Ok, 4 pics from my comps camera.
Here is a beautifual Paraguayan night.
Here are all of us missionaries eating at a pretty fancy restaurant (much nicer, but costs about the same as McDonalds, 20 Thousand Guarani, or like 4 dollars, which tastes WAY better down here...maybe just because it´s a rarity).
Fondo Verde: My Comp and I sitting in the shade
of some trees in a lesson.
The Baptism of Blasida and Alberto. Awesome!
The words to one of my favorite hymns always sink deeply into my heart: ¨Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here´s my heart o, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.¨ Nobody has ever said missionaries are perfect. Like each of you, there are temptations, and sometimes, also like you, we put our foot in a door that we know we shouldn´t enter as representatives of Jesus Christ. There is a simple, sweet reassurance in the humble recognition that I cannot avoid sin on my own. When we let down the misplaced pretense that we are somehow great or accomplished or powerful, we open the way for the help of the only One who really is.Because, after all, the missionaries that think they are ¨strong,¨ are the ones that end up falling. The parents who think they have mastered the ¨techniques¨ of raising children, are the ones that end up guiding them astray. The ¨noble and great one¨ who thought he KNEW how to save all of mankind and therefore deserved the glory, was the one who ended up being cast into the pit. However BRILLIANT the missionary or the parent or the ¨son of the morning¨ that Satan was, it´s amazing the mountain of difference that can be made by a grain of humility.The scriptures tell us that we can´t even develop good character, and ESPECIALLY the attributes of Christ, on our own. And so, as I write new goals every night for the following day, every monday for the coming week, and every 6 weeks for the new change (I´ll be completing my 3rd change here in a week and a half), I have to remember that through ALL I can do, I am NOTHING if I don´t have the help of a loving Father in Heaven.This last week, I put into action a plan for focusing on EVERY one of the 9 christ like attributes listed in Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel. Most days I focus on 1 and 2 of the days I focus on 2. But I´ve learned that when I give God clear goals, God gives me clear trials - raising the bar so I can learn to jump ever higher. Then, when I give God my focus - perfecting my form, strengthening my muscles, and improving my techniques - God gives me power - suddenly I can jump a bar that, before, and on my own, would have been impossible. How wonderful is the mission!Anyhow, I continued the illustrated journal this week. I drew the instructions to making Patacon Pisado, or squished and then fried Platano, a delicious Colombian treat. I enjoyed pouring out sincere compliments and watching how happy it made my companion that I enjoyed his cooking (not to mention the increased likelihood that he´ll cook for me again, lol).We did a division this week with my Zone Leader, another Colombian, Elder Perez. Rather than just passing the drunks with a thumbs up, he stopped and talked to several of them. They bought us sodas, and asked us ridiculous questions, and we laughed at them. At the end of the day, I don´t think it´s the MOST effective use of our time, but it sure was fun.I also love getting the different perspectives of other missionaries. Elder Perez inspired me by explaining how we are called to OPEN the hearts of the people of Paraguay. To do so, sometimes it´s necessary to show them that we, too, are just people. To laugh, and joke, and express our love. And THEN, to teach, as a humble teacher comparting a small bit of wisdom rather than some sort of accomplished Professor dictating to listening students. I love developing those abilities and seeing the Lord work miracles through me.One day this week, we also found 2 parrots in one day. They climbed onto my shoulders, and one of them spoke Guarani. Elder Agudelo scared me to death when he grabbed my already endangered ear and I yelled in fear that the bird´s deadly beak had latched onto my fragile ear. Luckily I didn´t swat at it.So many exciting and interesting and fun things happen every day. But, those things that strike me most deeply are the people that we help to change. This week we arranged a marriage (we´ll see if it goes down), and helped a nervous young man resolve tension with his mother so that he could come to church with us. We usually teach between 30 and 48 lessons in a week, contact between 100 and 135 people, do service, and various other inspiring and sometimes physically and emotionally tiring missionary activities. But, and the end of the day, we feel the soft, reassuring voice of our Savior that we are doing what is right. I hope to ALWAYS have that feeling in my life. Our mission at whichever point in our life, changes a LOT, but can ALWAYS be dependent on the will of our loving Father in Heaven. If we but learn to find and follow it, he will show us the way to greater and greater happiness. I love you all, and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.Elder McCarty
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