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.