLY TRUE. Can you believe it?! We named Him charles. He has made 2 appearances this week... and BOTH involved screaming and standing on chairs with brooms in hand. hahah.. it was fun. I'm literally afraid to sleep. And we don't have beds in our pension. we only have mattresses that are on the ground... so I literally can't sleep. It's fun. We bought mouse poisening today.. and hopefully he dies soon. wow.. morbid. but true. haha.. so fun. Only in paraguay. 

2. false. I didn't sing. Hermana Lopez did.. and I played piano. It was seriously great. hahah... I had to hold my laughter. They are think they can sing.. and just belt it out without embarrassment. It's awesome. I'm so grateful that I can play piano. It has helped this little branch. I love being able to offer that little service. 

3. false... haha. I totally didn't eat chicken heart. I had it offered to me.. but definitely didn't. yuck. are you kidding? So sick. 

What else.. this week was great. lots of work here. We are trying hard to reach our goals that we put with faith. 

Our district leaders had a baptism on saturday and we were able to bring one of our investigators.. Isaias. He loved it!! But didn't come to church the next day.. ugh. That is probably the hardest thing for us. Getting people to come to church. 

Enrique.. the catholic priest.. he has decided to start running away from us and avoiding us. It's also really sad. Because he has so much potential! We are still praying for him.

This week we were teaching a less active about repentence. I have been thinking and studying a LOT about repentence. A few weeks ago when we had our conference with presidente, he said that everything we teach i just knowledge, and is great and true and wonderful.. but basically means nothing unless the people that we are teaching ACT. and DO something with what we are teaching. Everything we teach leads to one importanct action.. and that is repentence. So we were teaching her repentence. And I could tell that she was having a hard time. The spirit was strong and powerful. It was a special lesson. I asked her to say the closing prayer.. and in the middle of it.. she paused.. and then burst into tears. like sobbing. She prayed fervently and sincerely to be forgiven. We encouraged her after her prayer to continue praying and trying to better her life and put her life back in harmony with God's will. We promised her blessings. What a blessing it is to be able to repent and to be able to turn and put our lives back in harmony with God's will again and again. I have been studying so much about enduring to the end, and repenting.. and I wish I could express to you all how much I'm learning. I'm so grateful to be a missionary this week. 

I love you all so much!! 

We keep hearing again and again how awesome the branch that I'm in USED to be. And how many members USED to come.. and all the activities and fun things and how strong it USED to be. And it's sad to see that it's kinda dead right now.. it's sad. I feel a burden on me to try and strengthen this branch. They need life again.. and hermana Lopez and I are working hard and seeking the help of God to help the members here, and to know how to excite them about the work. 

I love you all. I love this work! I sure am going to miss Paraguay one day when I have to leave. It's so great here. I wish you could all be here with me. 

HASTA LUEGO. 

xoxo 

Hermana Ehlert

September 7, 2015

HELLO LOVELY PEOPLE :)

1. members here have and use functioning wells... like to draw water from the earth

2. we taught a lesson with the elders this week.. 4 missionaries. 

3. we were on a bus that was the fullest of my life.. and my hymn book got stollen out of my backpack.

hahaha. how fun. 

1. true. totally true. hahahah. i laughed and laughed. there is a least 4 families here that are members that TOTALLY have wells. that old fashion wells.. where you lower a bucket with a rope.. and pull it up and its full of water! HA! Isnt that awesome? I'm going to try and take a picture. 

2. true. we totally taught a lesson this week with our district leader and his companion. So this is what happened.. I think last week I told you that the boyfriend of one of the members decided that he wants to get baptized and that we started teaching him? Well.. his name is marcelo.. and we started teaching him.. and he's AWESOME. But we found out this week that he actually doesnt live in our boundaries.. and actually lives in the Elders area.. so we had a lesson with him.. and the elders bishop and the elders.. to kind of "transfer" him over to them. it was fun. but also REALLY weird to teach with 3 other missionaries. but a adventure at the same time. I was bummed at first that we wouldnt be able to continue teaching him.. but he is progressing really well.. and he is going to get baptized regardless.. and that is what matters. he is understanding.. and his questions make it seem like he is truly INVESTIGATING and coming to know these truths for himself. its a really cool process. the elders will be really great for him. We will for sure go to his baptism though. He's great. I'm so happy and excited for him.

3. false. kind of. so background story. we had a multi-zona conferencia this week. with another zone in the mission.. and presidente and hermana lapierre came! It was so fun!! We learned lots.. and it was so great to see president! But.. yeah. to get to the conference.. we had to take a bus to centro.. and everytime I get on the buses in paraguay.. they never cease to amaze me. every time I get on one.. they seem to fit more and more people. They dont really have bus stops here either.. you just wait on the side of the road.. and flag one down.. and the one we got.. was SO full.. like there are two stepsto get onto the bus you know? Yeah.. hermana lopez and I were STANDING on those steps.. and then a guy gets on behind us and holds on to two bars on either side of the door and whistles and the bus driver goes... does that make sense? It is crazy. SOOO FULL. But the false part is.. my hymn book didnt get stolen.. hahah. 

