Mby te corpio?!
Sounds like everyone is doing fine in California. This week was pretty sweet so I'm excited to share.
Thanks dad, for all the updates... helps me feel like I'm in the club. Speaking of clubs...Paraguay junk...
Futbol or soccer is huge down here. Everyone plays and they are actually pretty good. Also every one has a club, or a team that is their favorite. It's not exactly like having a favorite team in the states. Here everyone has a club... everyone. Neighborhoods sometimes are sectioned off by clubs. There is graffiti everywhere that says different names (olimpia, ccp, guarani, libertad etc.). Usually I'll see a ccp tag and it will be crossed out and a olimpia will be sprayed over it or just a bunch of grocerias (bad words) all over it haha. It is kinda like gang territory stuff. Anyways theres some deats on some Paraguay stuff.
So this week was super sick. So last Sunday we had a change of bishops! To give you just a little information on our old bishop. He has been in for 7 years, way too long. There's some other stuff but thats not important. Ill just say his rep has been slowing down the progression of the work. The ward is super lazy and he is def a big cause to this. So we had the change and now we have Obisbo Palomeke. He's super animo for the work and wants to get all the members involved and get the ward moving again. So we are helping him revive the ward and make some huge changes. This whole week Elder Hakes and I have been dang excited to see what will happen and we are already seeing a ton of progression. So two weeks ago we had about 65 people at church, last Sunday 83, this Sunday 106!!! It was crazy. We are going finding all the menos activos and trying to help them out. We are getting members to actually do visits and do their part. Last week I said I didn't know how I felt about being in Limpio again, but I can tell you right now I am more excited then ever right now. Before my mission I dont think I could comprehend the joy that I am recieving in my mission. I truly feel blessed because we are seeing some miracles happening before our eyes.
so We finally are getting some refrences too.
We are starting to teach Hermano Orrego. The Orrego family is so cool. We spent New Years Eve at their house for dinner. Hna. Orrego was a misionera and all her kids are super guapos (studs paraguay meaning). Marcos is 17 and fernando is13 they both go on splits with us and do a great job. Then there is Sofi she is 10 and is a nice little girl. They have a 25 year old in France studying haha. Anyways Hno. Orrego is catholic and for the longest time has had a hard shell when it comes to the missionaries. Well we did service at their house last change and really helped them out. They are starting to add on to their house so we did a bunch of stuff to prepare the foundation.
So this service project really softened his heart and has started opening up with us. We hadnt taught him yet, but he told his wife he is ready to listen to us!! So he came to church and really liked it. We met last night at his house and had a really cool lesson with him. We set him with a fecha and gave him a Libro de Mormon of his own to start reading. I am can't wait to see his progression. After he gets baptized their family can get sealed in the temple. That would happen in a year from March if he is baptized on the fecha we gave him. And if so I will most likely be able to be there to see their family sealed for the eternities!!!
Another thing yesterday, I gave another discurso in church on la obra misional. I was studying and praying alot on what I should say and I decided to speak on the duty that we have as members to do missionary work. Please read the seccion in ch9 pmg on "the importance of members". It will really help our family out on knowing what the Lord expects of members in His work. Read it and truly pray to know how to apply it to your lives as members of this church. Also read The section in true to the faith on missionary work. This work cannot be done without the help of the members. There are plenty of ways that we can help out the missionaries and the Lord with the work. Whether it be by sharing your testimony or setting an example, Sharing a copy of the Book of Mormon with a friend , family member, or neighbor, or whether it be inviting them to meet with the missionaries. The ideal thing would be to do all of those and I know it is scary and hard but there isnt a need to be scared because the Lord will help you. Just like you shared with me, mom, in your letter. GREAT JOB!!!
So I would like to share with you an analogy that I shared in my talk. A ward is like a tree. Let me explane like every tree it has the ability to grow into a very big tree.
Every member has an importnt part in the this trees growth. I like to say the the branches are the members. And every branch produces fruit which represents the gospel. Among this tree are people who are hungry and the truth is to satisfy their needs they need to try this fruit. The thing is, the But is, is that it is hard to try the fruit if the members or braches dont extend themselves towards those who hunger to allow them to partake of the fruit. Every member needs to extend their arms out to those around them, whether it be their family, friends, meighbers whoever, so that they can try the fruit. Those who except the fruit then become grafted into the tree as branches as well the the tree or ward family begins to grow. Over time the tree can become giant but this growth really depends on the members. The missionaries and ward leaders are there to help you could say as jardineros or gardeners haha.
Anyways I ran out of time... well whoops. Love you all! Do work! Until next week... I AM OUT... PEACE,
ELder Carpenter
