well... thanks ya'll‏

25 August 2014

Thank you for all the birthday wishes... I'm glad you remembered... or that Facebook reminded you. ;) Facebook... what is that?! Anyway... it was a great day!

We started the day having a great stake conference that was a broadcast from Salt Lake... Lago Salado... :) It was amazing! It was Elder Bednar and 2 from the 70 and one of the counselors in the Primary. Elder Bednar talked about repentance and how it is not just stopping to do it but fully accepting Jesus Christ as a medicine to heal us. It was an amazing talk and I'm excited to use the things we learned! We had some menos activos there and also 2 investigators, including Eli who is amazing and is getting baptized the 6th of September! We taught her 2 times and she full accepted it all and by the second time told us she knows it is true. Her and her boyfriend (member) read the Book of Mormon every night together over the phone! They are really great and progressing a lot!

Then after church, we had an amazing lunch. We studied and then went to another lesson where they fed us and then another lesson where they fed us again... The last one was Jakara which is Guarani for crocodile... or how ever you spell that... But it was really good because the brother is a really good cook! I can now say I ate it... :)

The people here are great! We are seeing progress in the ward and in the area and miracles every day! I love the Lord and the mercy of Him and that He chose me to be here now to do His work! I will serve Him humbly and diligently!

Love you all!

ME!

18 August 2014

18 August 2014

My companion just asked me what happened this week and I said well nothing.,.. so this letter may be short...
Just kidding lots happened.... We are just having a hard time remembering... I will tell you a few stories though...
One is that on Monday night we had made an appointment with a lady who has a family who are all members but she isn't. So we passed by to see her and like most of the appointments we set... she was busy and didn't even come talk to us. But her sister did. Her name is Adriana and she is like 23 and super cute and full of life...  And she is a member but very inactive... so I asked her why she didn't go any more and she said (in her paraguayen-argentine accent) "I'm angry with life!" Me, being a prying nosy missionary, asked her why and after a joke she got serious and said "my husband died 10 months ago." So, I asked if we could share something with her. She said yes and we passed in and sat down. She started telling us everything. Monday was the 10 month anniversary of his death. He was a young 32 year old who was healthy and they don't know why he died. They have a 3 year old son and they were a very happy united family. But when he died, her whole world got turned around as you can imagine. I think the saddest part is that as a member of the church, she knows families can be eternal... but he wasn't a member and they never were married. 
We just listened. We listened to all of it. How after he died she wanted to die too. How her son always asks where his dad is and when told he is in the heavens, he says he wants to go there too and cries when she says he can't. How she felt and still feels very very alone and that there is no one to talk to or listen. We just listened and cried and tried telling her that God loves her SO much and that there is hope! But in the end, we mostly just listened and then left the lesson with the determination to live and love every min of the life God gives us!
We also got told by an investigator that he wants to go to the Celestial kingdom because he wants to serve the Lord for all of eternity. The same investigator came with his two daughters (7 and 6 years old) to church. Him and his daughters all brought there Book of Mormon and Bible with them to church and sat so reverently and listened. They are such a great example to me! I love them and watching them grow!
So basically life is all great here! I hope you all will love life and enjoy the times you have to serve the Lord and to progress! Life is great!
Love and miss you all!
ME!

Me and my companion.

Rockin' the family reunion shirt while bowling! Thanks Beth!!!

... great things are happening

11 August 2014

Well... One, we got to go back to Juan de Salazar last Monday and that was really great! I love seeing them! They are so great!
Some miracles this week was that the attendance in church was 90!!! We were SO happy! Now we just pray we can keep it! I was so happy to see a lot of menos activos there that haven't come in a very long time. One was a YSA who has been going through some really hard things and he started reading the Book of Mormon again this week and just decided to go to church. We meet with him after and he is doing really good and realizing what is the most important thing that he needs to do. It was a miracle.
On Saturday we did a fast for our investigator and menos activo couple who need to get married before he can get baptized. She didn't really want to get married. Like 4 hours after we started our fast we went to their house and asked her about it. She smiled and said I've been thinking about that... and I'm going to have to talk to him! For us it was a VERY big deal and HUGE jump! So we continue praying they will be ready by the 23rd. We know they will be!
I love you all! I love this work. I think I said at least 10 times this week that we don't do anything! Really the Lord and His Spirit do everything... we just walk around and count the numbers. He is perfect! This is His work! and He is doing it... through our Very imperfect hands... and He is making me into His servant. A servant better than last year.... than yesterday! It is an AMAZING process! It is a miracle!
Love, Hna Lutz

Carmen :)

Our beautiful fake sky!

Hello my family!‏

4 August 2014

I don't know if I say this enough.. but I Love you guys! I was SO excited to see pictures of Karrie and Julie! OH! AHHH!

