April 11, 2016

Well another week has come and gone.. i swear time just keeps passing and there is nothing to do about it. (how sad i am to say that... i thought i never would.) but lets see.... this week has been nuts. Being in ciudad del este im sure i told you that we had to travel 6 hours to encarnacion and back... and then by the time that we returned i was WIPED OUT.

and then wednesday thursday friday saturday and sunday FLEWWWWWWW. BUT GUESS WHAT?!?!?!? WE FOUND ARMANDO!

ok... so while in consejo in encarnacion there were emergency transfers of some of the elders and there was this one who was in an area in the south part of paraguay in pilar which is WAAYYY out in the boonies. anyways this elder had been transfered and was super sad because he couldnt teach this family... la familia santa cruz. the mama was going to be baptized and the rest of the family was preparing as well. BUTTTT the oldest son was going to move to ciudad del este for school. so he passed along the reference!

this week we were able to meet him and now he is progressing towards baptism coming to church reading the book of mormon and alll he is super cool. ahhhhhhhh there is soo much work here to be done.

But i cant even think straight i swear every week i write and then i get home and remember everything that i wanted to tell you guys. Its like fast and testimony meeting you go up there with a plan and then it all just falls out of your head.

but this week i have been studying a lot about disciples of christ. who are they and what do they do... As missionaries WE ARE DISCIPLES that is it. this week i read a lot from the susan fulcher case study about a sister missionary that really changed the defintion of missionary work. but i think that even those that arent out here in the mission field can learn from her. She talks about love and that if we want to feel gods love we must give it. As missionaries and as members of the church we are the ultimate disciples because we have the fullness of the gospel. we are here to light the way... to LOVE!!!! that is the key

this week im super excited to apply this in my missionary work. to not just sit in a lesson and share my testimony of the restoration but serve people.. for that is why i am here... called to SERVE. not just called to teach. or called to clap doors.. me and hermana newell this week are going to try to be servants of the lord. better disciples of jesus christ. and i challenge you to do the same.

mama mel sent a little exert of president uchtdorfs talk about obedience and it really doesnt talk about this but i think that the holy ghost was working a little bit of magic. and i learned that obedience is for us to learn how to be disciples of jesus christ and how we can learn how to be obedient as we strive to keep the commandments.. its more than just doing it going through the motions but actually learning from the things that we do and doing them with full heart. for we are to serve god with all our heart might mind and strength... not just go through the motions.. I hope you have the best week ever. sometimes we just need to remember why we have commandments... they are to teach us to become like our savior.

I love you guys. have a great week

keep the faith

xoxoxoxo hermana pitts 

Herman's going to Brazil- 3rd Country on their mission!

April 4, 2016 GENERAL CONFERENCE

so this week.. its been super nuts... but those are the joys of the mission. 

FIRST OF ALL HAPPY GENERAL CONFERENCE. They arent joking when they say that christmas comes twice a year for the missionaries. if you ever walked into a room of all missionaries watching general conference you would know what concentration is. i was DYING. soo before the mission ya know general conference is amazing and you love it... but there is an even greater spirit that comes to be here in paraguay and to be able to invite people to hear the prophets voice. 

but it was a great week.. first things first we had our zone conference wednesday... and i am soo happy. after hours of planning and trying to work and agree with the ZL.... (typical) ahhahahh WE DID IT. and President told us how great he thought it was. so we have this new thing taht the mission is doing and that is that the ZL and the hermana liders are planning all the meetings... sooo its quite a big job but we did good acording to pres..... super bueno. 

anyways. we were able to finish that and then just have enough time to prepare for julio and carlos` baptism!!!!! wooooooohoooo. sooo get this. we get done with the conference... and it being in our capilla we had to clean and make sure everything was ready for the baptism... but we forgot one thing... quite typical. THE FONT. the font takes about 3 hours to fill and we had about 3 hours until the baptism... LETS JUST SAY THE STRESS LEVEL WAS HIGH. hahhahah but EVERYTHING WORKED OUT! and it was beautiful. we filled the font, got the clothes and everything ready... and they were baptized. the spirit was strong and It was sooo happy. 

Liliana the mom was baptized in december.. and she was able to share her testimony where she was super nervous.. but she did AMAZING! i was soo proud of her and sooo grateful for her testimony of the truth of the church. she is soo strong. 

what else hahaha soooo friday was divisions with the hermanas in their area because 1 hermana is having problems with her ankle and 10 miles a day isnt soo great for that.. hahahah then saturday and sunday were a lot of cookies a lot of smiles and glorious words of the prophet. 

