Rolla Holla Lost this week 12-22-08

I decided to share my letter from him (well most of it) because it was very sweet and included a little about his week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The week was really good. I had a lot of FUN experiences and some difficult ones and as always am learning a lot. It feels a little like a whirlwind and I just have to trust that when the dust settles, I´ll be fortified and not weakened.

Ok, changes came and I´m staying here with my Companion.

I loved the story about of Brindley and oh how I miss that little girl, and ALL of you my beloved family. I´m learning to find joy and comfort in the relationships here, and there are many people that love us and feed us well here in Paraguay. But, it doesn´t change the fact that my family is far away.

I love you so much Mom. I am inspired when I think of the kind of missionary you think I am, and it makes me ALWAYS want to be better. Thank you for your love and example!
With Love, Elder McCarty

The Rolla Holla. Monday 12-15-08

I cut my time EXTREMELY short today. For that I apologize. I just have so much to tell you. I try to write the Holla first and feel like I shortchange the individual letters. I try to write individual letters first and feel like so many of you get stuck with a low-quality Holla. And then, I spend time making excuses when I could be telling you about the mission...lol.The week was a good one. We ate at delicious Paulista´s (see pic), and worked like Horses, and jumped rivers, and made juice and omelets every night. I felt my personality come back in full force...in SPANISH! Though it´s still FAR from perfect.I don´t know if it can be found on the internet, but there is a video clip of pictures taken and paintings that represent the life of the Savior to the hymn ¨Come Thou Fount.¨ It is absolutely beautiful and moves me almost EVERY time to tears (President has shown it to us now twice). Search it if you can, and watch it, and remember who gave it ALL so we could live and love, smile and cry, and most of all...find peace!

http://www.reflectionsmg.com/reflections-of-christ-videos.php

I love you all. Enjoy your weeks, and write me lots of letters...lol (even if I can´t respond to them all...oh, by the way, I decided to start writing paper letters and just paying the price, so some of you´ll be getting some, and if any of you HAVE, let me know).

Elder McCarty

He sent along the picture that was missing last week of the clapping. Check out the last picture in last weeks picture post... it's a new one

Old and New Pictures sent 12-15-08

I found my SD card from the day we arrived in Paraguay. Here it is. Feels like years ago, although the time flew by.

Here I am that first night studying on the deck of the temporary rooms at the office for New Elders.

We did a Family Night with this Family (the guy reminds me of Dad, partly because he plays guitar but mostly because he has such a good heart).

My comp said he´d buy me icecream if I could jump this river. So I did. Fast as lightnin.

Later my comp tried to jump the same river and I took this picture (oh, he succeeded by the way).

Here´s me climbing a cliff we have to scale to get to one of our investigators huts (yeah, Jungle-ish, eh?)


Elder Agudelo and I jumping, or trying to, with Marcelo, who we baptized this week

Me and Marcelo




Found this cool brickyard (I think that´s what you call the place they make bricks) and HAD to take some pics.

All of us missionaries at Paulistas

We ate WELL and way too much at Paulista´s, which is just like Rodizio Grill, but ALSO with all you can eat dessert. Yeah, I know...AWESOME. It was our Christmas gift from our beloved President Wade.

At Paulista´s again. This is a pic somewhere in Brazil

The Rolla Holla! Tuesday, December 9th 2008 Put Yo Smile On :-)

Well Familia, A beautiful TUESday it is (yeah, they changed Pday on us this week). We´re looking at days of 40 or 42 degrees here in the heavy, humid Paraguayan heat. I have NO idea how that translates in Farhenheit, but BOY IS IT HOT! I took lots of Pics this week. I LOVE taking them. Attaching them here through internet takes a little time though so if you feel like weighing in on the written word versus Photographed balance, let me know and I´ll do what I can to accomodate.

A great week with a thousand great experiences. I kind of like doing the lighting storm of experiences so here it goes again. We learned a way to shock and awe the Paraguayan people: it´s called the ¨Magic Ball¨ and consists of holding these round mints in the air for 10 or 15 seconds with SHEAR breath power. Yeah, the people love it. My comp is impressive, but I´m still working on my skills. Oh, and once we win their attention, we win their hearts by teaching from ours and with the spirit.

