Monday, July 27, 2015

Time continues to fly here!!

Hi there everybody! 

I dont have to much to tell this week. 

Basically we are all ready in week no. 5 of this 6 week change!  Crazy to think it's wrapping up. 

The weather has been realllllyyyy nice!  During the fternoon, the sun comes out and it's so warm! And it's so lovely until the 5 o'clock hour rolls around... then it gets so COLD!  But hey, the Spirit is nice and warm -- so we just walk as fast as we can to our appointments, get into the house and have a lesson so we can feel that warm Spirit otra vez and defrost a little bit!!  Ha! :)

We have an investigator, E.  She lives way out in the "selva¨ or jungle as we like to say!  She is married to an inactive member who has fallen into the vices of alcohol and cigarillos, but he's ready to clean up a bit.  E is so lovely, speaks SO much Guarani... (I am getting good Guarani practice there! Haha).  But the other day we felt prompted to visit her... it's a bit of a trek, but we felt it was important.  When we arrived, she came out of the house just drained, exhausted, and it was clear that she was not okay.  We found out that she has been fighting sinusitis and has been all by herself with nobody for the last week (becuase her husband works in Brazil).  We talked for a moment and since we were there and E was inclined to be taught, we began with a lesson.  We began to teach The Restoration and we started to tell her about how the Lord has given His authority to worthy men, here en la tierra. The same authority and power that healed the sick, raised the dead... as we continued teaching and she stopped in the middle of the lesson and told us how she she has faith that this healing power exists and said that she would like a blessing!  It was really special hearing her testimony right there about these truths even though she had only just heard them.  She has tremendous faith.  So, we started calling every brother in the Branch and nobody answered (naturally, it works out like that.) Haha!

I said a quick prayer before going back down the list of brethren to start calling them all again. When all of a sudden the Elders of our branch called and asked if we needed anything!!  Prayer answered!!  I told them YES! They came as quickly as they could to E's home (as quickly as possible, quiere decir 30 minutes... yeah, she really lives way out there!).  When they arrived, they spoke with her for a moment and then gave her one of the most powerful blessings ever!  They told her that she would be able to be healed according to her faith. The Elder spoke a few words regarding her physical state... and then he paused, then he began to speak such inspired words -- how she will be able to continue progressing in the gospel and that she will be able to make al the changes necessary to give her and her family the best life they can have... Eternal life.  It was so lovely!!   I'm so grateful for E and her sweet spirit, and for the Elders who answered the promptings of the Spirit to come and give her this blessing!

Unfortunately, that is all the time I have for this week...

I love you guys!
Be good and make someone smile!! :)

With lots of love!
Hermana Fardos

Monday, July 20, 2015

Blessed Are The Meek This Week!!


Hey there! Okay, well, hmmm this week...

Well, yea, I got super, super sick -- like fever, achy body, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, migraine... the works.  We had to cut 2 days of work short so I could go to bed early and recover.  I really needed it.  On the bright side, I feel A TON BETTER now, and our house is full of oranges to keep on top of our Vitamin C! :) 

THE WEATHER HAS BEEN BEAUTIFUL!! Not too hot and not too cold.... jusssttttt right! :)  That’s been such a welcomed treat! 

Other than that, there haven’t really been too many big events going on... it’s been a solid week of work and recovery!! Haha.

This week I studied a lot on being meek... I don’t think I had ever taken the time to study this attribute ever before.

Meekness is really quite special... it does not mean weakness. But it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness. :) 

According to writings from our General Authorities... "Meekness is the quality of those who are God fearing, righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering... those who possess this attribute are willing to follow Christ and gospel teachings as a true disciple (however and under any condition that Christ sees right for us) and the temperment of meekness is more than self-restraint, it is calm, docile, tolerant, kind and gentle, reflecting strength, serenity and self-control."  Meekness is essential because it is crucial for other virtues like faith, hope, and charity.

As we take Christ’s name upon us... we also take upon us the duty of striving to become more like Christ EACH DAY (Matthew 5:48).  I really like that part... each day! 

We are blessed, because we have all been born with the seed of meekness in our hearts. We need to understand that it is not possible to develop and grow that seed in the twinkling of an eye or in a mere moment.  And it would be silly to expect others to change that quickly. We have all been given this time in this life to develop the gentle attributes of Christ :) but, we are human, and all imperfect... And because of this, we should strive to recognize the efforts of everyone :) asi que, and always remember it’s a process and takes time and can only be acquired by experience and effort.

As we acknowledge our shortcomings and strengthen our dedication and perseverance... the Lord will add upon us and give us what we are not able to obtain ourselves due to our imperfections and human weaknesses.

