Rosa and Orion...

What’s up!!

This week was amazing, we were able to get some real work done. We had a couple of lessons where we could bring some members along. We found some other inactive members who we are helping come back to church and along with that baptize their kids. I’m super thankful for the members here in the ward, they are awesome and always able to help us when we need it.

One day we met a lady and invited her to church, but she told us she didn't want to go because she didn’t have any friends in the church. So we told her that before Sunday came we would stop by her house with a member so that she could get to know her and then have a friend in church. And we knew just the lady to call … Rosa. A recent convert that I had such the blessing to be apart of her conversion process. So we went to Rosa’s house and told her that we had a friend that she needed to meet. She said, “just a minute hermanito (little brother) let me put my walking shoes on” and we walked on over to the lady’s house and little did we know she is a super catholic. But we had a solid lesson, and the best part was Rosa she said “alright hermanito it's my turn to talk” and she went off. She talked about her 40+ years in the catholic church and how she came to know the truth of the restored gospel and then started talking about faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. She said “ I’m a woman of not little reputation and I Know these things are true” the spirit was incredibly strong and I’ve never been more happy in my entire life to witness the change that she has had in her life and watch her testify of the things that she has learned to be true. Rosa was a judge and owns a lot of land. The entire neighborhood knows her. When she said "I'm a woman of no little reputation" it was true.

Later on in the week we had Leadership conference and it was super cool to be able to see all of the homies for the last time. And learn some really important stuff from President and the rest of those that were there. It was a really cool conference and then at the end President invited those that were leaving to come up and share some thoughts. So I went up along with those that are finishing the mission with me and we had the opportunity to share our testimony. I never thought it would be so difficult to share something that I know for sure. But it just felt so odd and wrong that it was going to be the last time in this meeting with these people having these experiences. I have come to love the mission and love all of the missionaries as well. Saying goodbye has never been and easy thing. I started giving things away that I’m not going to take home, I’m really lightening the load. I don’t even have a watch anymore haha.

A couple days before I came here to Paraguay I was outside in our family’s hot tub talking with my parents and siblings about whatever came to mind. I clearly remember being able to see the constellation Orion. Just staring at me from space while talking to my family. Thinking that in a couple of days I will cross the world, be speaking a different language and having new conversations with different people. About a week after that hot tub conversation, I got to my first area out in the middle of nowhere Paraguay. I found myself walking home in the dark and there again staring at me from space was the constellation Orion. I couldn’t understand Spanish or the things my companion was saying to me, I couldn’t understand what the people were saying either. Being here in the city these past few months, I haven’t really seen the stars in quite a while. But just the other night we were walking down the street after a lesson and there through the hot sticky air I saw it again, staring down from the sky, the same constellation. Right then and there I had a flashback of my entire mission, the areas I’ve been in, the companions I’ve had, learning Spanish, teaching people, watching them make covenants with God, and all of the amazing friends I’ve made. It all came back full circle knowing that I would soon have to say goodbye to my "family" once again. And soon enough I’ll be back in the same hot tub having similar conversations with my family looking at those same stars. The situation will be very similar to the one I had two years ago, other than the person sitting there. The things I have experienced, learned, and come to love have changed me and shaped me into a much different person than the one that sat there 2 years ago.

Love you guys,

Easton