Buen Dia!
If I had to choose a phrase to describe this week, I think I would choose, “The days go by like weeks and the weeks go by like days.” Each day seemed like a slog at times, essentially no teaching due to covid restrictions and contacting the same streets that we had already contacted. But looking back, we had lots of success, and the week just kind of flew by. It’s been kind of the story of my mission so far. Each time a week seems really lengthy and difficult, I look back and realize it went by pretty fast, and that I grew a lot from it. In the case here, I learned how to contact a lot better than I had before, we learned how to work online better, as well as we learned how to have a good attitude during tough times. As much as we dread difficult times in our lives and seek to leave them as fast as we can, in the long run they help us out. I hope you can all find ways to have a good attitude during the tough times!
So the past few weeks we have been teaching two children named Lidia and Santiago. They are both 9 years old and have had a great desire to be baptized. The date for their baptism was Saturday the 8th, and we were very fortunate to be able to have their baptismal service on that date! It’s always cool to have baptisms, because the services provide a great way to fellowship people who may be a bit hesitant about entering the waters of baptism. Knowing this, we asked Juan Carlos if he could bring any of his family that we have on date to the baptism, and he gladly obliged. He brought his 10 year old niece who we have been teaching for a couple of weeks. She has been a bit apprehensive about setting a date for baptism like her mom and grandma, but after seeing Santiago and Lidia be baptized, and hearing their confirmation, she decided that she also wants to be baptized on the same day as the rest of her family! And so we put her on date, as well as another of Juan Carlos’s sisters, because of the baptism we had on Saturday. Really goes to show how one example can influence the lives of so many other people.
You’ll notice the last picture I have sent this week has Elder Dorotheo and I, Juan Carlos, and a man named Jose. The story between Juan Carlos and Jose is super cool, and we never even knew about it until his baptism. Juan Carlos was born and grew up in Ciudad del Este, which is a city on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. As a kid, he was friends with Jose in Elementary school. Jose was a member, while Juan Carlos and his family wanted nothing to do with the church. They were both friends up until High School, where they both went their separate ways. Jose went on a mission, staying active and engaging in the church while on the other hand, Juan Carlos was living his life devoid of the Gospel, having maybe not the best influences in his life. Then Juan Carlos moved to Ita Paso.
At this point in time Juan Carlos and Jose hadn’t talked in years, and they essentially forgot that the other person exists. Juan Carlos then tests positive for COVID and becomes very sick, and gets rushed to the hospital. He went to the hospital with a member who was also sick, and in the car ride there the member talks to Juan Carlos about our beliefs and the plan of salvation. After he recovers and comes home, he shows slight interest and agrees to participate in the missionary lessons after meeting Elder Harmer at a Branch Christmas party. Two months later he was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then, the day after his baptism during Sacrament meeting, Jose walks in. They didn’t even recognize each other when he walked in. Juan Carlos then bore his testimony and Jose recognized him and they had an awesome reunion in some random church building in Ita Paso. Jose is moving to our area as a newlywed, as well as his father and his brothers and sisters. He just happens to move to the same middle of nowhere branch as Juan Carlos, to see him be baptized and receive the priesthood and advance in the gospel after he thought he was lost in the great and spacious building. You can’t tell me the Lord’s hand is not on that!
So Jose, Juan Carlos, and the member that talked to Juan Carlos about the gospel first, they all knew each other from Ciudad del Este. Juan Carlos to this day always says that getting COVID is the best thing that could have happened to him. It’s kind of crazy to think about it too. Everything lined up PERFECTLY, for him to get baptized. If Paraguay had stayed closed just a month longer and the missionaries showed up to Ita Paso in January instead of December, Juan Carlos probably would not be baptized. If he had not gotten COVID he probably would not have been humbled enough to receive the gospel. If the member also had not gotten COVID she would not have had the same opportunity to share the gospel. Just small things like that are now perfectly placed pieces in the plan of the Lord. Now Juan Carlos shows us friends he’s had since elementary school that were married in the temple and have served missions and he had no idea that they were members, and they send him messages freaking out about how he got baptized and how proud they are of him. We are all just in awe of how the Lord has helped him and his family.
Now even more fruits are being harvested. He is teaching his family, his cousins, aunts, uncles, everyone he knows, have all asked for missionary visits because they all see how his life has changed because of the gospel. This is the ultimate goal of our work. Our mission has the little phrase, “Arriba Juntos”, meaning, “Up together”. Our ultimate goal with sharing the gospel is to have families enjoy the blessings of the temple for time and all eternity, and that is exactly what is happening now, little by little. I know that as we strive to invite others to learn about the gospel, we will see the same miracles and blessings in our lives that Juan Carlos and his family sees. We will also see that the Lord’s hand is in our lives more than ever before. This is the work of the Lord, I testify of that.
Holy Cow this email is long.
Have a good Week! And Happy Mothers Day!
Elder Watson
