I guess if the Lord gave us immediate responses to our righteous actions, we wouldn’t learn the heavenly virtue of patience. As I’ve mentione the last few weeks, we have renewed our efforts in our area to work dilligently and effectively. For 2 weeks, we gave all we had and saw only minor progress. This week, the windows of the heavens opened up.
We now have 4 promising investigators preparing for baptismal dates this month. Celeste is a brilliant, 19 year old law student, that showed up with a less-active family we have been trying to re-activate. Never having met her before, she came last Sunday, loved the meetings, determined to read and pray to get an answer, and set a goal to prepare for the 20th of November. Over the course of the week she has read, come to love believe in the Book of Mormon as the word of God. The 20th of November has gone from a “goal” to a decided date for which we are now actively planning, and she is a driving force behind the very same family that brought her last week to church, so that they will go this week and forever thereafter. Many are called and few are chosen. This week God blessed us to find one of those sweet, prepared, chosen spirits.
Pechi is an active member of an evangelical church, which she loves and actively contributes to. While she hasn’t yet received an answer, she believes we were sent for a reason, and is determined to keep trying until Heavenly Father lets her know. She won’t be able to make it this Sunday, but promises to go next week. We are praying that she’ll be able to have the courage to hear the answer that God is so willing to give.
Jose is an old man who was almost baptized many years ago, but couldn’t because of problems with drinking. We found him one hot afternoon by clapping at his house. He let us in and is on the path again towards happiness and salvation. Monica is a young girl who has had far too many difficult experiences. Raised by her abusive aunt and having spent her life on the street, she wants to change and loves going to church, but is trapped by a difficult, painful circumstance. We are praying and hoping that she can be rescued by miracles from our Father in Heaven.
Last night around 830 pm I realized we probably weren’t going to make it to our planned visit to Hermano Dure, a less-active, drug addicted father of 5. The week before we had prayerfully and with great faith set a goal to go 7 days without taking the drugs that have taken claim over his body. When I called him to let him know, he told me that it was ok if we could not make it, and that, while he had saved the last box for me to mark in my visit to him, he would just mark it himself. Encouraged by the fact that he had really DONE it, I told him not to worry and that we would make it even if we had to run. With little, awkward Felix, the youth who I was on a division with, we sprinted from one end of our area to the other in less than 10 minutes. We got there around 9 pm, and shared a scripture from Mosiah about having no desire to do wrong. We congratulated him for what I KNOW to be a heroic effort, and prayed thanking God for the blessing of strength that he had been given. His wife, who had been hurt by years of addiction and pain, smiled radiantly and listened quietly. The whole family of 7 promised to be there this Sunday.
The work is moving forward. I am happy and rejoicing in the blessing in our area. I have found that I work to be more efficient in the office just SO that I can spend more time out in the field doing the work of my God. The mission is going by too quickly. I am trying my best to take in every moment and love it like it is the last oneI’ll have. Thank you family, for everything! You are great!
I love you!
Elder McCarty
053 Hesiman pose with a Rugby ball. We went and checked out the fancy Adidas store downtown
047 One Elder wanted to buy a new suit so we went to Robert’s, the nicest suit maker in Asunción. Before I get home I’ll have to get one, since a custom made, high quality fabric suit costs $130.
028 Aldo and I (Marcial and Saide’s little boy) after we watched “Together Forever” for a family home evening this Monday.
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