Email Dec. 31, 2012

Hello my dearest mother!

Well another week here in Moroni! Sounds like everything is good at home. Seeing everyone one was great! Only one more phone call! Can you believe that? I can't. Well that is great that Niglet got a 29 on the ACT, with a little more studying he'll take down the older brother! He can't take down Natali cause she is just way too smart... Love you Natali! Please tell Grandpa Dennis and Marie, Grandma and Grandpa Naegle, and Joy and Arlyn thank you!!!  Pizza Hut sure was delicious today, my comp agrees too. Good thing there was money on that card of mine... Hahaha thanks again.

So this last week we had an awesome experience. My comp was still talking to his family after I got done with all of you, so I went and contacted the owner of the cyber and had  a nice little lesson with him. He had lots of questions, lots and lots, baptisms for the dead, etc. but it was great! We taught him a few more times, and guess who was in church yesterday! Hector. It was awesome. We have to kinda take it slow with him because he doesn't really want to accept one true church yet, but he is all down for change! He is great.

Tuesday there were no buses, we went to the district mtg that was in the office, President Madariaga was also there, but because there were no buses we were very late and super sweaty... Nice one Naegle... Haha nothing to do but put on a smile. President put 2 and 2 together though when he saw the sweat dripping off my nose I think.

This week I had a pretty awesome personal study. I read in 3 Nephi when Christ commands us to be perfect. Then I just started pondering. I thought about 1 Nephi 3:7 and how if we are given a commandment we are also given a way to obey. I realized that it is me that is keeping me from being perfect. My hard heart. Don't worry, I am not going to come home all weird Mom, but I definitely should come home changed. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the changes it allows us to make in our lives. I love my mission. I love my Savior. I love Paraguay.

Love, Elder Naegle

Temple workers! And our investigator that came to church yesterday.

Email Dec. 17, 2012*

Hello Mom,

I have been changed!!!! Special changes..... I am so sad.... But I am now in Moroni with Elder Palacios.  I was happy to come and work here as a zone leader.  The temple is in my area, my area is super nice. A really big change. I still have no idea about my Christmas call. We haven't figured anything out. (that would be great if Benny was there). 

I got my package! Best package you have ever sent! So awesome! Didn't open my presents yet. I was obedient this time.

Well I am sad to leave Paso de Oro. That is that. I knew I would be. Also I now have a latin companion. He is a good teacher so I am learning a lot and my spanish is improving. So that is cool. He is from Peru. Moroni is really different. Members have cars and computers and nice stuff! But I can see now more than ever that money doesn't make people happy. I am also in my first ward ever! It pretty much functions too. After church we had lunch in a way nice house and the assistants decided to join us. Good guys. They share our area. So yeah.

We had our Christmas activity on Friday. That went pretty well. We were able to watch President Monson's Christmas talk. Yesterday we found some really cool new investigators that live up in the nicer part of our area. Maria and Rosa. They are sisters who work for a family that lives next to our lunch appt. We had contacted them earlier in the week and we went and found their house. We had a really good lesson with them and they accepted a baptismal date for January. 

I love my mission. I am super excited for the time I have to be here in Moroni. Love you Mom and everyone else. Thanks for your support.

Love, Elder Naegle

Email Dec. 10, 2012

Hello Mom,

Sounds like a really good week! Congrats to those that got their mission calls. Sounds like things are really good. Your trip to Nevada sounded like fun. Not sure if Genoa is the first place I want to go when I get home though....

I figured Benny would do a great job. That is great. Steve extended huh? Elder Arnold laid down the law in this mission, you cant extend... So you won't have to worry about me! Man I sure do miss all my buddies. I have seen Kayo most recently, but I still miss everyone like crazy. How is Dan, Michael, Steve, Butch, and everyone else doing? I heard a song coming from some guy's car the other day that Butch always listened to and I about fell over. Couldn't believe that eating seeds is a past time activity here in Paraguay as well... Butch will get that one. 

