Email October 31, 2011

Hello Mom,

Happy Halloween! Well we just got back from the office for Elder Shirk´s last interview. Pretty crazy. I should be getting a new comp this week and we will be in a trio for the week until Elder Shirk leaves. Pretty weird. Sorry I do not have much time today. We have to go out to Itaugua to get some stuff that Elder Shirk ordered a while back. So we are in a hurry.

Sounds like things are going really well at home. I miss some good homemade peach ice cream... But I will survive. You should go to the Tuesday early morning temple session Mom. It is a great session. I miss it a lot.

Well this week was a good one. It started really slow like most of my weeks have been here in Trinidad. But it started to pick up Thursday. Thursday we did an exchange. I was with Elder Clyde from Moab. We stayed in my area. He is going home this change. He is really funny and I had a good time with him. But anyway. We had been working with the branch to do a talent show for the branch night. So I was just hoping it wouldnt be a flop. It turned out really well. We were able to have 4 investigators there. The place was really full and a group of dancers came because some of the girls in the branch are a part of the group. It was really fun.

So I have been praying that Lord would trust me with some investigators. And this week I started to see my prayers answered. We had a cool experience with this guy named Daniel. We walk pass his house all the time, we have never contacted there. But early this week he called out to us. So we came over. I was kinda nervous. He is kinda intimidating, I dont really know how to describe him. But anyway, it turns out he is a member. So we set up a return appt and when we went back he wasnt there. So we went to our next appt and then we had to walk by his house to get to the appt after that. He was sitting outside, but we had somewhere to be so we just waved and kept walking. Then I see him at the talent show on thursday night. I go up and talk to him and he starts dropping me the cane for ignoring him... Hahaha I wasnt quite sure what to do, but I said sorry for the misunderstanding and told him we would come by the next day. He has 2 kids that are old enough to get baptized and they accepted the invitation. But anyway, when we were trying to get to know him, we asked him why he called out to us. And he just said he didnt know. But as we were leaving our 4th visit with him he stops us and says, I can answer that. I know why I called you guys over. I was looking for more peace. And I am finding it. It was a good experience for me. The Lord is answering my prayers as well as the people around me.

Life in Paraguay is good. We are so blessed to have the Gospel. I am glad that I am a missionary and I get to share it with others. Hope everything is going well at home. Enjoy your Halloween!

Love, Elder Naegle

This picture shows that his package arrived safely!! Happy Halloween!!

Email October 24, 2011

Hello Mom,

Well the good news of the day is that I got my package, I came straight here to email, so I haven´t had a chance to open it yet... But I am super happy. That is cool that you ran into Josh Moore. And changes are happening a week early because President Madariaga is going to Argentina for a training or something. So I will be in a trio while Shirk waits to leave. So I have 2 more weeks with him. And I am sending a letter with him is all. The other Trinidad elders are trying to send him with a bunch of crap, and I dont want to burden him with it. I will just send his address and Nate can go pick it up or Shirk can mail it when he gets home. Or you can go meet him if you want. Either way. Just let me know next week. Sorry I dont send more pictures. It is a rule that we can only ever have our cameras with us on P-Day, and so that limits what I can take pictures of.

But anyway. News for the week. Tuesday we had an awesome lesson with an old lady named Leyanora and her granddaughter. The Spirit was so strong as we shared the message of the Restoration. Then her drunk son showed up.... Se fue el Espíritu. But it was a good lesson.

Thursday we did a division with Trinidad B. So I was with Elder Barker. It was nice to be the senior comp for once. Not much happened while we were on the division. But we finished at the church with 4 baptisms for them. After the baptism we were singing Teach me to walk in the light. Or at least I think that is what it is called in English? I cant remember. Anyway, the Spirit was burning in my chest so strong. It was a great experience for me.

Friday we found a family that was baptized in 92 and active up until 5 years ago, so we are trying to reactivate them. They almost went through the temple, but her husband didnt pass the temple recommend interview. They broke up 15 days later... And they had relationships with other people. But they got back together. So we will work with them a little bit in the next few weeks. It is really hard in this area, because you could visit only inactive members, and all of your time would be taken up. But we try to mix in a good balance.

Sunday we only had one investigator in church. But it made me so so happy. He is the son of a inactive member. He is 9 years old and he loves soccer. He has big soccer tournaments every sunday because that is when they dont have school. But this week we asked him what was most important to him, and he said baptism. So what do you need to do? Go to church. And he did. It was really awesome. His mom was trying to get him to go to his tournament, so he is really solid. In Paraguay we say guapo.

