Dear family,

I am better.  I just had the flu for a couple days.  I got the pic for you, mom. 



Sorry it took so long...I was sick and then we had changes.  If you don't like it, I can take some more, just let me know.  

I gave a talk in church about reverence. All through the talk the president's daughter was screaming and crying and dumped her water bottle all over the floor.  It was a little awkward as I tried to talk about reverence over a screaming girl.  Elder Hatch has 19 months in the mission and is a really funny missionary.  He went to BYU-I, too - the semester before me so we know some of the same people.  He has a pet alligator at his house named Derrell who just sits at the bottom of his pool. 

 Right now we are looking for investigators a ton.  But the set investigator we are trying to teach right now is a lady named Isabell, and also a guy named "Wilt the Stilt Wilter".  He is 16 and just over 4 ft tall and really skinny. He looks like he is 10.   Both of them have just gotten lesson 1 since I've been here (about the Restoration) and we are going to try really hard to get them to church this coming Sunday.  

The only bad thing about Arroyos is that we are an hour away from district meeting and 2 hours our of the mission office so we do a ton of collectivo riding and hitch hiking.  And the collectivos are extremely unreliable so we end up hitch hiking a lot.  Which is fun.  The drive in between here and Caucupe is super beautiful.  I will try and get some pictures today.  We had zone conference this week, too and we found out who the new president is going to be. There is also a ton of changes happening to the mission.  I think with the changes that will happen in June or July, if I am still in Arroyos I will be in the south mission.  We will see what happens.  I am still pretty confused about what changes are going to happen, but I sent you guys the email about it.  (See below)

I think the best lesson we had this week was with a lady named Limpia who is inactive due to having to work on Sundays.  So we talked about Mosiah 5: 9-13 and also how Christ wants to make us His and wants to write His name on our hearts to make our desires and actions His own.   It's when we are baptized and when we renew our covenants through the sacrament that He writes His name deeper and deeper into our hearts.  It was pretty spiritual, but she didn't want to change anything in her life and so we'll be going back again this week on Wednesday to talk about how when we put our lives in the hands of God that He will  deliver us from our burdens and worries of the world.  We will see how it goes with her.   

That's awesome about your home teachee, dad and Aaron! That is a tough situation that I have thought a lot about too.  Let me know how it turns out with her.  

What is aaron going to talk about?  Good luck buddy!  

I got a letter from Barb and the ladies club at Parc Provence! (Elder Neifert worked at an assisted living home before his mission and became great friends with many of his co-workers and the residents)  It was awesome!   I shared with all of my friends about each and every one of those ladies  and how many great times I had with them.  THANK YOU for the Letters!   

Here is a picture of Elder Hatch.

Love,

 Elder Neifert

The Mission President's Email mentioned above (translated):

Dear Elders and Sisters,

As you know Sister Madariaga and I finish our service in Paraguay in late June of this year. The First Presidency has called to our successors, to be the

President H. Garn and Sister. Pam McMullin (see brief biography attached)

who begin their service in early July 2013. would ask you keep them in your prayers from now on.

Additionally, the First Presidency has announced the creation of a new mission with head in the city of Posadas, Argentina, but that will impact both missions in Paraguay.

• Mision Posadas Argentina take some districts and a stake in the current Paraguay Asuncion Mission.
• Paraguay Asuncion Mission San Lorenzo take Stake and Districts Caacupé and La Paloma currently belong to our mission.
• Paraguay Asuncion North Mission left with four stakes (Asuncion North Luque Luque Capiatá South) and four districts (Mariano Roque Alonso, Boqueron, Concepcion and Pedro Juan Caballero)

All these changes will take place on July 1 of this year. This means that the missionaries, to July 1, 2013, are found serving in the Stake or District San Lorenzo or La Paloma Caacupé will belong to the Paraguay Asuncion Mission (our dear sister "South Mission")

The Lord's work is accelerated, especially after the announcement of Pte Monson, on the age of the missionaries. This is a testimony that the play is directed by our Lord through his prophet. What a blessing to serve in this time with you. May the Lord bless us to persevere together until the end!

With sincere love,

President and Sister Madariaga 

New Mission President's Biography

2nd Area Arroyos Y Esteros

Dear Family,

That is super awesome Elder Christiansen came! (Elder Christensen attended the family's home ward this past Sunday, Feb 17th)  It sounds like it was an awesome Sunday.  Plus Aaron, Derek, and Caleb had to sing.  What did you guys sing?