Now... im actually in encarnacion AGAIN. we travelled last night for bus and stood for 6 hours with out air conditioning... talk about building character! hahahah im kidding. its things like that that make you love paraguay the people the country,, the culture and i am soo greatful to be able to serve among them! 

but LETS TALK ABOUT CONFERENCE. I love going in with questions... seriously its amazing how many are answered... personal sincere specific questions can be answered over a world wide broadcast by men that i dont even know personally.. but that is what is amazing about the spirit. WE CAN LEARN, RECIEVE PERSONAL REVELATION! But i dont even know where to begin. maybe ill do a another entry and prepare with my notes with the amazing things that crossed my mind from the spirit. I know that i loved so many talks ones that sadly i dont remember the names... but elder holland, president uchtdorf, elder hales, president monson, elder nielsen... THEY WERE ALL AMAZING!!!! 

but i want you all to know that i know god answers prayers. i know that god has a prophet and that he is called to lead and guide us. i know that this church is true.. keep updated for nexts week sneak peak of what hermana pitts learned from general conference. i love you all have a great week... 

if you got time email me some of your fav moments... i love sharing them with people!!!! (which probs means you wont send them now... oops.)

keep the faith

xoxoxo hermana pitts 

March 28, 2016

well that doesnt work too much. but HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!! seriously its fall here and it feels like football season...but its not and its march..so i guess i have to accept that i probably wont see an american football game unless i watch the one of meet the mormons. hahahah but everything is crazy here in CIUDAD DEL ESTE. just a little trivia fact.... ciudad del este... city of the east has a bridge that goes to brazil... and we cant cross but super cool! hahahahh today for pday we headed to brazil...well not really just half way across the river and then we turned around hahaha but anyways...

JULIO AND CARLOS ARE GETTING BAPTIZED ON WEDNESDAY!!!! woooooooooooooooooo they are hilarious. they are crazy but im soo happy they are kids of a CR. and she is sooo happy she just keeps saying im not alone now! i am not alone. I love the gospel and how it can help families be united! she is super excited to be preparing for the temple and being able to be sealed as a family in less than a year! AHHHHHHH soooo happy soooo joyful.

And even better news its CONFERENCIA GENERAL!!!! ahhhhh the best.

but i dont have tons of time today. i will just mention this one crazy experience that we had on saturday.

soooooo saturday we had our district meeting because there were no buses this week due to the semana santa ( the crazy catholic traditions to do nothing but eat chipa) anyways.... we had to change the meeting to saturday and by the time we got back and called to confirm all of our citas... THEY ALLL FELL. we had nothing to do.. and nothing to do in CDE at night is trouble. it was about 5 and we decided to go over to the neighborhood where a lot of our investigators live. this neighborhood is AMAZING! but we are told we shouldnt be there at night because its a little dangerous... but we prayed and thought and felt that we should go anyways. WHICH ITS SUCH A MIRACLE THAT WE DID. so we headed over there hoping to find some of our investigators home but no one was... sooooo we starting thinking and i had this thought that we should pass by this reference that a member had given us that we had never been able to contact. AND SHE WAS HOME!!!

her name is rocio and we began to talk to her kinda feeling like she wasnt super interested.. she was super hesitant to let us in. it was semana santa and all her familia was there vistitando. but she let us in igual.

I AM TELLING YOU COOLEST LESSON EVER! she kept telling us that she wanted a church she wanted the true church. and that she knew that this was it! she has never heard any of the doctrine and had only been to church one time a few years ago. but she told us that she knew it was true. SHE KNEW THAT WHAT WE WERE SHARING HAPPENED. that JOSE WAS A PROPHET!!!! Holy cow the spirit was sooo strong and we invited her to be baptized and she accepted!

Its sooo amazing how heavenly father directs our paths. I know that we were supposed to find rocio that night and that there are people here that are ready to hear the gospel. there are people everywhere!

I know that this gospel is true. i know that this is his work! i love you all have a great week and keep the faith.

oh and pray for julio carlos and victor! they need the faitht his week preppin for the big waters of baptism hahahahahah

ROHAYHU!!!!!

Recent baptism
xoxoxo hermana pitts

 Easter

 Dengue Fever Face

Selena and Me in Encarnacion

March 21, 2016 BIRTHDAY!

Well while my parents were in " the happiest place on earth" i was doing the happiest thing on earth. PREDICANDO EL EVANGELIO. hahahha but no seriously there is nothing that makes me more happy than being able to share my testimony of jesus christ. 

I love this week. i love latinos... they are soooo freaking BOMB. seriously they are already prepping for easter... and we still have a week. here in paraguay they have some crazy traditions for the semana santa. 1. is they all make chipa.. its hilarious. we ask... soo what plans do you have for easter and their response make chipa. well alright then hahahahahah but i love them... they also are dejando from drinking and sleeping with people i mean i guess that is pretty cool.. way to stay within the commandments of the lord.  hhahah

but This week... holy cow. we had our consejo for the leaders of the mission and so i was in encarn... SO MUCH TRAVELING... i almost died. hahah 

BUT HOLY FREAK.. the second we got back i swear it was like a someone was trying to spray me with a firehose while i was trying to drink from it... #overwhelmed. we just found out that our converso reciente has kids that were never baptized!!! woooooohooo. a chirstmas miracle.. but anyways  we are beginning to teach them and they are scheduled to get baptized next week! PRAY FOR THEM!!! JULIO and CARLOS! 

