June 8, 2015

June 8, 2015

So this week we had stake conference!  And of course the bus broke down getting home and of course it was night time and we were not in our area, but I loved it!!  Paraguay is just an adventure without fail.  I am glad, because I think if I didnt have adventures, Id get bored.

But the speaker was one of the setenta.  Elder Svec I think.  De Chile.  And for all you chilean RMs.  The chilean accent . . .  its one of my faves.  Its like they dont quite end their words, and its half lispy.  And the wife put ito with all of her words.  I loved it.  I am really exited to hear different accents when I come home.  Its like the same language, but different.  As for me, I have an acent American, but I say my Rs like in Peru because my Peruvian comp was the only one that got on me about my accent.  Which is funny because now Hna Guevara de Guatamala loves teasing me.  Also she loves speaking english, and is really good at it.  We started doing an hour of practicas in english for our language study, which is super cool, also really hard for me because teaching the gospel in English . . .  is really hard.  Also praying.  I was praying the other day and hna Guevara just started laughing.  I asked her why after and she said that like every other word was spanish.

The conference was really interesting for me this week because it was the first time that I went to a conference, heard a talk from the 70, and I wasnt Liza from SLC who had a family ceilied to her and everything the color of rosas.  I was sitting by a menos activo who has a life so so so hard, and during the sustainings she said, I dont know who any of these people are, so I cant say that I am agreed.  And she was a member for like a year 25 years ago, and knows very little about the gospel, and works 6 days a week, and sleeps about 3 hours a night, and her final notice just came for her electrity, but she has to pay for the food of the family, so she doesnt know what to do.  And the wife of the 70 was talking about the little cute mounds of perfectly ironed clothers that we can make for our kids so the sabbath day is more happy, and I just felt pessemistic.  How was this going to help her, what must she be thinking.  She doesnt even own a skirt I think, we are just not at this level. And then I felt the spirit nudging me, telling me that its not like that.  That the gospel helps everyone.  That the spirit is the thing most important.  That to feel the spirit, to renew their covenants, THAT is why these people came to this meeting.  The peace, the joy, that is why we have this gospel.  Because our porpose in this world is to be happy, and we CANNOT do that unless we have the atonement.  There are too many challenges to be happy without it.  But when we do have it, that is when we are happy.  Because the joy of the gospèl is soooo joyous!

Anyway, I love you all!

Hna Jarman