October 25, 2010

Hola Familia,
Well I was reading your letter. Thanks. I could really tell that I had to be With Élder McKee. I think I was put with him for a reason. I did all I could to help him and to support him. I'm sure the wording that I am using and the tenses that I am using sound a little weird but Élder McKee left on Wednesday, and on Friday I left Mburucuya. That area is now the area for the Assistants. I left right after my time with him. I learned so much in those 2 weeks there. He became a real good friend. The doctors don't know what is wrong so they sent him to the States. But one night we finished companionship prayer and we just started talking and came to the conclusion that the Lord needs him somewhere else and it’s true the way of thinking for the Lord is a lot different than the way of our thinking. During the time that I was helping him I was on the phone a whole bunch with President and Hermana Madariaga during those 2 weeks and one time President Madariaga was thanking me for what I was doing and he was really sincere in what he said. Then the night that we got changes I called Hermana Madariaga thanking her and talking about the fact that I was put in Mburucuya for a reason that we could really understand. My testimony has really been growing lately from the experiences that I have been having.
But like I did say I am no longer in Mburucuya and you probably want to know where I went, right? Well it was nice to be close to the office. One time you mentioned something, while I was in Emboscada, like ¨Its so nice that you are so close to Asuncion, but I guess one change could change that right?¨ Now I am here to say Yup! It was really nice to be close to Asuncion. Right now I am in a city called Concepción. If you can find it on the map, it is a little further away than all my other areas. I got here Friday night after an 8- hour bus ride!!!! So looks like I will be experiencing a different part of Paraguay. The Paraguay River is in my area, the big river that runs through Paraguay. But something cool is that Élder Jolley, my MTC comp., is in another area here too so I have been seeing him around here. I am in Concepción 1, Élder Jolley is in 2 and the district leader is in 3. My new companion is Élder Arzate from California. I haven’t been here for too long but I have already had a cool experience. During my last week in Kennedy, the other 2 elders that were in our ward had a baptism of a family- a baptisim and a wedding. It was a really cool family and I was at church for their confirmation. Well I left for Emboscada and went on my way then my first day here Élder Arzate was telling me about this awesome family that lives here, his favorite family It was the last visit we had for the night. We walked in the house and it was the same family!!!, a family I knew in Kennedy! Wow I was so awestruck, it was amazing!
The two elders in the photo -one is Élder McKee and the other is Élder Ulises Villalba a member from Benjamine Aceval who I worked with in Mburucuya.
Mom, Dad thanks for everything you do for me. I love you guy so much. You two are such examples in my life. I have been growing a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ during this time and I am going to start “Jesus the Christ” which will boost my testimony, I know.
I have I love for the Paraguayan people. There is a special place for them in my heart. I was talking with Élder McKee one night and we were talking about divine mission calls and I mentioned that how, when I received my call that said I was going to Paraguay, I had an instant witness that that was the right place for me to go and there is a reason that I had to go here.
I am sincerely thankful for everything. This time is special for me- this time that I get to wear a plaque that has our last name and the name of our Savior. Thank you.
Love, Élder Lucas Rodgers