Short Week and Birthtism Strikes Again

No time! But this week was amazing and I was able to help out some people in amazing ways! I finally feel like a capable office Elder, which also means that the work goes slightly more smoothly. But I wanna give everyone the highlights of this week!

1. Marcelo Cazal's baptismal interview was yesterday. He's an investigator from Mburucuyá who's been going through an eight month process to get to here. He'll be baptized today, but he's just so ready. Why is it birthtism??? Well! Today is his eighteenth birthday, which is why he had to wait so long to get baptized, but he didn't want to wait not one day more. It's so awesome!

2. I called Sofía Ortiz today and she is doing so well! Let everyone knows that she has remained so faithful to her covenants and serves her brothers and sisters with all that is in her. Hermana Sofía, si en algún momento llegue a leer esto, ¡sepa lo agradecido que estoy por usted y su progreso!

3. Nelson, an investigator who wasn't really understanding things well, came to understand some basic concepts and will be getting a baptismal date for March.

4. Victor Fariña has a date to go to the temple and do baptisms for the dead in March!!! It's going to be so awesome!

Those are the wonderful things going on this week, and I'm so sorry to be writing so late.

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes, and I hope that this week is wonderful for all of you. Thank you to my parents, and especially to my grandparents who are such great examples to me, and to my siblings whose support is a strength to me. For any old companions who read this, I miss you guys and hope that things are going well for you! I love all of you and if I have one wish for this birthday, or if any of you were to seek to give me something for this day, the only thing I really desire is that each of you may live the Gospel, and may received a fullness of joy. I hope that you can all feel that in your hearts and that you can share it, no matter how hard it may be.

Love,

Elder Harris

Proselyting Again!‏

Good Morning All!

This one's bright and early, so I hope that you're all having wonderful mornings wherever you may be!

This week has been pretty exciting. I think that there are two things that stood out more than anything. The first was that I got out to go proselyting more this week than in the entire last change!!!! It was so great! I got to feel the beautiful worry and striving of serving with everything. Dedicating all thoughts, words, desires, all of my heart, every last piece of it, and putting it right where God wants me to: in the work. This week I got another taste of that, and it's just how I want every moment of my mission to go for the rest of it. I like getting absorbed in the work.

But! The office is always there to demand maximum efforts as well, and so I did have to stay super late all night yesterday to edit some documents, so it's a small bump in the road. But, I've learned that life is so full of the little weekly challenges that it's really a waste of time worrying so much about them. You just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep up right where you left off.

We had a cool lesson with one less-active member named Victor Galeano who hadn't been to church in many years, and he's a young guy, 20 years old. He's really got strong desires to return to the faith, though he has a lot of desire to understand and has really good doubts that show that he's thinking about what we teach him. It's interesting how when someone can write down a doubt for us to help them answer and overcome, my first thought isn't to panic or tell them that it's bad to doubt or that something not make sense with their current understanding, because it's really a sign of desire for growth and real desire to know if something be right or not. So, we're really happy about these questions, and I'm really looking forward to helping him find his own answers with God. To quote Elder Andersen "Spiritual questions deserve spiritual answers from God." 

We also visited Familia Galeano, the father of which was stake president of this stake many years ago. They're also Uruguayos and gave us some delicious raviolis. :)

But they are a wonderful family that has a long and firm testimony of the Gospel. We shared with them about the joy of the Gospel and invited them to pray every single day in the week about whom they might invite to hear us, and to partake in that same joy, and they received the commitment very, very well, and I look forward to seeing them find a friend, or better yet, a family who comes to be baptized here in February.

Also, we had a visit with the Relief Society President, Hermana Margarita Riveros, about the new way of doing missionary work that our wonderfully inspired Area Presidency has issued forth. President McMullin gave us a sheet that he prepared based on his notes of Elder Gonzalez message (which he literally heard 4 times, which, we must note, is the number of times that Joseph received the same message from Moroni so that he'd actually remember and do). So, we went over all of it with her, all of what we were committed to do and all that the Lord through His inspired servants was asking her to do, and it turned out wonderfully. We are really setting things up to work out incredibly well with the Ward, we must simply keep it up to get the wheels really turning.

