Last Email Home! 10/6/12

Hey Everybody,

I guess for lunch I am honestly willing to eat anywhere, Maybe a burger and fries from Inn and Out would be nice. Ha. I don't know yet. Mom for dinner I would love chicken enchiladas if possible!

Tonight I am getting on a bus to go to Asuncion. I will get there at about 5 in the morning and then we are going to visit some converts and members that I grew close to. Since my plane leaves so early in the morning I got permission to go see them because they can't go to the airport. I am going to be doing that all day tomorrow (Tuesday) and then on Wednesday I am going to the temple with President and the Hermana, to have dinner with them, have my last interview, and then sleep to get on the plane Thursday morning.

It is a weird feeling going to the Cyber for the last time here in Paraguay, but here goes my last email. Honestly, I think it is hard to describe, and even harder to understand, what it feels like to be so close to the end of your mission. It is scary, exciting, sad, happy, tired, a mix of a ton of different emotions. I have learned a lot on my mission, and even though it was full of great happy events, I think I learned the most from the hard times. The mission is physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally taxing, and you really learn a lot about yourself and the Lord when you´re having a hard time. I will talk about it more in my homecoming talk I think, but if we let the Lord, he can shape us with difficulties and challenges in life.

I know that God loves us, and that this church is true. I didn't have the chance to watch all of conference on Saturday or Sunday, but with the little I did see and the chance I had to see the Prophet speak, I know that he is a prophet of God, and I know that we have the same organization that existed in Christ's church. I have grown to love the Book of Mormon, even though I don't have it memorized and still lack a lot of studying, I know it is true, and the spirit of God made me feel that it is true. I love you all so much and can't thank you enough for the support and letters and everything you have done for me. God bless.

6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

7 I have fought a good ^afight, I have ^bfinished my course, I have kept the faith:

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a ^acrown of ^brighteousness, which the Lord, the righteous ^cjudge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

2 Timothy 4

Love Elder Pearson

I will miss this amazing country! 10/2/12

Hey Everybody!!

Sorry for not being able to write yesterday. We had a leader training meeting and the bus ride I take is about 8 hours so I didn't have very much time. Things are great though, and my last week is here. It scares me, I won't lie, and it doesn't feel like it is really going to end, but I am excited to work super hard. Just like it says in Moroni 9:6

And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor ^adiligently; for if we should cease to ^blabor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.

The training meeting was really great and some great things were shared. The wife of Elder Di Giovanni of the Seventy shared about disanimation and how it can be hard sometimes as a missionary, but talked about what we can do to always feel better. She shared 2nd Nephi 4 and Nephi´s prayer. When we think of Nephi, we think AWESOME PROPHET. But in verse 17 it shows us that even he was a little disanimated. But as you keep reading the chapter, Nephi starts counting his blessings and remembering all the good that he has. It really is a great helper in life and it gives us the ability to conquer the hard times.

I love you all so much and, even though I am going to miss this amazing country and people, I am excited to see all of you. God bless.

Love,

Elder Pearson

Doing our best to help the people...9/24/12

Hey Everybody!!

Filadelfia is getting HOT!! We have been having some difficulties this week with the different tribes and some racism and people not wanting to go to church, but we had a long meeting with the leaders and I think everything is going to be worked out. We are planning an activity, and I think it will boost the animo a ton for the rama here. Honestly, we have just been doing our best to help the people here, and help them understand the covenants they made during baptism. As a tribe many people were baptized, but didn't know what that meant. They undestood that it was important to God, but we are working with a lot of different members menos activos in the tribe. They are such great people and are so nice, just lack a little bit of the knowledge of the gospel and doctrine. I will definately be taking lots of pictures. Love you guys a ton and can't wait to see you. God bless!!

JACOB 5:62-64

62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall ^aprune my vineyard.

63 Graft in the branches; begin at the ^alast that they may be first, and that the first may be ^blast, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.

64 Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh. And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.

ELDER PEARSON

9/17/12 Still working...

Hey Everybody,

I love this area! We are always given opportunities to serve the people, and you can really tell they need it. We have also been having some really cool teaching oportunities in our area. We are teaching a lady right now who is very smart and has lots of good questions. We left the Book of Mormon with her and she read it. Our next visit she asked us about the Urim and Thumim, which was a first timer for me. Ha. But, we explained it and she understood.

