I'm Going to Paraguay!!

I'M GOING TO PARAGUAY!!! 

So today was transfers. I'm going to Ciudad Del Este in PARAGUAY! [On the Brazilian border, 15 miles from Iguazu Falls.] I am going to be opening an area with Hermana Pitts. She is also an Hermana Leader and is from Utah. I know her pretty well and she is so great! It will be my first area in Paraguay, first time opening an area and first time with a Gringa companion! I am very excited!

Transfers happen on Thursday morning, so until then I am going to be working a ton, saying goodbye to some families and packing up all my stuff. A lot to do!

I am very sad to leave Tacuari. It is an amazing area and it has been an amazing four and a half months here! The people are amazing. I love them and I am going to miss it a lot! Today we spent P-Day with the Caceras family. They are my family here. The hermana is like my mom here. They are amazing and we all almost cried. I will definitely be back to visit them! 

                     Lunch today with the Caceres Family

The Caceres Family! Marina and, her husband, Johnny, Miguel and Hermana Graciela Caceres. Marina is like my sister and one of my best friends. 

Hermana Graciela Caceres. She is my mom here in Tacuari. She reminds me of my mom and it makes me miss my mom even more! 

I am very sad to leave my hijita, Hermana Nunton. She is amazing and it has definitely been a learning experience. Honestly I think I’ve learned more in these three months than in my whole mission. We actually got along really well this past week, and some weeks we do. But I think that God knew that we both needed to learn new things with new people. But I will miss her! 

This past week was SOO good! On Wednesday we had a General Missionary Conference, worldwide. It is the first time they have done one in ten years! I felt very privileged to be on my mission at this time! In the conference there was a part that they did in Ogden. There was an hermana that I met in the MTC who was there in person. That was pretty cool! The focus was “Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts.” It was very good! I learned so much, and it really reminded all of us that our job is to help people come unto Christ and to be receivers of all his blessings as they are baptized. It was very spiritual! 

The spirit was very strong this past week. Hermana Nunton and I have finally gotten to the point that when we teach, the Spirit just comes. I love it and every day is beautiful because of the spirit that I have felt! 

For example, with the Family Toledo, who are less active members. This week as we taught the spirit was SO strong! We all wanted to cry. Ernesto, the dad, said that he always wanted to feel that spirit and asked how he could. They all came to church on Sunday! 

Saying Good Bye to the Pulgar family. They are amazing! 

I have realized that I really want to practice my ASL [American Sign Language; learned as a youth in Indiana] again. I have started to watch the Restoration video in ASL. I’ve been remembering and learning. I love it and I am praying every day in ASL. I missed it!

And now that I’ll be in Paraguay I will pick up some Guarani and I really want to learn Portuguese! So we will see! 

Life is good. God loves you and me, and he is always mindful of us! I hope that you all have an amazing week! 

With love, Hermana Newell

Power of the Spirit

So, this week contained some of the most powerful moments with the spirit that I have had. It was amazing! We also made smores and met Hermano McKenzie.

Making smores!

The cookie is like those Marias from Mexico, remember those? And then it has peanut butter, a chocolate square and pink and blue marshmallows. Kind of gross. I never liked marshmallows but they are super hard to find down here and they remind me of the States, so I eat them.

Hermano Mckenzie makes these! I think I’m going to buy a small one.

Hermano McKenzie is a member here in Tacuari.

Hermana Nunton and I were doing really well last week! It was going so well, and it was very fun!

On Wednesday we had our every-3-month interviews with President LaPierre. Can I just say that that man is definitely called by God! 

We sat down and we started to talk. We talked about me, how I was, we talked about my area, Hermana Nunton and a lot of things. As we talked the spirit just came. He shared some life experiences that were so powerful. For those of you who have been through the temple, it felt like that in that room. We were both so overwhelmed by it. It was something incredible.

I felt so happy, joyful and with so much hope. I felt like I really was doing my part and that God was pleased with my work. I felt like President really cares about me and loves me. I felt God´s love for me and it was a feeling that I can´t deny that it was the power of God.

I left that room feeling like I could conquer the world and go and baptize everyone out there. Of course that didn’t happen, but the spirit that I felt, and the President felt, was amazing! 

Thursday I kept with that same spirit, but we had to go to the doctor because Hermana Nunton was sick. We were there waiting in “Emergencies” for like 2 and a half hours, and then met with the doctor for like 5 minutes; it was fun? haha. 

Herman Nunton is doing okay. She is feeling better. She has asthma so she is using an inhaler and it is helping. But I think she is really thinking of home a lot and it doesn´t help... but she is doing better! 

Oh last Monday and all last week I read the book “Our Search for Happiness” by Elder Ballard. If you have not read it, I encourage you to. I think that it is what brought the spirit the whole week as well. I was bawling because of the spirit. I finished it on Saturday and it was really sad because I didn’t want it to end! 

We had an amazing lesson with Enrique and Maria Ester. We showed the hour and 20 minute version of the Joseph Smith movie. The spirit was so strong and we were all crying, even them! The spirit was so strong and my testimony grew even more! Enrique came to church. Maria Ester still hasn´t but one day she will. I know it! 

The spirit was amazing this week, and today I watched more videos and I was crying the whole time. The spirit makes a crybaby out of me, but it has been really strong lately. I know that this Church is true, with all of my heart. God is the head of it and leads this work! 

With all my love,

Hermana Newell

Ituzango

So this past week was very different. 

I was in my area for about two days. I had Consejo on Monday and Tuesday, which was amazing and the spirit was so strong. I learned so much and received answers to questions I have had.

In Consejo, Hermana Santos (Brazil), Hermana Pitts (Utah) and Hermana Salcido (Mexico) 

Hermana Wilson (Idaho) that goes home this month

On Wednesday Hermana Nunton was very sick with fever and we stayed home for the morning. But in the afternoon we went out. Thursday we had a zone meeting. It was great. I love those meetings.

Also, on Thursday we went to Ituzango with the Hermanas that are serving there. As a Sister Leader I am in charge of them. So we went there and we did splits. It was so great! It is a little beach town on the river in the province of Corrientes, about an hour and a half away.

 It was gorgeous in Ituzango! The beach is the river and it was like a beach town and sand everywhere.

                        

Spanish and Guarani!

                              

I was with Hermana Goni. She is from Paraguay but lives in Buenos Aires. She began her mission at the same time as me. Teaching with her was very spiritual. She is great and I learned a lot from her. One investigator gave us chipa that she made, real Paraguayan chipa. It was so good!

Splits with Hermana Goni (Paraguay). 

Hermana Cardenas (Mexico) and me on splits. She is Hermana Goni’s companion. 

 

We came home on Saturday morning.

This past week I noticed that I was really missing charity in my life. I have been studying about it, reading in Moroni 7:45-48 about it, and praying. I have really noticed a difference in my relationship with Hermana Nunton. She is great and I just need to have patience and charity, so I am working on that scripture and working on the parts that I am missing. And I invite you all to really study Moroni 7. It is helping me so much!

On the 20th we have a worldwide missionary broadcast. We are supposed to be studying the 8 fundamentals of missionary work, so that has been my studies; like really relying on the spirit to lead and guide me, and the doctrine of Christ. I love my studies every morning.

Today for P-day Hermana Nunton and I made Taillarines verdes from Peru! They were so good! 

The taillarines verdes from Peru that we made! 

Life is going well with lots of prayer and it has been good! Pray for us that we can find more people. The people here are closed off, so all your prayers would be amazing! 

I love you all! 

Hermana Newell