Well this week was really good. As you can see from the pictures, we were able to baptize Grandma Sinfo. Wasn't easy though. About the most stressful day of my mission. My convert was able to baptize his 8 year old daughter. I got in the font to help Pres. Gonzalez baptize his mom. He said the prayer, and she backed out. She said, I can't do it! Just poor some water on my head! I couldn't believe it, but I said a silent prayer as Pres. Gonzalez talked to her in Guarani and calmed her down. We were able to baptize her. It was a special moment. Many prayers have been offered in her behalf for many years. Unfortunately she was sick yesterday so she wasn't confirmed, but next week!

So it says in the handbook that holidays are great times to proselyte  The 8th is the Virgin Mary day. A pretty big deal here. Scratch that, a huge deal. But it turns out that it was a pretty good day. We were able to find some people that accepted a baptismal date. 

The Doctrine of Christ is for everyone, it doesn't matter what they believe. I am trying to apply it the best I can in my life and as I do that I can see the blessings. The desire to share it with others grows every day.

I love you Mom, and everyone else.

Love, Elder Naegle

p.s. I am going to hit 18 months this week. That means I only have 6 months for you all to send me letters and packages while I am in another country. Better take advantage of that once in a life time opportunity!!!!!

Email Dec. 3, 2012

Hello Mom,

Well this week was a pretty good week. We had zone conference. It was awesome. Elder Zeballos of the 70 was there with us. I got my suit, but after the fact. So I wore my suit which had been washed..... Hahaha, but that is ok because my suit is not the color that I wanted because he didnt have any more of that color. That picture of you, dad, and Benny was really great to see. Thanks for sending me that. I also got one of my packages. I am pretty sure you sent 2? This one had two little gifts, opened them both... a tie and a pillow case. Thanks so much, loved them both! And I always love oreo pudding.

Well zone conference was awesome. It was so great to be instructed by a general authority. He talked about learning spanish and english. He talked about the importance of english and the scriptures, and showed examples of where the translation into spanish just isn't quite as pure. He basically told the latins that they need to learn English. But he didn't let us off the hook... He talked about so many good things, it is hard to remember all of them.

So this week I ate something very similar to liver, but tasted worse... Haha not sure what organ of the cow it was, but I don't want to eat it again. and my stomach doesn't want to either. Sunday after my fast I got super sick. Remind me at Christmas to tell you a hilarious but disgusting experience.... Hahaha I am dying thinking about what happened to me yesterday.

Fast and testimony meeting was awesome. I decided to share my testimony because it could be my last chance if we have special changes in a week. I have been here for a long time now. Well it was one of the most spiritual moments of my mission. I felt the Spirit so strong. I KNOW the Jesus is the Christ. I KNOW that the boy Joseph saw God the Father and His Son. I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true. These things are so dear to me now. Before the mission, not as much. But it means a lot to me now. Grandma Sinfo is going to be baptized tomorrow night by her son and I. She is a little scared of the water, so I am going to assist. She is 77 and smoked from the age 30 until 76! Baptism is for everyone! I love the mission!

Love you Mom.

Love, Elder Naegle

Hello Mom,

Thanksgiving come and gone for a second time! Can you believe it? Pretty crazy. Last year I was with Elder Richins in Trinidad. I am glad you got to meet him this weekend. By the way, my suit cost 75 dollars, is man made, and will have the Paraguay flag inside. I am supposed to get it tomorrow, just before zone conference. Let us pray! Because I still don't have my suit back! I lent it to my branch pres when his daughter got sealed in the temple. Hahaha I could be getting some cane dropped on me this week...

Well guess who is back? Elder Johnson. He is in my district again. I couldn't believe it, hahaha. He is a good kid. Elder Willes will have a great time. That means my good friend Hill is now gone. He is a zone leader in the La Paloma zone, out in Santani. I miss him. That picture is a picture of our zone. Of course, Elder Hill and I are the 2 in the back... The rooster is Hank, I will try to send a picture of Little Jerry next week. And that is my Thanksgiving night. Oreos, oreo pudding, and Argentine Doritos. 

