August 15, 2016

HOLAAAA MI FAMILIA. :)

I can´t describe my feelings right now as I type this.. and it´s even harder when I have to write them.

I´m sitting here on a plastic lawn chair inside an internet cafe watching the people walk by outside in a country that was completely new and foreign to me 18 months ago. It now feels like home to me.. and the smells, people, streets, houses.. are all familiar to me. And in one week I will leave this all behind. My feeling are definitely mixed. I was thinking this week.. I think of one the reasons that it is so hard to even think about leaving this place is because I have given my heart and soul to this place and more importantly these people. as cliche as it sounds.. it´s true. whenever you give your heart to anything.. a sport, a school project, a person, work.. it´s hard to leave it. And I think that´s why it feels so hard to me right now. 

But if there is one thing that I have learned on my mission is that God has our complete and best interest in mind, and the only way for us to grow, is by taking us out of our comfort zone and sticking us in a place where our comforts are stretched. And once we feel comfortable there.. he takes us out again. It´s part of the plan.. and when we get changed.. and he gives us opportunities to grow and become more like him.. we can do it with a frown and bitterness in our hearts.. or we can do it with a good attitude, trusting in him, and knowing that all things will work together for our good. 

It´s also very weird.... time. I have talked about time a lot throughout my mission.. but it´s just the most surreal thing to me. I can still remember how it felt and what I was wearing and what I saw exactly the day I entered in the MTC.. and it feels like it could have been yesterday. SO WEIRD. 

Just some of the thoughts that I feel right now.

 

Anywayssss. this week. Some highlights:

-We started the week off doing divisions with our hermana leaders.. who´s area is about 5 hours away in bus.. so we travelled there on Tuesday and we did divisions with them on Wednesday. And the funnest part was.. is that I got to be with Hermana Johnson!!! Who was with me in the MTC in my district. It was the first time that I have gotten to work with her on my mission.. and to think about really how far we have come. It was a fun day full of the spirit working with her in her area. :)

-we are teaching a lady named Karina.. and although she is 31.. it truly is like teaching a 5 year old. She never had a formal education. Never went to school or church.. and has only heard about God from other people.. but has never been taught anything. She cannot read.. and her comprehension is VERY low and slow. So this week when we taught he we just taught God is our loving Heavenly Father and who is Jesus Christ. As we explained and re-explained who they are.. the spirit gently touched me at the truthfulness of what we were teaching. It was the most simple and basic doctrine to the church.. but some of the most important. I am so grateful of the knowledge of our loving Heavenly Father and his plan for us.. which is centered in his son Jesus Christ. I am also grateful for the Holy Ghost who testifies of all things. As we learn from Peter who recieved his witness of Christ because God revealed it to him through the Holy Ghost and not because he was physically with Christ and physically SAW the miracles he performed... "evidence" is not how we gain testimony.. but only through the Spirit. Laman and Lemuel saw miracle after miracle.. even angels.. but because they never allowed the spirit to enter into their hearts.. they were never converted. 

-Something funny that happened... we were at the house of a member.. and we are teaching her dad who isn´t a member.. and we were sitting outside.. and the her neighbor infront of her house starts raking all of the grass that was just recently cut into piles. So we hopped right up and decided to help!! So there we are just raking away.. and she starts setting fire to the piles of already raked (I don´t know if that´s how you spell it) grass. As is very common here in Paraguay... they burn everything.. garbage, grass and weeds, their extra food, or their dead dog.. you name it and they burn it. Just right infront of their house in the road basically. So this lady´s yard is basically a war zone..and we quickly finished raking. we were enveloped in smoke.. and showed up to the baptism that the branch had that night just smelling lovely..... (like smokers). hahah.. it was awesome.. and fun to explain to all those at the baptism that we had NOT recently just smoked a pack each. :) see picture below of the after effects...

I hope you all have an amazing week... and THANK YOU for all your support, love, and words that have helped me through my mission.

I don´t know how powerful my testimony is through email.. but I just love this gospel. I love my Savior and your Savior.. Jesus Christ. I know he lives. He loves us, and stands with our Father in Heaven, waiting for our return. I know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and it truly testifies of our Savior. He sustains and loves us and walks with us in times of trial.

I love you all.. and I WILL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK. :)

CHE ROHAYHU MI VIDA.

peace and blessings.

xoxoxoxox 

Hermana Ehlert

ps... next week I don´t think I will have the chance to write... so you don´t need to bother sending anything. :) 

lovessss.

the lady´s yard that I described in the story above. The after effects.

lunch with a member this week. it´s called bori bori.

cute little alison that got baptised :)

today we went to the beach to play volleyball with the district.. and of course.. had to snatch that cheesy .

playing volleyball today... I´m the one serving.. rocking the zone jersey´s that we made.

name tag pic with Posadas in the background. :)

love this place

August 8, 2016

hooollaaaa :)

wow.. weeks are passing SO fast I can't even believe it. 