The other really notable thing was our Zone Conference on Wednesday. The farther we go along, the more I understand really just how to do every aspect of missionary work. At the start of my mission, I was learning about the same things we were taught about in Conferences, how to teach, study, contact, etc. Now, I've spent over a month studying about how to work with members, but I've just felt that there's been a missing key. Last month, President presented it to us, but I, for whatever reason, did not capture it. Now, as he repeated the same counsel a second time (which he is to repeat, supposedly, until we all drop down fainting like Joseph Smith did upon receiving so many visits from Moroni), it really struck me that it is the missing key. I now have the guide on how to work with members here in Paraguay, and this is really just something that the Lord has been setting up a long time running in the Area and with President McMullin. Now we're going to apply it and see the mission explode.

Church attendance, retention percentage, and baptisms. If we strive with all our might, we should see the attendance go from 4,000 last month to 5,100 by next December. Seems like a lot, right? Well, really we were at 4,500 in September, so it's just a matter of going out and rescuing again those who momentarily fell and then finding the increase in finding new investigators or inactive members who need the Gospel.

I love this work! I love ministering to the people using the Book of Mormon, and opening their eyes to see Christ's redeeming love reaching out to them. I love repentance and love seeing good people repent into great sons and daughters of God. I love seeing those surrounded by their sins cry out "Awake my soul!" and rise from languished sorrow into the unadulterated joy of holiness. This is God's work and His kingdom. He has shown it to me so many times and I feel at times like Nephi who wrote that God had heard his prayers by day and granted him great knowledge in visions by night, that his heart pondered continually upon the things of God and upon the scriptures. I have not his faith, and my heart faileth far more often, but I have the slightest taste of what he speaks and it is worth everything one might give to attain. In it is contained the strength to lift up nations and families and I testify that Thomas S. Monson acted as God's chosen Prophet here on the earth when he said: "The greatest force in the world today is the power of God as it works through man."

May we cease to desire to receive the benefits that power and begin to be the men and women through which it works. Let us not merely be doers of the word for our benefit, but rather seek to impart this benefit to all around us, members, nonmembers, active and not, all races, creeds, religions. I know that doing so brings greater joy and peace than anything else we might do.

I love you all,

Elder Harris

Old Man of The Office‏

Change Week!

It came and went and here we stand with what it's given us! I love the changes, because I know that God inspired this ordained mission president of ours with all of the things that have happened. So it feels really good and I'm really excited for what's coming up.

The changes themselves went by very, very smoothly and everyone got more sleep than usual. Elder Valenzuela has finally left us, to go train and open an area that was closed for almost a whole change!!! That is an excellent missionary and we hope to see a lot of great things from him.

The new missionaries were really, really good this time around, and I was happy to be able to take care of them for the day and night. We have what I believe to be our first missionary from Beliz in the mission. Beliz is a country in Central America, but it's an English speaking country with a really diverse population. It's tiny though and the Church is undeveloped, so it's quite rare to have him.  We received a fair number, not a lot, nor too little, and there weren't any big surprises that threw things off. Except for the day or two before we were notified that a certain Hermana never reported to the MTC and would, therefore, not be coming to the mission. That was actually going to cause a really crazy awesome change in which I switch Wards and the District grows and all this cool stuff happens, but now that she's not here I'm staying in Campo Grande and everything's kind of as per usual there.

The night before the new missionaries meet their trainers, they stay with us in our house, and I give a devotional every time to help them start off their mission right. And this time it was something that I've been thinking about a lot. It was this: starting with the end in mind. Or even really just working with the end in mind. Keeping yourself focused on those desired ends that you have in front of you. I realized that what we call goals often aren't truly goals, not truly where our heart is. I came to understand that what a goal really is is when you want something so very badly that, making the decision to achieve it, it spills out onto paper. I also realized that so much of being able to achieve these things is defining them well and understanding their component parts. You can't just write on a piece of paper that you want to baptize someone every month, and you can't just want it either. You also have to know what it takes to do so, and build up all the little goals and plans that go into achieving that big goal. It's all kind of something that we've heard before, but it was something that I think hit home for the missionaries. They'll be starting their missions well.