Well the week ended pretty good. We had a total of 6 people in church, Hugo and Natividad, an awesome guy named Nestor who will complete his family, the Gimenez family, and my Grandma Sinfo. It was pretty awesome, but sad because we had lots more committed to come. But we are going to keep working hard. My goal is to have a consistent 10 investigators in church every sunday when I leave. Grandma Sinfo's baptism will be a week from Tuesday. She is awesome. My Paraguayan grandma. 

Well I want to tell you about an awesome experience we had. But it came after the fact. Way after the fact. Like a week and a half after. We found this really awesome guy named Dario from Argentina. He was looking for work, and if he didn't find it he would be heading back to Argentina with his family. We promised him he would find work if he read, prayed, and went to church. Well God knew his heart better than us, and 15 minutes after we left his wife came home with a job for him. He couldn't believe it. But when we went back we couldn't find him because he was working! And he is pretty new to the area so he didn't know where the church was exactly! So we finally found him again and he told us about that. We took a member over right after that would be able to take him and his family to church, but then the member didn't show up for church yesterday... So we don't know what happened, but isn't that awesome!!!! I love making promises as a missionary. I also love the Priesthood. We went to give a blessing to a member that can't walk the other morning while it was raining, her yard sucks up all the water and in order to get to it we had to walk through shin deep water. When we got there I got a huge smile on my face and looked at my comp, he was smiling too. "This is awesome" is all we could say. We came away from the experience super grateful for the Priesthood that we hold.

I am having the time of my life. The Gospel helps us be better. I love you Mom.

Love, P

Email November 19, 2012*

Hello Mom!

Well it is the end of another change. Nothing is going to happen though, I will be another here with Elder Phippen due to the training program. 5 changes in Paso! That will give me enough time to see a bunch more weddings and baptisms!

Today I was able to hang out with Elder Richins for a bit. It was really great. It is weird to say goodbye to your best friend in the mission... But it wont be long before I see him again and all of my friends from home. That also means that Benny is going home! They went into the MTC the same day. 

Havent had a chance to listen to your talks yet, but I am sure you and Niglet did great. I am giving another talk this week. I have given at least one talk every single month of my mission with a few extras thrown in... That is a lot of talks, all in Spanish! I dont try to throw in Guaraní cause I am too afraid of saying something dirty over the pulpit... hahaha

Thanksgiving!!!! I will be eating watermelon here. Watermelon season here. It is awesome. I love it. I am so grateful for all the many blessings that I have. I am feeling much better, so I am very grateful for the bomb. Oh the gross things I have seen in my mission!!!!!

Well this week was kind of disappointing in church, but we worked hard. We found an awesome new investigator named Diego. He accepted a baptismal date without a hitch, and when we went by to make sure he was going to church he told us he had received an answer to our message and wants to be baptized for sure. he didnt go to church, I think he had some verguenza, but he will be there this week. He is 20 and he loves talking to everyone about Christ. Aka, future missionary! He is really awesome.

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love Paraguay so much. I am loving it here. I love sharing the Restored Gospel with people. 

Have a good week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Elder Naegle

                                                        Elder Richins and Elder Naegle

Email November 12, 2012

Hey Mom,

 

We have a window in our room now!!!! I slept nice and cool last night. That is cool that you saw Johnny Holmgren. France for James huh? That is cool. Good for him. Speaking of suits, I am probably going to burn 75 bucks on a suit here soon because mine is a disaster.... Just so you know. There is a guy that makes them and they look pretty classy.

 

Well this week I want to tell you about a miracle that happened. My white whale. Grandma Gonzalez. I have been trying to get her to go to church and get baptized since I got here. She finally went last sunday, but she still wasnt super excited about baptism. Her health has been failing, so she always asks us for blessings. I was on a division with Elder Hill and she asked us for one, going into the blessing I was praying that Heavenly Father would bless her so she could understand the importance of being baptized, we gave the blessing, as soon as it was over she says, " I will be baptized whenever you guys want". Oh yeah! It was awesome.

 

Our investigator that was going to get baptized this week, Carolina, ran away from her aunts house.... So.... Not going to get baptized... I am sad, but we carry on.

 

That is about all for this week. Sorry this letter is short. There is not a lot of time. Life is going great here in Paso. I am super happy. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.

 

Love, Elder Naegle