Um.. what else this week? Oh.. Eli.. remember her? How I didnt think that she was married... well we asked her.. and she said "yes.. but only civily".. which meas legally. She is married legally but just never got married in a church! ISNT THAT AWESOME! She is learning and progressing quickly! Goodness I love her so much. The church building is about a 35 minute walk from her house.. and we focused this whole week on committing her to come to church..and she said she was going to come! and then sunday came.. and she didnt come. so that was kind of sad.. I was bummed. we will visit her tomorrow and see what happened. 

But we did have about 4 less actives at church. it was fast and testimony meeting.. my favorite sunday. I love hearing the testimonies of the members here. it was a spiritual day for sure. 

What other fun stuff.. umm. next week we are having branch conference. so our Branch president wants a choir.. and I am playing the piano for them. and yeah shoot.... paraguayans just cant sing for the life of them. I literally had to muster every ounce of my self control to not laugh when I was playing. there is 4 members and my companion that are singing.. and it is so funny. they are singing something really simple too.. come come ye saints. 

haha.. my companion and I laughed and laughed about it. they are so sweet. bless their hearts.. ahahahha. 

ayways. I love you all! I'm workig as hard as I can! 

I hope you have a great week. get on your knees and pray and talk with your heavenly father this week. This week.. I felt his strength. Saturday was hard in the morning.. but after studies and just kneeled next to my bed and prayed as fervently as I could for help and strength.. and that day turned out great. 

I love you all! 

xoxoxox from Paraguay!

Hermana Ehlert

1. we got rained on HARD this week. SO HARD. we got home soaking wet. you cant really tell in the pictures.. but SOAKING.

2. waiting for the bus selfies are fun. 

3. playing sports on PDAY last week. so fun., 

August 31, 2015

So this week...

1. I saw a cat get hit by a car

2. I got LICE

3. We are going to have some baptisms coming up real soon!

1.. yes. its true. and I NEVER never want to see or witness anything like it again. it was horrifying. super super sad. scarred. 

2. false. didnt get lice. haha.. but there are some hermanas that have been getting it in the mission. so yeah.. SICK. RIGHT? LIKE SICK. So Im definitely on the look out for that. 

3. YES! True! We have seen some miracles here. Sometimes its hard not to get disouraged when I see how much still needs to be done in this area.. but God works little by little.. miracle by miracle. 

Last week we were looking for a few menos activos.. and a member told us more or less where they lived. we were in that neighborhood.. and we saw some ladies sitting out drinking terere.. (mate.. but with ice water).. and we decided to talk to them. Two of them were the less actives we were looking for!! And the other-- Eli.. is their neighbor. we talked about the book of mormon.. and gave them each one.. and then left. this week we passed by again.. and the two less actives werent there.. but eli was! And she had read the WHOLE introduction.. and the testimonies of the witnesses and the testimony of Joseph smith.. and started reading the dictionary in the back!! I was dying. She told us that she felts something different with us the last time.. and that she was hoping that we would pass by her house again! SO COOL. We taught her the restoration.. and invited her to get baptized.. she said "yes! I truly believe that what you are telling me is true. but I should probably go to your church first or something right?" ... ahahah we totally laughed. we told her everything that would have to happen before her baptism. she prayed at the end of the lesson with us too. it was so cool. one of the coolest lessons we"ve had so far. She is living with someone.. and we dont know yet if they are married. she is 23.. so Im thinking probably not.. but she also told us that he is interested and the next time we pass we are going to talk to them both. so im WAY excited about that. we"ll have to see if they are married.. could be a problem.. but we have hope! 

Also.. catholic priest guy.. enrique. we passed by him again.. and read from the bible and the book of mormon about the apostasy and taught him about the book of mormon.. and invited him to know for himself if it is true. he was even more interested and receptive than the last time! Which was so cool! We also invited him to be baptized.. but he told us that was already baptized in the catholic church.. dangit. I hate that answer. we talked a little bit about the authority.. and the way that christ was baptized.. and he said he would pray about it. the problem with him is.. is that he only wants us to come by his house once a week.. and thats really hard for us.. because its hard to get someone progressing when we only meet with them once a week. but yeah.. we will go visit him tomorrow and see what happens. 

Also.. a member is dating a guy.. and they have been dating for almost 2 years now. hes not a member. but recently.. he just decided that he wants to talk to the missionaries. we talked to him.. and hes going to get baptized september 19! SO THATS SO EXCITING TOO. 

So something weird happened this week.. we were street contacting.. and we saw a lady sitting outside of her house. we decided to talk to her. she immediately told us that she wanted nothing to do with us because she was athiest. man.. it made me think.. super super sad. Ive been thinking about it so much. How sad of a life it would be to not believe or think there is a god.. or there is more than this life.. then just to live and then die. so sad. 

So this week I studied the Plan of Salvation a lot and god. I found a quote that I love a lot. ".. God our Father is not a feeling or an idea or a force. He is a holy person who, as the scriptures teach, has a face and hands and a glorious inmortal body. He is real. He knows each of us individually, and He loves us, every one".. from conference Nov 2011.. i think. 

I love that. I felt really humbled walking away from that poor lady. How sad of a life it would be. and then I felt SO grateful to be working in the very work that God himself has worried about and is worrying about this very day since the beginning of time. 

I felt his love for that lady.. and for me in that moment. I love my father in heaven. I know he is real. exists. and listens to us. He is all powerful and perfect.. yet he listens and loves us perfectly. he is there. I know it. I love him.. and I am lucky to be in his service.

I love you all! And I hope you all have an amazing week! 

xoxo 

Hermana Ehlert