Feeling More Comfortable with Spanish and Guarani

M’baechaipa Familia?

Cómo le va? Espero que todo bien! Tuvimos muchismo lluvia en el principio de esta semana, pero, tuve la oportunidad a ver un poco de sol en viernes, sábado, y domingo. Hoy, esta lloviendo otra vez. Es la vida. Especialmente mi vida.

Wow! It sounds like you had a super busy week! Sounds like the Watson luck!
Or Murphy’s Law, which we live and breathe. Haha. It appears like things are going well though. I hope things continue to go well!

Well, my news for this week. This Thursday is our zone conference, where we get to hear from Elder (Stephen A?) Bowen of the Area Seventy. I have to be at the chapel in Ciudad del Este by 7, so that means an early morning Thursday. But I am excited to be able to attend and learn from him! That also means next week is transfers, so my P-Day is on Thursday. A week and a half without email... but that’s alright! The work here has been a little slow, but at least we are making progress with people who actually are converting to the Gospel. It is really common to be invited in to talk about religion, especially religion, but to find people are willing to accept our message instead of saying ‘Everything from God is good’ is a little tougher.
But this is the Lord’s work, and I am here for a reason. There are people waiting - we just need to find them! :)

M’bae che pehengue, fe es muy importante. Fe en Jesucristo es el fundamento de nuestros creencías. Fe lleva a la acción. Qué acción? Arrepentamiento.
Arrepentamiento no es sólo dejar de las cosas malas. Lo incluye pedir por perdon de Diós, empezar a hacer las cosas buenas, y nunca jámas volver a este pecado. Muy difícil, pero, la Expiación de Jesucristo, o Su sufrimiento, no fue facil támpoco. El nos pide a seguirle, por lo cual incluye progresción. (Spanglish, anyone?) Esta puede ayudarnos a vencer de nuestros debilidades. Tambien, por cada acción, hay un consecuencía. No podemos evitar las consecuencías de nuestros acciones, buenas o malas. Pero, cada experencía puede ayudarnos, si elejimos a aprender. Y aprendizaje es la manera para progresar en esta vida. Espero que este mensaje tiene sentido.
Haha.

Ñandejára o respondetañandeve ñande oración. Yaguereko Jeroia Ñandejárare.
Jose Smith ha’e petei profeta Ñandejára rehegua. El Espíritu Santo ñande ajudata jaikuaavehegua añetegua.

Basically, God will answer our prayers. We have to have faith in him. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. The Holy Ghost helps us to know the truth. Basic simple truths, in Jopara (Guarani and Spanish mix).

I love y’all! I hope everything is going well! I hope to have good news next week!

Con much amor

Elder David Watson

Strait and Narrow Path...

Hola Familia!

This week has been good! I’m glad to hear that yours has gone well. There actually isn’t too much to report. In the upcoming zone conference (not sure when), we are going to have a meeting with Elder Bowen, one of the Seventies over this area. That should be really cool! I am excited and looking forward to it. Also, I should be getting your package! :)

Oh - I do have a question. What happened with Flash when we called? Or did he not notice?

I’ve included some pictures - two of the sky and one of the road I walk every day to get to my area. I wish I had photographic memory! That way I could always remember the beautiful sights here in Paraguay. [We have posted these on his missionsite.net blog]

I guess the main thing I can report is that I have really learned how to humble myself and rely on the Lord for help. I can testify that He really does answer prayers. Maybe not the way we would like, but answer them He does! He is our loving Heavenly Father who is always there for us! We just need to reach out! We can reach out through faith - belief coupled with actions - and a willingness to do the Lord’s will. When we are focused on what we want to do, it is awfully hard to feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost. When we are really open and willing to act on the answer we receive is when we can recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Galatians 5:20 (I think...) gives us some of the fruits of the Spirit, or ways we can recognize His promptings.

I wish I had more to say this week. But I can’t really think of anything. I hope all is going well with y’all. I promise to write more next week. Thank you for all of your love and support!

Con mucho amor

Elder David Watson

Happy Belated Mother's Day

M´baecheipa!

Cómo están? Anoche fue muy buenisimo! Me gusto la opportunidad que tuve para hablar con ustedes. Intenté a explicar bien Paraguay, pero, creo que no hice un buen hecho. Lo siento!


Como che pehengue, Aipota rocompartise mijimindedive (Yo quiero compartir un poco mensaje). Being here in Paraguay has helped me to see the true points of what life is about. Happiness isn´t about money - or popularity - it´s about family. The people here have so much less that we do in the United States of America, but I promise you they are much happier. Almost every single person I have talked to deeply loves their family members. They want to help them to the best of their ability. Even if their best ability is finding a way to put bread on the table every day. But like this love, we can experience the same! I know that families are so important. They help us learn and grow. They help us to know right from wrong. They help us to feel loved. And what´s more, we have a Heavenly Father who feels the same. He loves us more than any of us can imagine. As God the Father, He has the ability to bless our lives. He wants to! But He can only do so through our obedience to His principles, like the 10 commandments, Jesus the Christ´s teachings, and teachings of living prophets and apostles in our day. I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, who is our Savior and Redeemer. He can save us through His grace and mercy, but only AFTER all we can do. But Jesus Christ is always waiting with open arms to receive us. We can go to him through faith, repentance, and baptism by immersion by someone who has the proper authority, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the same, and persevering until the end. Faith and repentance is a life process - not a onetime occurrence.  It becomes part of us! We change, and through this process, we become more like our Savior. Little by little. One more amazing thing about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is that families have the opportunity to be sealed together forever. Not just this life, because there is more after death, but for forever. Our families can spend eternity in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, 2 different loving people, our Father and Brother, who want this for us. This is done though God´s authority and power, which was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from ancient records of the Americas. The Book of Mormon helps us see the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With the Holy Bible, we have 2 eyes, one being the Bible and the other the Book of Mormon, which allows us to see clearly the truth. And we can know the truth through prayer. It is simply a conversation with our Heavenly Father. He will answer - if we have faith and are diligent. Faith is belief combined with actions. The Apostle James tells us the relation between faith and works. Furthermore, we must be willing to act on the answer. If we only want to know, but will not do anything about the answer we receive, God won´t answer your prayer. That is why we need to be sincere, believing, and asking with real intention. I know the promise of James to be true. I know the promise of the American prophet Moroni to be true. Try it for yourself. Be willing to change, and through this faith to follow God, you will receive an answer. I promise, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that this will happen. The answer won´t be huge - but it will be direct to our hearts. Everyone receives an answer differently. But it can be peace, love, acceptance, and a desire to change for the better.