Announcement: I LEARNED the correct way to use a handkerchief (oh, and yes, when used correctly, they are the greatest lifesaver in great heat known to man). You see, you quadra fold it, then use one side to deposit sweat or dirt, or whatever occasion may require. Then, when sufficiently full...you just REFOLD it! Brilliant. And you have a new, fresh square of material to use. Wow, if only I´d known that sooner. To all the teachers of children out there, lets teach our kids this kind of thing...it´s just common sense...lol.

OH MY GOODNESS. We found the coolest Paraguayan band. I´m seriously considering taking a second job (haha, ok, not really, the mission is kind of time consuming) as their manager and taking them international. See the pics. We passed by and waved and then looked at each other, both turned around and went and talked to them. They played us a bunch of songs and we requested the only ones we knew (of Paraguayan Polka as it´s called). Anyhow, they were drinking too so they weren´t TOO interested in our message and after a few songs, and playing them one of my own, we said goodbye and were on our way. Ha!

There is this Hermana in the ward that has the kindest heart and every time we pass she wants to invite us in to eat. The problem, other than the urgency of our calling, is that sadly....she really can´t cook. One time, she forgot an ingredient in the Budin (somekind of geletin-ish cake that´s actually delicioius) and it fell, burned, and tasted HORRIBLE. With smiles and without breathing through our nose, we gulped it down. Another time, as she talked to us and added sugar to the Juice and fruit she would blend up, she added a scoop, and then another, and then another, and my companion´s eyes got bigger and bigger and he finally said something. She stopped, turned on the blender, and fed us the SWEETEST juice I have ever tasted in my life.

This week has been one of refilling our investigator pool. We asked almost EVERYBODY for references and made LOTS of contacts. We found this family that really SEEMED like they wanted to hear our message and thereby change their lives. We taught them and they loved it and so we invited them to be baptized and they committed willingly and with excitement to the 27th of this month. Then, the next week we went to teach them again and were told by a neighbor that they´d gone to spend the rest of the year in a different city with some relatives. It seems they either forgot or were frightened by the importance of what they were about to do. Their time will come, it just may not be now.

We also had interviews with the President this week. That´s an interesting phenomenon. I´ve been struggling ALL of my mission to THROW off the ambition of the natural man and to be motivated by humble desires to serve Christ. Yet, still one hopes to ¨make a good impression¨, or somehow SHOW how hard he´s been working or how MUCH he wants to serve. The interview was great and I was struck by how much energy it gives me to be encouraged and supported by somebody that I love, respect, and trust deeply.

We also found and began teaching a 75 year old man named Ezekiel. Very kind and old and sweet and difficult to understand but he warmly greeted us in every meeting and remembered his goal to be baptized and was excited for it. Then, Saturday, when my companion and another Elder went to pick him up for the big day...he was ademant that he wanted to talk to me, since it was with me that he made the commitment. So, I rushed to get there, and to no avail. He´d decided he wasn´t ready, and now we´re teaching him again and hoping he remembers how it felt when he recieved his answer that baptism was the right thing for him.

We give LOTS of Priesthood blessings, and so far, every WORD that we´ve uttered has come to completion. One young man, Marcelo, loves to play soccer and to run around and to swim in the river, but was bed-ridded with some kind of problem with his heart. His brother is a member and invited us to bless him. We did. The next day he went in to have some tests done and they all came out without any problems. What a miracle! Within days he was running to the river with his friends again to swim and play and do the things 13 year old boys should do. And now, he has plans to do something that every person should: to be baptized. We are helping to prepare him...helping to do what, in the end, only God really can.

