Defying Gravity

This week was INSANE. We had our two consejo things Monday and Tuesday. Then Tuesday night we got to welcome the new sister missionary here and stay in the Mission Home with her again. She is so cute. And we had to do more tramites Wednesday... Basically we didn´t get back to Coronel Bogado until Wednesday afternoon pretty late. Then we had to make the Zone plan with the Elderes. That took all night.. Thursday, We had to go back to Encarnacion for our Zone meeting. And we haven´t had much time in the area but Hermana Cuevas is learning really quickly. It´s super great! It has just been super hectic. And I feel like there IS NOT enough time to do everything that we need to do. She´s still not even unpacked. However, our kitchen is beautiful and clean but our room is a disaster. We gutted the kitchen. And I scrubbed the walls with Vinegar.. Mom you would be so proud. And we bought a NEW OVEN. That was a necesity.

Although It has been SUPER hectic. I feel like I´ve gotten a lot done. It´s been super weird being with an American. I don´t even know when I am speaking Spanish or if I switch to English anymore.

It´s also been weird because It´s so much easier to talk. So we talk about so much MORE! My focus is being tried. Because high school stories come out. College... It´s like blast from the past and it´s a little difficult to focus because we haven´t been out much and yeah. Tough stuff.

But We are the best of buds and I love showing her all of the stuff. We are also seeing miracles together!

Erico WILL come to church this week. I promise. And we want him to pass the sacrament this week. Pray for Him.

We have to drop Derlis. (I´ve had his name wrong all this time.) He´s just not going to progress.

Silvio broke his leg or something. So we´re going to go see if we can help him with anything. We are pulling out the list of 10 menos activo members and we´re going to find them. Even if they are in another country. :)

Lidia is incredible and Her uncle is now coming to church thanks to her example. He´ll probably get baptized soon.

Oh and her grandma FINALLY let us help her wash clothes. She has a lavanderia and she washes clothes all day everyday. I´ve been trying to help for 3 months. And FINALLY she let us help for like 2 days this week. That was intense and it killed us.

A new family is moving in this week and who knows, maybe we´ll be seeing some miracles with them as well.

I can feel the MIRACLES coming to Coronel Bogado. I can feel it!! They are only on their way!

Wanna know why? We had the most beautiful Sacrament Meeting this week. Everyone bore testimony of the truth of the Gospel. Everyone spoke about how grateful they are for the Church. For the Atonement. For the sacrament. For the teachings of the gospel. For the happiness that it brings us. And for the STRENGTH that it gives us to keep on moving forward. These people are so humble. So grateful. They don´t know everything. They don´t understand every doctrine of the church. They don´t know what it´s like to have more than 25 members. But they know what the spirit feels like. And they know that Jesus Christ is their Savior. They know that their Heavenly Father loves them and they know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church here in the earth.

Hermana Maidana´s dad died this week. And I´ve been thinking a lot about the year that Mark died. How hard it was on the family. On me. But I remembered something that helped me get through it... 

I remember many a day going to drill practice even though I felt like crap. My back hurt. I wanted to throw up.. but many times, we all just had to stick through it and work. dance.

The mission is the same way. If not a little more serious. I´m not very sympothetic for the missionaries that have a sore toe and want to stay in the pension all week. I was taught not to do that. I was taught to push through the hard moments. I was taught to Defy Gravity.

And I am going to make this my theme song this week. or month or however long I need to. Cause it still applies. :)

Maybe even more now than before.

.......................................

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!

..........................................

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

............................................

I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down

.............................

Unlimited
Together we're unlimited
Together we'll be the greatest team
There's ever been
Glinda -
Dreams, the way we planned 'em
If we work in tandem:

There's no fight we cannot win
Just you and I
Defying gravity
With you and I
Defying gravity

........................................

Maybe we can all try to defy gravity this week? What do ya say?

Let´s try to strengthen our testimonies. 

Maybe we can start by studying about our baptismal covenants. Cause it all starts with baptism you know...

Mosiah 18:

 8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

 11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.

These are the desires of my heart. 

And once we learn to do these things... bear one another´s burdens. Comfort those who need it. Wanna know what? Our sore toes don´t even matter any more. And it is THEN that we can Defy Gravity. :) Forget yourself and defy that gravity.

It´s then that we can better understand why we keep going. Why do we keep going? What is the point of enduring to the end? It´s so that we can live with God again right? But He wants us to do more than just enduring. He doesn´t want us to understand all of His deep doctrines. He doesn´t love the ward with 200 people on Sunday more than the Branch with 15.

He wants us to invite His Spirit into our lives. Into our homes, our relationships, our minds and our hearts. He wants us to let Him in. To follow His son. To be baptized and to strengthen our testimonies each and everyday. 

But He doesn´t want us to accept limits... Or play by the rules of the world. He wants us to TRY to defy gravity. 

TRY

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to TRY.

So this week, I´m going to do better. We all are. Even when life is crazy. When it seems like the time is NEVER enough. Can we all just remember that sometimes it´s the simple things that matter. It´s serving another. Visiting the neighbor´s widow. Helping grandpa mow the lawn. Remember what we have promised to the Lord. And what He has promised in return.

Blessings without number. Cause He loves us. SO MUCH.

I love you

Hermana Rupe

p.s. I LOVE AMERICA!! I missed the 4th of July almost more than Christmas. But we walked around with matching blue bows and basically the same outfit all day. Everyone looked at us funny. America represent. :)

For you, mommy.

The Power, Joy, and Love of Covenant Keeping
The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom 

Hna Cuevas and I with the newby. She is so cute!!
We snuck away while everyone was doing tramites and we visited Carlina and Mirta. Love them.

I finally met my mission grand daughter!! 3 generations picture

Cutie Pie Hna Maya.

Us with our hijas... who are now companions.

Welcome to PARAGUAY!!

And you gotta meet Lidia first.:)
Alfajores.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY. We had a foto shoot. Enjoy.:)

And we ate cake with the Maidana family. It may or may not have had mint flavored tequila filling. We told them we wanted one without alcohol.

KATTY

And we bought a new oven. It was necessary.

The moon had a freaky ring around it the other night. Someone tell me what that means. pleaaaaaaaase.