My little brother's mission call

(after reading about his little brother's mission call)
ITALY ROME!!! cherá áh that is puréte y té. I'm soo excited for you. My comp and I watched that video like ten times, we loved seeing moms face. Priceless. I'm a little bummed your not coming to Paraguay, I was going to ask prez Agazzani to let me train you. But that's where the Lord wants you, there are hundreds of people waiting for an elder LaFaye to find them and baptize them. Mom you need to send me a Book of Mormon in Italian. I'm going to learn Italian so I can visit Randy in Rome. Randy keep up the Book of Mormon reading, I'm super excited to hear your experiences in the field. I don't know how much I can help you through email, but I'm here for you man, any questions you have I will do my best to help you. I highly suggest that you go out with the missionaries and learn from them, I wish I did that more.

Well things are going great here. I don't have any news more exciting than Randy's call, but we do have some great investigators right now. Marciel is the homeless guy we have been teaching. Unfortunately he didn't come the last two Domingos. He is super humble and super listo to get baptized, just needs to come to church. 2 weeks ago he was 100% set on going to church, but didn't show, we were a little bummed until we found out why. Saturday night he was sleeping in the park and some cops came and woke him up. They beat him up pretty bad. The cops down here are worse than the crooks from what I hear from the members. Makes me thankfull for the US police force. So he wasn't in shape to come to church. But one good thing came from it, his mouth hurts too bad to smoke cigarettes. Now he has gone 9 days without smoking.
Esteban came to church this week, he is 19. He partys all the time but is really interested in our message and wants to learn a lot more about Jesus Christ. He and his uncle have a fecha to be baptized on the 19th. So does Marciel and 2 other investigadores. The 19th is Elder Geary's last Saturday in Paraguay so it would be great if we can have a bautismo guazú. (big baptism).
Our zone is doing great. 2 elders and the hermanas are tearing it up, but there are a few elders that need some help. But we have some ideas to help the zone find new investigators that will progress. I will tell you how they go.

I haven't recieved the package yet, but I'm sure it will be in by next Tuesday.

les quiero mucho,

Elder LaFaye (Ryan)

Randon I'm so proud of you!!


Fiberglass sculpture of San Jose




Nativity. I am holding a rhino.





sporting the sombrero

 


P-day game of Uno with Elder Geary



Feliz Navidad



hmno Villalba is a black belt master at karate

  
RANDON cherá I love you man. I am soo excited that you are going on the mission. Every one take a guess as to which lucky country gets this kid for 2 years. my guess........CHINA.
My comp received an email from his mom. 2 kids from his hometown received calls to Taiwan speaking Mandarin... until the China mission opens up. It will open up soon and the prophet will send in hundreds of missionaries to explode the country with converts. The last few general conferences have been in preparation for this. Monson and Holland's talks on missionaries seems like it has had an effect as to the number of missionary papers coming in. Then lowering the age to 18 opened the possibilities to many more, and I'm not sure but I heard the MTC shortened the time. Missionaries to the states go 1 and a half weeks, Spanish and other languages go 4 weeks, and Korean, Japanese and other crazy languages go 8 weeks. I should probably repent because I am pretty jealous of the crew that gets to be the first elders thrown into china. I love this work.
Oh dad, one request especial for you. I need some ideas on how to excite and motivate other missionaries. what are some things the football team does before games? Anything from the navy I can do? You are the go to guy when it comes to motivation, so whenever you come across anything, send it my way. Some elders here are just working to work, they need a spark of excitement to get them going. Gracias papa. (quotes are good too)
chau,
elder lafaye
Oh Merry Christmas!



I found an arbol de la navidad!