Also, We work a lot with the Bishop and with his Mother who dilligently takes care of his Cancer-ridden father every single day. She is a long-time member and understands the gospel. It is a joy to be able to see how much strength she has to carry on...not only her OWN, aging, arthritic body, but that of her ailing husband as well. She told us a story that I´ll NEVER forget of a night when, as she always does, she asked her husband who he wanted to say the prayer (he usually doesn´t answer since he´s unable to express himself or respond when spoken to). This time, though, he gently laid his hand upon her head, and without hesitation, proceeded to give her a tender, heartfelt, if somewhat broken Priesthood blessing. I realized that this elderly, yet strong hearted wife was caring for her husband in almost EVERY possible way, but almost NOBODY was caring for her. It was a sweet experience, and filled my heart with joy to see the kind of love that lasts through ANY trial.

Well, I´m feeling really great. The work is wonderful and the sense of stability and power that comes ONLY from the Savior is undeniable (that is, by anybody who has felt and recognized it). Oh, and by the way, I´m having LOTS of fun every day. Jumping contests, rapping in the streets, hearing predictions from would-be prophets (yeah, apparently I´m a visionary and I will see many visions...and my companion will get the car that he´s always wanted...hilarious...maybe true, who knows).

I´m not going to invite you to doing anything TOO hard this week - just to think of Christ one more time every day. What are we doing to make his sacrifice worth it? He suffered it all, and what are WE letting get the best of us? These are the thoughts that pick me up when the heat, long days, and dissapointments get me down. That make me smile when I´d like to weep. That let me rejoice when the world would have me complain. Carry on family and friends. Remember you are children of God.

With Love, Elder McCarty

Pictures for 12-9-08

A cool tree that hangs out over a river

I couldn´t resist taking a pic of this guy with a huge gun. He stands outside the house next door to our bishop and we still don´t really know why. Great guy though.

A pic of the 4-missionary-generation-old guitar and of our wonderful Christmas Tree.

At the cargo bay. We asked the guard if we could pass to take some pics and he told us yes.

A classic Paraguayan bridge. Don´t worry we only cross one at a time, and only do real QUICK handstands...HEHEHE.

A little fuzzy but still beautiful. A typical Paraguayan sunset.

Elder Agudelo was SURE I couldn´t jump this sign. He didn´t know I have a little African American blood in my veins. And, yep, now he owes me an icecream. Too bad the pic didn´t come out in midair.

An awesom Paraguayan band we found. Don´t worry, I played em a little Dog Problems to show them how we Americans roll. They told me I got skills. Oh, and I wish you could hear this Harpist...AMAZING...including his little dance that he does while he plays.

A watermelon eating contest with my companion, looking victorious.

The after-math. They all said I won (oh, and so do I), my comp thinks it was a tie

By some giant floating dumpsters and cargo boats, looking glad to be alive.

By a huge crane, looking like an Australian tour guide

Me overlooking the river, looking pensive (lol).

People on the beach by the Rio Paraguay and some big Boats

A typical Paraguayan contact. Yeah, we clap and I´m getting really good at making it echo...had to figure that one out on my own since I couldn´t find it in Preach My Gospel.

The Rolla Holla! Monday, December 1st

(Also Lots of new pictures in the post below)

Every time I fill my lungs with another breath of the heavy Paraguayan air, I´m reminded of what a blessing it is to be living, and HERE of all places! Serving a mission here in San Jorge where the members love the missionaries and feed us a FAT, heavy lunch every day, complete with Mandioca almost always, or the sweeter, still potato like Vatata if you´re lucky. I´m learning to eat less so that I don´t have to wage war on sleep in the appointments that follow.In fact, with my first companion, he was accustomed to eating JUST lunch, and so every day was as if it were a fast. My body didn´t like that, and it let me know. So now, I eat the delicioius, soft, Paraguayan bread that comes in the form of rolls, and can be carried by the dozen in my bag.
All of my comps so far (ok, there´ve only been 2), laugh and criticize and joke with members about the size of my bag, but I gotta have my bread, lol.

We take Collectivos (busses) almost EVERYWHERE. The drivers are crazy and I´m amazed I haven´t been in an accident yet. But if I ever do, don´t worry, because they´re armored like tanks.My Companion now, thought he had street smarts and could pay half the fare for a shorter bus ride. After 3 or 4 arguments with different bus Driver´s, I suggested that maybe it wasn´t worth the pain. Now when he tells me ¨Hay que darme un mil and subir no mas,¨ (or, just give me 1 thousand Guarani and get on) I kindly let him know that I´ll be paying my own fare. It kills me.

