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

 



 

 

trunky papers

Ok, rapido.

 

I got my "trunky papers" today, which means they`ll be buying my plane ticket home soon. But don`t get too excited, because there's still a good 2 1/2 cambios to go :) 

Ben got to watch Meet the Mormons?! I´m jealous. 

My comp will be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. . . it`s weird. 

It was really hot this week. REALLY HOT. I am going to be so tan. 

New area called Amambay

Highlight of the Week: Our investigators got to listen to the Primary Program!!!

It was perfect. The primary kids perfectly summarized all of lessons 1 and 3,

with a bit of 2 in there as well.

And I need to learn the primary songs in Español si o si :) 

I`m in a new area called Amambay. It`s known to be one of the nicest sister areas. It`s pure city, and almost in downtown Asuncion from what I`ve heard. We plan a lot of appointments, because not a lot of people are ok with just inviting us in on the spot. And the members have cars here. And like to feed the missionaries.

 Life will be quite different this cambio :) 

We live in a building named Tupasy. Tupa is god. Sy is mother. So after looking it up in the guarani dictionary we confirmed that we do indeed live in an apartment complex named after the Virgin.

But we`re chill with that. 

Funny story - I left behind Montse in Villeta. She still hasn`t been able to be baptized because she still doesn`t have her Aunt`s permission. But it just so happens that we`re teaching a 13 year old Monse here in Amambay too! She and her mom came to church this Sunday.

 I`m pretty excited about it :) 

And we ate a really strange fruit this week. I`ve been dying to ask someone what it's called for nearly my whole mission now, and at least now I know what it tastes like :) It was kind of gritty like a really ripe pear. . . but less sweet. And with an odd aftertaste. And lots of seeds. 

half of Women`s Conference

Highlight of the Week: Getting to see half of Women`s Conference :) 

We missed our colectivo Saturday in the morning. So we didn`t get to watch Korean children singing. But we did manage to get our 5 contactos done and get to Ñemby in time to see the last half :) 

I loved conference. (as every missionary does :) And I even watched the last session in Español, which I was pretty excited about. I only had to ask Hna. Zuñiga what an hacha was and what agua portable was :) 

We made friends with a young woman from the next town over who is just really really willing to help us with lessons, which I`m going to count as a small miracle.



learning to dance with cantaros

with the founder of Villeta

The Jara Family

with Hermana Lino

 

Balancing cànteros on our heads

Highlight of the Week: 

The hardest thing I`ve had to do on the mission is chug grapefruit soda. 

We`re learning how to balance cànteros on our heads. It involves a lot of leg strength. We felt like we had done a million lunges on Tuesday. And Wednesday. . . and Thursday tambien :) 

Montse didn`t get baptized. We`re working with her family now. She`s still strong though. 

More next week! 

Getting lost

Highlight of the Week: Zone Conference

We had Zone Conference this week, which means we got to go to Asuncion at 5 in the morning. And I was so convinced we were going to need a good 2 hours to get there, and we ended up getting there in 1. So yay for us we were stuck outside the gates of the mission office for a good hour and a half :) But it`s only because we got lost and ended up catching the 15-3 in front of the Real grocery story in la Floresta instead of in Ñemby. . . it`s a lot closer. And then we took the Lince back instead of 15-3, and it apparently takes the long way. . . but we got to see the campo side of Ñemby, even if the elders were kind of nervous we were going to get lost again :) 

We`re working with Montse a lot right now. She`s been to church 3 times now, and wants to get baptized. . . we just have to help her aunt feel the same :)

So if all goes well and we get the permission we`re going to have a baptism this week. . .

we`ll be praying really hard these next few days. :) 

Running uphill at the end

Highlight of the Week: Befriending menos activos. . . aka rugby match :) 

Montse came to church this week! Yes! She`s great, and she`s now friends with Milena, our favorite Young Woman. :) 

We almost walked under an Opossum. or is it Possum? don`t know. But we probably nearly died. 

The weather has been deciding to change drastically from one day to the next. So if you even it all out the weather is perfect. . . if only it worked that way :) 

We`ve been running in the mornings. Unfortunately we live at the high point in Villeta, and no matter what we do we end up running uphill at the end. Someday I´ll love it :)