Hello all,
I´m hoping that this
letter can turn out to be a little bit longer than the one that I previously
wrote. This week was a huge week of tests for what it seems to be the whole
mission. It’s been incredible how we have been able to continue this last week.
There were a lot of missionaries who had it worse than we did but we continued
to be active and happy.
This week was really
really cold. I love the cold. I’m just soaking it all up, but the Paraguayans
they don´t seem to do so hot in the cold. We really struggled this last week in
trying to find new people that can progress. I have never talked to so many
people and clapped so many houses in my entire mission. To me it’s incredible
that we could have talked to as many people as we did and didn´t find anyone.
One day I kept track of how many people we had talked to. We talked to 83
people. That’s not counting the houses that we had clapped. It was incredible.
I can´t come to understand how or why we couldn´t get any lessons in. We had
the desire and we had the smile and the spirit but no one wanted to let the
missionaries in.
It was a little
frustrating as well with the people that we did find because we would invite
them and then the next day they had talked it out between the two and decided
to stay in their religion. I couldn´t understand what we were doing wrong. We
were testifying, studying, obedient, listening, and inviting, but no one wanted
to make those steps in their life that would help them come unto Christ. After
thinking about it one night when I couldn´t sleep. I finally figured it out.
Satan is very very
strong. He creates opportunities that are false and tries to lead us to a false
sense of security and happiness that can´t last. I have to have the spirit.
When I testify it has to be like a waterfall feelings on the hearts of the
people. They can´t deny that I don´t teach well enough, but they can´t deny
their feelings. Me and my companion were talking a little about how a lot of
people have faith, but a lot of people have faith that isn´t real. That is where
Satan comes and leads us into the darkness, the blind leading the blind. They
can´t see what’s in front, but the person leading promises blessings and
happiness.
I have been having a
hard time emotionally this week because of this. Lots of our brothers and
sisters are blind spiritually. They have been led away by a deceiver that will
do whatever it takes, even miracles in our eyes, to lead us away from the
truth. He uses forms of temporary happiness and lies to guide us into misery.
This is sad, but very true. We all must look up to the light, look to the one
that will teach us his truths and guide us in the darkness. We must clasp to
the Iron Rod and never let go! We must show our brothers and sisters what the
truth is and where it lies and bring them to the Rod to guide us to the tree of
Life!
We had the chance this
last week to meet our new mission president. Wow, He is amazing. I can´t even
really describe him. He is 43 years old and very very humorous and has a zest
for life. He knows that we will have success. He knows that this isn´t our work
and that we are only the hands of the master as He guides and brings His
followers into His fold. He truly is going to help this mission so much in the
form of helping missionaries complete their potential. We are an obedient
mission. That is a fact. Now we just need to learn now how to help the people
come unto Christ and know this is a better way. He came here with all of his
family. We got to meet him in the center and heart of Asuncion. It was crazy
how many people and buildings are down there. I wanted to go to one of those
areas super bad. I loved the feeling. The church down there was super awesome
as well. It was like 5 stories high and you could look out over all of
Asuncion. It was super cool.
I had to lead the
meeting that we had with the new president. Everyone came up to me after and
asked if I was nervous. I guess that when I got up to lead my face got super
red because I was nervous. Well ya....... I was.............. haha. But really
I know that we are going to do amazing things with this new president. He is
going to help us a lot.
We found a family this
last week that is super super super humble. We got to their house and they let
us in right away. We walked past their gate, if you can call it that, and all
of their beds were outside their house because inside was only 1 room and it
was only big enough for the baby so that it didn´t have to sleep outside in the
cold. When we walked in I wanted to cry. I saw that all the kids were playing
with broken cars, and broken dolls. They ran around barefoot and with hardly
any clothes on. The mom was tired from working 18 hours and the dad was half
drunk. I truly had to bite my lip and struggled to hold back the tears. This
family has so much suffering. I have to ask myself why. But I know that someday
not in this life everything will be set right. That is the reason why the
Savior came to the earth. To pay for all the unright, the unjust, and unfair
conditions of the world. We can and will have a better time. We must look
forward. If we get drowned in our conditions here, there is no hope. I want to
challenge you all to look up. To find love and hope in the being that is
unchanging and forever loving. Our Lord and Redeemer Christ.
Rohayhu
--
Elder Beatty
Elder Beatty
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