The Guarani Language: Ava Ñe'e

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Posted by Facebook on Friday, December 5, 2014

Post Mission P-Day

~Highlight of the Week: ROLANDO GOT BAPTIZED!!! ~

So. . . missionaries like Mondays a lot. 

And as I was nearing the end of my mission my companion and I realized that my Mondays were about to change (which is silly, because so much more than that changes :) and the number of Mondays I would really be able to enjoy were becoming fewer and fewer. . . 

Except I happened to get a job that gives me Mondays off :) 

Like a post-mission-p-day. 

I love it.

So this is what I did this post-mission-p-day:

We found a giant beehive!! I have never seen one open before. . . 

but apparently that's what wild beehives are like.
I just assumed they'd be like wasp nests and have a papery covering. . . 

This is a baby saguaro cactus 

I ran into one of these cacti THREE TIMES on this hike. I'm just not used to the flora fighting back. . . and I guess I don't keep my hands within the trail at all times :) 

I guess I like Arizona.

(when it's 80 degrees and everything's flowering :) 

Post Mission Post

~Highlight of the week: Sending letters to Paraguay. Hands down. ~

I will admit I've been avoiding this wrap-it-all-up post for longer than I should have. . . but only because it feels like writing a THIS IS THE END post makes it permanent. (less temporary :) And I've been under the impression that one of these days I'm going to wake up in Paraguay again. . . like going home is just a neat little vacation and then I get to continue with life as I've known it for a year and a half. . .

wouldn't that be nice :) 

BUT I started work today, and that makes real life seem all so much more REAL. 

So. I'll admit it. I'm home. 

And THIS is what I've done with my time :) 

• Ate Chinese food 
• Went to the brand new Gilbert Temple
• Gave my homecomming talk (ALMOST without the spanish slipping out)
• Road trip to California
• Cut down half an avocado tree
• Ran A LOT
• Caught up on Studio C
• Candied Kumquats
• Volunteered for Ragnar (en la madrugada)
• Watched FROZEN (Elsa stole my hairdo)
• Went to the singles ward. . . 
• Discovered a Spanish radio talkshow (that gives relationship advice ;)
• Rediscovered thrift shops :) 
• Got a job

But I still feel like I should kiss all the sister's cheeks at church. And refer to U.S. citizens as nortamericanos. And throw the toilet paper in the trash. And plan every hour of every day in my planner. . .

:) 

Missions are like telescopes.

(and I'm going to leave you all to think about that, because saying anything else starts sounding WAY to cheesy. . . :)

Last post from Paraguay

Highlight of the Week: WE HAD 3 PEOPLE IN CHURCH!!!! 

We haven`t had investigators in church for nearly 2 months. So it was a good way to end the mission. 

One of our investigators was a reference from one of the young men from another ward. He decided to attend our ward to `surprise` her (our investigator) and then Hna. Palombo and I were stuck in a very very third wheel-ish situation the whole way back to her house. . . I didn`t think that was possible on the mission. But it is. You`re just a bigger third wheel when you`ve got a companion :) 

One of our recent converts has decided to study. . . how do you say it? Painting nails? She painted our nails a really interesting clear-florescent color. And apparently if you put garlic in your nailpolish it makes your nails stronger. And so now our nails smell like garlic. :) Luckily not very many people get the chance to smell the fingernails of sister missionaries. So it`s all good ;) 

Second to Last Week in Paraguay

Highlight of the Week: 3 people with a baptism date. . . yay!

And breaking our fast with Italian pasta. . . only in the Rivarola Family`s house :) 

Well, the wife of our investigator Jorge finally told us yesterday (in the middle of the prayer) that his name is actually Rolando. Oops. I have no idea where Jorge came from.

But we`ve been calling him that for a good week now. :)

Good thing he doesn`t seem to mind, and still wants to get baptized. :) 

I think we finally conquered the ants in our apartment. we THINK.

But we stocked up on more ant killer just in case :)

But we have been so clean these days it`s not even funny. 

