Happy New Year EVERYONE!!

2015 was a whole calendar year without our Lauren as she has been serving in Paraguay! We are so grateful for the many blessings we have received on behalf of her service and willing heart. We are also oh-so-grateful for our many new treasured friends in Paraguay!! But we are so very excited for 2016 and the promise of Lauren's return!! 

FAMILY!!!! 

HI THERE!! 

Okay, its' still weird to think that just the other week I saw your lovely faces. You guys are the best! :D

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!  This week when I was studying I came across another quote from Elder Jefferey R Holland (you can never have too many elder holland quotes :)!!) 

“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead; we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future.”

And that's what this last year now is for us!! :) Isn't it so exciting to know that we can now apply all that 2015 taught us and just make 2016 the best year ever :)!!! I  am so excited!!

This week, we as a mission are starting to read the Book of Mormon, cover to cover, again - with plans to finish before the next General Conference. I am currently in 2 Nephi and have just been loving it!  We are reading, placing a special emphasis in looking for the themes of "faith" and "repentance and baptism". It has been really special to study and see how this has been the message of the prophets since Adam. The invitation has ALWAYS been for us to exercise our faith and REPENT and be baptized, that we might be made perfect and whole through the merits of Jesus Christ. 

I am so grateful for the old as well as modern prophets that we have been blessed with, who continue inviting us to accept that loving and pierced hand that is always extended towards us.

Isn't it so special to know that here on the earth, even TODAY, we have an authorized servant of God, holding the Lords priesthood authority who is ordained and worthy to excercise such power? Isn't it lovely to know that the Lord's prophets, even Thomas S Monson, recieve direct revelation from the Father and converse with Him, like you and I talk face to face? Isn't it beautiful to know that the Father has done all this for us? That we might walk in the light :)

I am grateful to have a living prophet... I know that the windows of Heaven are not shut, but rather very much open. I know that the priesthood keys are here on Earth - allowing me to grow closer to my Heavenly Father and prepare myself with my family, for the eternities. I am grateful because I also know that the doors to revelation are very much open as well, allowing me, a daughter of God, to recieve His divine inspiration in my life. I am grateful for the prophet of God here on the Earth, and I sustain him, Thomas S Monson, as our prophet. And I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that continues invting us to come unto Him and to come unto Christ :)

To make this year the best one ever, I am going to keep myslef more centered on the Lords path by hearkening unto the words of his servants, the prophets!! :) I know that we will all be blessed if we do, because He tells us in the scriptures!! :)

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more

I LOVE YOU ALL!  

HAVE THE BEST WEEK!  BE GOOD AND MAKE OTHERS SMILE!!

XOxoX!!

Hermana Fardos

CHRISTMAS SKYPE 2015

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!  

Mom, Thank you for feeding the missonaries on Christmas Eve... It is so nice getting to spend that time with a loving family who just has that special Christmas Spirit and I know that you guys were that family for them.  Also, your cards and candy canes arrived and were distributed to all of the missionaries by Santa Bryant along with some other goodies!!  Haha!!  I know all the missionaries here in PAN and all who have passed through the ward back home have your name written in their journals and on their heart. You are a doll and I love you!!

The SKYPE was amazing!!  I so appreciated seeing you guys and all the talking that we did!! :)  Seriously, Best Present Ever!!  

This week we worked hard... You guys already got the update over Skype, Haha! But we are planning this week to see if we can't pass by during the lunch break and share a small video of Christ to get them excited for the new year!

Can you belive that we are about to be in 2016?  I am preparing myself with plenty of white out because I know it will take me a few weeks to get used to writing 2016 on my papers!  Ha!! 

I am so excited for this year and all that it will bring.  I know that starting it with the Lord will bring us the most joy.  And recently I have thought of goals and accomplishments I would like to reach in 2016... :)

Here are a few of them

   - Finish the mission with honor and work till I drop

   - Say thank you more

   - Smile often

   - Look to make others smile as well

   - Count my blessings at the end of every day (I have been doing that the 

     last 3 months and has made such a difference for me :)!)

