The Rolla Holla, Monday, April 26, 2010

The rain, persecution in San Pedro, discouragement, our own personal weakness, and so many other things had us gritting our teeth to carry on this week. Yet, we kept our hopes up and bore down in consecration in specific areas we had each chosen to stop holding back from the Lord. Though each day I felt that our work was unworthy and unfit of the lofty goal and specific miracle we were asking for, I strived to focus on my love of the people, believing that our loving Heavenly Father could concede us the miracle regardless.

As Elder Walker and I counted our Attendance in church, the people just kept coming. 10 minutes into the meeting, there weren’t enough chairs for everybody. As I counted and recounted the investigators, I could hardly believe it: 18. It was one of those tender mercies of God. Not 17, not 19, but 18 investigators in Sacrament Meeting, the exact number we had as a goal for several weeks but hadn’t until this week prayed consistently and fervently, and desired for exactly the right reasons: in order to help 18 of our brothers and sisters that we love and sincerely want to progress take the next, important step. They did and we were overjoyed. As we finished the 2 ordinations and the group filed out of our little chapel after 2 hours of meetings, Elder Walker and I just sat in awe. After some moments of silence, we decided to kneel and offer a prayer to return thanks.

Well, now we are striving to remain humble, re-calibrate and not leave ANY of what we had learned behind. The work progresses great. Elder Frutos from the office called me this week with some questions about the branch formation form, so we are excited, though willing to patiently wait for the members to have the blessing of an official branch here in San Pedro.

I have felt in these last two weeks a greater urgency to prepare the members here for the possibility of me leaving. Our little group is functioning well, and all members have, or will have by the end of the week, specific, written goal certificates (temple, mission, personal Progress, etc.) that they can display in their homes to keep them excited to progress, as well as callings or assignments, and finally, friends and nourishment by the good word of God through the visiting program we have been striving to set up. In our twice-weekly activities, we’ve been talking about important topics like pride, not taking offense, unity, and creating Zion. I honestly feel like they are ready and will be able to continue with Elder Walker’s able, consistent guidance if I am called to leave this place. Of course,

I am MORE than happy and willing to continue WHEREVER the Lord needs me most, and am confident that wherever I go, it will be where He needs me.

Elder McCarty

001 Did a division this week with Juan and it was GREAT. He speaks a lot of Guarani and little Spanish but was a great missionary and is even learning to SING!

005 The baptism of Juan's brother, Froilan Villalba, a great man and will be a great strength to the church.

The Rolla Holla! Monday, 19 of April, 2010

Today we played 2 games of 2 on 2 soccer under the pounding Paraguayan sun. We were in Santa Rosa. It stuck me as I road in the 3 hour bus ride to give District Meeting the importance of love in this work. I realized that one of the reasons God hasn’t conceded me a specific miracle I’ve been praying for, is that my motives aren’t as centered in love as they ought to be. I invited my district to set a goal as a district for Attendance in church. We had set one for the conference in Concepciòn of 30 investigators between the two companionships, and saw miracles to be able to take 41, something I KNOW I could never have done on my own. We decided we would (1) Pray daily about our specific district goal, (2) Desire it out of LOVE for those people, and for that reason only, and (3) listening to the voice of the Spirit to find those that are chosen and prepared.

My awesome Mother wrote me this week and told me this story: “a sister in the ward told of her niece who was being baptized in a swimming pool and then confirmed right afterwards. When the Elder giving the blessing said "Receive the Holy Ghost" she piped up excitedly "OH, I Got it!!" during the blessing. I thought what a joy and simplicity children have in their testimony of the gospel and their communications and interactions with spiritual things.” It made me laugh, and feel the love towards little children that I have grown to cherish so much here on the mission. It reminded me of a story from a confirmation we had this week, though interestingly different. As we confirmed the man of a family that was baptized this week, with the door open to our little meeting house (since we don’t ever want anybody to be turned away), somebody passed by and yelled out “false prophets.” That’s just one of the many different attacks we get here in San Pedro where the persecution is almost, but not quite, as great as the many mighty miracles.

An indescribable outpouring of the Spirit this Sunday. We prepared Joel to conduct the meeting, which he did, along with very clear explanations of what the meeting is, the importance of the sacrament, and how to sing the hymns for all of the new members and investigators. Wow.

Our only 2 Deacons passed the sacrament, and our only 2 Priests blessed it. Then we listened to the testimonies of the family that was baptized and confirmed this week (an elderly couple with 10 children who will be an excellent adition to our growing family here in San Pedro). Elder Walker and I sang a special musical unmber of “I Stand All Amazed” in Guarani, and I gave the last talk. It was incredible the power of the spirit that we all felt, and the number of comments after the meeting from members and investigators alike about the special feeling of the meeting (especially an excellent family who was in church for the first time and is already excited about coming again next week).

We were then able to begin having the second hour of meetings, with the men in one class and the women and children in another. We are beginning to implement Home and Visiting Teaching and have already seen some incredible results. Truly “God has given the increase” as each individual and our small group continues to progress in miraculous ways. I love this work and look forward to a lifetime of it! With love,

Elder Kyler McCarty

Pics

003: The baptism this week with the members that went as well. WOW, it was beautiful, as always here at the edge of the Rio Jejui. 004 Elder Walker and the 3 that got baptized this week: Raquel (who had to go out of town and so wasn’t confirmed yet), then Victoria, and Concepciòn. 006 The family that was baptized this week always invites us for lunch and she is a GREAT cook. Then there is always fresh squeezed, seweetened grapefruit juice. Heterei (delish).
010 Tired of soccer pics, lol. These games I had to wear my classic, foldable sombrero to protect myself from the sun.