There are too many miracles to count this week



Ricardo, Pablino, y Pablo

 Ricardo Aguero, Pablino Bogado, y Pablo Aquino were baptized!
First I should talk a little about Valdomiro who was baptized last week. He is the dad of Fernando and Teresa, our recent converts. I almost can't believe he was baptized. We have been teaching him for almost 3 months, and there had been moments where he flat out told us that he will not get baptized. But this man has had a change of heart. What made him commit was the difference that he could see when his family prays and reads together. Their family lacks social skills so they get mad easily when they yell at each other. So he wants nothing more than peace in his family, and when he recogninzed that he could find it as he joins the church, he commited to get baptized.
We have been teaching Pablino for over 3 months now, before Eder Fielding arrived. But he finally commited to get baptized. Really I think the reason why is the love of the members. Loved it when the members would visit him with us, without them there is no way he would have been baptized.
Pablo is a MILAGRO. Pablo is the nephew of Pablino, we have taught him 2 or 3 times a few months ago but was never around much. Friday night when my zone leader came to do the interview with Pablino, I saw Pablo inside and invited him to come sit with me and share a little bit. While Elder Enriquez did the interview, I taught Pablo. I did not know what to share but the spirit guided me 110 percent. I have never been able to follow the promptings of the spirit so strongly. We read 2ne31 and 32 talking about why Jesus was baptized and how to follow the spirits promptings. I asked him how he can follow Him, he responded "change and walk in his path by being baptized." I asked him when is the spirit telling him to get baptized, then after he read alma 7:13-14 (now my favorite scripture), he looked up at me with tears in his eyes and replied "today". In that moment we both felt the spirit so strong, so I invited him to testify to God that he is willing to follow Christ and be baptized tomorrow. He accepted.
The Book of Mormon is the word of God. No other book can make a man feel that way.
el Espíritu Santo es el maestro. So many more details I want to tell from this story, but opá tiempo. (gone in Guarani)
News:
Yesterday we were eating lunch with a family and I got a phone call from president Agazzani. When I saw his name my heart skipped a beat and starting racing my mind as to why he was calling me. He told me I will have a new assignment this change, so I was called to be a zone leader. This term probably has no meaning to you padres, but its kind of like a sergeant in the marines. I was really shocked because to be a zone leader without being a district leader first is pretty much unheard of. (district leader is like a corporal). Ive been looking forward to this opportunity but I'm a little nervous because it came sooner than I thought. But at the same time I have never been more excited to go work hard and show the Lord what I can do. My next comp is about to end his mission in January, so I am sure I will learn a lot from him. I was reading about the parables of the talents this week. I feel that the Lord has given me many talents, so I know He expects a lot from me. I really have never been so pumped in my mission. Presidente Agazzani told me that eventually he wants to put me back as a district leader so I can learn more. With every calling, ZL, DL, and trainer, there are certain things you learn, and he doesn’t want me to go my mish with out learning key things you only get as a DL, so I don’t know how long I will have this calling for, but I will enjoy it for as long as I have it.
ps. response to letter.
So as far as post mission things go, I have been changing my mind almost daily. But as of right now I am planning on working a few months at Hungry Howies or something else local and then starting college in January at BYU Provo (if i get in). As much as I love telling storys to my companions about boot camp, I dont think I will follow the marines. I can't leave my future family to go on tour. I am liking the idea of flying helicopters for the coast guard. They have a similar ocs program to get me through college. Plus living on the beach in southern California sounds like the life to me. Sorry grandpa! The mission has made me soft, but I hope you still love me :) semper fi
Oh and what time do you want to skype on christmas? give me a range of when it is possible for you all and i will confirm when we will go
Mucho amor y love to all,
elder lafaye

Cool Story

Queríamos compartir con ustedes una historia de un viajero que pasaba por una cantera de piedra. En su trayecto, vio a 3 hombres trabajando, y a los 3 les preguntó qué estaban haciendo. La respuesta que cada uno de ellos dio demuestra la perspectiva diferente que los 3 trabajadores tenían de la misma labor. El primero contestó: -“Estoy cortando piedras”-. El segundo hombre dijo: -“Estoy ganándome 3 monedas de oro por día”-. El tercero sonrió y respondió: -“Estoy ayudando a
edificar una casa de Dios”-. Es nuestro deseo que cada uno de ustedes pueda recordar el propósito por el cual está aquí en la
misión, que mantengan una perspectiva eterna y elevada de la importancia de la obra y que puedan trabajar con toda su alma, mente y fuerzas para traer más almas a Cristo.

Cool story-

We wanted to share with you a story of a traveler who passed through a stone quarry. On the way, he saw 3 men working, and asked them what they were doing. The answers that each one of them gave demonstrates the different perspective that the 3 workers had of the same work. The first answered: - "I am cutting stones"-. The second man said: - 'I'm winning me 3 gold coins per day'. The third smiled and said:-"I'm helping build a House of God" - . It is our desire that each of you can remember the purpose for which you are here, to maintain an eternal and elevated perspective of the importance of the work, and do that work with all your soul, mind and strength to bring more souls to Christ.