I know that my list will just get bigger as time goes on... But this year I will work my hardest and my best to show my Savior that I cherish His life that He so freely gave for my sake and also for my brothers and sisters. I hope you are all able to take some time this week to look back and see how the Lord has blessed you this year!!  I hope you all have a wonderful time brigning in 2016!!  Start it with Christ, He is anxious to be by your side!! :) 

I love you all so much!
Hermana Fardos

OH! And here is a beautiful quote that I heard this last week, that I just want to share with you all! :)

"It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, and broke bread to give strength. It is peter weeping bitterly who returned to greater power and strength than ever" Elder jefferey R Holland

Accept that broken bread and recieve the strength it can give this year! :)

Merry Christmas from Asuncion!!

Well, hello there family!! :) 

Merry Christmas to EVERYONE!!

Yes, I am doing so much better... I am back to being the energizer bunny and working like there's no tomorrow!! :)  Dengue is not fun... so promise me you will all be good about wearing bug spray in tropical climates!! Haha!  But I am very grateful for this last week because it really did leave me with sweet memories and great relationships -- with new sister missionaries and with my Heavenly Father! :)

Once released from the hospital herself, 

Lauren was able to return for a day and be the 

companion of another Hermana now recovering from dengue.

Special thanks for Debbie Craner for sharing this photo

of the Hermanas in Asuncion!!

Okay, back to business!!! Changes... I was transferred! I am now working in Asuncion!! :) I live in the same house as han Bringhurst (my previous companion and our Mission Nurse)... There are four of us, Hna Bringhurst and her companion Hna Nuckles, and then me and my new companion Hna Jara.  Hna Jara and I are working for all of Asuncion, we don't really have an 'area'. Why?  Well, because our assignment has changed a bit.  Let me explain...

So, the gospel of Jesus Christ is an amazing thing :) Learning how to excercise our faith and come unto Christ is special message -- and the blessing that families can be together forever is an amazing gift!!  And this message needs to be shared with EVERYONE!  Like it says in the scriptures... this message needs to sound in every ear! :) 

SO... here, in Paraguay, the greater Asuncion area is a destination... EVERYONE comes in to work from the neighboring cities and towns. There are young adults, studying and looking for guidance... There are Dads, looking to provide for their families they love so much... There are moms working hard also, to make sure that they can provide their children the best life they can... They come in early morning hours and fill the streets. The city becomes full of people at the break of day, but there is a problem.  At that hour... we don't have missionaries on the street yet because we are studying... But the gospel is for hard working, early risers too!!  Yes, ABSOLUTELY!! So President McMullin assigned me and Hna Jara as 'Hermana Travelers' Haha! O sea... our work day begins at 6:30 AM, literally by 6:30, we are on the street contacting, looking for people to teach and share these good tidings of great joy that Jesus Christ brought to us!! :) We then have the first lesson with them, whether it be in the mission home or in the home of the family we contacted... then we look to assist them to get acquainted and integrate in their own local gospel community... we will go to church with them on Sunday at what ever chapel is in their area.  Once we help them make the introductions and contacts, we pass the referral on to their local area Missionaries and continue to find people in Asuncion for what ever brings them there, who are ready to hear the gospel message!! 

It really is a whole different world in the morning. I am really enjoying it and I am learning so much as we go!! :) 

Hna Jara is fantastic!!  She is a cute little Peruvian who has 5 months in the mission - almost 6.  She has a beautiful spirit and smile and is excited to share the gospel!! It's going to be a sweet companionship!! :)

I am excited for this change... I know there is so much work to do, wherever we are sent! :) The gospel is meant for all of us, after all, we are ALL God's children... so we are going to hit the ground and run with it!! :)

But, before I go, I just want to take a minute and let you guys know what a special treat it was to be in Salado with Hna Farish. Hna Farish is another very special person. I really needed her last change. She was a great example to me of selfless love and desire to serve. With Hna Farish, we were able to leave the house every day with a burning desire to share the gospel. We worked hard and we saw miracles. One of those miracles being the baptism of the Arue Family.  I didn't get to be there for the baptism due to my dengue and hospital stay, but that's okay... because it is not MY baptism. I get to work in the field... but the success of the harvest belongs to the Lord. I am so grateful that I got to do my part in teaching them about this glorious message and am even more happy that they got to enter in the waters of baptism and begin this beatiful path of discipleship! 

I love you all!! :) Have a great week!

Hna Fardos!

Dang it!! It's Dengue!!

