November 23, 2015

Hello to Everyone.  It is preparation day, so here comes the weekly email.

We have had an interesting week here in the mission. 

Our Garden is doing well, other than the rain and wind.  We hope our tomatoes survive and some day begin to bear fruit.  We have two green pepper plants and both are doing well.  We have 5 small mandioca trees and all are growing well.  We also planted some seeds and now have 17 watermelon and two melon plants.  We will need to thin them out.

Our projector was finally rescued from the customs office in Asuncion.  It cost nearly as much in taxes, processing costs, paperwork, etc.  We should have it here in a week or two and then we can start to use it for training, youth activities, etc.  We believe it will be a great tool for missionary work, youth activation, etc. 

We are planning a Thanksgiving dinner for the missionaries in Horqueta and the zone leaders from Concepcion.  This day is not a holiday here in Paraguay, so we only have a short time for dinner.  We are planning to have roast chicken, mashed potatoes, jello salad, bread / rolls, cooked carrots, apple pie, and lemonade.  Should be good.

This last weekend we had a branch conference in Santani - about 3.5 hours south of here.  It included the branch in Santani, groups from Santa Rosa and San Pedro, and one other small group.  In Sacrament meeting on Sunday we had 142 people in attendance.  We rode down with the District Presidency, so there were 6 of us who went.  It was a decent trip and we had two meetings Saturday evening.  We then went and checked into a somewhat questionable hotel, but we did get some rest.  We had very good Sunday meetings, had a very good dinner at a member’s house, and then rode home with 8 others.  It was crowded but we arrived safely home.  A couple of interesting experiences:

• We had dinner late Saturday evening - we had hamburgers, fries, and ice cream. 
• We saw some sort of auto show at the town square with probably 30-40 volkswagons.  Photo attached.
• During the sustaining of church leaders on Sunday morning, the list of people to be sustained had not been updated with the passing of some of the Apostles, so the President started to sustain Boyd K Packer as President of the Quorum of the Twelve.  Later we decided that we believe in doing work as proxies for those who have passed on. This was something new - sustaining someone who had already passed on.
• I drove about half way home in the Presidents van.  I grew to appreciate more the car we have assigned to us.

We are experiencing some challenges with the youth of the branch.  Their attendance and their commitment is waning - and we are trying to figure out why and what we can do to help.  We have found that many of these youth were taught and baptized by very energetic and friendly missionaries.  They have been visited 2-4 times per week, weekly Family Home Evenings, and other events.  What is lacking in a strong commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing that Jesus is our Savior.  When new missionaries have arrived and focused more on teaching and baptizing, many of these youth have become upset and even at times offended.  As a result their attendance and commitment drops off.  We will be working to help, support, and direct the youth - to help strengthen them so that they can obtain their own testimonies and be converted.   I was thinking this morning how the situation with the youth correlates to our  experiences with our garden:

Our weather has been unusually wet and cold.  The heavy rains have pounded our garden and after each storm we have to go out and try and save our tomatoes. We have to help them stand up, we attach them to stakes and poles, we wash the dirt and sand off their leaves, and we pile up dirt around their roots so that they can better stand on their own.  We also spray the leaves regularly with a mild soap solution to help keep  away the virus / mold.  We check on them daily and provide whatever support or help they need.

If we give the same sort of support for each of the youth of our branch, we have a very good chance of helping them stay active in the church, receive the Priesthood, and receive the blessings of the gospel in their lives. 

We love you all and thank you for your support.

Jerry and Cheryl