I Am So Grateful for Every Day

This week we found a lot of great people, as always. Jorge and Sara are a young couple who live close to our house. They have been reading the Book of Mormon a lot and have a lot of interest, but they also have a lot of other family and friend activities going on, so they aren't always at home when they say they will be, and they couldn't come to church. Next week! We found Catalino, who also didn't attend church because he went to the doctor for his mouth infection (might be cancer). He used to smoke and drink a lot, and now he just smokes a little. He felt bad for not coming to church, and got all dressed up to visit the Caballero family with us, who helped us teach him about the Word of Wisdom and repentance. He is a humble, little man who is definitely going to keep progressing.

We also had a very spiritual lesson with Jimmy (a recent convert) and his siblings, who are about our age. We watched Finding Faith in Christ, and the Spirit was incredibly strong, especially with Jimmy's testimony. Members are so great! And every lesson is strengthening my faith that people can commit to change their lives. The Plan of Salvation is perfect! These are some of the many people I would like to baptize before I leave Ca´aguazú, and if this is my last transfer here, we are going to need a lot of miracles in these coming weeks. 

The next transfer is Sept. 26, and Elder Johnson will be going home. It is not common for the trainer and the new missionary to stay together, so I am pretty sure Elder Jessop or I will be leaving. It has been great to work with him. He learns so fast, and he will be a great leader soon. 

To answer your question about obedience, this morning we (4 of us--the Zone Leaders came too) went to the visit the missionaries who are having some obedience issues. They aren't doing anything that would be bad if they weren't missionaries, but we talked about why they need to change if they want to stay in the mission. When we got there...they were still sleeping. And by the end of our studies with them, they were pretty upset. I worry about them. It's really only one of them that is creating problems, and his young companion just follows him. They have told me many times they need to change, and I hope this is finally the moment.

The weather has gone from freezing to very hot to very rainy again all in a few days. Haha, Che ra´a (in the subject lineof last email) is a just a Guaraní way to say "amigo." Send my greetings to Ryan. I would love to see how the mission went for him. I am also stoked for Daniel to enter into the real mission field. I know this is going to be a great experience for him, and it will help him grow so much.

I am also grateful for your testimony. Yesterday in Elders Quorum we talked about teaching our children to read the scriptures. I always assumed you studied the scriptures, but it isn't something I remember talking about much--what you studied or your personal testimony. I am grateful we always had Family Home Evening and prayer and scripture studies together--helped me develop good habits. I only remember a few times hearing you share your testimony, but you were a constant example of living righteously as someone who truly believes in Christ.

 I hope all is well among the family and the ward. I love you and pray for you often. Be strong, whatever happens, because God is always with us.

-Elder Morgan the Older