We were just talking the other day about how the worst of summer is probably behind us, because it hasn`t been so hot. . . and then yesterday it was 42 degrees Celsius. . . what is that? 107 F, or something? It was just stinking hot. And then it rained. And then it was even hotter :)

I love Paraguay. 

My favorite moments in the mission are when the people we`re teaching finish our lessons for us :) Like Suzy, when she told us that she needs to go to church even if her boyfriend tells her not to, because that`s just the devil trying to pull her down (Awe yeah. SHE UNDERSTANDS :) Love it.  

Chocolate, ants, yellow, and Café de Soja?

Highlight of the Week: Nutella Crepes. (bendiciones de la ciudad ;) 

We found Hersey's chocolate chips and nutella in Stock this past week. Really now there isn`t any reason to miss the states :) 

Friday was the blackest day in ant history here in Amambay. We came home to a swarm in our kitchen. After weeks of being meticulously clean. Hna. Palombo was so mad. But after using all the bleach and ant killer and Windex in the house we got it under control. I think they were moving their ant nest, actually. So it`s been better these days. Just a few scragglers now. 

I painted my toenails yellow. But unfortunately yellow is really ugly when your toes are really really white and the rest of you isn't. . . so I had to remove it. Thank goodness fingernail polish remover exists here in Paraguay :) 

One of our less active members gave us Café de Soja to try. We were so excited :) Actually it`s not that bad when it`s got sugar in it. 

Hna Palombo and I have discovered that really a lot of the sounds we make in English are really ugly. Spanish is so much easier. :) (just something you pick up on when you try to explain how to make the `th` sound. . . and why t with s makes ch sometimes. . . :) 

New Year's Eve

We made brownies. from a box. for new years eve.

It was exactly like Christmas. Fireworks at midnight.

 

HAPPY NEW YEARS! December 29, 2014

Highlight of the Week: Seeing Hna Zuñiga and Hna Lino

My compañera and I are now colectivo EXPERTS. Well, almost. At least we got plenty of practice when we went to Ita and back for the Christmas activity. I love colectivos. But they`re better when they pass by when you want them to. 

We went to bed at 9 for Christmas. And then woke up to all the fireworks at midnight.  It`s gonna be the same this week. 

HAPPY NEW YEARS! 

Our CCM district, almost 18 months later :) 

Hna Zuñiga!!! Love that hermana

Paraguayan nativity

Our district

Pan dulce

Mangos



 Elias decorating the Christmas tree. . . so much fun :)

The gingerbread Christmas tree in all it`s glory

Just Pictures from Rachel on 12/22/14

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!

Highlight of the Week: BAPTIZING ELIAS

YES. We pulled it off.

With a whole lot of help from the Lord, and a lot of calling all the members of Amambay

 who have cars. And miraculously our saldo (minutes?) didn`t run out until just before

church on Sunday :) 

 

But Elias is great.

He`s so ready to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints :) 

Elias and family (they`re members)

Us and Elias

 

Other than pulling off a baptism we just saw a whole ton of mangoes this week.

They make the streets dangerously slippery and yellow.

And I made mango jam the other week. A lot of it.

And today I`m going to try my hand at mango bread.

Like zucchini bread, but a bit more tropical :) 

Well, FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!! hay que recordar de Cristo siempre :)

 

Our Christmas tree (made out of the wrapping paper from my comp`s presents. . . she couldn`t wait. . . :)

 

the . . . Palacio? I dunno. A big important building in Downtown Asuncion. . . where the president of Paraguay works I think.

 

 

Christmas plans

Everybody keeps asking us what we`re going to do Christmas

and we tell them we`re going to sleep :) hehehe.

Paraguayans stay up till 12.

We`re going to be in bed, with the air conditioner blasting at that hour. 

He is the Gift

Highlight of the Week: Elias went to church! YES! Next step, the rest of the family. 

Elias is the son of a recent convert, Sonia, who just turned 9 and is so ready to be baptized.

 We`re going to help him with that :) 

Today its almost cold. But the only way to reach that kind of weather here is to suffer a good week or two of unbearably hot humidity. We`ve been honing our freezing-water-bottle skills :) 

And we are just SO EXCITED for this new He is the Gift video. It is so easy to invite the spirit into our lessons with it. December is going to be awesome. 