Then.... we find out that VICTOR wants to be baptized!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO ahhhh i have to start from the beginning because yesterday was seriously the best birthday in the whole world... 

WE HAD 6 investigators in church!!!!! Talk about a birthday party.. we then ate lunch with the familia rolim. they are soo cool. hahahha and then we were able to go and teach victor. wow i love spiritual experiences and this was one. HE TOLD US HE WANTED TO BE BAPTIZED! ahhhh he is sooo cool. he is 21 and best friends with yeni gomez a girl that just got her mission call this week to brazil!! but anyways we are going to be working hard this week to get him baptized the next week! sooo much work to be done! but i know that heavenly father is going to help us. I am truly in such a happy busy state.. i love it. 

But then i finished off my birthday contacting my fav... and a noche de hogar with the mexican couple in our ward.. AND GUESS WHAT?!?!? you will never believe this while being in the middle of paragauy in the middle of south america i was sung happy birthday IN ENGLISH while eating muffins by a bunch of mexicans talk about a birthday to remember! hahahahahha but i thank you all for all the letters and birthday wishes i really appreciated and felt all of your love in this little city in the heart of south america. HERMANA PITTS ESTA MUY FELIZ. 

pray for all of them!!! THEY NEED PRAYERS!! THEY NEED THE FAITH! 

but This week probably due to the pascua. i have been thinking a lot about the resurrecion and the second coming... I AM SOOOOOO PUMPED. I cannot wait for chirst to come again and rule the earth in his glory... how glorious it is going to be. Seriously we have to start preparing! But dont everyone freak out. just think about how great its going to be. I am sooo greatful to be able to have this time in my life where i  have had to get to know him... he has had to carry me in algunos momentos here in the mission. he is my savior and i know that he loves every single one of us! i have spent hours on my knees praying and i know he answers them because he loves me. 

I know that there are people that need him in their lives and that is why i am here. to share that with him there is a better life. THEY CAN HAVE SOMEONE CARRY THEM WHEN THEY NEED IT! 

i love this gospel and i love this work. wow i love this work. 

have a great week.. #keepthefaith

xoxox hermana pitts 

SE FUE DENGUE MARCH 14, 2016

well ive offically gotten back... and it feels sooo good. hahahah every week i just think WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS WEEK? i swear they go by sooo fast. but Barrio 1 is doing super great. Last week the elders had a baptism and we are trying to get victor ready for the 27 of march... ahhhh i want this to happen for him so badly. its crazy how much you can love a person and want the best for them.... soooooooo many crazy funny stories this week.

one that kind of has to do with this unconditional love i have for the paraguayan people was when ok... so we have members from all over the world in this area. India, brazil, the states, paraguay, all over.. anywyas. so this week we met with one of the sisters in our ward because she is from south africa and doesnt speak ANY spanish. i am talking hola and that is about it... and she has been living in paraguay for about 20 years. anyways super  crazy but she is super lonely her husband just passed away and she is alone and doesnt speak the language here... #guarani but we started talking and visiting about her story and how we can help her not be so lonely (she recently was reactivated) when she just started bashing on my cute paraguayan people about how they dont get it.... AND I JUST REALIZED I LOVE THEM! seriously as much as i get frustrated that they just sit down and drink terrere all day I LOVE THEM!

Its crazy how much i have felt my heart grow on the mission.. my love for my savior, for my heavenly father, for my family, for my carpet, for a washing machine, for a dish washer (seriously dont take advantage of the last 2) hahaha no im kidding but i love that i have truly if i have learned anything here it is that i have learned how to love... granted i still got a long way to go. but i think that i have learned how important it is to show my love to those around me.

this week we have been working with a lot of our menos activos and activos to help them share the gospel with their friends and we have had some crazy success. we are now teaching and helping the daughter of a converso reciente to get baptized with her pareja. we are working with victor the best friend of a member.  we are working with complete references IT IS AMAZING!!!! SERIOUSLY SUCH A BLESSING!!!!!

but seriously i like you sare am not very good about writing about charlas that i have... or talking about spiritual experiences.. but I PROMISE THAT IS WHY I LOVE MY MISSION.. EVEN THE FUNNY THINGS I LEARN SOMETHING TO BUILD MY TESTIMONY.

but i will this week share one of the most spiritual lessons that i have had and it happened yesterday. so we have this converso reciente that got baptized in january. HE IS SUPER COOL. ENRIQUE. but he is 18 and he wants more than anything to serve a mission. so we were planning on talking about the obra misional which is one of the charlas that you have to give... anyways. so we sat down with 2 Young adults taht are preparing to leave on their missions and we just had a testimony meeting about why we want to go on a mission. HOLY COW!!!! it made me think why i came.... I came to prepare myself for my life after... for this crazy world... i came to learn how to depend on my padre celestial, I came to learn who i am... my divine nature.