I got changed.  I am now in Arroyos y Esteros which is like an hour out of Caucupe! The basilica is ginormous and every year thousands of people here walk to Caucupe to see the virgin. My new companion is Elder Hatch from Glendora, California which is really close to LA.  He has been out 19 months on his mission right now! I think that he is a really good missionary. I get along with him pretty well, but he already has 4 changes in Arroyos y Esteros so he'll probably get switched out soon. This next change is only 4 weeks,  so I will probably have a new companion soon.

 Arroyos is really far out on a highway in the middle of nowhere.  It has a ton of farms and sugar cane fields. It takes a collectivo about an hour and a half to get to Caucupe and it is the most beautiful drive I've ever been on. There are some crazy big hills that just stick out in the middle of some fields that I will take a picture of later. Aroyos has a branch of about 30 people on avg. and the President's family makes up half the branch.  I gave a talk to introduce myself and the handed me another talk paper for next week on reverence, which is a really good topic because reverence is a fat issue here. I will let you know how it goes.  I was sick this week with the flu, so I don't have a lot to write about because we've been stuck in the house. WHICH HAS AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!!!!! it feels so nice.

I hope your Indian presentation goes well mom, and that your leg is all better.   I hope all the best for you Fil and the LSAT!  I KNOW I DIDN'T SEND THE SUIT PHOTO! I will send it tomorrow after zone conference.

I LOVE you guys,

Elder Neifert

Here are some new photos from Elder Neifert: 

 Saying goodbye to friends in Yukury:

IT IS TOO IMPORTANT TO ASSUME!

Dear Family,

How was Aaron's Birthday?

I will get you that picture next Monday. Sorry... I've been looking for a sweet background with palm trees or a lizard or something, but I will for sure get it too you in a week.

I think I'm good on Sunscreen. if needed i will buy some more here... but I sweat it all off in like 5 minutes of being outside.

I think we are at the peak of heat right now so were on the down slope. From what I've heard, it starts to get better in late March.

That's awesome, DEREK!!! I'm super excited for you!  (a friend from his home ward gave his talk and will be leaving for his mission to France this next week.) 

I started The Book of Mormon over again and it is incredible what I missed the first time! It is really crazy reading verses of scripture that collaborate with what iI just read at the other end of the book. I learned about a sweet pattern this week between Moses and Jesus Christ. Just how Moses freed the Hebrews from bondage and took them through the Red Sea and then to Mount Sinai, Christ has saved us from the bondage of sin by taking us through the waters of baptism and then to the mountain (Temple) of the Lord so that we might gain exaltation.

Today is changes (transfers) and so we will see whether I am staying Yukuryr or leaving.  I've been in this area for 4 months, so I don't know whats going to happen. 

Elder Brown and I found some incredible people this week. We found a lady named Maria, who spoke with missionaries 7 years ago on a collectivo (bus). The missionaries eventually baptized her brother and now 7 years later she wants to be baptized! We walked into the lesson and she flat out asked us what she needs to do to be baptized. So her baptism is on the 23rd of Feb. She is an amazing example of what seeds every one of us can plant in the lives of others. It might not grow instantaneously, but give it a little time and all of the sudden the conditions are right for it to start growing.

Another person we found yesterday is a lady named Rosana. We had been talking before we met her about how we could improve teaching people instead of lessons and so we focused really hard on just teaching her specifically to her needs. The lesson went amazing and she opened up to us that she had been searching for a church that would be able to "fill her," and that she had gone to an evangelical church and switched to Catholicism because of her spouse. We were able to talk about how the church of Christ does exactly that, it fills us. Just like Christ said if you will drink of my water and eat of my bread you will never hunger or thirst again. And how it is only in his true church that HE PLACED on the earth that we can be filled. She committed to be baptized and read and pray to know if the message we shared was true. Also she commented how talking to us made her feel good because it was a discussion not a sermon. She was able to express her ideas and views and that made her feel good. We will see what happens on Wednesday, but I know that she felt the spirit really strong and that because we listened and applied the lesson according to her needs, she wanted to make commitments and keep them. The Lord prepared her and blessed us that we could talk to her with her needs in mind. After the lesson I had an incredible feeling thinking about how much the Lord had done for us and for her so that she could accept and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This church is not led by men thinking about the Bible a lot and making a good assumption about how we should follow and partake of salvation. IT IS TOO IMPORTANT TO ASSUME! Revelation is necessary, directly from God, giving us the directions we need to obey Him and do His will. If we don't receive revelation directly from God then who are we following? I have felt the spirit of God telling me of the importance and truthfulness of this work, and I know it is led by Him.

