The Holla this week 10-13-08

The Rolla HollaAs they say around here, ´Hace muuuuuuuuuucho calor´ (it makes muuuuuuuuuuch heat...lol)! The work and the air are on fire here in San Jorge, just 20 minutes from down town Asuncion. Sadly, I forgot my cable and my companion is in no mood to go back for it, so the pictures are going to have to wait for next week, but MAN I have some good ones!Some big news family! They changed the rule and I have an hour now to write you all. Furthermore, I can now send mail to or receive it from ANYONE as long as it is through my parents. What a blessing! I´m so excited for that. I wrote Josiah, Awna, Mom, and it seems like someone else, personal letters by hand last week, so you´ll have to let me know when they show up. I think as a general practice, I´m going to print off emails for the present week, and then write responses for them the following week. That way I don´t eat up half my hour reading.Today as I looked through my pictures of you all and of my beloved friends in the MTC I realized how quickly things go from real and present, to distant memories. I realized that ONCE too often this week, the stifling heat, long walks, and, for me, what is more tiring than anything, the inefficiencies, caused me to long for this wonderful, relaxing day of preparation. BUT, I had to remind myself that I can´t live from P-day to P-day (insert whatever day in YOUR life you are always waiting for), because the Joy that can be found in each day passes too soon, and the P-days, which never last, really aren´t that great in the first place. I find it sad that I often waste away the days of substance hoping for the time when I´ll be able to do....well, nothing. But, of course, that is all a little TOO dramatic: because, for the great majority of the time, I have LOVED this week!I love the darkness that comes at 7 PM and brings with it a chorus of singing Cururus (giant frogs), or the florescent purple sunsets every night, followed by the brilliant glow of florescent lights which flicker on, one by one, in every persons shack, shanty, or mansion (comparatively). I love the way the people invite you to sit and talk, no matter when or for how long (and trust me, sometimes it´s TOO long). Most of the lessons are in people´s front yards, often because the house isn´t big enough to fit us. And even with the booming latin music that is almost constantly playing (sometimes at 5 in the morning outside our apartment), I LOVE the fact that we can still fill the Spirit as we sing, or pray, or teach.I love the days when we get to meet with other missionaries and I get to speak English or make jokes, or remember what it feels like to laugh until I cry (somehow, that kind of comedy, also, gets lost in translation). I enjoyed watching a Senior Sister Missionary try to direct our Zone Choir, which is preparing to sing for Christmas (somehow we got lucky enough to be chosen...certainly not because of our voices) and seeing the non-compliant missionaries fluster her to her wits end. Still more, I love hearing the final product...that we actually don´t sound half bad.I love the sacrament meetings where parent have their kids in headlocks, to keep them from moving, but not from screaming, or the unexpected opportunities to bear testimony or share thoughts....in SPANISH! I´m learning to love my companion, and to pick VERY carefully, only the most important of things to suggest as changes, while giving loving support and encouragement during the rest of the time. I´m learning that people like to drive as CLOSE to us as possible when we have to walk in the street (I think they´re trying to read our name tags...lol). I´m learning to use an umbrella while I clean up cob webs because of all the spiders that fall (I know, what a change from the Fly Frenzy of just 2 or 3 weeks past).I am TRYING to learn to be motivated by a desire to SERVE and not to BE. I have always been very ambitious and wanted to achieve and become something great: now the achievements have to fade and the LOVE has to come out in force. The people here see us as Spiritual Authorities...scary eh? But at the same time, humbling. It strengthens my need to speak well and to be guided by the spirit, always. I am loving this work. YES, it is difficult. Nothing worth doing isn´t. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I love you all, and wish you the best!
Siempre Luchando, Elder McCarty