I think I learned
another lesson about following the spirit. As I am just arriving here
in Paraguay, it is very important that I do my paper work to be legal
here. I had to go to Asuncion Paraguay (7 ish hours away in bus) to do
all the paper work, along with several other missionaries, including
some new missionaries who are from Brazil and they helped me with my Portuguese a little bit. More than anything it was interesting to show
them how to speak Spanish, as they, in my brain, look like they should
speak better Spanish than me!
As I got on the bus, we were 3
Elders, and 6 Sisters. I was in charge, and had to make sure everything
went well. That being said I could chose where everyone would sit. I had
in mind that I would sit next to another missionary to help him get
excited about the mission. As I got on the bus, I had a VERY distinct
impression that I needed to sit by myself. I found this odd, because I
felt that I should sit by a younger missionary to help him get excited
about the mission. So... I didn't listen to the prompting. I sat next to
another missionary, and helped him get excited about the mission life.
As we traveled, we slept, (because we were traveling during the night)
and when I woke up, we got off the bus.
Now, I am going to take
a step back to the night before, when one of our investigators, who I
had not yet met, was in her house thinking about the idea of baptism. (She told us this story a couple days later). As she thought, she looked
at the Book Of Mormon, grabbed it, and started to read with the question
in her mind if this really was the right path to take. She prayed,
asked God if this was the true church, and felt quite disappointed as
no angel broke out of the heavens to tell her the church was true.
She
continued her day (which included going to the bus stop) to get on her
way to Asuncion Paraguay. She got on the bus, and was shocked to see 3
sleeping representatives of the very same church that she had recently
just prayed about. The seat that was on her bus ticket, was the empty
seat to the side of the other Elder who was sitting alone - to the side
of the seat where the Spirit told me to sit. As we traveled, she didn't
even know who I was, but she felt a shocking feeling that this might have
been an answer to her prayer. But we continued our journey without
talking because we simply slept until the morning sun came.
We
woke up and she explained who she was and that she was learning from
another set of missionaries like us. We asked where she was from and she
said, 2nd ward Ciudad del Este. I almost had a heart attack, because
that is my new ward, and asked who was teaching her. She said, Elder Choez
and a new missionary from Argentina who she had not yet met. (That new missionary from Argentina is me)!
I
know the Spirit works. I know that coincidences don't exist, and that we
really were an answer to her prayer. God wanted me to have the chance to
meet her, and get to know my future investigator,as a bonus blessing,
but I didn't "make haste" to the prompting.
She has decided that she will be baptized, largely because of this answer to her prayer, this coming month.
I
decided that for the rest of that day I would follow every prompting
that came to me. On our way back home, after doing our paper work, and
going to the temple grounds, I felt the need to ask the driver of the
bus if we could put the Restoration movie on (as very frequently the
movies they play very inappropriate). He kindly said yes and we watched
with all of the people there in the bus. I was going to leave it at
that, but when the movie ended I had a strong feeling that I needed to
declare my testimony to the whole bus, everybody in the bus, of Joseph
Smith. I stood up, and almost yelling (in order to be heard over the noise), gave my testimony to everyone
there and explained our church.
I don't know if anyone will ever
be baptized because of that experience, but I can for sure feel at
least that I followed the promptings of the Spirit.
I have
SO MANY stories this week! I will try to tell this one next week, but I
will let you know that, an Elder in my last Zone was serving in this
mission waiting for a visa to go to his own mission in Chile. When I got
here in Ciudad del Este, I found out that the missionaries (sisters)
were teaching his mom! She found out that I was here, and that I was her
son's leader, and immediately asked me to come visit her with my
companion. What a miracle that I can serve the mom of Elder Godoy. We
will be trying to put a baptismal date this week.
Thanks for reading so much! Love you all!
Pictures should come later on today!
Elder Graves
Argentina Posadas Mission
LA IGLESIA DE
JESUCRISTO
DE LOS SANTOS
DE LOS ÚLTIMOS DÍAS
This is Taylor's Dad again:
We never got another e-mail with pictures like we had hoped for, so...I am including several pictures that I haven't previously shared - from just before he left Argentina (sent to me by friends from his mission):
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2. Send letters through the Church Pouch Mail Only postcards or one-page correspondences (no envelopes).
Fold the letter in thirds, secure the long side with tape about one inch in from each end. Do not seal the ends. Stamp and address the blank side as you would an envelope. Use the following mailing address:
Elder Taylor Graves
Argentina Posadas Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT
84130-0150
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3. Physical Mailing Address:
Elder Taylor Graves
Córdoba 1243
Posadas, Misiones 3300
Casilla 12
Argentina
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