We are trying to find more people to teach, and keep working hard. We are going to be going back to the Abundancia for an activity this next week I think, so I will have lots more to write about next week.

I love you guys A TON!! I am always thanking my Heavely Father for your support and help. Pa´akum!!

Elder Pearson

Lots of Service This Week 9/10/12

Hey Everybody,

Another week bites the dust here in Paraguay. Things are good and we are working hard to find new investigators and get all the menos activos to come back to church. We are planning on doing an activity with the branch and want to give a lesson on the sacrament and the importance of taking it every Sunday. Hopefully, it will give the people the drive to come to church. We did lots of service again this week and were able to clean a lot of patios, cut grass with machetes, and prune some trees in the tribe Uh´ejlavos.

We started contacting and working in a new part of our area called barrio Primavera. It is a cool little part with Paraguayan and German people. As we were contacting we got a reference for a lady that supuestamente did witchcraft. We decided to go contact the reference and she turned out to be a really cool lady with LOTS! of good questions. Hopefully, she can progress. She is a very blunt person and thinks a ton, which is fun sometimes. We also contacted a German family that actually let us pass in to talk to them!! It was a miracle. Ha. But, they were super nice and Maria the daughter already knew the gospel of Jesus Christ, just didn't know she knew it. We talked about baptism, and she told us she doesn't understand how someone could be baptized by drops of water and that it would have to be how Jesus did it with lots of water, and that repentance means we ask forgiveness and never do it again. She knew her stuff. Hopefully, the family can progress. We weren't able to talk to the father, but they seem like very nice people.

Other than that not too much has been happening. We played soccer with some of the natives in Uh´ejlavos, and it was super fun. We were walking by and we saw a less active joven (youth) playing and he asked us if we wanted to play. Ha, they were pretty good and so is my latin comp, but it was still fun. Nothing better than a good partido (game)on a dirt field with sticks for goals! Good memories. I love you all and God bless.

Love
Elder Pearson

Started last change...9/3/12

I FEEL LIKE KOLIPOKI!!!!!


Hey Everybody!

This last week was a good week and I started officially my last change here in Paraguay. It is insane to think how fast it has gone and how fast it keeps going. I have a new companion who is going to be ¨killing¨ me here in Filedelfia. His name is Elder Ramos and he is from Argentina. Ha. He is a super funny guy and it is kinda ironic that I am going to end my mission on the only Latin comp I will have. It will be a good Spanish helper for before I go home. He has an awesome accent, and it always reminds me of the Italian accent back in New Jersey, but in Spanish.

This week we had the opportunity to do lots of service. We helped a family juntar leña (cut wood)again, but this time we got a lot!!! It was super fun and I really know how to work a machete after 2 years here in Paraguay. We are planning lots of cool things with the jovenes (youth) here in the area, to give them something better to do than go out on the weekends. The tribe here is so small and it is hard for them to find something better to do on the weekend than drink and party. We are also going to be doing an English class this Wednesday. I really think things are going to pick up and I will be leaving this beautiful country and people on a good note. That is about all for this week.

I am glad to hear that Justin didn't scream like a girl when he sprayed the bats. I wont lie, I probably would have. Ha. Sounds like all is well back home and that you guys are excited to go to the temple this week. There really is no better place on earth. It is kinda hard on the mission to not be able to go to the temple as much as we would like too. It's great to hear that you saw Viladi also. I hope he is well.

I love you all a ton, and am so grateful for all of you.

Elder Pearson

Excited to lose myself in these last couple weeks... 8/27/12

Hey Everybody,

It is crazy to think how fast time goes. This last week was a very memorable one for me. There was a lot of stuff that happened.