The pictures are that blue lake I told you guys about and me and elder Mejia our last day, and
a typical house in Paraguay that we are contacting. (fake contacting, nobody was home.)

(Will update with pictures later - for some reason it won't work)

Love,

Elder Neifert

Coco´s

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON!  You are getting old, and I am old.  I hope your surprise birthday at Hardees arena in Chesterfield is a good surprise.  (his mom was trying to throw a surprise party, but he found out)

Dear family,

We have been super busy teaching lessons.  We cannot get to everybody we want to teach.  Its an awesome problem.  The only problem is that like none of our investigators came to church.  It is crazy how things pop up when you want to do what God wants.  We had one of our investigators saturday night who had to go out and look for his daughter who didnt come home from a party until like 9 in the morning.  And then another fell and had to go to the hospital. And another had to go pick up her husband because he got in a car accident.  Coincidence?  I dont think so. 

I have an awesome story I want to share with you guys.  We went to visit an investigator who we have been teaching for about 2 months.  The day before her husband had just lost his job. She has cancer and is waiting for test results.  She needs more treatments, and she works going door to door trying to sell manicures.  They live in a really old beat up house that is falling apart, they have an infiltration of ants in their house, and they have 4 young kids.  That day she just broke down in front of us.  She was telling us about all she was going through when her two youngest girls came sprinting across the road with their shirts full of coco´s and humongous smiles.  They yelled, "Hey we found some coco´s! Look what we found!"  Coco´s, in Paraguay, are little coconuts that fall from the trees here.  They are all over the place.  People sometimes crack them with rocks and eat the inside but they aren't awesome... they are everywhere! They are the most common thing in Paraguay.  Plus they don't taste that good.  Their mom told me about how her girls loved finding coco´s and smashing them and eating them. ¨to them, it is better than money.  Its the greatest treasures of all time, to find cocos. ¨she said.  It was amazing to me how they found joy and fun even when they knew their mom had cancer and their dad lost his job, but the circumstances that we are in don't effect how we respond.  They found a way to be happy.  It was an awesome lesson that we had with our investigator and we read Mosiah 24 about how Alma and his people overcame their trials.  Those girls were stuck in my head this week and I wanted to share that with you guys. I don't think I will ever have a good excuse to complain or be depressed after seeing that family.

Also, this week we ate some crazy weird things.  The bishop's wife cooked up some jungle bird that only comes out at night.  It was super gamy and overcooked.  I spit out about 3 bullets because the bishop hunted them about 2 days before with a shot gun.  We also found these really awesome inactive members that have cows.  I don't like regular milk... and she handed me a warm thick glass of milk, full of floaties. I almost puked.  It was straight from the cow - with the smell of being straight from the cow.  To be kind I will say that it was funky.  My companion chugged it down super fast and then the lady who gave us the milk just stared at me, waiting for me to finish it.  It took me about 10 minutes of taking tiny sips and waiting until the floaties wafted to one side so I could drink.  She told me about three times, ¨Hey, you don't have to drink it¨ and kept saying to my companion, "I don't think he likes it,¨ but I told her, "No, I like it. I'm just savoring it."  I don't know if that counts as a lie, but I couldn't tell her it was gross.

I hope you guys are all doing well! Thank you for your emails! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Aaron.  Break up 5 people holding hands for me at your party.

 I am going to send some stuff home in a little bit.

Love,

 Elder Neifert

Who you are is what matters

Dear family,

I don't have a ton of time to write, because I was fixing the pics so you can see them.  I think I fixed it. 

I hope you are getting better, mom! (She has the flu) The Lopez family, who I had Christmas with, their mom has Dengue!  So we went over and visited her this week. What a coincidence.  Dengue is a huge problem in Paraguay. Their hospitals are full of people who have it and a lot have to be quarantined and kept so there are a ton of people sleeping on the floors.  We are putting on mosquito repellant on in the bucket-loads so I think I will be okay. 

This week we had a bunch of lessons.  We ran in-between appointments and didn't meet too many new people.  Raquel is doing great and she brought her sister out to church with her family.  Her husband didn't come, though, and so his baptism is being pushed back again.  The Spanish is coming a little faster, I think, and I can pretty much understand everybody.  Elder Brown and I are getting along well and I am learning a ton from him.  We had a lot of incredible lessons where it seemed to be just what the person needed to hear in order to change some things around in their lives.  