I know that this work is real... heavenly father is in it... i know that he loves us and that we are here to prove that we can trust in him! i love you all have the best week ever...

keep the faith 

xoxoxo hermana pitts 

March 7, 2016

can you believe i made it all the way to march?? sometimes i cant.... hahahha but wow. 

well this week was really hard for me. i am sure you have all heard by now but i was hit by the dengue fever.... but i am all good and better now and am super excited and anxious to head out and start working. but this week was a lot of rest and a lot of patience.

I still have to take it slow but i am back in action. hahahah but i dont have much to tell you about investigators this week. other than VICTOR HAS A BAPTISMAL DATE!!!!! PRAY FOR HIM. victor is the best friend of this member that is getting ready to go on her mission and it seriously is the best thing ever.. because victor was never interested in the church up until she started working on her mission papers and now he has come to church for 3 weeks straight!!! but because of dengue we havent been able to meet with him much! but he is super cool.... im excited for him! 

Ummmmm this week I had a lot of time to think... a lot of time to freak out that i am already half way done with my mission and a lot of time to learn from heavenly father about his pùrpose for me as a missionary. here are some of the many lessons that i was able to learn while sitting inside without AC. hahahahha (i know that i wouldnt have been able to learn these without being inside this week)

1. i cant do everything on my own. as independent as i am and as i want to be.. sometimes you have to accept help. whether it be from a member.. or my comp... or from another missionary there are just things that i cannot do by myself things i am not capable of. Just like i cant make it to the celestial kingdom without the help of my savior and his atonement we all have to depend on other people and help each other in order to learn and grow. 

2. The lords will is sometimes not my will..... as much as i want to do things my way... sometimes it has to be done the lords way! i already knew this a little bit but not until this week did i realize that heavenly father needed me to learn a whole lot more and it wasnt going to come from teaching and working.

3. WE have to be AGENTS and not objects.. a few weeks ago elder bednar spoke to us... he talked a lot about we have to help our investigators be agents in their conversions.. actively seek out their answers and the lord. I have thought a lot about this this week... having read the stories of the sons of mosiah a lot this weke (i was missing a little bit of action) hahahhaah but as people we cant sit aroudn and think i want the lord to use me as his instrument... i want the lord to do this.. i want him to do that.... but we have to actively learn his will for ourselves and then ACT!!!!! we have to study the scriptures and pray and live the gospel and then act in according to what we think god needs us to do.... which is live the principles of the gosepl... and in that god can work the miracles!!!!!

But seriously even though its been a rough week... it was an opprotunity to learn!!!! i love this gospel... and i love the chance that i have to learn everyday on this mission i am soo grateful for all your prayers and for the angels that i have seen this week...

I love you guys and hope that you guys are doing well. I know that this work is the work of the lord and that he is in charge... he is doing it!!!! I know that he is at the head of the church and that this is the restored gospel... there is nothing in this world that can make us more happy than living the restored gospel.. that is how we are going to live the closest to our father in heaven and our savior. 

I love this mission even though its hard.. even though sometimes i think why am i putting myself through this.. i know that i am where i was supposed to be. 

have the best week

keep the faith. 

xoxoxo hermana pitts 

February 29, 2016 Dengue Fever

Wow. the heat is wild... hahahah this week has been such a crazy one. im sorry i dont have tons of time to tell you all about it.. but i love you guys! i hope you had the best week ever... 

I just wanted to tell you all how grateful i am for you. im so grateful for the people here in paraguay that care for us as our own! ive been so humbled this week by good people that have showed their testimonies of jesus christ and have been willing to help out in every situation. this week we have been looking for a new house. and the miracles are just flowing!!! heavenly father is soo merciful! 

I love this gospel! i know that it is true. i am so grateful for my savior. this week we had a broadcast by elder bednar who spoke to all the missions in the region. when he bore his testimony of christ i have never felt the spirit stronger.. than when an apostle of the lord bore testimony that he lives.. that he is the son of the living god and that he knows us. that he is in charge of this chruch. i know that he lives! i know that he is guiding each one of ours lives. i am so humbled in my mission to be able to have his name written on my name tag right below my own name! i love him and i hope that i am making him proud! i love you all and i want you all to know how happy i am. i never been happier than serving him! 

remember to keep the faith!

have the best week

hermana pitts