Oro

This week we had a baptism!  She had some last minute struggles, like an hour before her baptism her neighbor almost talked her out of getting baptised by telling her that "Those mormones are just taking advantage of your financial situation to get you baptised". We had some members (her friends) step in last second to save the day, and she ended up making it there on time, and all ready to go :) (Phew!) Missionary work is so stressful sometimes


So I have oficially started a semi serious study of the BOM in Guarani! I understand about half of everything it says, but here in a bit I should get a hold of it :)


I had the privelege of doing some divisiones, and went and visited for 2 days this week a few neighboirng cities, Eusebio Ayala, and Ypacarai. The church in Eusebio Ayala has only been there for 3 years, and they have about 15 active memebers in the branch. The workd there is moving forward in this town, it has a bright future ahead of it! We talked with 3 families that are considering getting baptised, and places like this are in dire need of families


Remember that thing I had in my foot? Yeah well it's all good now, so no need to worry


We made lemon bars last night and they turned out SO good! I had almost forgotten about those suckers. I should have been taking advantage of that my whole mission, since there are unlimited free citrus fruit here


Caacupe... It's such a blast! My comp and I have been having way too much fun lately. We keep teaching a few indian families, which always keeps things interesting ha! One of the families we are teaching stopped drinking and finally saved up enough money to get electricity cables hooked up to their half abandoned house, so things are really looking up for em! It's amazing all the changes the gospel brings into ones life (Or it might just be inteligent money spending habits... how about both?)


Love you guys!!


Elder Horton

Mba'e ko Cheve?

Zone Training

Pretty much turned baptism into a science

Alright, sooooo the family that was going to get baptised had some legal document problems, which should get solucioned all here in a few weeks tops, and then they will be baptised :) This week, a 60 year old lady who lives right next door to the church has decided to get baptized. We have been working with her for like 3 or 4 months now, she would have gotten baptised earlier on, but she had to stop smoking. What has mostly helped her, are her 2 really good friends that are both members of her church. She has been investigating the church for more than 30 years, ever since the church was built here in Caacupe. We had an especially good "Call to Repentance" lesson the other day, and since then she has dropped the cigarettes por completo.




The zone training we had this week went really well. it was focused on "Teach Repentance", so that we can "Baptize Converts". We had a really powerful training, (jeffrey R Holland videos sure helped a lot) and we all left with a lot of excitement for the work. The numbers in our Zone have just been going crazy, and this week we already have 5 baptisms ligned up "Stake" (District) wide, which means we have to do lots of interviews, and lots of traveling! The biggest challenge we have been focused on lately with the zone would have to be working with the Area Book.




Here in our branch, the presidency got released, and a new one was called. There are very little options for stud priesthood holders out here, so they called a young 25 year old return missionary (The only return missionary in the branch) to be president. It was honestly such a good move, he will be able to really help to work move along here




Something that I liked about my study this week (Old Testament) was in the book of Jeremias 16:15-16, it prophecies about the latter days, and how people will leave "From the Northern Country" to "Hunt and Fish" in order to begin once again to gath Israel. It's so funny how it is all coming to pass! I feel a whole lot more like a hunter than a fisherman, moving speedily, talking with everyone to just looking for prey to baptize, haha




The power of the Atonement is so real. Something I am learning more and more is that the atonement is not just for becoming clean from sin, although it is, it is much much more than that. It is a fount of spiritual strength that one can freely draw from. It sounds cheesy, but it's true! I feel more light pouring into the inner me every time I say a prayer, or bear tetimony of the christs atonement. This is the power by which great changes are made, and souls become converted. This is the power that has changed my life forever




Thanks for reading my boring email and everything! 10 weeks and I'm home, so just bear with me a little longer haha Have a great one




Elder Horton

Lost in the Work of the Lord

Another week has come and gone... I can't believe it


We spent a whole day and a half traveling to and from a leadership cousel we had in the capital Asuncion this past week. I wish there was a way to avoid all the ridiculously long travels we have to do. It just wasts so much golden time! But there is just no way around it I guess


We had our progressing family attend church yesterday, and their baptism and wedding is set for this Saturday!! It's been a long fight with them to get them to stop smoking, and get them to church, but they have accepted things very well, and there is such a notable change in their house environment. I mean, not that their house is nicer or anything, they still live in an abandoned brick shack, but there is feeling of peace and love, whereas beforehand it was completely absent. We have had a Recently baptized family helping us out a lot with them, but it looks like everything is set for this Saturday!


