August is Gone

Hey Family!

Wow! It’s exciting to hear about Dad’s progress! I can see that it’s pretty hot out there now! I have no idea what the temperature is, but it’s a little crazy. Hot, cold, Hot Hot Hot, cold... the weather of Paraguay. But it’s alright! :). Just gotta get used to it! Oh, one thing. The 25th of October won’t be my Pday because we are going to the temple on the 26th. If I am still in my zone the next change. Which will probably happen. If not, the day will change to another week because all the zones go on a different day. We were supposed to go this next week, but it got pushed back. Bummer!

This week was a pretty good one! We’ve been working a lot with our investigators, and we have two baptisms the 18th of September. It has been really cool to see their progress over time. Both are men in their 20’s and were contacts in the street. The Lord really does prepare people to be taught and be converted to the Gospel, we just have to find them! :). It’s awesome to see the blessings of the Lord in the lives of the people we teach.

Well, I can’t think of anything else to write. I’m going to be working on sending out a few letters in the coming weeks. I hope all of my letters have arrived - I’ve replied to all of the letters I’ve gotten except for Crystal Yokom and Joanna Brown. I still don’t trust the Paraguayan mail system too much, but mail is mail! I hope that everyone is great! I know that the church is true! I have seen the many blessings in the lives of the people here in Paraguay. We have a prophet who really guides us in the trials and troubles of our days, and if we listen we can overcome whatever obstacles we may have!

I love you all! Take care of yourselves! Chau!

Elder David Watson

Still in Lucerito and with Elder Silva - YEA!

Hey y’all!

Wow! Sounds like your week was a little different for once! Woo hoo! My English is officially horrible, so please excuse me if something I say doesn’t make sense. I got a letter from Crystal Yokom the other day! Thanks! It’s great to hear how everyone is doing! That’s exciting that you’ve been able to make some progress with the family history! I’m excited that you got your classes that you wanted to teach Mom! Woo hoo!

This past week was alright! We didn’t have any changes between Elder Silva and I, but one of the missionaries from the ward got transferred to San Ygnacio. Another Peruano came, Elder Vinces, so I’m still with three other Latinos in the house. It’s really great for my Spanish, but not so much for my English. But that’s alright! English isn’t so important. The work has been progressing, slowly, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Elder Silva and I teach well together, so it’s another opportunity to learn and grow. He’s already received his papers to send to the office in preparation to go home (in Feb). It’s weird to think that he’ll be gone in a few months. It’s weird to think that I’ve been here in Paraguay for 6 months and that but the end of this change, I’ll have 9 months completed in the mission. It still seems like yesterday I went into the MTC. From everything I’ve heard and experienced, time only goes faster from here on out, so I’d better make the best out of each opportunity that I’ve got! :)

Well, time is about up for me. I love being here in Paraguay and being a servant of the Lord. I’m learning so much each and every day. There’s not a day that goes by that something happens and I know that this is the Lord’s work. I really do know that Heavenly Father answers prayers and that we can receive guidance in our everyday lives. I hope that everything is going awesome! God be with you! Chau!

Elder David Watson

Receive Your Testimony Through The Spirit, Not The Words of Men

Hola!

Well... what to say? Things have been going pretty good, nothing amazing or out of the ordinary. I did receive a letter from Sister McKinnon - Thanks! It’s really nice to hear from people back home! :). It sounds like Dad is going nuts with his casts. I can only imagine! I’d go pretty nuts too! I’d hate to be stuck in the house 24/7 with big heavy things plastered to my legs. But the time will come when you can take them off... I hate saying this but patience is something to be learned every day. Something I’ve had to learn... a lot! Also, as a side note, changes are this coming week so I’ll be back on Thursday. Just so y’all know. Neither of us knows what is going to happen - especially since there are 25 new missionaries arriving. But what is sure is that Elder Silva will go or that I will go - two changes is the maximum for a companionship. So... we’ll see!