WE FOUND SNOW. . . but only in the freezer.

 

The first mango of the season :)


 



And this is our jackolantern. So cute :)

 

the package that finally came :)



This is called Inga. It`s kinda weird. But you can eat it :) 

Our district last cambio.




 



The Great Apostasy

Highlight of the Week: Being told we`re going to have an investigator baptized next week :) 

Yep. We got a reference this week from the Elders along the lines of, "hey, This guys come to church 2 times now and is way excited to be baptized next week. . . he lives in your area, good luck!"

So we`ve been working with Andres Smith (the Paraguayans say "Esmít" :) and he is just super ready. So we`ll be pulling off a baptism this Saturday (yaaaaaay) and working a lot with the dear sisters in the ward so that we can finish up the lessons he still needs. 

AAAAand we had cambios this week. I sent poor Sister Ross to the grave (metaphorically speaking, of course) and I am now with Hermana Palombo de Utah. We get along well.

 This is going to be a good 6 weeks :) 

I`ve really been impressed during my studies this week by the fact that the more one knows about world history, the easier it is to clearly see and understand the great Apostasy. 

Maybe I`ll take a history class when I get home. . . :) 

Jackolanterns and Pumpkin Pie

Highlight of the Week: Carving a Jackolantern (no me importa si era tarde :) No! Algo mejor - Hna Puma found a Gospel Principles manual in Guarani. Love that girl :) 

I made pumpkin pie this week. And discovered that Hna. Ross is a bit sensitive to large quantities of pumpkin. Like throwing up kind of sensitive. Can people be allergic to pumpkin?

We ended up staying en casa for the day so she could recover. 

But we made up for it by working crazy hard the rest of week. 

It tormented on Friday, but we stayed in studying because we had a zone meeting Thursday. 

I`m getting near the end of Jesus the Christ. I really want to read the last few chapters, because I know they`re going to be fantastic, but I`m not so excited to not have more of it to read.

Maybe I`ll try it in spanish this time :) 

tini baby frog plague

Highlight of the Week: RAIN. I love the rain. 

The rain is nice, mostly because it`s not the sun. And even though it makes the whole world deathly humid (think sauna) it`s still better than the sun. And luckily it`s been really only raining

 in the mornings when we`re studying. 

And it`s tiny baby frog season. There`s a family of members that lives by the arollo (stream) that runs through our area, and when we went to visit them we discovered that their whole yard is just full of the tiniest little frogs. SO AWESOME. You have to be careful not to step on them,

 It`s like a mini plague of Egypt. :) 

The elders in our ward had a baptism this week, and institute happened to be at the same place and at the same time. . . it was so weird to get a glimpse of the single adult life. . .

I am so glad I have a few more months before I have to worry about all that again :) 

Apple pie and pictures

Highlight of the Week: 2 less active families came to church!

The chapel in Amambay is being renovated, (ok, that`s impressive that I was able to pull that word out of the dusty English archives of my memory, just saying)

and so we have to travel a bit to go to church, and there are a few less actives because of it.

But two families with whom we work came this week! 

Also, Wednesday we taught Hna Cordone to make apple pie. . . but in the process

 I managed to drench the both of us in grasa de chancho.

I promised her that wasn`t normal procedure and that the pie would still taste good,

 but she was a little skeptical. . . luckily yesterday we confirmed that it turned out ok in the end :)

And I will never try to half a really packed bag of melted lard again. :) 

 



me covered in grasa de chancho. . . pig fat :)

making apple pie with Hna. Cordone.. . :)

 

Learning how to dance the Galopera. . . with cantaro. :)



 

Me in front of my new home (well, since three weeks now. . .)



I don`t know if you can see it well, but there`s a chicken with curly feathers in this picture. So cool. 

 

zoom in and crop of the curly feathered chicken



 

 

Hna. Zuñiga (mi hija), Hna Flores, me, Hna Lino (comp. in Villeta) right after General Conference in Ñemby

 



The Gonzales Family



Montse, my almost convert of Villeta