Stars are God`s little trees

Highlight of the Week: Two lessons with members we didn`t know. . .

 "have you ever talked with the missionaries?"

"yeah! they baptized me and everything. . . "

"really?!"

 "yeah, but now I`m catholic. . . "  :) 

There`s always room to improve :) 

 

 

Quickly:

 

Our apartment smells like a catholic church because my companion is convinced incense kills mosquitos. I`m not quite convinced. . . 

There are chickens with curly feathers. They are my new favorite animal :) 

The little sister of our investigator told us that the stars are God`s little trees. We`re friends :) 

I was told the story of the Pompero. . . much like the Mexican Chupacabra (which I suddenly realized means something along the line of 'goat-sucker'. . . ) and will never whistle in the night again. 

I tried to crush an egg with one hand, by sheer force. It doesn`t work. I didn`t believe the elders, but they were right. . . 

And just to put it out there, the plan our Father has made for us is amazing. It`s perfectly just, logical, and merciful. It`s based on progress and agency, and it`s completely up to us. Our purpose here on Earth is so simple and beautiful, all we have to do is willing follow what we`ve been given! It can`t be that hard now, can it? :) current favorite scripture: Mormon 9:3-5

Mario and Roberto`s baptism

Highlight of the Week: Mario and Roberto`s baptism!!!

We got to pull off a baptism this week, those are always fun :) I`ll
send pictures next week - three boys 8, 9, and 10 years old. Pretty
sweet. We ended up running a lot though. We forgot the baptismal
clothes in our apartment. Luckily we only live 4 blocks from

 the church :)

I dreamed about cheddar cheese the other night.

Cheese here just isn`t the same. . . I don`t think I even

remember how cheddar tastes. . . and I`m not sure I`d trust any orange cheese

I find here anyway. . .   :)

Alóha means Lemonade in Guarani :)

I`ve managed to memorize half of Ether 12:4 . . . Upévare, umi Tupare
ojeroviáva ikatu añetehape oha'aro petei yvóra iporavéva, hee, jepe
petei tenda Tupa akatuápe. ha ko ñeha'aro ou jerovia rupive, ome'e
jokoha yvypora àngape, . . . and I don`t remember the rest. It`s slow
going, but I`m going to finish reading the BOM in Guarani before I get
on the plane to go home :)

Well, I`ll tell you more about this week`s miracles next week when the
internet isn`t so slow :)

P.S. DyC is fantastic :) I love modern revelation!

A new part of our area, and Chicheron

Highlight of the Week: Checking out a new part of our area we thought belonged to the Elders. . . :)

Antonella didn`t get baptized this week. We had a good long talk about what it would take to get the permission of her parents, and we`ll see what happens this week.

But we are going to baptize Mario on Saturday. He`s 10 and his mom is a member.

They`re in the process of moving to the Elder`s area, but they`re ours for now :)

This week`s been hot-ish. Mostly absolutely perfect. :) I keep waiting for winter,

but it just hasn`t hit yet. . .

I tried Chicheron yesterday. I`m pretty sure it`s pig fat fried in pig fat.

I also memorized my current favorite scripture: Los que creen en Dios pueden tener una firme esperanza en un mundo mejor, si, aun un lugar a la diestra de Dios, y esta esperanza viene de la fe, proporciona un ancla a las almas de los hombres, y los hace seguros y firmes, abundonados en buenas obras, siempre impulsados a glorificar a Dios. . . Ether 12:4 :)

Next week I`ll give it to you in Guarani :)

Antonella

Highlight of the Week: Antonella isn`t moving to Asuncion, and she`s getting baptized this week!!!

Antonella told us Saturday that she was going to move to Asuncion and enroll herself in the police academy for four years. And that she would be leaving Sunday. And then she came to church on Sunday and told us she was staying and was going to get baptized. Maybe she just likes to watch us react to the emotional rollercoaster that put us through :)

I ate cow udder this week. With Antonella. We decided next lunch appointment we would

bring the food :)

We also had exchanges with the sister leaders, upon which Hna. Whitmer and I got to travel in colectivo with a member and her three small children. Niños make colectivos a whole other experience :)

We also happened to pass a peluqueria (hair salon) with a big ol picture of Shaun Spencer from Psych as advertising. . . I had to enjoy the sweet irony alone because no body else knew who he was. . . I love Paraguay :)

And eating strange plants?

Highlight of the Week: We got the Conference issue of the Liahona!!! 

After a week of rain and wet feet, I am thoroughly happy for some sun. It`s actually not the rain that bothers me too much. But mud is tricky stuff. And sometimes stinky too. Luckily I`ve got a nifty pair of fashionable crocs that allow me to splash through all the puddles and street-rivers in Villeta :) 

I did end up battling it out with two broken umbrellas two days in a row. . . and when it came to drawing blood (ok. it poked my thumb. but there was a little blood :) I decided it was worth the 22 mil guaranies for a fully functioning one. So now we have two paraguas that work, and no more rain :) 

me eating strange plants :)

Well, we brought two investigators to church yesterday but lost them before Sacrament Meeting. . . we were kind of sad about it. But we found some new investigators who are ready to learn, so it all works out in the end. 

closeup of said strange plant

(this is my favorite plant in all of Paraguay)

Love you all! Faith is so important! And Mormon 9 is a fantastic chapter.

 

I love Paraguay winter

Highlight of the Week: Making headway in Guarani. . . and finding 10 Brazilian cents :) 

I love Paraguay in the winter. I think I`ll probably end up living the rest of my life in this season, winter in the states for one half of the year, and then for a change of pace I`ll spend the rest of the year enjoying winter in Paraguay :) 

Apparently when you cut your hair here you have to be careful not to leave it on the ground, because if a sapo (frog) ends up eating it you`ll go bald. At least that`s what Antonella, our investigator told us. 

The river is still rising, apparently due to rain in Brazil. I don`t know. I lack a good map to really understand it. 

I prepared an amazing talk for this Sunday . . . then totally messed it all up when I got to the pulpit. But that`s ok because I now have an awesome talk prepared for the next time :) 

The church is true!!! We are here to change and become better! Love you guys!

This is our house (well, in the middle)

This is the river Paraguay, and Hna. Isabel`s boys moving their stuff to higher ground

There`s this green algae that is just so cool. . . gonna figure out how to grow it some day, but not in my house.

 

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!