We
are doing well and starting to see the change of seasons. Fall and
winter are coming with cooler temperatures. Everyone is expecting a
much colder winter than last year. We will break out the long johns
when winter is here. I am grateful for the cooler temperatures because
we sleep better and the church doesn't have air conditioning!
Last
Monday we helped cook for 22 missionaries from our Zone. We worked
with the Guterres, the missionary couple from Brasil. We fixed chicken
stroganoff (Brasilian style), rice, fruit salad (american style), and
lemon creme pudding. They ate everything but part of the rice ( we
made 3 kilos, or 6.5 pounds). They got permission to watch Ephraims
Rescue so they used our projector. It was a good activity.
We
were challenged by Pte McMullin to plan for a replacement branch
president here in Horqueta prior to our departure, and to find a way to
strengthen the Group in Tacuati. We have focused on 4 main areas: 1 -
The temple, 2- Melchizedek Priesthood Advancement, 3- Leadership in the
church, and 4- Self sufficiency. We are planning a temple preparation
class for 4-6 people here in Horqueta and 3-4 couples in Tacuati. We
will also be teaching about the Priesthood to several men who have been
members for 6-12 months but really don’t know much about the
Priesthood. It is a huge blessing to receive but also a big
responsibility. We have also found that many of the methods or
practices in the church are based on custom rather than on doctrine.
For example, they leave sufficient space between the rows of chairs in
our chapel so that the deacons can pass the Sacrament to every person in
the congregation. Why? Because women and children do not hold the
Priesthood and therefore should not handle the Sacrament trays. I am
sure that at some time in the past a leader thought that this was a good
idea, but I don’t believe it is doctrinally sound. They also need
help on conducting meetings, interviews, sustainings and releases, and
many other topics. We can’t do it all right now so we are waiting on
the Self Sufficiency work until later.
A funny story. The
other day Cheryl was praying in Spanish (and she is doing much better).
She prayed that the missionaries would open their mouths and share the
gospel with everyone them meet (abrir su boca). She made a slight error
in her words and prayed that the missionaries would abrir su vaca (open
their cows). I tried hard not to laugh, but I couldn't help myself.
We
visited several families yesterday after church. We / them members
always make a short list of who did not attend meetings, and we ask for
someone to go out and visit. We visited two families last night - the
Martinez who were not at church because their son Hugo has Dengue
fever. Also the Cristaldos - they have missed several weeks and we
invited them to attend. They are really good people. We then went out
to visit Camila and Marcos, a part member couple that we know. Camila
is the daughter of Pte and Hna Duarte. We had a nice visit and when we
got ready to leave they said “no, wait, we have something for you to
eat”. The whole Duarte family showed up for a surprise birthday party
for Cheryl. They had a really yummy cake and we had a very good time.
Today
we went with 4 sister missionaries (2 from here and 2 from Concepcion)
to do some sightseeing. We took pictures in Concepcion with the Virgin
Maria, at the monument for the Indigenous, and then we drove about 20 km
to see the monument to the Tropic of Capricorn and the Rio Ipane. We
had a really good time and the Sisters seemed to enjoy the outing. They
are such good missionaries and it was fun to see them taking some time
to relax and have fun. Fotos are attached.
Update:
We received word early this morning that our nephew, Alex Cranney,
received his mission call to serve in Panama City, Panama mission. We
were secretly hoping that he would come to Paraguay but we are so happy
for him and proud of him. The Lord needs valiant servants and Alex will
be a great missionary in Panama.
We love you all. Thank you for all that you do for us.
Jerry and Cheryl
1- At the statue of the virgin in Concepcion
2- Monument to the Indigenous People in Concepcion
3- Tropic of Capricorn
4- Tropic of Capricorn
5- Our truck, or “the tank” as Cheryl calls it.
6- Cheryl at the monument for the Tropic of Capricorn
7- The hermanas at the Rio Ypane in Belen (Bethlehem)
8- Self portrait of Elder Cranney
9-
The missionaries on the line / tropic of Capricorn: (left to right):
Hermana Scott, Hermana Anderson, Hermana Collins, Hermana Martinez.
No comments:
Post a Comment