Villeta, service, dirt and shovels

Highlight of the Week: Service! I love dirt and shovels and Paraguay.

Villeta is a port town (is that how you say it?) So the people here make a living off of fishing or working in the big old factories that have set up shop nearby. And right now the river is rising. So many people are moving and building lean-to type structures on higher ground. We were able to help one of our recent converts build their house this week (in skirts, cause hey, that`s what Hermanas do :), and tomorrow we`re going to help them move and finish it all up. They have a boat that they use to cross the river and buy mandioka in Argentina (apparently it`s better in Argentina)

It`s windy here, so all the boys run around with pandorgas (kites)  made out of plastic grocery bags. I might make one today :)

I MADE GNOCHI!!!! I think that's how you spell it. It's pasta made out of potatoes, it`s delicious, and I figured out how to make it :) I don`t think it`s strictly Paraguayan. Maybe more from Argentina or Brazil. . .

Hermana Puma does not like Avocado Pie. Pobrecita :)

Ah. Yesterday I ate morcilla (along with nearly half a cow too. . . gotta love asado). It's a type of sausage thats really really dark in color (scarily dark. . . nearly black) and I`ve seen it around plenty of times, but never had the courage to try it. Or to ask what made it so dark. But yesterday we had dinner with the Branch President, and I figured that if the President was serving it to us, it couldn`t be that bad. . . but I didn`t let them tell me what it was until I had finished it. Turns out it tastes pretty good, and it`s really good for you. . . especially if you`re anemic. Make sense, since they told me afterwards that it`s made out of blood. Not sure I'll be able to eat it again. Not sure I'll need to :)

My companion and I have begun to read the Book Of Mormon in Guarani. We don't understand any of it. But give us another 4 weeks.

I love being a missionary! and the Tupao Jesukristo Mangaratukuera Arapahapegua is true!

goodbye to the city

Highlight of the Week: Returning to el Campo! 

I`m in Villeta!!! Villeta is little, beautiful, and in a bend of the river Paraguay. So I`ve said goodbye to the city and busy streets of Monte Lindo and I`m back to walking with cows and listening to the Relief Society lessons in guarani :) I`m quite content. I`m apparently the first Nortamericana in the branch though, so all the members have preconceived notions of sister missionaries from the states. . . we`ll soon fix that :) 

The weird thing is that most of the streets in town are paved. . . the first few days I kept thinking every few minutes, "where are all the rocks?!" 

My companion is Hermana Puma from Lima, Peru. That makes three of five companions from Peru. . . guess that means I`ll probably get around to visiting Machu Pichu after all :) She uses the word "Rayos!" a lot. So when I come home doing the same, don`t be alarmed. 

What I hadn`t realized I`d missed so much was the smell in el campo ( grass and burning things :) and all the crazy random weeds. I`ll give more details next week :)

Love you all! Keep reading the scriptures and going to church! :) 

 

life is good

Highlight of the Week: One of our contacts came to church! On her own! Yes!

Short and sweet: It`s cold, but the sun came out this week, and life is good. 

Paraguayans like to give their trees `haircuts` and sometimes I have to just tell myself it`s ok, because with the way things grow here it`ll be back to normal in a year or so. 

Pomelo season is over, but I`ve heard there`s another mango season coming. . . 

We have cambios tomorrow! I`ll let you know more about that next week. 

This weekend was COLD

Highlight of the Week: Luz`s baptism!!!

We had a baptism this week! Two sisters from Kaaguazu moved into our area about a month ago and had been on the brink of baptism with the elders there. . . I feel so blessed to get the opportunity to finish what they started. 

The winter has finally started. This weekend was COLD. But the church is still true, and though the palm trees seem to be mocking us under our layers of coats and mountains of scarfs, we are still going to keep finding people (mostly the people who don`t mind the cold :) 

We had a lesson with our investigator Jorge this week. Half way through he pulled out and put on his Jedi robe (this was before it got cold. . . :) I`ll be working on Star Wars/gospel references this week :) 

I ended up slightly melting my shoe on the calientador - but it`s still my favorite household appliance.     

Today I will by boots, because now I understand why I need them. Repentance is a wonderful thing :) 

Che aro`y pero rohyhu!!!

(tengo frio, pero les quiero!!! :) 

(I`m cold, but love you guys! )

 

 

 

 



Bautismo!!​!

 

I can't figure out how to rotate this one.  :(

 



  



calientador

Laundry

Highlight of the Week: Intercambios with the Sister Leaders! (there`s life outside of Monte Lindo?! :)

I`ve decided to learn how to do my own laundry (ok, ok, I know how, I just don`t like spending my p-day time doing it. . . ) we`ll see how that goes :) And we had 4 investigators come to church this week!!! We`re working aful to get them all baptized before the end of the month. We`ll see what happens :) 

Sorry it`s short this week!  

Paraguay Asuncion Temple

 

 

 

(Rachel's May 5th letter)
 

Highlight of the Week: Going to the Temple. Totally worth the crazy bus ride and lack lunch time. 

 

Ah! The temple is so amazing! The Paraguay Asuncion temple is really small (I think it`s the same design as the Columbus Ohio temple) but absolutely beautiful, and exactly what I needed to re-focus my eternal perspective. 

 

Noteworthy items of the week include:

 

2 chicas (12 and 13 years old) from Caaguazu moved into our ward this week. They`re on the brink of being baptized, and I`m pretty sure the elders in Caaguazu are a little distressed. But we`re going to take good care of them, promise :) They definitely test my language skills though. . . they talk faster in Español than I can think in English (let alone Spanish :) 

 

Overheard the Backstreet Boys yesterday. Good stuff :) Also Stereo Hearts. . . I told my companion I know every single word. She thinks I was rebellious before the mission :) 

 

ok, humor the geekiness, just for a little bit :)

 

"Which chapter in Alma explains the purpose of life, the universe, and everything?" 42!!! :) 

Visitor's center

(Rachel's April 28th letter)
Highlight of the Week: Centro de Visitantes en la Capilla! (we made the church into a mini Visitor`s Center)
 



all of the missionari​es that helped out with the visitors center in the chapel

Before I got my call, when I first began thinking of going on a mission, I had this fear that I`d get called to be a Visitor´s Cener missionary. But I`m pretty convinced now that I would love it. It`s challenging, hard work, and I`ll admit I`d need a lot more practice if I were to do it full time. In a visitors center you only get a limited amount of time to help your visitors feel the spirit and learn something. And they come in groups, so it takes a lot of skill and tact to meet the needs of every individual. . . but it`s so great! We got to teach nearly all the lessons in about 10 minutes, and the members were bringing in the people! yes! Pretty much a fantastic activity.
 

Nosotros y el Cristus!

 

This week I discovered:

 how to make Pomelo slushies this week. (grapefruit. . . mas o menos)

a deep passion for shining my shoes. . . (who knew it could be so fun?)  

 that jump-roping (how do you spell that?) is great when your companion can`t run and you`re sick of ab-workouts. 

And we get to go to the Temple tomorrow! There are no words (not in English, Español, nor Guarani) that can express how happy we are to go :)

 

A lot of the women of Monte Lindo. . . this photo`s a few months old. . .

my companion Hna. Zuñiga in the middle of Calle Ultima :)

Eating chipa for Easter. . . it`s a little tough on the teeth, but hey, tradition :)