And the work is wonderful! This week we baptized Viviana, a 16 year old girl who´s mother is a member. I hope and pray that we taught her enough to keep her strong in the church, but I´m communicating often with the Bishop to assure that she gets fellowshipped and home teachers, and nourishment by the good word of God (the GB Hinckley big 3).Isidora, an elderly woman who lives far away in the interior, or the Chaco as they call it (somewhat ominously, and I´m not quite sure why, yet) but visits here often with her daughter, who is a member. She had a burning desire to get baptized but the timing was never quite right. She is very sweet and kind and LOVES the gospel: she just happens to do it all in Guarani, so we had to use a translator to help her understand what we couldn´t communicate.

Bianca is 11 years old and has gone to church for 1 year with her neighbors. I don´t know why other missionaries never found her and taught her, but I felt impressed to talk with her one day on the collectivo coming home from church, learned her name (and among the blatant miracles I´ve seen so far, my ability to remember names, not to mention DIFFICULT because they are Latin, has been a GREAT blessing from God), and we began teaching her everything she already knew.As missionaries, we are nothing...nothing but blessed by God.

Though my ability with the language and in teaching is coming along, there is NO way I could have found, brought, and prepared these 3 souls for such an important and life changing covenant and commitment. For that, I thank you for your prayers, but most of all my Heavenly Father for his love and assistence. It is a priveledge to be a tool in his hand.I hope you are all well and enjoy the pictures that I sent. I love you all very much. Today is my day to remember that, and how easily the rememberance comes, almost to the point of overwhelming me. I feel blessed to know each of you and have you in my life!

Your Elder,Elder McCarty

Here´s a quote that always inspires me. I got it from my good friend Russ Condie and I´m sure it´s not perfect. ¨I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze, than be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy but permanant planet. Mans function is to live, not just to exist. I will not WASTE my days trying to prolong them. I will use my time.¨ Jack London.

The Rolla Holla! Monday, December 1st - Pictures!

My companion with a cute little girl at a members house as we waited for lunch.

After a HUGE rain storm, the Paraguayan fighting spirit still had these young men out playing Soccer, in the flood. Wow.

Some from my Comps camera

A cool tower I climbed

A FLOOD in the apartment. The doors aren´t water-tight. Sadly, my papers were on the floor so MANY got soaked, including some of your Holla´s. NOOOOOO!!! But, I seperated them and dried them and they´re, luckily, still readable

Our inactive ward mission leader (I think we reactivated him, as he firmly committed to coming next Sunday), doing a little good ol´ fashioned gambling on a Sunday after noon with his wife and mother in law.

We´re exploring our area a bit, and found this beautiful field with a forest of trees.

Couldn´t pass this one up. Fat Fabricio, son of Hna Villalba, sleeping in the hot bus on the way home from church.

Sweet pose with Isidora who we baptized Saturday. Sweetest elderly lady. We found these flowers on the walk to the chapel and I suggested we take photos with them. They came out brilliantly, lol.

Sharing a bag of popcorn with a bird we found in a Despensa (little corner shop).

With Maria and her Family, Mario and William. We´re teaching William and hope to baptize him the 27th. Maria is a member and goes with us on visits. Very faithful, and motherly to us. It´s GREAT!

Hangin out with come kids on the block, overlooking the port of the Rio Paraguay.

A cool bridge we found.

Heroe pose on the cool bridge we found.

Chillin like a villin in my Sombrero with a horse.

At one of our lunch Citas (appointments). Lookin fat, lol.




Some goofy ones with Ariel and Daisy. They are so sweet and READY for baptism. Awesome!
Jumping for JOY!







About to baptize Ariel and Daisy. Here is the picture with their family

The arm wrestling match described last week (ok, maybe after...I was posing a little...ok, and flexing).

A beautiful secret garden we found. The owner showed us around with pride and invited us to some of his wild exotic fruits.