Doctrine and Convenants touches many times on how we must study it out both in our mind, and in our heart, and then simply "put our trust in that spirit that leadeth to do good" in order for the Lord to help us make decisiones, big and small. We are currently putting together a Zone Training that we have to give Tomorrow, and it is amazing to see the Lords hand guide us, and show us how we can better portray the information or ideas we want to get across. Recently my comp and I just sat down and watched a few general conference talks that really touched me, and gave me the motivation I have needed to get out and testify, to work, and give everything I've got to the Lord, so that I can bring "Even just a single soul unto repentance". I love this work, and all the amazing opportunities I have been blessed with to serve and lift those around me


Have a fantastic week


Elder Horton


PICS


Oh and I have something living in my foot

Mothers Day

It sure was great seeing the fam bam, even if it was just over Skype! Looks like everything is great back home :)


So... today is transfer day! But looks like I am staying in the area with Elder Gibson (An Elder from my group) To finish out our second to last transfer in the mission, which is so crazy! A solid 80 percent of all our conversations are about after mission stuff, so we plan on concentrating ourselves a lot more this transfer and really just losing ourselves in the work just one last time. I love my comp, and the area is going to explode this transfer, so I am just fine with it :) We have a family and other people progressing towards baptism, so this transfer will be full of reaping our hard work we have done this past change.


Love you guys so much!


Pics of the temple trip`from a few weeks back


1) My comp $$ Elder Gibson


2) The daughter of one of my converts (Serving a temporary local mission)

Frio (Ro'y)

Soooo winter came around full swing this week... hitting some gnarly temperaturs (16 degrees Celcius)... Which for Paraguay is literally heck getting frozen over. Everybody has to just spend all day huddled up around their little carbon cooking fires to stay warm, so needless to say we have had plenty of around the campfire lessons this week, they are my fave! ha


Our temple trip this week was the best. It could have been a whole lot better had I remembered to use the restroom before entering into the session! haha I spent an hour just ``Aguantando´´ or waiting anxiously for the session to finish so I could relieve myself. haha It made it hard to feel the spirit when my bladder was jsut on the point of bursting... ha! Que mala suerte...


Say a sign today on the way to the internet cafe that said "Puede vivir como quieras, eres el unico barrerro" And I couldn't help but chuckle and think about all that Nefi teaches us in 2 Nephi 28.. The whole "Eat drink and be merry, because tomorrow we die" atittude is jsut so bad... It could never work inthe grand scheme of things! I love the scritpure in 1 Nephi 15:34 that says that "no unclean thing can live with God, therefore he has made a place for the flithy, Therefore if we are filthy we must go to the place of the flithies" or something along those same lines ha


This transfer alone I have memorized vaguely 60 scriptures from the BOM for all "Cane dropping" needs. This week we start on to D and C. It's so funny how I get so excited about this kind of Gospel fun. My pre-mission self would be laughing uncontrobably if it could see what I have become! haha


Well, that's bout it for now, love you guys a full!


Elder Horton

101

There is a torrential rainpour coming down right now, holy cow!!


Pero bueno... tomorrow I get to go to the temple for the first time in almost a yearrrrr YEAH It should be fun. Also we got a local missionary yesterday (Who are normal Paraguayans who serve for a transfer) from my old area! She was my almost convert, but I baptised her mom and her brother! It was great to see her and here that everything is going well back in Posta Leiva.


This last week we had 5 investigators come to church... and they are hardcore progressing! A family will get baptised this 17th of May, things are about to get real crazy. I really feal like my comp and I teach very very well together. Everything just flows, and the spirit is almost always present. (Except when the lessons get interrupted by drunks... which happens more than you would think)


We had to travel 2 hours in bus to do a baptismal interview and finished at about 6 in the afternoon.... only to find out that the busses stopped at about 5, so we were basically stranded in the middle of no where for the night. We decided to start walking, and eventually had to resort to hitch hiking to get us back home. A nice semi truck driver stopped and picked us up. He was 20 years old, and a really crazy driver (He has no drivers licensing, he said his uncle taught him how to drive) but we got him all safe and sound.


A recent convert is passing througha hard time with her family... they basically got in a huge fight, and they want to kick her out of the house with her family. She has been really devestated by this, and is asking herself, and us, some really tough questions... like why does bad stuff happen to good people? And why is she recieving so much opposition from everything by joining the church? Sooooo we tried explaining to her that there is opposition in all things, and that Satan has to be present for us to have agency (The freedom to choose), and a whole other bunch of stuff like that. I decided to dedicate an hour long study sesh to the subject and found some great scriptures, mostly taken from the story of Job in the bible, who passed through a LOT of trials. But he asked himself the following, after having lost EVERYTHING and being cursed with boils, and it sounded quite similar to the question the sister had.. "Why, when I look for good then evil clave unto me?" It's honestly so true though... There is jsut SO much opposition when someone tries to do what's right... I have seen in COUNTLESS of times, every day, here in the mission. But it is just a portion of what the Savior had to pass through.,. I can't even imagine how unfair he thought life was... But he just so humbly submitted to evertyhing the Lord had in store for him. How truly amazing He is.


Well, love and care for you mucho! 101 days left... haha


Elder Horton


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