It's Getting Warmer

Dear Family,

Thank you for all that you do.

¡Congradulatios Richard! Eagle scout.  Please take pictures.  Down here they have scouts as well.  One of the members is really big into it.  They had a little parade thing to celebrate the scouts the other day.

There was no mud slide.  We just had plans that day to use a members fishing gear so that we could go piraña fishing in front of his house...  but he forgot all about it, so we decided to help him fix up his banana plantation instead for our P-Day.  We had fun. :)

Wow, it sound so strange to say that there is a new home waiting for me in Utah.  Well, I guess the truth is that it's always the same home, just a new house to put it in.

I love you all very much, and I wish you all a wonderful day.

Elder McShinsky

 

P.S.  If mike owes ice-cream, please send me about 40 cents so that I can buy a great big giant ice-cream cone... :)  (Ice-cream is super cheap here, ¡ITS GREAT!)

Happy Birthday To Me!!

Dear Family,

Thank you for the birthday wishes.  It's amazing to me how fast time passes and without realizing it how much we have done in that time.  About a Package, if you would like to send one, it would be received by a very happy Elder.  If not, please send your love instead.  Either one sounds wonderful to me. I love you all very much.

I`m glad you liked the picture.  We just happened to be there at just the right time to take it.  I count it as one of the hundreds of blessings that the Lord sends us every day.  The truth is that the Lord puts us just exactly where we need to be at just the right moment.  As missionaries, to talk to the right people, to teach the right families, and some times just to stop and smell the roses and wonder at what a wonderful world the Lord has given us.  I`m so grateful for the opportunity and gift that I have personally to see so much of this wonderful world.  I thank God for that.

Speaking of dogs... How's Cocoa doing?  Could you send me a picture of her so that I can show people my dog?

Bob: Just keep kicking, and pull your knees up!

This week we found a fantastic family here in Sajonia!  They are Nestor and Norma lopez, with their 4 kids Nestor, Alexis. Macarena. And Joseph Smith (Ya thats really his name!).  About 2 years ago the missionaries went to their house and taught them and began to bring the gospel into their family, Then the missionaries decided that the family wasn't quite ready yet and stopped visiting them.  But in the past 2 years they have been getting ready to hear the gospel again.  So that during those 2 years, their youngest son was born and they decided to name him after the modern day prophet Joseph Smith.  We found them and they are progressing incredibly!  The truth is that when we´re doing the Lords work, the people prepared of god literally come searching the truth.  All we need to do is open our mouths so that they can recognize it and come unto it.

Elder McShinsky

Have Fun!

Dear Family,

Wow, sounds like your getting closer and closer to selling the house.  I was thinking that on the way home from the airport we could pass by there first, (my house), then to the new house... :)

Our new missionary program is all set up to help us invite, feel, and understand the spirit better.  For example some of the subjects that we´re studying right now are how to receive personal revelation using the Book of Mormon, how to receive personal revelation in sacrament meeting, how to receive personal revelation and answers to prayers, and how to help others learn how to receive personal revelation.  But right now that is what we´re all doing as missionaries.  Speaking of which that's great that your going to the temple.  It's a wonderful place to receive personal revelation!

Dear Richard, elcome to how the rest of the world dances... (Don´t worry I don´t exactly understand it either.)

Elder McShinsky

Ballroom Season Has Started Again... Keep me Updated :)

Dear Family,

This week we had the baptism of Alberto.  And the truth is I wish we could all be as humble and willing to follow the Lord as he is.  In every moment he wants to find new ways to please God.  The truth is that we should all think a little more like that.  Every time we try a little harder to go one step farther, we learn about how to deal with everything in our lives a little better.  It follows the same idea of greater light, greater condensation.  As we learn more we have the opportunity to use the light that we have, and thus winning an opportunity to have a little more.

This last week we had a Zone Conference here in Asunciòn.  And I don´t know if you know about the changes in the worldwide missionary program, but we started to implement them in our Zone Conference.  It's amazing how inspired the presidency of the church is.  Completing with the new programs brings forth a mountain of blessings.  We should always obey the counsel of our inspired leaders because it will always lead to more blessing then we can imagine. 

Elder McShinsky

The Temple

Dear Family,

That's great that you could go to the temple with Bob.  Bob, the temple is truly the house of the Lord, you should cherish every moment that you can be anywhere near a place that sacred.  Here in Paraguay as missionaries we have the opportunity to go the the temple every 6 months.  That does´t sound like all that much, but with the incredible blessings and promises that we recive inside that building should make us want to live there.  The truth is if I had the choice we would go there every p-day :)  But remember as well that everything inside the temple is eternally sealed by the authority of the priesthood; an authority you hold as a worthy son of the almighty god.

Speaking of swim tests... I found out this week a little about piranhas and crocodiles... They don´t live together, because the crocodiles eat the piranhas.  So basically if theres crocodiles, there is not piranhas, and vise versa. Either way if you do your swim check down here you`ll have to learn to swim kinda fast... :)  I also found out that they sell them both in the market to eat, and we should be eating crocodile tonight with a member. :)
¿Dawn? ¿Dog? ¿What happend to the cat?

Elder McShinsky