Hermana Ross in Paraguay: Week 45

Family!!!

It´s been a good week. F´reals. Lots of good times to be had. Mish friends, a super stellar comp, an area I love, super open and receptive people (even if they can´t keep committments, dangit), and a God whose love is infinite and eternal <3

We finished out the end of the Hollyday season 2015 strong. We had some pretty ill parties this past week intermixed with some good lessons and, as usual, tons of contacting. And alright, again, when I say "party," I just mean a normal event that we call a party cause we don´t go to actual parties. This week, we had a ton of these! It kicked off last Monday with a killer chicken nugget party, followed by a New Year´s Eve pizza hang out, and finished up with a pretty boss Concí get together on Saturday. Such good times. I´ll testify to the day I die that your comp makes all the difference. Or at least like a lot of the difference.

Anyway, I´ve been reflecting this past week, as to be expected, on the past year, the present, and of course the coming year #2k16. And I´d like to give a shout out to what has always been my favorite talk about new beginnings. I know I´ve quoted it before, but it´s been a while, so here it goes again:

“The start of a new year is the traditional time to take stock of our lives and see where we are going, measured against the backdrop of where we have been… So, as a new year starts and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives… Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come.” Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever.”

(Elder Holland, BYU Devo: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland_remember-lots-wife/)

So true. I love faith and how it is so eternally intertwined wtih hope. Like, faith is the basis of all facets of testimony. But how can we have faith, save we have hope? And then that same hope that led us to faith brings us to more hope #deep. And then this powerful combination of faith and hope eventually helps us develop charity #deeper.

And then this charity that has been developed SUFFERTH LONG. And BEARETH ALL THINGS and ENDURETH ALL THINGS. If there´s been anything the mission has taught me day in and day out, it´s been all of this. This past Sunday was fast and testimony meeting, and Hermana Cranney bore her testimony (while her husband translated it), and it was super powerful. And she said in it that serving this mission has been the hardest thing she´s ever done. And she and Elder Cranney have no doubt passed through some pretty hard things in their lives. But the mission really just packs on the personal trials, I feel like. Which help you learn and grow, but can also be very, very hard at times. But I´m really grateful for faith, hope, and charity, and how they can be developed and exercised to get you through anything. And the atonement of Jesus Christ encircles all of those qualities and all of the imperfect people trying to develop them..

Ight, well I hope you have a great week. And thx for all the half-birthday shoutouts I received. Good to know the fans still remember the little things ;) Oh, and p.s. There have been tonsss of special changes in the mission the past two weeks. It´s actually pretty intense. You never know when special changes are gonna strike. I´ve been spared my whole mission thus far, but rumor has it almost no one can escape them for the full mission. Our zone has definitely had some dramatic noticias, but thus far Horqueta has been safe. Vamos a ver.

Love you tons!!

Con amor,

Hermana Ross