Los Dos Lados

Haupei!


Hey yall!  I've had a great week!  I guess I'll get right into it.  I want to first list some successes I've had and things I've learned:


-Following the Spirit is the best (I'll share a story in a bit)


-17 Miracles is a great movie


-I'm learning how to teach (First, I just had to learn how to speak, now that's mostly out of the way and I can focus on how to help and teach)


-I learned new words I shouldn't really say in spanish


-I learned new words I shouldn't really say in english


-I successfully used the Spanish word for "gall blatter" in a conversation.  I felt proud of my vocabulary... until the next day where I realized I still don't know the word for "square"


-It's really hard to teach your friends when they aren't home


-I'm a good cook (I had to cook all my meals almost every day this week)


-Guarani (the native tongue of paraguay) is the weirdest language I've ever seen, but not too hard to learn.  Che añehekomboʼeʼimi.


And there you have it.  I learned a lot this week, but probably the coolest and most important thing I learned is that the quote from President Monson is true.  I can't remember the quote exactly, but it's either "Nothing feels better than following a prompting from the Spirit" or "Nothing feels worse than failing to follow a prompting from the Spirit."  Either way, I can testify of the truthfulness of that statement.  I had a really spiritual experience this week.


It started one of the first weeks I got to Paraguay.  We went to the house of a member family.  They are super nice.  They gave us soda and cake.  We were talking with them (Well, Elder Park was,  I wasn't good enough at spanish yet) and they were telling us about church and how it's always hard to go.  


I didn't understand very much, but I suddenly had one of the clearest promptings of my life.  I had this thought to read Mosiah 2:41 and share how God blesses us for every single effort we make to Him.  At first, I tried to dismiss it, but literally it wouldn't go away.  It was accompanied with the strongest feeling, so strong I actually thought I was going to burst open.  


I was debating sharing for a second, then realized I had absolutely no idea what the man was saying to us.  I decided that I would share my scripture... but after he finished talking...and after Elder Park answered, because I didn't understand...and after Elder Park shared a scripture... and after I tried to share a thought on Elder Park's scripture to avoid an awkward transition... and after the man thanked for our nice message... Wait!  I totally missed my chance!  We got up and left, leaving me with this burning desire to share this scripture, still completely filling my soul.  I felt kinda bad... but it was okay, they're an active family, I didn't have very good spanish and probably couldn't have shared much anyway, and I would certainly be able to share with them next time.


As we walked away, Elder Park told me, "Ahh, it's so sad.  They're such a nice family, and they're soo close to coming back, but they just won't do it."  Wait... what?  They were an inactive family!  In that moment I knew that I had the scripture that they needed to hear.  They were so close to receiving again the joy and peace found in going to church.  All they needed was to hear my message and remember the blessings of God... but I didn't even share it!  I felt terrible!


I've had a couple other promptings like this, and everytime I think back on this experience and share the thought, because I know it does NOT feel good to ignore such a direct prompting.  I started to pray that I would have the chance to share that scripture again, but everytime we tried to visit this family again, they weren't home or were too busy.  But finally, this week, I got my chance, and I'm very thankful for that second chance.  


We were able to teach a lesson to the father of the family.  I shared my verse and spiritual thought (with far better Spanish and clarity than I could have before).  Within a few minutes, the man bore his testimony with tears in his eyes, told us he knew God sent us with the message that he needed to hear, and said that he was going to go back to church this Sunday, and he'd be taking his whole family.


What a miracle!  I could barely believe it!  I was astounded at the contrast.  I'm not sure I've ever felt so great.  I saw the impact of following a prompting of the Lord, and it was beautiful.


Love y'all 
Élder Blacker


Pics:

Us feeling happy after an amazing lesson (I was on divisions)

I learned how to cook (we had to cook lunch and dinner almost everyday)

Cane's making me a little trunky 

My naughty comp wondering what was through a locked door

A few of my friends in the ward





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