Letters from Meridith...

7 de junio 2010
Querido familia y amigas,

Hola! Espero que o esta todo bien por todos de ustedes. Things are just great here in Paraguay. I can´t believe it´s the beginning of June already! Wow! Brittany Wyckhuyse, congrats on your wedding this weekend! I hope it´s a great day for you and Mark!

Today we studied with our district then played soccer. The elders and my companion are really good! I´m still learning the rules, but I did manage to score a couple of goals. I´m realizing what a big deal it is here! We also went to the mall and ate together. In the mission, you work hard when it´s time to work hard, but you can definitely play hard, eat hard, and rest hard when it´s time to do so. I´m learning just to put my full energies into whatever I´m doing! The new elders in my district are so great! Two of them only have six months in the mission, so I don´t feel quite so new.

Osvaldo and Javier are progressing like champs! The bishop thought it was best to move their baptismal date to June 26th. Osvaldo is nervous to bear his testimony to the ward after the baptism, so we told him that he doesn´t have to. They´re such good boys. They´ve really had it hard these past few years, but they are so kind and sincere and would do anything for anyone. It´s amazing to see the change that can come into people´s lives. Gloria, their mother, has been reading the pamphlets, too. She didn´t come to church yesterday, but is going to next week. She wants to be baptized as well. They´re so great!

This past week Hermana Ortiz (one of the women in the ward) invited us over for hot chocolate. We spent an evening talking to her about her husband´s conversion. She has been a member her entire life, but her husband only for the past five years. It was an amazing story! It was a testimony to me that the Lord prepares people to hear the gospel at a specific time. He knows each of us and our individual circumstances and has a plan for us. This is the reason it´s important for us to continue to attend church after baptism--to learn from others and grow together.

In teaching Osvaldo, I´ve really gained a testimony that Heavenly Father loves each of His children so much! Osvaldo has done a lot of things in his life that he´s not proud of and that he has changed, but Heavenly Father loves Him the same. A couple weeks ago Osvaldo and his family attended the baptism of Ethel Ortiz. During the music and the baptism, I looked over at Osvaldo and he was crying. It was in this moment that I realized how much love the Lord has for each of us. The gospel is for everyone. A person doesn´t have to be perfect to be baptized--they just have to be willing to repent and change and be dedicated to a different way.

This past week we taught a woman named Lidis. We taught her the message of the Restoration, and when we asked her if she thought Joseph Smith really could have seen Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, she nodded without hesitation. It´s amazing how the Spirit can testify to people.

I know this gospel is true! I´m so happy to be serving the Lord and sharing this message with the people of Paraguay. They are so kind, humble, and willing to receive it. I´m so grateful for all the experiences I´ve had in my life that have prepared me to be a missionary, and for the way my mission is preparing me for the rest of my life. I´m grateful for all of you and your examples. I hope and pray that all is well with you. I would love to hear from you!

Con muchisimo amor,
Hermana Cozzens

P.S. Dad, thank you for the letter! I got it today.