So anyway. Sorry that this letter is pretty boring. But know that I am sweating a lot and working hard here in Trinidad in Asuncion in Paraguay. It is really hot and it is tough at times, but I wouldnt trade it for anything because this is where I am supposed to be. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that he atoned for my sins. I know that this is His true Church on the earth today and that Joseph Smith restored it. I know these things because I know the Book of Mormon is true. I love being a missionary and sharing these things that I know with others.

Love, Elder Naegle

Email October 17, 2011

Hello Mom,

Well the food in my stomach this week is sitting a little bit better as I am writing. Lets just say that it is nice when your zone leaders are in the area with TGI Fridays in it.... Haha so I am feeling super good right now. And I got your letter on tuesday when I was in the office, but havent gotten the package yet, hoping to get it this week. Got some dearelders too. Those come really quick. Well sounds like things are going really well up north.

Alright. So this week was different. We had interviews on tuesday. My interview was pretty cool. President Madariaga is all about obedience, so it feels like the interview is an obedience check more than anything. But I asked him how I could find more love for the people. He told me to remember that before this life, these people made the same decision as me. They are literally my brothers and sisters. Here in Paraguay, they are blessed far less than I am. Both spiritually and temporally. But as I try to help them become as blessed as me spiritually, their temporal conditions will improve as well. It was a really cool moment of the interview.

Thursday we went to the Dr for Shirks ingrown toenails. I hope I can avoid from ever having to do it. But it was pretty fun. I am pretty sure we were in the south mission, but not very far. Pretty sure that doctor does toenails for the south mission as well, and I read in one of KOs emails that his comp had to have it done... Too bad it couldn´t have been on the same day... but that was probably a month ago or something. mail is a little slow here.

Friday we got to go to the temple. Thursday was our original day, but because of the doctor we got moved back. The temple was awesome. I loved it. There were a ton of the newest elders in the session, and they all got headsets to go through in english, not sure why, but whatever. It was really cool in spanish. I am always surprised at how much spanish I am learning every day. It was a really cool experience for me. Plus we were there a little early, so they had us help in the baptistry. The pictures are at the temple. What a beautiful temple. but I still love my Bountiful temple at 6 in the morning on Tuesday. Doesn´t get better than that.

Yesterday I had a pretty cool experience with a less active girl named Sulma. She is really cool, but her and her sister just wont go to church for whatever reason. They come sometimes, but not very often. So anyway. Shirk was asking the usual kinds of questions that we ask, like how long has it been since you havent read in your scriptures? Since you went to church? And well I was listening, but I felt prompted to ask a question. So I asked her what the most important thing in her life was. She said her family. I started to share my testimony to her that I know that my family is an eternal family, and that her family can be too. And that is why we were there asking those questions. Not to make her feel verguenza, or shame, but to help her have an eternal family. Her attitude changed a little bit. And when we told her that we were helping the church start thursday night activities again she got way excited. It was a really cool experience for me. I love sharing my testimony with people.

The Church is true. Jesus is the Christ.

Love, Elder Naegle

Email October 10, 2011

Hello Mother!

Well I am glad that you had a good time in New York. Sounds like it was a good time. I am glad you made it home safe. Everything else sounds like it is going really well. Tell Angie congratulations for me. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend. I am planning on having a baptism that day.. Haha but seriously we really are. That is round about the last time Elder Shirk can have any baptisms cause he leaves on the 10th and so we are working hard.

Alright. Before I begin about the week... I must explain... I just had a lunch appointment with a convert in the other Trinidad area. We ate mondongo.... It is the stomach liner I believe... It isn´t that bad, but one of my pieces was black and smelled... well it smelled like poo. About half way through it my face broke and I had a moment of weakness. O fcourse the sister saw me in that moment. She says something like, you don´t like it?? I said yes, I like it, it is delicious. But these two pieces are different, what kind is this? She says they are the exact same.... Clearly they were not the exact same. One was white. The other was black and smelled. Hahahaha I have some terrible luck. None of the other missionaries got a piece like I did. So forgive me because I am feeling a bit sick right now.

I got some dearelders monday. Loved them. Maybe you could include Mikey T? I would like to hear how he is doing. So this week we decided to take care of business like Eric Belnap always says. We have basically no investigators right now... So we went out and worked hard and found some. We found Mari. At first it was a shady situation, her mom comes out. Gives us the usual Paraguayan excuse of I am catholic. Then she sees that we are two tall Americans and says to us, there are 3 girls inside. Come in, come in. Hahaha I thought, oh great... At first, Mari wasnt that interested. But she accepted a return appointment and when we came back she had read the whole lesson 1 pamphlet we had left with her. Which is a big deal here in Paraguay. She was really interested. We invited her to be baptized again, she was hesitant and wanted to know what she had to do. So we went over all of the baptismal interview questions with her. It was a really cool experience. Unfortunately she took off for the weekend so she didn't come to church, but I am hoping this week she will be home.