We had the baptisms of the people out in Abundancia, and it was such a great experience to be able to see them enter the waters and make this promise to God. We started our trek out to La Abundancia and got on a collectivo (bus) that took us to the ruta (path), and then began the walk to the tribe. We had some good time to set everything up. We bought some Jugo (juice) and cookies for a snack after the baptisms. We set everything up and got the little snacks, all the baptismal clothes, and registros (records) set up. Then we got everybody ready, and finally with lots of different little erands, we got everybody lined up for their baptisms. Then we had the interviews and I was able to do it, with Alvino, a returned missionary by my side. He translated everything into Nivacle. It was the first time I was ever translated into Nivacle and it was a cool experience. Then we talked to this man named Benjamin who got us some really cool things made out of Palo Santo, a really good smelling wood here in Paraguay. After the service, we got everything cleaned up and headed out for the ruta again. As we were waiting for our collectivo, we saw some people whose car had broke down and we helped them jump the car with a trucker's cables. It was fun and it always feels good to hook a brotha up. In church on Sunday I gave the Sunday School class on the life of Christ and talked a lot about service for others. There really is nothing better than kind service that we give. It makes you feel great.

That was my week pretty much. Mirta is still doing well and her son in law picked up the Book of Mormon one day and started reading. He really got interested in what it said and wants us to start visiting him, which is awesome! So, she said she is going to wait for him to be baptized so they can all do it at the same time! Awesome. It is such a cool experience to see the spirit working on her and her family.

I love you all so much, and I will see you guys before you and I know it. All I know is that it sometimes brings me to tears to think of the fact that I will have to leave this amazing country and these amazing people. I am so excited to see all of you, but I am even more excited to lose myself in these last couple weeks that I have. God bless

Love
ELder Pearson

Amazing Sunsets!

Last Zone Conference... 8/20/12

Tah Kunash (Nivaclé)

Sounds like all is well back home and that everyone is really busy. Things are good here in Paraguay and in our area. I never get tired of the amazing sunsets here in Paraguay, and this beautiful place here on earth that God made. I sent a picture of me and my companion in La Abundancia setting up baptisms for this Saturday. We were on our way out and we had to snap a picture of the great sunset.

Mirta is doing well. It was kind of a harder week because her baptism is not going to happen this week, but it will the next. She was really excited and ready for church this Sunday, but Satan really put his hand in this one, and her daughter was very ill. So Mirta had to go to the estancia (special home) where her daughter lives and care for her. It was a de repente (impromptu) trip that she had to make and she couldn't make it to church, but she is excited for next week, and for the blessings that await her. This next Saturday we set up some baptisms out in the Indian tribe in Abundancia, and the people are excited to have a baptismal service. There is a choir out there that sounds AMAZING!! Hopefully, they are going to be able to make it to the service as well.

This area is amazing and it is such a cool experience to be able to hear all the different languages, but it can be hard sometimes when people come to church who only speak Spanish, but the leaders speak another language during the meetings. It can really hurt the interest in the investigators and the desires they have to join. It is another barrier that is kind of holding us back a bit, but really nothing can stop someone from making this covenant with God.

Other than that nothing too crazy or interesting has happened. We don't have a huge investigator pool right now so that is something we are working on. We need more people to teach and we are going to contact a ton this next week to try and find some good quality news. Tomorrow is my last Zone Conference and I will give my last testimony to a couple zones. It is a little scary that it is already here, but I am excited to let others know about my opinion and thoughts of the mission. I love this church so much, and more than the church I love the gospel and the teachings that it holds. Nothing is better to base our lives on than the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the great blessings we receive from it. God has truly blessed us with the Book of Mormon and the teachings that it has. I love you guys so much and am so lucky to have a family who supports me and loves me in all that I do. God bless.

Love
Elder Pearson

Time is flying way too fast. 8/13/12

Hey Everybody!!!!!

Things here on the dusty streets of Filadelfia are great! We are working hard and this next week is a big preparation week for the baptisms that we are going to have. I was sick this past week, like the worst I have been my whole mission, so we didn't get to work as hard as we could have, but it was still a succesful week. I am feeling better though, so this next week we are ready to give it all we got. I won't lie, the time is flying way too fast and it feels like the weeks are going by faster and faster.

Honestly, nothing too big or eventful happened this week. We went to Abundancia again and we had the chance to talk to some more people who want to be baptized out there. So we need to go and teach them and prepare them for their baptisms. The only thing is a lot of them don't know Spanish. They speak Nivacle, so we will have to go with someone who can translate for us. I usually give the Sunday School class on Sundays and this last one went really well. The people here are very shy sometimes so I wanted to get them talking and active. We talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost and I did an activity with them. I drew a maze on the board and told them to close there eyes and try to complete the maze and get to the end. They couldn't do it, so I had someone come up and try while I told them softly where to go. Kinda corny, but they loved it and they all wanted to try. I compared it to the spirit. It was fun. Besides that we are preparing Mirta for her baptism and she is doing awesome. The Lord has really blessed us to have an investigator like her. She is really guapa, and just wants to follow the Savior.