So, that's changes. This is my first change in the office where I'll be having a permanent office staff. Every other time someone's been coming and someone else leaving. Also, I am now the old man of the office! I have more time in the office than anyone else here! It's weird. I still don't feel like I've been here in the office for that long, does it feel like it's been that long to any of you reading these? I dunno, but it's shocking to me to realize.

We'll see if next change I get a replacement, that would give me at least four and a half months to just go out and preach before I finish my mission.... We'll see what happens!

Anyways, you area all wonderful. I testify of the truthfulness of the Gospel and testify that God loves us. I know that when we do what is right, He rewards us incredibly, and I hope that you all get to see it as well.

Love,

Elder Harris

The Day Dawn Is Breaking

Buenas Tardes a todos!

I have had a week of a lot of growth and a lot of healing this time around. It's been really good, and really needed to be honest. Getting everything ready has been just back-breaking and difficult and I've just been yearning to finish some of the big tasks that I have to do and then go back to being a real missionary, but I had no idea how far in I'd caved on myself in these past couple of weeks. Because of so much office work, I haven't been doing really any of the basic facets of missionary work, but then about three or four days ago, I started to find ways to take back the missionary life from the hands of administrative duties, and the process has been painful, but healing. It starts with studies and stronger prayers, and is developing into greater interest in our areas, the wards, our District, and even the missionaries that aren't here. 

Now that I'm feeling a lot better, I realize that so much of what we need to bring the Spirit more powerfully into our lives are things that we already know. I started to play General Conference talks while working here in the office and then really strive to do as President Uchtdorf suggests and use them as a mirror by which I can judge myself, along with the scriptures, and the result has been wonderful. I realized that God doesn't view our mistakes, failures, imperfections, and poor attributes in the same ways that we do. The words of ancient and modern Prophets and Apostles helped me to see my own imperfections better and instead of being crushed by debilitating guilt, I was really helped to make small changes and feel alleviated. I know that God's servants speak His words and that by the Spirit, they carry His feelings and sentiments to us. I have felt Him in prayer in bedrooms and office waiting rooms, I have heard Him in this crowded office building and listened to His counsels in the midst of storms. That is the beauty of this Gospel and our Father; they are with you wherever you may be, if you listen closely enough.

So, that's how I am and how I've been feeling this week. It's strange because I'm really feeling many of the same feelings that normally accompany the New Year but a week or two late.... I love feeling the surging change and opportunity for great things. And so now we will see some great things happen here in our areas and in our District.

As far as WHAT I've been doing this week, I have finally finished all of the documents that the mission will be using for the next year! Yes!!!! I'm so excited to update these this Monday (paritally because as part of our new system, I do almost NOTHING!) 

We also have some housing changes so that I think that the majority of houses in our mission have AC to suffer the summer with. That's been a trial, but the Lord has shown some great light on things. I realized though that I need to be better about saying no and making better decisions about what happens. And managing my time. Those might be the same struggles as I've always had here in the office.....

And then we're preparing for changes!!! With lots of help of course. Hermana McMullin has been buying the things that we need and we've been getting a lot of work done so that everyone has not only somewhere to live but all the living supplies they might need on top.

Proselyting..... Still no. But this week we'll be getting out!

Anyways, that's the biggest update that I have this week. The only P-day activities of today were cleaning the house and going out to KFC- because they built the second KFC ever in Paraguay right near us. Also, in cleaning the house, Elder Aldaraca decided to clean up the back yard (which is all concreted over). He got all the weeks and branches and things that there were and piled them together and got my help as we- parental discretion advised -proceeded to attempt to burn the entire pile. It was an incredibly foolish idea, but we were succeeding until it just took too long and we had to put it out so we could go and eat. I still smell like some really nasty smoky fire. And that's after taking a second shower... I hope I don't have to teach anyone a really awkward lesson about the Word of Wisdom tonight. ;)

I thank all of you for all of your letters and support. You all keep me going and your prayers make miracles happen over here. Have a wonderful week, and let me know if there's anything you'd like to know. 