The Rolla Holla! Monday 11-24-2008

The Rolla Holla! Monday 11-24-2008 A Week in the Life of a Paraguayan Missionary In the mission, the experiences and the opportunities to grow come faster than I can use them. So I try to record them and stow them away so that when I´m ready, they´ll be there for me. It feels a little bit like this: A crazy P-day last week running from here to there, taking a collectivo (oops, a bus) to recover a forgotten guitar, or backtracking because of poor directions. Having been asked to play the guitar with the zone choir - thinking it sounds terrible but being told it sounds great. Singing in our visits, getting terribly off key, out of rhythym and behind time, and then laughing in an uncontrollable chain because of it. Tears streaming. Elder Agudelo praying in Spanglish, and me feeling the spirit...feeling humbled. being wished happy birthday by members and investigators and all of you...feeling loved. Teaching a 16 year old girl who looks WAY older and also looks TOO much at my eyes. Praying she4´ll find SINCERE desires to follow Christ. Teaching a pregnant mother of 9 the plan of salvation. Asking her to pray to know the truth...a cracked voice and wetted cheeks: she knows. Asking a man if he lived in the house with his Marida (I figured it was the feminine form of Marido, for husband). Finding out ¨Marida¨ would mean he was gay. Wondering why Elder Agudelo picked up an abandoned tube of lipstick from the ground, being shocked when he stuck his hand through the next fence where their was a vicious, barking dog, and the dog ATTACKED. Then, laughing to tears when he pulled back his hand, holding the now-empty tube of lipstick, and seeing the nicely made-up dog, ready for a night out on the town, and with a belly full of cherry-red. ZONE CONFERENCE!! Remembering what it´s all for. Seing a clip about Jesus Christ to the hymn ¨Come Thou Fount.¨ Thinking of Drew, the other Elder McCarty, and of Josiah, the Elder McCarty from years past. My examples. Then, of my other brother - the one who gave His life to be my example, and so that I might live, Jesus Christ. Thinking how would I feel had it been Drew or Josiah, who I love as much as ANYBODY else in this world, that gave his life for me? What am I doing to make that sacrifice worth while? The real heat of summer setting in. Walking side by side with our Sombrerro Pidi, as they call them, shading our faces. Finding out that the Paraguayan folklore is that this type of sombrerro is worn by a man who´s woman is unfaithful...so, woman, I might not know who you are or where you live, but come on, that´s just plain rude. Doing practices every morning and teaching to imaginary people. Ending up one day, with a laughter-filled attempt at teaching the Plan of Salvation, in Spanish, to the smooth sounds of the guitar. Being asked to give a blessing of health...to a cat! Flipping the pages of the Missionary Manual, finding no rules against it (surprisingly, they didn´t find it necessary to write, ¨may not bless cats¨), but luckily not having to make a decision either way since, by the time we arrived for the urgent situation, it was ¨too late.¨ Seeing the youth of the church here practice their Salsa type dance for a talent show and thinking that the ability to dance might be a gift that just comes with latin blood. Getting challenged to an arm-wrestling match by an 18 year old member. Everybody being surprised when skinny Elder McCarty actually WON! (Yeah, I had to brag a little). A mango tree in every yard. Eating mangos for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner, and while walking or visiting or....doing anything. And I love them! i´m grateful to have been called to the land of the mango and the lime, and the orange, and every fruit in great abundance. So, there is a lightning storm of some of my experiences. Still, it´s just the tip of the iceberg. I had the privilidge of helping 2 other Mitai´s (Guarani for Children) enter the waters of baptism. They are so sweet and angelic and pray more sincerely than most adults I know. It is an inspiration to me to be more like them. We all know that, such is the kingdom of heaven. I´m starting to realize too, that better is the life here on earth when we can see it through a child´s eyes. With wonder and excitement, every day is a new adventure. I´m grateful for the examples I have right now, and have had throughout my life, that help me to really ENJOY it while it lasts! Lately I´ve been struck by a quote by Mark Twain: ¨20 years from now, you´ll be more dissapointed by the things you DID do, than by the things you DIDN´T do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream discover!¨

I love you all! Elder McCarty