Rohayhu Iterei

Elder Pearson

I love these people... 8/6/12 )

 Hey Everybody,
(Pictures Below)

It was great to hear that Elder Holland was in the ward you attended on Sunday. Nothing better than seeing an Apostle walk through the door at church. Ha. That is a way cool experience too Mom.

Things are going great here in Filadelfia. We are working hard and have had some good success here in this area. The Lord has really been blessing us here and I think we will see some great miracles. Mirta came to church and is doing well. She invited her vecina (neighbor) to come as well, which was awesome, and I think they both really enjoyed it.

This week we went to a place called La Abundancia ( I think you can look it up on google earth) and it was a cool trip. We take a bus for an hour, and then usually have to walk for another hour, and then we are there. It is a place that is all members of the church, with a HUGE chapel, and we go out there every once in awhile to set up the baptisms that need to be done. There is another little tribe that goes to church with them that live like 10 mintutes away that we walked to and checked out. It was cool, and I think lots of them want to be baptized. At least that's what we have heard, so we will have to check it out. It's just hard because they only speak Nivacle, which is a really hard language and we only know a couple of things, so Carlos from Abundancia goes out there to talk with the people and see if they have desires to keep going. With a ward family that always goes hunting for their food, we had rabbit and sweet potatoes that they found out there. He is always hunting for his family and the tribe, and said he is going to try and get us some ostrich to eat. Ha. AWESOME!!

A really hard part of this week was a funeral we had. It was the first one on my mission and they asked me to give the dedicatory prayer over the grave. It was the first time in my life I had done that and one of the few times I had been at a funeral. It was a 4-year-old son of some members. He was pushed into a little pond in the village, and didn't know how to swim, and was found floating after 10 minutes. Out here they don't know CPR and the closest hospital is a 20 minute walk so it was hard to do anything to save his life. But, we had the funeral and it went well. We read in Alma 40 verses 11 and 12 and they really show, at least in my opinion, the hope that we can have even though death will come. Even though we die, we go into Paradise and we can rest with our Heavenly Father.

Then we made some firewood for an hermana. The wood was SUPER HARD and the Ax was really dull, which gave us some big o blisters. Ha Ha. I love these people so much and know the Lord blessed me when he decided to send me to Paraguay.

I am so grateful for all the support that you guys give me, and especially the support and love I feel from my Savior. Love you Guys!!

Pearson
(It sounds like you guys had a scare with grandma going to the hospital, hopefully all goes well and she can leave back to the house.)

Things are great here in the Chaco! 7/30/12

Things are great here in the Chaco!!

We have been working hard, and have really been looking for some teaching opportunities through the members. The work in this area is a little bit slower just because everyone is either a member or has been contacted and taught before, or they are Mennonites and want nothing to do with us. So really, members are our only way. They are awesome though and have really helped us out a lot.

Some different things that happened this week.... We were walking down the street on a Saturday night and a drunk guy was walking around with a rifle. It kinda scared us a little bit, but everyone here hunts for their food. At least the Indians do, so everybody has guns, so it is pretty normal to see. It just gave us a little startle. Ha.

We have an investigator named Mirta and I would love for you guys to pray for her. She has the strongest desires to be baptized, but is not married to her husband. But, her husband is an alcoholic and when he is drunk he gets mad at her and hits her. She was hit so badly last week that she was not able to come to church becuase she needed to stay in bed to rest. Her husband ran away, and she might have the possibility to live on her own, which is what she wants. She has so much faith too, and told us she knows that God will bless her in her life. Even though she has problems and trials she knows God loves her and will get her through them. So if you could remember her in your prayers that would be awesome.

We had a good Sunday, and one of the best things about our ward out here is that everyone knows how to sing really well. All of the Nivacle Indians have really good voices and know how to do parts and everything. We sang 'God Be With You Til We Meet Again' for the last song and it sounded sooo good. The spirit was really strong, and then I gave the sunday school class. It went well and I got them all to participate a lot which is really important here. The people can be a little shy here and it is always good to get them excited about the classes.