Something I learned this week as I was teaching is that religion cannot be tailored to suit the wants and desires of people.  Its a place to meet the wants and desires of God. The true church of God is the one that shows us who God wants us to be and how to get there.  By the right kind of obedience to the Lord's commandments and teachings, we in turn become something greater than we thought we could.  That is a huge misunderstanding of religion, I think.  A lot of times we think of the rules or commandments of God as a checklist of things needed to get into heaven, but I don't think God will have a checklist.  I think it will be just you and him, and who you are is what matters.   And in the end the Lord's way is a lot easier and more rewarding than our way. 

I love you guys and I put more pics in dropbox of Aregua beach and other stuff.  The big building is the biggest hotel in Paraguay, I think.

Love, 

Elder Neifert

RAQUEL GOT MARRIED AND BAPTIZED!!

Dear Neifert Family,

RAQUEL GOT MARRIED AND BAPTIZED!! It was amazing how things worked out. We thought we had everything set up for Saturday for the wedding and baptism. We got to the chapel super early to fill up the font, clean, and decorate. We got there and the whole entry into the church was covered in pigeon poop. The Bishop gave us the keys to the chapel but it was a chain of like 50 keys, so it took like 20 min unlocking the gates and doors. Then our testigos (witnesses) for the wedding dropped out, and then our baptism talks, and just about every member who said they would come called and said they couldn't. Then the guy who was supposed to bring the food didn't show up... BUT then the President of the mission called and said he was coming! It all worked out in the end  and there was an incredible feeling watching Raquel and her family come together to get married and then baptized! It was awesome when her family finally showed up to the wedding.  She looked like an Arabian princess because she put stickers in her hair and on her forehead. 

  

 President gave an amazing talk at the baptism along with another member. The spirit was amazing and you could feel how important of a step this was for their family. Raquel's husband isn't baptized yet, but we have a date set in 3 weeks! Then in a year, I hope they will get married in the Temple! This Sunday they all came to church and were confirmed! It has been a huge pay day for me and Elder Brown.

We found a lot of amazing people to teach this week too. On Sunday we were walking down our street and there were just a bunch of drunks hanging around.While we were walking one of them yelled out and said,  "Hey! Help me I really need you guys help!" So we walked over and he was super drunk but he was with his sisters and cousins and so we talked to them all the while he was crying and saying how bad of a father he was and saying, "Yo soy boracho" (I'm a drunk). His family was laughing at first and then after a while of him crying they started to cry too just because of how sad it really was. He was drinking his life away, his family, his work, everything - he knew it and they knew it.  So we set up like 3 different citas (dates) so we can come back and teach them. Then we started walking home and another drunk guy who was an old investigator found us and he took a picture of us with his camera and gave me a smelly hug.

I wanted to send a  THANK YOU to Grandma and Grandpa, and Aunt Cindy and Uncle Paul for the Christmas money! I think I will buy a house.  (he probably could with the price of things in Paraguay)

Also, thank you all for the Christmas shout outs!

I love you guys!!

Love,

Elder Neifert

That may have been the time I have felt the spirit the most on my mission so far.

Dear Family,

This week has been a good one. Raquel is going to be married and baptized the 19th of January with her kids! I HOPE!!! I am pretty sure.  Elder Brown and I are finding a lot of great people to teach and I am already learning a lot from him.  We had a lot of people at church again and 5 investigators!!!!! We are going to be super busy this coming week.  

Something awesome I studied this week were the books of Abraham and Moses.  I was thinking a lot about what kind of people prophets like Abraham or Moses were like before becoming taking up all of the responsibility of being a prophet.  God must have trusted these men a huge amount to give them the power to move mountains and preach his word and will to the world.  Right at the beginning of Abraham, in verses 1 and 2, it talks about what kind of person he was before becoming a prophet.

I shared this scripture for a family home evening and the dad, who is an excommunicated member working to make it back to the Temple with his wife, bore his testimony about seeking and desiring for things of God rather than things of the world.  The only things that really bring happiness and joy into someone's life are those things that are eternal. He is looking for a job with less hours and probably less pay to spend more time strengthening his family.  

That may have been the time I have felt the spirit the most on my mission so far.  

Today we got a member to take us on a tour of Aregua and the Blue Lake!  IN HIS CAR!!!! I think for every car in my area there are about 300 people, so for us to go in a car was crazy.   We went in this super old catholic church, then climbed a hill that is really famous in Aregua ...

 

 

 and then went to this really old train station

 ...and then the  Blue Lake... that is really brown.  People hyped up that lake a ton and when I got there, it was brown just like every other lake. BUT it was one of the most beautiful parts of Paraguay I've seen so far.

I love you guys and thank you so much for the great pictures of everyone!!! I'VE BEEN OUT 6 MONTHS!!!! It doesn't feel like it.

Love,

Elder Neifert