Hola!
We always hear from people that the United States is essentially an oven right now. I never thought that Paraguay would be colder than the U.S at any point of the year, but here we are. The rain may pour, the cold may come, the wind may be unbearable, but the work never stops. Right now we are focusing on helping our investigators progress by keeping commitments like reading the Book of Mormon and going to church. We had district council with our zone leaders on Tuesday, and they talked about how statistically the mission has a hard time with getting people to church. We can get new people to teach, get them with baptismal dates, but it is a real challenge to get them to church. So hopefully we will see that our investigators and friends will understand why they need to go to church, as well as have that desire. Being on a mission has made me very grateful that my parents always made it a necessity to go to church.
Today for P-Day we went to downtown Ciudad del Este to eat at a Japanese buffet and see all the mega malls. It’s quite an impressive city. There are more towers than in Encarnación, and they are also all taller than in Encarnación. There are massive malls, 8 stories tall, all chock full of stores and displays, with flashing lights and bright colors. I didn’t take any pictures of them, but you could look up, “Shopping Paris, Ciudad del Este” to get a look as to what is inside. The picture I did include was of the Japanese buffet. I managed 1.5 plates of sushi, noodles, stir fry, BBQ, and other Japanese cuisine, while Elder Reynolds Myers managed an impressive 4 plates of food. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that can eat as he can, I asked him before if he’s ever tested the limits to see how far he could go, and he said he hadn’t, so I thought that today was as good a day as any to test his limits. I would say 4 plates is quite the achievement and testament to his abilities.
As a missionary, I have been walking a ton the past 6 months or so that I have been in Paraguay. For the most part, I haven’t had too many grievous injuries and problems, for which I am very grateful. Missionaries are not strangers to health problems and challenges on their missions, but for some reason I feel like as long as missionaries are obedient and follow the counsel of their leaders, they will remain safe and healthy while serving the Lord. This thought makes me reflect on the promises given in accordance with obedience to the Word of Wisdom. In D&C section 89 it says in regards to the Word of Wisdom:
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.
I know that when we as saints follow the Word of Wisdom, we will experience blessings from on high that will help us in our daily lives. We will run and not be weary, walk and not faint, and we will be healthy and able to do all that the Lord wants us to do while we are here on the earth.
I hope you all have a good week!
Elder Watson