Well, that is all I think. We are working really hard and we might have the chance to open up a little indian tribe out here called, Yalve Sanga, you can look that up on Google. It is by Abundancia. I will let you guys know more about that next week and I promise next week I will have some photos.

Love you guys a ton, and thanks for everything!!

Love
Elder Pearson

PS.. Our street is Calle Boqueron and calle 6 en Villa Amistad. Hopefully, that will help you look up something on Google Earth. Ha. It honestly reminds me of an old western cowboy movie out here, like cowboys and indians stuff. It is awesome!

Changed to CHACO 7/23/12

Hey Everybody!!

CHANGES!!!

SO, I got changed out of Yvera and I am now in a new place, which really seems like a new country. I am in the furthest away area in the mission and it is a pretty rural place. It is THE CHACO! It is a place called Filadelfia and is in the middle of nowhere. My new comps name is Elder Anderson and he is wayyy cool. We get along really well. I hope he kills me out here. We cover 2 Indian tribes, the Nivaclé Tribe, and the Guarani Tribe, and a whole other neighborhood with all German people. It is nuts when we do our shopping on p-days. It is all in German and everyone is speaking a different language here all the time. Ha Ha. It is kinda crazy. I have not taken any pictures, but I willl take some soon to send home. I am honestly so grateful to finish my mission out here in the chaco with such humble people. The Nivaclé are way nicer and more receptive, but the Germans really want nothing to do with us. It is a little taste of a mission in Europe. Ha. But, things are good, and luckily, a lot of people speak Spanish.

It is like my first area and we ride around on bikes everywhere because everything is farming out here. There are three main factories, the dairy factory, chancho, and horse feed factories. So basically, instead of water, we drink yogurt. It is awsome! Church was great and I am teaching a lot of the classes. The people know a lot, but are still not capacitated to teach the classes yet, but we are getting there. Things are great though and we are working really hard. The people here go to work out in a place called the Monte, and they work for weeks at a time, and then hunt and bring back the food here to Filidalfia. It is so cool, because a member is going to hunt us Ostrich to eat!! Awesome. The people are so amazing here and are so humble. I love them. There are noooo lights at night either so the stars and the moon are amazing!!! I really hit the jackpot for my last moments here in this amazing país de Paraguay! God bless you all. I love you so much. I can testify that the Lord knows us and only wants that we are happy. I am learning Nivaclé now so I am going to come home speaking a mix of way too many languages. Ha. Love you guys.

Elder Pearson

My theme for the last three months...plant as many seeds as I can. 7/16/12

Hey Everybody!

Another week has passed here in the beautiful country of Paraguay, where the mandioca (yucca) grows like grass, and the Guarani (native language) flows like the wind!! Ha. It's just an awesome place here ok.

It was a good week. It was the last week of this change, so we were stressing really hard to get people ready for next change, especially getting them to church. We have really been struggling with that lately here in this area and it is just hard to see people who want to know, just won't put in the effort to go to church and receive the witness there. But as missionaries the only thing we can do is invite the spirit to testify to the hearts of these humble people and pray with all our might that they will let it in. Then depending only on them, and their agency, they can be saved and receive that testimony of this Gospel. I have really been thinking a lot about these last couple months that I have left to spread this beautiful gospel throughout Paraguay and it makes me think of everyone we talk to everyday. I read a scripture in District Meeting in Romans 1:16. It really sets the tone for me of what I feel and how I want everyone else to feel about the Gospel. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why I try not to stutter before going up and talking to a very mean looking man, or a group of jovenes (youths) that will maybe make fun of me. Nope, it doesn't matter because I know it is true and I know they need it, so nothing should stop me. It is kinda my theme for these last 3 months I have and I really want to plant as many seeds as I can and feel accomplished at night when my head hits my pillow.

It is great to hear that Elder Bastian made it home safely and that his homecoming went well. It is pretty weird to think that he is already home and how fast things are moving. Changes are tonight and I will most likely be going somewhere else for my last 2 changes. We shall see what the Lord has in store. Love you guys!!!

Elder Pearson

Positivity and Patience Baby!!! 7/9/12

Happy Birthday to Jamie Pearson!! Hope it's a good one!!!