The mission work has been good! It is work after all. Well, service to the Lord, but we are still laboring in the service of our Lord. I’ve been really enjoying my scripture study lately - I am finding many parallels and applications to our lives as well as the lives of those we are teaching. I am almost finished with Mormón, ready to go into Éter and finish with Moroní. Something that really caught my attention this morning was a few verses in Mormón 8. I can only remember it in Spanish right now, so I hope the translation comes out right. But he tells us that the Lord has shown to Moroní our days, and he is writing to us. He knows that there will be many who will walk in the pride of their hearts, unwilling to change and do the Lord’s will. Unwilling to take the responsibility of keeping the Lord’s commandments, even though we receive blessings. Also, he tells us that there will only be a few who will not harden their hearts, or in other words being willing to accept and seek the Lord’s will through our own efforts as well as through the scriptures, prayer, personal revelation and guidance from living prophets, and they will be persecuted by those who choose not to listen to the Lord’s prophets.

I found a few scriptures that I like about why I am here and how I know it is true, and I’d like to share them with you. The first is in 1 Corinthians... chapter 3 I think. Paul is talking to us that the Holy Ghost has revealed the words of God to him and that he has learned the gospel, not from the wisdom of men, but through revelation from the Holy Ghost. Also, in Moroni 7, 14?-16, we are given counsel to be careful, and to seek the light of Christ, and we will know the good things from the bad like the day from the night. I testify that I have received a answer from God that the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people’s lives - that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s one and only true church on the earth, where we can receive the blessings and ordinances necessary to live with our Heavenly Father again. I haven’t been convinced by the words of men - only through the answers I have received to my prayers that have come through the Holy Ghost. I know that everyone can receive an answer to their prayers, and especially an answer as to what is the truth and where we can go to find it.

Well, my time is up. I hope everything is going great! Take care of yourselves! I love you!

Elder David Watson

Elder Sievers & Elder Watson

Dear familia,

Wow! It sounds like you had a nice and easy week! That makes me happy! This week has been pretty easy going. Nothing amazing or out of this world…

We had our zone conference this week on Friday. We are working together, as a mission, to become better teacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The main way to do that is to learn how to work through the Holy Ghost. We have to know how to ask inspired questions and how to apply the gospel to the lives of the people we teach. I’ve already experienced a change in the way it helps us teach. I explained what faith means and how our faith works in prayers, but the problem is, I don’t remember anything I said. All I remember is that our investigator told us that I resolved his question about faith. Well, yeah! I guess that is what it means to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands. I wish I could remember how I explained it, but that’s alright. When I need to explain faith again, and surely I will, it’ll come.

Well, it looks like I don’t have too much to say this week either. Sorry! Paraguay is great! The weather is a little nutty - hot cold hot cold hot cold, it makes things interesting. I love being a missionary. I’m excited to be here serving the people and the Lord. I love reading the Book of Mormon. It really is applicable in every part of our lives. I hope that you all are doing great! Take care of yourselves!

Con mucho amor!

Elder David Watson

Querido USA

Querido USA,

You´re telling me! I can´t believe I´ve been out here for 7 months already! Time flies when you are having fun, I suppose! :D I sent off my package this past week. It left the 28th of July. I don´t know when you´ll get it, but it is certified it so it should get to you!  I am really happy to hear that everything is great in your neck of the woods. Here, it is the same!

So, on Saturday, one of our investigators was baptized. It was awesome. Lots of his cousins came, along with his little brother and sister and his mom. Everything went without a hitch. One of the members in the ward gave a really good talk during his baptism. He talked about the significance of baptism, what we promise to do and be, and how the Holy Ghost will help guide us. I don´t know! It was great! :)

This week has been pretty quiet here too. Nothing huge has happened. Things are going great. Some people lose interest, but then we find others! The baptism was the highlight and focus of the week. My companion Elder Silva had to go sign some papers in the office (he leaves in February), and I finally saw Elder Burley, my companion from the MTC. Now I´ve seen all of the missionaries I came to Paraguay with. This week is Zone Conference, so it´ll be another trip to Barrio Herrera where the Mission Office is at on Friday.  We have really been focusing on becoming better teachers and following the Spirit as we teach.

Well, it seems like I am out of time. Sorry for the short letter! I hope all of the students have had a great summer! Good luck in school! I can´t thank my family enough for what they´ve done for me or what they mean to me. Take care of yourselves! Love you!

Elder David Watson