Funny story for the week. Well the first part isnt funny. So don´t laugh until the second part. Friday. We were talking to Irma. She is the less active who is married to Amado. Her life is absolutely miserable. Her kids dont listen to her at all. She cant leave the house or her husband will sell her stuff to buy his booze. She broke down in tears and told us that she doesn't want live in this world anymore. What do I share with someone like this? I have shared scriptures about the atonement with her, and how the Savior knows exactly what she is going through. But she has lost all hope. It is so so sad. So anyway. As we were talking to her. An extremely drunk man. And I mean extremely drunk, comes staggering by. He walks into the yard, and starts getting into my face. He could barely stand, barely talk. But he was acting like he was going to hit me. I had no idea what to do. He kept grinding his teeth and it sounded like firecrackers in his mouth. I kept telling him, bueno, hermano, we are going to pray. How about we say a prayer for you? Haha but he just wanted to hit me or something. Irma and her kids were just sitting there laughing at me. Finally Irma got up and took him out of the yard. It was pretty funny. But that woke up the drunk Amado. He comes out super mad. Hahaha then he sees us and gets all lovey and starts hugging my comp and I. It was crazy. I hate alcohol more than ever. It is so cheap here and Paraguay is drinking it like there is no tomorrow.

Sunday we didnt have any investigators in church, but Damians whole family came. It was so cool. His Dad isn't a member, but both his mom and dad need a divorce and they have no money so they cant afford one, let alone 2. Anyway, they used to come to church, but someone told them that since they werent living the law of chastity they couldn´t come to church anymore. So it was so awesome to see both of them in church. It made me feel the real joy of missionary work. I love it. It is awesome. This is the work of the Lord.

Love, Elder Naegle

P.s. This is a bridge in between the two areas. It is pretty crazy going across. You feel like you are going to fall and catch a disease in the infested waters.....

Email Oct. 4, 2011

Hello Mom!

How are you doing in New York? Sounds like a pretty crazy time out there. You know how you said it rains hard in New York? Well... Saturday rained pretty hard here.... Our chapel is the stake center, sort of, and well there were 2 members there for the first session of conference. 2... and a bunch of missionaries. We watched that session in Spanish because our branch president wouldn't come unlock a door for us so we could get a tv out. But we were finally able to get it figured out for the second session. It was so much better in English. I was actually able to get something out of it instead of trying my hardest just to understand. Anyway. Conference was excellent wasn't it?? I loved it. So many prayers of mine were answered. I have never fully appreciated General Conference until now. It was just an awesome experience for me.

That is pretty crazy you were on the same flight as the group that came to the mission. 29 of them. 2 latins I think. There is a new elder here in Trinidad B. Elder Barker. Good kid. half mexican so his Spanish is already far better than mine haha. I was looking forward to being a little bit ahead of someone, but it is all good. I am not quite sure how the mission handled 29 missionaries coming in, but they figured it out somehow.

So this last Tuesday was Elder Shirk's birthday. We had lots of cake. He bought a couple of cakes and he finally got his package which had a cake and brownies in it too. It was a good week for me. His package had been here for a while but our zone leaders don't care about bringing us our stuff ever.... So I never see any mail unless we go to the office. We are trying to get it figured out. We might go into the office today. Our zone is weird because our district has 4 elders and the zone leaders, and the office elders are in the zone. Anyway. Hoping I have some mail waiting for me.

Funny story of the week. We were walking to go see this 2 kids that want to get baptized the other day when I see these 3 chicks pushing this guy out of their house. When he gets to the street he slips and falls down. He gets up pretty mad. Right as we are walking by, he swings at one of the girls. She dodges most of the punch, almost running into me. Then she goes after him. Punching the heck out of him. She gets him to the ground and keeps going. We just kept walking, even though I really really really wanted to watch. Anyway the kids weren't home so as we were walking back there were a ton of people all outside and we could here them saying that she had knocked him out. Don't mess with Paraguayan chicks!

As far as the work goes, it was a really slow week for us. Everything fell through. But I have faith in Christofher. Christofher was a reference from President Madariaga that wants to learn English. We have been helping him learn with an English Book of Mormon and the missionary english packet. He is pretty interested in the Church so I am hoping he will begin to really progress this week.

Anyway. This is the true Church of Jesus Christ. President Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God. The Book of Mormon is true. Life is beautiful.

Love, Elder Naegle