Congrats to Max. He is going to be such a GREAT MISSIONARY!!

Hey Everybody,

Mucha lluvia y un gran partido!! (A lot of rain and a big game!)

This week was good, a little difícil (difficult) with some rain and some soccer going on, but a good week. Cerro and Olimpia are the 2 rival teams here in Paraguay and they played a classic yesterday. It was pretty crazy outside. We were doing our weekly planning during all that, but it was pretty exciting for me being someone who loves sports. Everytime someone scored the streets went crazy and our apartment is on a really busy street so there was a lot of noise. It was kinda fun!

We found a really cool couple this past week. We were looking on our list of members, and searching for people we did not really know yet, and we came across someone who had served a mission. So we went and found out he had moved to another ward, but his friend had moved into the house. His name is Juan and his girlfriend is Yessica. They are super cool and both have so much desire to follow Christ! Yessica's Mom is a member who lives in the campaña (country). Yessica had always loved church, just never was taught by the missionaries. We had a really cool lesson with them both and we talked about being cleansed through Christ. I think they are really going to progress well.

We also started teaching Bernardino and his sister Mary. I told you guys about Bernardino last week, but Mary is AWESOME! We were both a little hesitant with her because she seemed to not like us very much, but she opened up right away and we gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon. She really has a strong relationship with God. They are both way cool.

My companion has been a little depressed and down and always seems to be kicking himself after lessons, saying he could have done better and things. It has been a challange to help him keep his confidence and really trust in himself, but we are making progress, and he really is a great missionary. It is hard sometimes on the mission because we always want to be the best we can, but we have to remember we can't be perfect, but we can try! Positivity and Patience baby!! (Dick Vitale voice) haha.

Love you all,
Elder Pearson

"I gotta aprovechar" 7/2/12

Hey Everybody,

Things are going well here in Yvera. We have been able to get some new investigators this week and the asistencia (attendance) of the ward has gone up, which has been our goal! It is nice to see some results finally from our efforts here in this area. The ward is not really excited about working with us, or at least they weren't, but now they are really starting to help and this next week we are going to plan the balitas (marbles) tounament. We will see how it goes.

This week we were trying our hardest to talk with every single person we saw and we ended up helping some people who got their car stuck in a hole. We helped and then we contacted them. One of them started talking to us in English and we asked him where he lives and if we could pass by. Eventually, we found his house and we were able to talk to him. We had a cool lesson in English and Spanish. Ha. He has really strong desires to understand everything and learn, we just need him to desire to know if it's true from God. He came to church and had a good experience. His name is Bernardino and he is 19. It is funny though because his parents don't really like us too much. When we go over to his house we talk to him in English so they don't understand, that is for the moment. We are hoping we can talk to them too in a little bit. We shall see what happpens with him.

Also, today I was able to go to a concelio (conference) for all the lideres (leaders) in the mission. It was really good and I was able to see all my buddies and play soccer with them which was way fun. Time is flying so I gotta aprovechar (take advantage of it).

Love you guys,

Elder Pearson

Pictures taken at Grandma's request so Chase can be computerized into the Ash family reunion picture...
No tie, no tag, green background.
Thanks Chase.

Marbles Tournament Hopefully Unites Members 6/25/12

Hey Everybody,

Sorry this is going to have to be a quick one because my computer was acting up here in the 'cyber' and now we don't have too much time. It sounds like things are going great back home.

Everything is good, a little bit of a tough week, but patience is really playing a role in the work here in Yvera. We are working hard to get to know a lot of the members and to visit lots and lots of less active members to try and get the ward going again. It was pretty dead when we got here, but I think it is going to be going strong by the time we leave. We really have some great ideas of how we can help give the ward a boost. We are thinking about doing a balitas (marbles) tournament. We really want the ward to be united here and they have not done an activity here in a long time. Everyone plays marbles so we figured it would be something fun for everyone to do.

This next week should be good. We are really going to push hard with our investigators. I was able to have a mini interview with the President while we were in the office for something. I just asked if we could talk. We talked about the work and then I asked him about some new areas he is opening up. He is thinking about opening a lot of new areas. I would love to open one up and maybe train for my last 2 changes here in the beautiful land of Paraguay! Sorry this is so short. I love you guys a ton and hope all is well.

