Letters from Meredith...

17 de mayo 2010
Querido familia y amigas,

This week marks one month here in Paraguay! I feel like I´m starting to get more comfortable and more adjusted to everything. I especially feel like I´m making more friends in the ward and getting more comfortable talking to everyone.

Katy, thanks so much for your e-mail and your advice! I know school, work, and life can be so stressful sometimes, but you have such a wonderful attitude. More now than at any other time in my life I know that we´re children of a Heavenly Father who loves us and wants us to be happy and will help us!

We´ve had a good week. We visited Ester, a woman that Hermana Valente taught before I came. She committed to be baptized, but didn´t come to church yesterday. We´re still hoping that she is ready to be baptized and willing to work towards baptism, but it´s difficult when we can´t catch her at home.

The biggest miracle of our week came on Thursday night. We contacted a woman named Gloria on the street and she invited us to her house to share a message. We arrived and instead of teaching her, her son Osvaldo sat down and started telling us how he has been involved in drugs and other things and wants to stop and change. We couldn´t believe it! The Lord really does prepare people to hear the gospel. We bought him a lot of chewy candies because he´s really nervous trying to stop consuming. We´re calling him every day to see how things are going. He has set goals for how he wants to change, and he came to church yesterday! The young men in the ward were very welcoming and he said he felt very peaceful. We´re very optimistic. I know that the gospel can bless his life and the life of his family. We´re going back to teach him about repentance tonight.

Last week I had an interview with President Callan. It was wonderful! We´re interviewed regularly every six weeks. He told me that through diligence, charity, and obedience, I will have success. Right now I´m not worried about the number of lessons we teach or the number of baptisms we have. I just want to be a good missionary. I told Hermana Valente this and she told me that I am a good missionary because that´s my desire. I just have to be patient with myself and know that the language, knowledge of the scriptures, and everything else will come with time and practice. President Callan also told me to really focus on seeing the effects of the Atonement in my life. I´ve always had a testimony of the Savior´s sacrifice for us, but now more than ever it is so real! I know that every frustration I feel, every hard moment He has felt. He understands! That´s my thought this week--the Lord has a path prepared for us and He will show us the way and guide us. President told me that his vision for every missionary in our mission is to leave with a deeper relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and to be truly converted for life. This is what I want!

Well, we have to run errands and things. Thank you all for your e-mails, prayers, and thoughts! I pray all is well with you and would love to hear from you!

Love,
Hermana Cozzens