Like my hermano gemelo, I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point in my life. Everyone I know has been an influence in who I am today. I want to thank everyone for their examples of faith and action. True Christianity is Love in Action. I testify of this to be true. I know it with all of my heart and soul. I love you and hope the very best for each and every one of the amazing people who has helped me. Che rohayhu!! Les quiero mucho!!

With sincerity and love,

Elder David E. Watson

Peanut Butter Saved His Life!

Quierdo Familia,

Esta semana ha pasado bien. La obra ha parado un poco, pero, mi compañero y yo vamos a trabajar de vuelta esta semana que viene para que podamos encontrar nuevos y trabejemos con nuestro nuevos investigadores que tenemos. Tambien, tenemos una asignación a dar un discurso este domingo. Qué divirtido! Quizás divirtido. No sé. Algunos de los miembros no entiendan español, entonces, quizas voy a incluyir ´Ñandejára ñanderaihu´ y otras frases de Guaraní. Esta frase significa ´Dios nos ama´. Entonces, ´Che aikuaha Ñandejára ñanderaihu.´ Sé qué Dios nos ama. :). Hube podido aprendido algunas chistes en Guaraní tambien, pero, chistes en español son difíciles... hahaha. :) Todavía estoy aprendiendo! :)

It's good to know we are 3 hours difference. I got the single servings of peanut butter. THANKS!!! They saved my life... hahaha. Also, I will be ready to be called at 7 my time, 4 yours. I know it doesn´t fit with Mike, but it´s the best I can do. :/ Sorry! :( I also haven´t called the office to see if the first package has arrived. This week has been a little crazy... I’m sure you understand.  I will call later... these first few days are going to be busy in the office because it is the start of the month and missionaries are going to be calling about Sunday. A cat??? And Flash hasn´t eaten her yet? Man, I need to develop self restraint like that ;) hahaha.  Are things going well?

Ya... vamos a ver acerca este paquete. Oops. We will see about this package. I hope it will work. That past one was small enough and light enough to go through the encomienda that I get every week. And that tape job was hard to undo. Just so ya know. Ojála que la oficina reciba el otro paquete. I hope that the office received the package. Too much Spanish... hahaha. [He has received his second package but not his first one... we used the smallest flat rate box, so that is good to keep in mind].

Well, there isn´t too much to report from my end. There was a partido classico yesterday - Olympia contra Cerro Porteño. There were a lot of fiestas... let´s just say that.

Thankfully, it didn´t rain at ALL last week - much to my suprise. But my luck can´t last THAT long... and so it has run out, as it is raining today. C´est la vie. Or whatever that

French phrase is. Such as it is. We were supposed to have a baptism for the wife of a family we baptized in parts last month, but at every date, she hasn´t come. I don´t know que pasó, but I hope things are fine. We are going to start a new with finding new families to teach here. We´ve hit a block with the investigators we have and their certain circumstances that can´t change right now. It´s hard to switch, because these investigators are good, but because of other factors they can´t progress. It´ll be hard to keep a balance in visiting them to still strengthen their testimonies and finding families who can progress. But, this is the Lord´s work, and He will guide us in what He would have us do.

Yay!!! You got the letter from the president! Two months in waiting! My other letters should be coming soon... my one to Abe will be too late, as he is in the MTC now. I don´t about the others who are prepping for their missions, but I hope they are doing great. This 2 month waiting for a letter makes it difficult with changes in addresses... verdad? Oh, I have been getting your Dear Elder (It´s really nice to be able to read them leisurely en vez de rushing through them) and a letter from Wendykins. I will be working a reply soon!

I´m excited to be able to talk to you in person soon! Please confirm tonight that Sunday, May 9th, 7:00 PM Paraguay time (I believe 4 PM Cali time) is good. We will be checking our email as a district tomorrow to confirm. Thank you thank you thank you!

Well, That about sums up my news. Nothing exciting. It´s an amazing experience to work as a servant of the Lord. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored, original church of Jesus Christ when he was on the Earth. El Libro de Mormón es verdadero, y contiene las palabras y enseñanzas de Jesucristo. Hay una promesa - y esta promesa es verdadera. Ore a Dios, en el nombre de Jesucristo, para que usted pueda preguntar si este libro es verdadero. Busque sus sentimientos y pensamientos. Oración es
solamente una conversación con Dios. Diga las palabras de su corazon. Che aikuaha Ñandejára ñanderaihu y quiere demostrar su amor para usted.  I know that God loves us and wants to show his love for you. I really do. I love you all!

Les quiero!!

Elder Watson