Monday, November 10, 2014

The Menus Activos

Hola Familia!

This week has been super good! I totally forgot to tell you about my branch last time and about fast Sunday so I’m gonna talk about that then just some highlights from my week!

Last Sunday was my first fast Sunday in Paraguay! In the mission we fast for a whole 24 hours and it’s pretty killer but the president told us we can drink water because its so hot we might legit die if we don’t -haha. But my favorite part of the day was the testimony meeting by far.  I am already starting to love these members of the rama (branch) here. It’s not super big like in Utah so it feels so much more like a super close-knit family.  After having a hard day contacting in our area I love to come to a rama activity because I feel so at home.  Their testimonies totally took me by surprise. Like most of these people have only been members for a year or maybe a little longer but their testimonies are rock solid! Ah, they are all such an example to me.  One of the coolest parts was this rad old dude that’s way funny went up and spoke pure Guaraní in his testimony and I didn’t understand one bit but I could feel the spirit so strong during it! I thought it was so cool just because even though I couldn’t understand what he was saying I knew what he was saying was true. But I love my rama so much! All the little kids and the youth love to mess with me because I can’t speak Spanish -haha we have so much fun.

Wednesday, in the morning I had my first zone conference with the AP´s and the president, It was super cool and I definitely learned a lot! I also got a better perspective on how much I still need to learn.  I have been really hard on myself lately because I want to be the best that I can be and I want to know everything that I need to know to teach as soon as possible. I’ve learned no matter how hard I study every day and night it’s going to take a really long time to get all this stuff down. It’s a really long process and not something I can just pick up fast. Even though this kinda sucks because it means I’m going to be playing charades with my Spanish every time I talk for a little while -haha. But I know that I will get there and I am gonna get all this stuff down perfect with time.

Thursday, I had an experience today that really kind of shocked me. In the mission I have always seen the scripture D&C 84:85 where it says that what we need to say to these people while we preach the gospel will be given to us in the very moment we need it. This night we were teaching these 2 teenagers and 1 adult who are all menos activos (Less Active members) for a couple years and when we teach, my comp. Always decides what to teach but he got completely stumped and looked at me for help. Without realizing I just started talking about faith. I seriously had no idea what I was going to say, I was just as stumped as my comp was, but as I opened my mouth, thoughts and ideas were just coming to me and some how they actually understood me in my terrible Spanish. It just came to me naturally and this lesson was probably thee most powerful lesson I have ever taught. I know these things were inspired because that was for sure not the Nate Nyberg I know teaching. That was someone else. Having the spirit and authority with us this strong while we teach is straight up one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.

Friday- today was my first division with the zone leader who is right next to my area named Elder Smith. He is way rad. We had a lot of lessons with people throughout the day and were super busy so that’s good! I was almost shocked at the fact that not one person ignored us or yelled at us today -haha I guess I’m just used to my area in Itauguá. Today most of our lessons were taught in these houses that are legit made out of wood and metal scraps put together. It amazes me that people actually live like this. I had a super cool moment today in the middle of a lesson. We were teaching this family that are all menos activos and it was pouring rain so all 8 of us are huddled in their little tiny make-shift house made out of trash. I had just barley got done saying something and Elder Smith started going off teaching more and I just kind of zoned out for a bit and thought how cool that exact moment in time was.  Here I am some 18 year old kid in a crazy foreign country, where they don’t speak my language, chillin on this makeshift chair inside a hut made out of trash that these people call a house, in the pouring rain with 8 people huddled inside, looking down at the chickens running around my feet and the dirt they have as a floor, teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just thinking of this moment made me so happy. I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else in the world right now except here. I am loving life so much! These members down here in Paraguay are some of the happiest people you could ever meet and they have legit nothing! Except the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If these people can be this happy everyday while the only thing they have in this life is the gospel, what more do we need?

I love and miss all of you!
I hope you all have the best week!

Love,
Elder Midsize (Nyberg)

                                                              Everyday life in Paraguay 

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