As we learn to control our temper, we will be able to cultivate that seed of meekness and grow in our likeness to Christ. 2 Timothy 2:24-26.

The humble and the meek have the ability to influence those around them to be the same. God’s promise to the humble is that He will lead them by the hand.  We will avoid the detours and sadness in our lives as we walk hand in hand with the Savior.

Christ faced the most extreme suffering, giving us the opportunity to change our spiritual character and become meek, even as He is.  We are not perfect, we are not saints -- that is, unless by saints you mean sinners who keep on trying (I believe that was Nelson Mandela quoted in Elder Renlund's conference talk). Let’s keep putting our best foot forward and this week look for a moment to serve! :) You guys know how to serve like the best of them!! :) You are all so amazing and so special!! I love you all so much!

Keep on keeping on!
Until lunes!
Hermana Fardos

Matthew 11.29
Moroni 10.32
Galations 5.22-25

Monday, July 13, 2015

Photo Update From Paraguay!!

Hola!!

I'm not going to be able to write a letter this week!  This is the first Ciber I've been to that is sending my pictures, and I want to take full advantage!  So, my apologies for skipping the message, but I hope you enjoy some of these pics!! :)





This is our Young Women's President who trekked out with us through flooded streets and really sticky mud to find our beautiful, humble investigators!  She rocks!!




Some of my new best friends in Pedro Juan!! :)  And following is some of my old in Mariano!  Ha!!  Such a treat when I was able to visit my old District in Asuncion a few weeks ago!! :)







I love these ladies!!



A space heater and hot water bottles in our blankets are the only way we can get warm at night!



A few more of our District in Pedro Juan before transfers last week!


So you can see, Brazil really is right across the street!! :D


And finally a zone activity from this morning!!

I hope you all have a fantastic week!!

I love you all!!
Hermana Fardos

Monday, July 6, 2015

Bearing Our Burdens With Patience and Faith!

Hey you guys!!! 

Well, changes came and went once again!  Next month marks my year out here in the field too... woah haha. Crazy, right?! This cambio brought big changes to our District... Three of our 8 missionaries left. Elder Jacobsen went somewhere in Limpio, Elder Watson also went to Limpio and Hna Dunagan went back home to California! Yup, she finished the mission!!

Me and my companion have another change to work hard and grow together. :) We are excited, this change should be really good. We have some beautiful investigators who are progressing and we are also preparing a family of recent converts to be sealed in the Temple. Wow, missionary work is a special work! :)

This week the cold came in and it came hard! Our house actually has a solid wind that runs through it!  Haha!! So I have developed a new habit of sleeping with my space heater and filling water bottles with hot water and putting those in my blankets.  It's quite a fun experience, and it's quite a learning experience too.  I'm learning a lot of fun tips and tricks. If the 'zombie apocolypse' were a real thing... I would totally be able to survive!! ;) Haha! (and don't worry Mom... I don't need more jackets!! :) But thank you for thinking of me!) :)

This week, we had some really cool and spiritual experiences. I learned so much. I wish I could just scan my personal study journal over, that would probably be the easiest way, haha, but since my journals at home.. let me tell you about one of the things I learned this week. It has to do with the title of my email. Bearing our burdens with patience and faith :)  In the scrptures, Nephi is a fantastic expample... over the last 3 weeks I have just been studying Nephi alone! When I was reading chapter 7 (basically Nephi up to this point and again in later chapters... has endured many many many challenges with his brothers -- they ridicule him, abuse him, question him, just about any way you can attack a person.. they did it. But Nephi is a constant example of bearing our burdens with patience and faith)  Now, back to 1 Nephi Chapter 7...  here his brothers tie him up... they tie him right up and he cant move, they were going to leave him for dead.  But Nephi says a faithful and oh so humble prayer.  He said:

O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

He didn't ask that his situation would change... he didn't ask why these things were happening. He took it with patience and having faith in the Lord, he humbly asked that the Lord could help him endure this challenge and come out conquerer, that he might have the strength to endure. And in that very moment, the Lord blessed him with strength to face his situation and fulfill the wil of the Lord. It's one small verse, but wow it's powerful!

Patience and faith are two special attribtes... they are not attributes that we recieve alone. They come from our Heavenly Father.  Our trials, our tests, our hardships... whatever they may be, are for our good. The Lord has promised us that. And He only asks that we endure these hard moments with patience and with faith in Him.  As we place our faith in him and we bear these burdens with patience, we become sufficiently humble to see the doors that the Lord is opening and we will be able to LEARN from these life experiences. It is my prayer that we all continue fighting the good fight! :) After all, we know who's team is the winning team!! :) Don't lose hope in the last quarter!! :)

I love you all so much! You are all beautiful people! :)
Be good!
Until Monday!
Hna Fardos