Love,

Elder Harris

God Will Provide

Buenas Tardes a todos,

This week has a special message for everyone. It is that God is aware of us, individually, as His children. I know what it's like to doubt yourself or doubt that things will go right, but I think that that's when we need to learn to be patient. Sometimes we have to wait to see if our decisions and actions were correct. Sometimes, when we do something we think to be right, we get answered by a trial or a test that just makes us feel like we've screwed things up with bad decisions. But I know that if we have faith and pray for those miracles, God will help us to see through the fog and know that after the trial, after He has given us what we need to overcome it, things will be better than if we hadn't been answered with that test. I have seen that a lot this week, and it's something that feels so edifying, even when we're trying to lift an impossible burden.

So, what was tough about this week?

Well, preparing the documents for this new year and totally new way to report numbers and other such things has proven to be an immense challenge. On top of that, two different houses have to have been closed by the first, but I wasn't able to get things fast enough, so we've been having kind of a housing crunch right over the top of things. This came right at New Year's and has made the proselyting work suffer quite a bit.

The work has been just nuts doing that, and we've come to find that we can get a lot done working together. To sum up what Elder Billings told me once to console me for a terrible week, "There are weeks when the office just kicks your butt," and that is what happened.

But! This is a message of hope! Because, and this is my testimony, when we put it into God's hands and just work assuming that nothing can stand in the way of His work and His glory, miracles happen! We become so much more capable of so many amazing things! But there's an added bonus! When we combine our efforts and work, striving to coordinate ourselves with other people who are also striving to live the Gospel, the miracles multiply and spread. I've seen coincidence fall onto coincidence like dominoes. 

I don't want to go into specifics just because the circumstances are difficult and I don't want to seem like I'm complaining, but things that I thought impossible get done in the space of an hour. I love this work and I love to see the hand of God leading us along in doing what's right. 

New Year's was nice. We spent it with a family in the Ward here and got to eat some really good Asado (this time it was big chunks of pig with bones and everything). I also cut up a bunch of  fruits and made what I believe to be my first fruit salad. NOTE: fruit salad here bears about the same resemblance to fruit salad in the states as actual mythical story of Hercules bears to the Disney cartoon. The stuff down here is suspended in liquid and incredibly messy.

Today was really cool, because after doing a bunch of office work, we went to do some service and helped a Recent Convert here in Campo Grande move out of here house. We loaded everything up into a truck and it felt absolutely great to see her happy face and the happy faces of her children. They are a wonderful little family and I hope that they do well in Luque. We'll miss them.

But, pictures are included!

That's pretty much all I have to say this week. I'm including a picture of the Christmas day singing in I.P.S., where we got to go all the way up to the roof and I got a picture next to the Asunción skyline. 

One tradition that I have never ceased to love is that of setting resolutions for the New Year. I think that even if the phrase or the piece of paper we scribbled petty words that try to catch the bulk of our thoughts and interest, a true resolution has so much value. People often look at goals and resolutions (including myself for almost my whole life) as something that'd be nice to achieve or something we want, but I've come to realize that it's not so. It comes from the deepest part of your heart. It's something that appears in spoken prayers and burns in the living prayers we make in our actions and thoughts throughout our days. It is that deep desire that powers us to act above all else. And so, setting a resolution ceases to be writing a goal and trying to remember to keep it. It becomes, rather than something we try to remember, something we have a hard time forgetting.

Therefore, may we set resolutions not by looking ahead at what we want in the future, but evaluating ourselves deep down in our hearts, finding those purest desires for perfection, good, and Godliness, and trying to tie them down with our words. I know that if we master this art of acknowledging, taming, and channeling those deepest desires, we will fulfill our potential and the hopes hold to will not be hollow.

My resolution this year: I want to take the last third of this mission that God has granted me to perfect the art of losing myself and learning to be humble and uplift other people so much more. And I want this year to be the one in which I take those skills home and rather than trying to make myself great, work so hard every minute of every day to help those around me reach their own greatness. 

That is what I pray for.

Love,

Elder Harris