Overalls Please

I am teaching the Paraguayan equivilent to Justin Timberlake. Seriously, every time I look at him I expect him to jump up and start singing Bye, Bye, Bye!!

Speaking of goodbyes... Today is the start of a new transfer. And I´m staying here! With my companion!! It´s not too often that companions stay together for more than 2 transfers and this will be our 3rd. Our Hermana Lider is getting sent away, so they are putting me back on the job. I am honestly really excited to tell you the truth. Hermana Juarez and I get along like sisters. We get annoyed every once in a while but we are both very pacient (how is that spelled??) with each other and we have a lot of fun together.

This week has been full of adventures. Like we found a million new investigators. All of whom have funny stories. Felix. (See the man in the overalls) We found Felix this week. We were running to a cita clear in the lejos far away from where he lives but Hermana Juarez, even JUNIOR and I felt like we should stop and talk to him. So we did. And we discovered that he had gone to church with the Elders before! What?? And that he wanted to go with us. He is a heavy chain smoker and he has been drinking his life away for about 10 years. But he and his friends want some help and we are here to give it to them! Felix came to church yesterday. He came in his best dress and his arrival made us so happy! He is quiet and a little unsure of things. Maybe he doesn´t understand because of the Alcohol, but he´s going to get it. I just know it!

Hugo got mad at us after General Conference. He thought that we would be at the Priesthood session waiting for him... and NO. So he avoided us for a couple of weeks. But this week he decided to forgive us and we went to visit him a few times. (His friend is Justin Timberlake). We are having such spiritual experiences with him because he WANTS to learn and he UNDERSTANDS. He brought his friend to church yesterday and he said that he enjoyed himself. He told us that he has noticed that every person, including the Prophet, says that this is the only true church. How can that be?

Pray, Hugo. PRAY!!

This is the only true church. I know it. I know it now more than ever.

This week we had the wonderfully painful opportunity to reuinirnos with a lovely Pastora (woman pastor) From a church somewhere here. She basically told us how everything we believe in is wrong and how she recieved revelation from God that PLACKS (like missionary tags) are from the devil to separate us as brothers and sisters. Of all the revelations that God could give someone, He decided to teach her about name tags. Wow. She told us that prophets aren´t as important as personal revelation and then once we taught her about how God ALWAYS calls prophets, she exclaimed, yep we have lots of prophets in my church. What do you believe in lady? So that was hard. But it only helped my testimony grow STRONGER. We have the truth. Why? Because it makes sense!! Everything makes sense!! There is not one gospel teaching that contradicts another. It´s all true!

We met Yeni and Yony too this week. They are so great. Yony already had a Book of Mormon. And he studies it with the bible. Being catholic, he only had one doubt. Why do we have IMAGENES in the front of the Book of Mormon? This is ironic if you know what catholics believe in. :) But they are loving meeting with us. And they have promised that they are coming to church next week!! Even Yeni´s drunk husband told us that he wants to be Mormon. Maybe sometimes the spirit does speak strongly.

These people are PREPARED!! We have been working extra hard talking to extra people and the Lord has been so merciful this week.

We found Virgilio, Roberto, Rodrigo, Yeni, Yony, Cornelio, Oscar, Armando, Felix, Jervacio, Roque, Noemi, Romi, Pedro, and many more!! Prayers please. :) 

I have been working hard on being a more consecrated missionary and succumbing my will to that of our Heavenly Father. And I have found that as I strive to have the desire to do what He wants me to do, it comes!! And missionary work is so much fun!! :)

"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people that they might have everlasting life."

I gave a talk in Sacrament yesterday. About being Stewards in the Lord´s kingdom here on earth. And that in doing so, we will be blessed. And we will be able to bless those around us. But there is something missing.

LOVE.

If we really Love God, we will keep the commandments. We will clean the church. We will go to activities. We won´t fight with our neighbor. We will SHARE THE GOSPEL.

"La iglesia es una iglesia de progression, si no estamos progresando, no estamos viviendo completamente El Evangelio."

 The Gospel is LOVE.

Like Maria. She loves the gospel. She isn´t even a member!! She has to get married before she can be baptized. But she wanted her neighbors to know about "her church." So on Saturday, for our activity, she rounded up about 20 of her neighbors and they came. She brought more investigators to our activity than members who came on their own!! And they stayed ALL day. And they watched movies and they listened to stories. They all took a Book of Mormon home with them. Even the little ones cried when they had to go home. I kissed a boy because I thought he was a girl. But once we teach him about Modesty as a man, he will cut his hair. I promise you that. How are we showing the Lord that we love Him?

By loving everyone else around us. By sharing the gospel. By saying we´re proud to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Like Maria! We show our love for God by living and striving to be more like His son. Because, afterall, it is HIS CHURCH. And it is the ONLY one that is completely, fully, entirely true.

I know it.

Hermana Rupe

The Reason for Our Hope
Love—the Essence of the Gospel 

p.s. I found good sushi in south america.. It´s a miracle!!

Andrea had a birthday shout hooray!! All of the young women went to her house... And she came to church POR FIN!! yaaaay for friends at church!