Familyyyyy:) 

Hello hello hello, well, this week was a crazy one and we saw a bit of everything... the good, the bad, and the ugly!

The good - we had 3 baptisms!! And the Elders in our ward had 4!! :) We had a huge day of white on Saturday!! :)

The bad - I have dengue

The ugly - yea, that would still be dengue!  Haha!!

Soooooo, yes... word is out. I have dengue fever!! I have never had so much discomfort before... really.  But, hey, it just adds to the experience, right?! Ha!!  It's a very weird sickness... mosquito transmitted. But what is weird is just how every body reacts so differently to having it, and there is no actual vaccine or cure.

My dengue sent me into a very high fever - and no matter how much tylenol I took, I just couldn't get a grip on my fever.  It also brought a huge body rash, itchiness, insomnia, nausia, dizziness, eye pain, abdomen pain, bone/joint/muscle pain, etc... each symptom so severe... and caused my white blood cell and platelet counts to drop like crazy. Over the process of time, one by one, the symptoms started going away and different cycles of my dengue fever started as others stopped. It was a strange thing to experience... There is good news today - My blood test results came in this morning and everything is climbing. My white blood cells are normal again and my platelet count is starting to go up as well:)

 My diet of gatorade and water :)

Doing so much better today!!

The Elders checked in on me and brought me the sacrament

But that's enough of the bad and ugly... It's been a long week and I am so happy to be on this side of it!! :)

Something that was very special in all of it was just how often the Lord was showering down His tender mercies!! :) I had the sacrament brought to my hospital room, I got to hear about the baptisms and that they were lovely, I had beautiful hermanas accompanying me the whole time, I have had the blessing of being able to rest well, I have had kind nurses who have asked more about the gospel, the Doctors who's care I am under has treated me as if I were his granddaughter, the Elders gave me a blessing, tender mercies were just falling down like rain from Heaven! :) Elder Bednar says 

"We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender

mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the

tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in

the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words

cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel,

when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is

unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate

understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal

experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired

outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone,

truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made

mighty even unto the power of deliverance" (see 1 Ne. 1:20).    

And it is so true... Jesus Christ is the great healer, and His tender mercies were exactly what I needed to continue improving, to heal, to be okay!! :) The Lord is too kind to us -- He loves us so much.

I can tell you that dengue is not fun, but Jesus Christ knows what it's like.  He took that upon Him too, that night in Gethsemane. He knew from His own experience, just what I would need to help me feel encouraged or find joy even in great discomfort. Jesus Christ knows how I felt, He knows exactly how we all feel in every moment! :)

Next week, I will try to get the baptismal pictures and send those with the story of this special family!! :) The Arua Family! :)

But for now im hopping off :)

Love you all!! :) Be good!! :) Wear your mosquito repellent!! ;)

Love,

Hermana Fardos

We Are Here For a Reason!!

Fam Bam....

Okay, it is soooo weird seeing everyone at home bundling up in sweaters and sweatshirts by your fireplaces!!  Haha!!  Christmas is just around the corner and you know what that means... our SKYPE call is almost here too!! The 25th? Yeah? We'll have to start working the timing details out... but just keep that in mind!! :)

This week has been great!  We went on a big trip up to Pedro Juan, Yby Yau, and Horqueta.  I was able to spend time with Hna Ashby, Hna Trujillo, Hna Chamberlin and Hna Ross. It was great getting to be with each of them!! They are all so amazing and so special and original!! :) It really hit me how the Lord knows exactly what mission to send each missionary, and then within our mission, who to have in different parts of Paraguay! :)  These girls really are individually and personally needed right where they are to help these beautiful Paraguayans progress spiritually and come unto Christ! :)

And you guys are also exactly where you are for a special reason as well! The Lord needs you right where you are to be an example, to bring about good and strengthen each other and bring strength to the gospel right there at home!! :)

Matthew 5: 15  “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

 Let your light shine!! :) Let the gospel bless you... live it and share it!! :) 

D&C 81:5  “Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”

I just want to leave you with my testimony that faith without works is dead... and work without faith is also dead.  May we always look to be able to strengthen our faith and then use it to strengthen the feeble knees!! :)

You are all so special and I love you all !!!

CUIDENSE!!! (Take care)

Hermana Fardos