I'm really great! I got to meet Hna. Wiscombe... She is from North Carolina and she is AMAZING! I love her so much! And I know we will have some great times together. Last night we saw Mameri and Elda and Mameri was saying that we are more valiente and strong then him even though we are just girls... but that we are doing something that he couldn't do... They thank us often for the change we have brought into their lives. And I thank the Lord more often that He allowed us to be a part of it!

We saw them grow this week. She introduced us to a friend and we were to meet her with Elda. She was testifying about how much the Lord and the gospel has helped her in her live and family! It was such a powerful lesson thanks to her testimony... And we also got to see him bless the sacrament ... It was perfect! He did it perfectly! I'm So grateful the Lord sent us to them at this time!

We saw a ton of miracles this week. Someone swamped by debt completely changed the whole spirit in her house because she decided to be positive and rely on the Lord. A marriage saved because they remember the "why" it was worth fighting for and not just throwing in the towel... (dad) and many blessings that help me see His hand pushing me forward telling me I can do hard things!

I Love the Lord! I love Paraguay! I love Molino! I'm really excited because right now we are going to go to Juan de Salazar to see the Flor family and Carmen!!!! :)

Love you All SO much!

XOXO

ME!

the Lord is VERY merciful!‏

28 July 2014

Well it's change week... drum roll...I am staying in Molino like I thought... and I'm going to train again! I'm actually really excited! The Lord is very perfect with His missionaries and all of us and who He puts us with, so I'm not worried... :) My companion is the new sister trainer leader, which means she is the leader of all the sisters and she has to do a lot of division with all of us... she is scared out of her mind.. I'm excited for her! She will be GREAT!
Mameri and Elda are doing GREAT!!! He received the priesthood yesterday! They are both really happy! And we are really happy! :D like that! We also are finding a lot of really great people! One is a 19 year old single mom who's family is members but she doesn't live with them. She is great! ALSO Carmen from Juan de Salazar got married and baptized this weekend! I don't know if you remember her but she is GREAT and I'm SO happy for her! I can't wait to go next week to see her!
So basically we are all great here! Excited for our new adventures! The mission is GREAT! I meet people here everyday that go through so many problems. I have gone through a lot. But no matter what it is... God loves us! He just wants us to learn and grow and become like Him and Jesus Christ. And so... even though He loves us dearly and it breaks His heart to see us suffer and cry... He lets it happen... so that we can learn. So we can be better. So we can experience and learn to apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ to EVERY situation so we can be forgiven, clean, healed, protected, and so one day... we can return to Him, and He can open His arms wide and He can say "well done my child. Welcome to my rest! I love you!" Read Hebrews 4:14-16... I love it! I testify that They live! They are close by us and VERY ready to help us! I love Them! And for that I'm here!

I love you all!

ME!

The family that got baptized and 3 of her sisters and the family of her sister... they are members.

Their sons... Danilo and Nando

us two... oh how long has it been since I've looked like that...

THEM! EHH! SO CUTE!

in White!

After the VERY long night.

Bowling for p-day... don't mind if I do...

...‏

21 July 2014

Well, i have less then no time but I want you all to know that Mameri and Elda did get married and baptized! We are very happy! I will send you pictures next week! Love you All!
ME!

We have been tooting the horn of rightousness and ringing the gong of unity all week!‏

14 July 2014

They say that you can't open the pictures... sorry... I'm working with little time and bad internet... so we will try again... what will be important will be the pictures I will send next week cause......

WE HAVE A WEDDING and 2 BAPTISMS!!!!!

AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just have to say that Heavenly Father Loves His missionaries! It is amazing. It has been a very long time since I saw someone I worked with enter the waters of baptism and the wedding has been a dream my whole mission and I'm .. WE ARe VERY happy!!! We are SO happy!

They are amazing! They are Mameri and Elda and they are the Chamacoco family and they are AMAZING! they have 2 sons, Nando and Danilo who are adorable! and they are SO happy and ready and I'm so happy! We had a lesson with them last night and we watched the Mormon message "Better things will come" by Elder Holland which is one of my favorites... :) They both cried and testified of all the blessings that they have seen in their lives and they told us stories and they are amazing! Elda with tears in her eyes said that she was happy with all the missionaries who have passed through their house but that she was VERY happy because with us she was going to get baptized and married! And we too are VERY happy!!! :) I don't know if you can tell... We are seeing a TON of miracles with the members offering money and food and help so that it can be perfect! I'm so grateful the Lord trusts us with His work and I pray every day I can live up to His expectations! Love you all! Have a great week!!!

LOVE YOU!!! ME!

The baby's name is Allison Victoria. :)

Photographic evidence!!!!! It was a good baptism. Even though it started almost an hour late because the Ratoncitos had the keys and Hermana Terrazas exploded the kitchen with what was going to be the postre (some kind of purple gooey something from peru haha). He was so happy. :) And he's in it 100%

more!