I can't believe it's Monday again.. crazy. 

I learned this week as I was reading the new testament that our faith affects others. explanation: when the 4 friends carry the man with palsy to Christ to be healed and they lower him through the roof.. and Christ forgives the sins of the man and heals him because "he saw THEIR faith". The scriptures don't say anything about the faith of the man who actually had the palsy. I loved that.

I saw that this week as we were went out with full faith everyday.. and this week was BETTER. We were able to find families and prepared people who wanted to listen to us. We were able to help the members share the gospel and invite their friends to church and activities. I worked harder than ever at being fearless. 

At one point this week we started talking with two ladies and they invited us to sit down with them infront of their house.. as soon as we went to sit down.. the three teenager boys that were there left and sat on the other side of the house.. but still within sight. as we sat down and started talking with the two ladies.. I knew I had to invite those three boys to come sit with us and listen to our message. as the conversation kept going one of the ladies asked about baptism and as we opened up the book of mormon to respond to her doubt.. the impression was overwhelming. I felt dumb though.. they had specifically gotten up and moved when we came to sit down.. but I opened my mouth anyway.. expecting a "no".. or them to laugh and turn their music up louder... but to my surprise.. all three of them immediately grabbed their chairs and came to sit with us. and before we knew it there is a group of 6 sitting with us.. passing a book of mormon around the circle to read verses in 3 nefi about when christ comes to the americas and teaches the doctrine of baptism. so awesome. we left happy and full of the spirit. 

I realized that many impressions or promptings that we recieve from the Lord may be uncomfortable or difficult to do.. but when we move forward with faith in him .. willing to do what he asks.. he blesses us. 

one of the those boys that we asked to come sit down with us.. is the son of the less active and we didn't even know until we were about to leave and asked his last name. 

ROHAYHU ser misionera.

LES QUIERO.

chauuu.

xoxoxo

Hermana Ehlert

A pineapple growing behind a members house!!!! did you know they grow like that?!?!

A GIANT TREE in our area. isn't it cool?!?

Another giant treee... obviously. like the branch is HUGE.

my area. the other side of the river is Posadas argentina... so beautiful.

today we went to some ruins close my area.. they were super cool actually. giant.

August 1, 2016

Hi cute family :)

This week was a little brighter than the last weeks. To be honest.. it was still hard.. and we are just talking to EVERYONE. I don't think there has been a time in my mission where I am talking to more people during the day. 

So a few weeks ago.. before I got to the area.. all of the missionaries in the district came to our area and contacted for the day.. and then passed us the references. Well.. one of these references is named Nelly. The elder's found her during this day of contacting.. and we were finally able to find her. She is soooo coool. She just has all the right questions.. and all the right confusion for us to be able to help her along in her journey in finding light and truth in her life. Her husband a few years ago got in a motorcycle accident.. and is not in a wheelchair and paralyzed from the waste down. She is the only one that works in her family of 3 little kids.. going from door to door selling bingo. And the coolest part is.. she only lives a block away from the church!! So cool. 

We continued exploring in our area.. and finding new places to go. 

I have been thinking a lot about fear.. and how when we have fear we cannot be effective missionaries. man.... I wish SO BAD that I would have learned this concept at the beginning of my mission. I am weak.. and am easily intimidated by others.. and it has actually been a challenge sometimes for me to get over it. I don't want to offend anyone.. which sometimes leads me to not declaring boldly this glorious message. So this week I worked specifically on overcoming fear... and ironically.. we encountered many situations that intimidated me or made me shrink back.. but as I worked on declaring the message of the restoration.. I felt the rush of the spirit backing me up. many times it required a lot of faith for me to stand up for what we are doing.. but when we excercise faith.. he blesses us. You'd think that a missionary with my time would have figured it out by now.. but oh well right? sorry... i feel like I can't express myself how I want to. It all just makes much more sense in spanish.

We also found an awesome brazilian woman named Teresa. She watched us from the door of her little house as we walked by. I felt like we should talk to her when we made eye contact.. but we were already late for our appointment.. and when we had already passed her house, I decided to turn around. We approached her.. and in her thick brazilian accent told us that she was hoping we would talk to her. We were able to chat for a little bit.. and remembering the challenge to handout a book of mormon in the street everyday from our leaders.. we marked a section for her invited her to read. she said "I will happily read .. and when are you coming back to keep teaching me?" It was definitely a happy moment of the day. 

not much this week. 

feliz and fearless is the theme for the week. :)

xoxoxox

hermana ehlert