Love

Elder Pearson

New comp...June 11, 2012

Hey Everyone!!!

Alrighty, so kinda some crazy changes again. First off, my kid (Elder Bailon) went to Saltos del Guaira which is on the border of Brazil. It is such a cool place, I am sure it will be a alot like Pedro Juan where I was when I started, so he was excited. I got changed as well, but not very far away, basically we did a switch with the Hermanas in my district, so we are doing another white wash! At first I was a little bummed, but I am excited, and glad President trusted me to do another white wash with my new comp. His name is Elder Bliss, and he is a cool guy. He is from Sandy, Utah, and is a hard worker. I think we will have some good success in this area with the help of the members. There are a lot of investigators that never were baptized, but have gone to church a ton, so we are excited to work with them.

Nothing too crazy happened this week, we are just trying to get our feet on the ground so we can start running. I don't know for sure and I don't want it to be, but this could be my last area. It would be cool though, because I get to see the members and converts from Laurelty on Sundays, so if I do die here it will be a fun despedida (farewell). We had a really cool lesson this week with an old investigator of the hermanas and she is way cool!!! She has had a really hard life and just wants to be happy and get out of the desert as she says. Justo, Nephi, and his family were in the desert too! She really liked that part and she commented on the Alma the Younger part and Alma's repentance process. She is a way cool lady. Her name is Ingrid and she is 6 months pregnant. Hopefully, we see some progress there. I love you all so much, and got to go cuz tengo chivivi!

Love
Elder Pearson


Happy Father's Day

First off Dad, I love you, and am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me you as a father. I think the greatest blessing, besides all the other ones that you have given me, is the blessing of your example. Knowing that you are a worthy Priesthood Holder who magnifies his calling, and loves his wife and family, is the best example to me. I will never forget the yearly blessings you would give us before each school year and how important they were for us. Also, I am so grateful for how hard you work, and the help you have given to me to be able to have nice things, go to school, and go cool places. Your testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has strengthened my testimony of the church, and even though I don't rely on your testimony, I used to, and it was the aid that I needed in order to gain one myself. Thank you so much dad for all the good times playing basketball, soccer, or anything, and still beating me even though you're an old fart! I will never forget those times, especially when Mom went out of town and we would have to cook for ourselves and we would usually make burritos or nachos with that enchilada sauce. Ha, I will be honest I wish I could go back to high school and relive it so I could spend more time with you and Mom and less with my friends. Even though that is something that a lot of missionaries say when they leave on their missions, I mean it and I really can't wait to be able to hang out again with you. I love you Dad, and I am so grateful for your guidance and aid when I need it. I know I can always go to two dads and receive aid. My Heavenly Father and you.

Love
Elder Pearson

Changes tonight... June 4, 2012

Dear Family and Friends!

Things are great, and it is finally starting to get really cold here, so I can use these few winter clothes I have packed away in my bags. Nothing too crazy has happened this past week. We have been working hard, and doing a lot of talking with different people, and it has helped us find some cool people. Tonight we have our changes and I will see if I stay or if I go! We will see what the Lord has in store for me.

Church on Sunday was really good, and even though it rained which meant less people, and no investigators, Lorena came, and she had the courage to get up there and bear her testimony. It was soooo cool to see her bear her testimony, but more to hear her bear it with the spirit as her guide. She basically told her conversion story and how she never thought she would be a member of the Mormon church, but that the spirit changed and softened her heart. It was really cool, and I am glad I have been able to be apart of her conversion to this gospel.

We also had the chance to take some cool pictures on top of our building where we live. It is pretty high up and when the sun sets it looks really cool. This week I gave my district meeting on "Talking with Everyone and Following the Spirit." In missionary work we are costantly walking around and we see so many people and every once in awhile the spirit will direct us to certain people. I shared a story in Acts 8: 25-38. It is a perfect example of what can happen if we follow the promptings that the spirit gives us in our lives, especailly while here on the mission, hoping that the Lord will put these people in front of you. I love this work and I love my Savior. I know he died for me, and I know he lives and that through him I can have eternal life. I am so grateful for the pains he went through for me personally and for all of us. He has saved me and will continue to save me, and I can never repay him for his help and aid. I love you guys! God bless you!

Love

Elder Pearson