Still Serving the People of Paraguay!! Living it, Loving it!!

This week was crazy... 

We lost power in almost all of Paraguay, I got way sick again, we have the most amazing investigator and Hna Ashby and I are just loving it here!... We are growing a lot together :) !!!

So let’s get to the details... yeah, we have been with out power and without water... but, I’ve done that before, so it doesn’t feel like such a big deal.  

However, my 102 degree fever really knocked me out for a few days.  I totally thought I was all over being sick last week... I thought I could power through it, but, I think my body needed a day of just rest.  We just kept working, working, and working some more, so anxious to find anyone and everyone we can teach out here, my body never caught up.  So one day, we went out to work and my bones began to ache and I couldn’t think, walk, I seriously couldn’t even stand... nothing!  My body just gave out... I’m definitely ready to feel good again!!

I’m confident that from this point on, we’ll be A-OKAY!  And we are back out working as hard as we can again.  We have some amazing investigators and today I want to tell you about M!!

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned him before, but he speaks strait up, 100%, Guarani. He is amazing!  We have had every lesson with our Ward Mission Leader and a bunch of other member families and it has been really special seeing him progress in the gospel... I know he is going to get baptized and yesterday in our lesson with him... I saw him, so clearly, with a white shirt and plaque (missionary name tag)... He will be an amazing missionary when he chooses to serve!! :)

But I’m getting ahead of myself... M has changed so much!  He has always worked on Sundays, so church attendance was hard for him and he was hesitant to accept a baptismal date.  But, we just continued teaching, praying, fasting and working with him... praying that he could accept and embrace the gospel and prepare to be baptized.  Hna Ashby and I picked a date to work toward, September 26^th.

Three weeks ago, we taught him about the dia de reposo (Sabbath Day) and asked him what he could do to better keep it holy like we have been commanded?  His response was so genius... He said that he would have to change his work schedule... that he would have to come home every Sunday so that he could make it to church and partake of the sacrament!

So, that very week, he walked up to his boss and told him that he needs to be home on Sundays and that he is going to leave on Saturday night to make it back in time!! :)  What a huge step for this 19 year-old young man to say in front of his Patron!  Wow, talk about faith!

Also, we invited him to pray about his baptismal date, that he might also receive his personal witness and confirmation that he should be baptized (and we suggested on the 26th of September).  And you know what? He prayed. He prayed a lot.  And two weeks ago he told us "Hermanas, I’ve been praying and I’ve got an answer... I know I need to be baptized."  WHEENNNNN? we asked him, and he told us that he felt he should be baptized on September 19th instead :)!! YES!!  A whole week early!  The questions M asks are so inspired, and the studying he does during the week on his own time, just shows how serious he is about this step!  We are so excited for the 19 to arrive!  He is so ready!! :)

That night we went home and we gratefully got on our knees and promised the Lord that we would do everything in our power to help him be prepared and ready for this special day and we asked the Lord for His help in doing that! :)

I love being a missionary!  This work is amazing and so special!  I know that this gospel is real and makes us happy when we choose to apply it and live according to its principles!!  I know that our Heavenly Father lives and loves us. I know that Jesus Christ lives and I know that opposition is essential and crucial for our progression towards perfection and exaltation.

Our Heavenly Father is perfect and DOES NOT make mistakes!! :)

Have a great week!!!

Until next Monday!

Hermana Fardos