The Rolla Holla! Monday, April 12, 2010

It’s cooling down a little in this half of the world. Even when the beating sun is out, a pleasant breeze keeps us cools as we sit under the thick shade of giant mango trees. “If I told you that this tree had the most delicious mangos in the whole world, how would you find out if it’s true?” The convenient example we use several times a day to invite people to just try it out and take one bite by sincerely reading, praying, and attending church to taste the sweetness of the truth.

Twenty-eight year old Jimi tasted it. And now, 4 days before his baptism he carries his Book of Mormon around on his old beat up motorcycle to share scriptures he’s found with his friends. His place is marked with a red pencil that we gave him as a gift and a tool to search for truth. He keeps finding more of it. However, many are called and few chose to be chosen. Even Jimi has some doubts and obstacles to overcome in these last few days before him baptism.

We watched conference one week after all of you. Though the recording skipped and the kids laughed and screamed as they played, we felt and knew that those men are called of God. The TV sat on a table made by one of our investigators, a carpenter, accompanied by a 2 liter soda bottle cut in half, full of beautiful Paraguayan flowers assembled by Blanca, who was called to be our flower coordinator.

The flowers were beautifully selected and arranged, but perhaps the most beautiful part was what they represented by simply BEING there. Immediately after her baptism, Blanca’s parents, brothers, and sisters began an unbelievable onslaught of insults, criticism, and what is often most painful – the cold shoulder. Deeply grieved by their rejection, yet sustained in her belief by a deeply seated testimony and continued nourishment and reassurance from the scriptures and the Holy Ghost, Blanca found herself torn between worlds.

She expressed to us that she wanted to stop attending church until the persecution came to an end and then she would then come back. We immediately felt that Blanca was at a cross roads and asked if we could stop by to visit her. As we talked, she bore solemn witness of God’s one true church, and that it was His will for her to continue on, but that she didn’t feel she could. We encouraged her, prayed with her, and invited her to pray for strength to do God’s will regardless of the consequences. She did, and she received. The flowers she brought will forever stand in my mind as a beautiful display of what it means to overcome opposition to humbly do God’s will.

For the first Sunday in our time here, the members took charge of preparing the chapel. Joel and Juan came early and opened the building, swept, set up the chairs, and prepared for the conference. Next week we hope to have Joel conduct and we can sit peacefully among the congregation. Progress like this is only possible with the help of a loving Heavenly Father whose work WILL be done. I feel humbled as I strive to do it in His way, and awestruck as I feel guidance from His sure and powerful hand. All my love,

Elder Kyler McCarty

The Rolla Holla! Monday, April 5, 2010

From the beginning of the week we put our focus and faith in our goal of investigators in church, with a special emphasis on the men and families. We saw many mighty miracles from the Lord, including unexpected people we had invited from just the night before. I know it was done by a power greater than my own, and we were able to participate in seeing these valiant investigators form the determination and then overcome the obstactles to get to church. After all, we had 6 men, a complete family, and many others of our Heavenly Father’s children in church, and with the members and children, almost didn’t fit in our small chapel. I know it was only possible by His loving kindness and mercy.

Together with the members and investigators, we are also very excited to see the conference this week. We don’t have access to a satellite and so will watch in 1 week after all of you, on a DVD they will send us from the office of the mission. We have invited the members and investigators to become even MORE consistent in their personal and family prayer and scripture study, and to prepare a few questions that they would like to have answered by the Prophet, General Authorities, and above all, the Holy Ghost. I know that as they do that (something I should strive to do every Sunday, lol), they will feel the Spirit and receive the answers they need.

Some funny experiences? The other day we were in an investigators house: 85 year old Sebastiana and her 14 year old grandaughter Guadalupe. They have been incredible example of faith, walking the 15 blocks to church each week, the first week having only been invited the night before. As we taught in half Guarani half Spanish (my Guarani is getting a lot better, though still lacks a lot), a lady cam in and sat by us. We asked her her name but she didn’t want to tell us. We resumed teaching, and 3 minutes later, she got up and began screaming and pulling her own hair. She ran out of the house yelling that she was Catolico-Apostolico-Romano. It sure surprised us, and was the first time I’ve been rejected in exactly THAT way.

We’d been wanting to clean the yard up to make a volley ball court for the activies we have each Tuesday night with Members and Investigators (we usually share some lesson, play some game to demonstrate it and then eat jello or cake that I prepare). Well, we would go out with the machete and cut part of the grass every day. The problem was that the first part we cut was grown over again by the time we got to the last part. Well, one day as we passed by on the way to a lesson, we saw 5 little boys going at our lawn with kitchen knives, some with machetes, or whatever they had. WE were surprised and asked them why. They said they wanted to make a bicycle track. So we arranged for them to have their part and to clean up our part for our volleyball court as well….hahaha! Looks like somebody’s watching over us even in the small things!

I love being a missionary!

Elder McCarty
001 This dog is not hers (that’s Cristina, one of our 10 year old converts), but she nevertheless loves to swing it around by its legs. Hahah, it cracks me up. The funniest part is that the dog keeps coming back to their house regardless. 002 Here I am with the hardest working, most clothe washing grandma of 85 years that I know, Sebastiana. 003 Me and Juan, after his wife made a whole bunch of home made bread. Delish!
004 Elder Walker got the Famous Pee-Kay (as it’s pronounced), a bug that enters into your foot if you walk around barefoot (I’ve never got it yet, knock on wood). Here our convert Dionicia acts as nurse and she skilfully removed it, despite the odor of having walked around all day, haha. We’ll take a little more precaution in the future, who knows what the neighbors may have thought, lol. 006 EVERYBODY gave us Chipa, the Paraguayan cheese bread, and also the homemade bread they make on Easter week. WE have TONS, and won’t be able to eat it all. But it is delicious.