Postcards From Paraguay

Today was the best week!

(hahahahaha I just realized I wrote "today" was the best "WEEK"... 

time is weird, but I´m gonna leave that because it´s the realest way to state how time feels here in South America: Weeks are Days, Months are Weeks and Days are YEARS!)

 And "tomorrow" (this week) is going to be even better! 

I don´t really know where to START, but it ENDS with the WEDDING I´ve been stressing over for the past month. 

Viviani Arevalos is a 19 year old Mother of 3 year old Tobias. She has been with Anibal (the 21 year old Papa) since they were 7 years old.  She´s gone to all the curches (JW´s, Catholics, Iglesia de Belen, ones where they wear Headcovers, Pentocostal... Everything) However enjoyable some parts of each of these sects were, she always felt something missing. One day she saw two "mormon" missionaries go to the house of her neighbor (who is like her distanct cousin twice removed or something) After they left, She (Viviani) went to the cousin´s house and asked for their number. She called them and asked if they could visit her. 

 (This was Hermana Bautista and her comp before me, Hermana Ballon) When I came into the picture (with Hermana Bautista), Viviani had come to church once and really liked it, was reading the Book of Mormon and progressing right up until the Big Brick Wall of the LAW of Chastity (living with a member of the opposite sex to whom you are not leagally wed is a No-No) 

Hermana Bautista informed me that her partner, Anibal, was VERY shy and was more comfortable speaking Guarani. He also worked a night security job so he slept during the day and never wanted to listen to us. We had ups and downs and Vivi came to church a couple more times. She wanted to get baptised. We explained she could leave Anibal or marry him.  Their relationship had strayed a bit. He was always tired, never attentive, and she felt he was a stranger who lived in her house and during the day he slept in her bed. On the other hand, She still loved him very much and said she couldn´t picture life with anyone else.  She didn´t know what to do. 

We taught her that fasting with purpose and faith is a powerful way to amplify our prayers. She said she´d do it and we set an appointment to return and see how it went. When we arrived we found out she wasn´t there because her mom had fallen ill and she went to visit her.  BUT there was Anibal, awake and alone (so no pressure for forced answers). I made some awkward jokes in Guarani. then We asked him what he wanted in life... "I want to marry Viviani and be a good Dad for Tobias" 

HALLELUAH!! Seriously. 

Then the insanity commenced. He started listening to us, came to church and the WEDDING PLANS began! As they kept their commitments blessings began to be POURED out along the way including; all of the sudden he got a new job offer (they´re still working out the final details but pray that soon he can have a job where he has more family time) She found a BUNCH of money just laying in an empty field one day with NO one around. His cousin GIFTED him a CAR! [IM NOT KIDDING!] And there was a new spark between them. She said he began texting her after he came to church on Sunday saying things like "Idk how its possible but I love you more and more every day and I can´t wait to marry you". He was no longer a Work-a-holic zombie stranger. There was Love at home! We had a scare when they decided they needed more money to have a wedding so Viviani was going to get a job working Monday to Monday and stop going to church for a while and they could get married within two to three Months! (Especially because their families live far... His parents don´t like her, Her mom felt a little sad that she doesn't want to be Catholic... basically Not too much family support was on it´s way) 

So she felt she really needed a job and the only jobs availible require you to work Sundays. NO! We don´t want to stop keeping one commantment (Dia de Reposo) to be able to complete with another (ley de castidad) All of them. You should keep all of them! We promised we would help and that the ward was very willing to do everything. This was  a HUGE bite of WAY more than we could chew on our own. 

 Noelia Solis (a Return Missionary who came home 3 weeks earlier from Peru) became a Miracle in human form. SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Together we organized the service project to clean up their yard and get it "wedding Ready" (with the Young Single Adults as the helping hands) Noelia bought fabric, beads, sparklies etc and in TWO DAYS made the most beautiful perfect dress for Vivi. We borrowed pants from the Elders, a shirt from Joel (Noelia´s Brother), A Suit coat from Noelia´s Dad to dress the Groom. We borrowed and gathered and put up all the Decor. We painted nails and did hair "practices" (this was my job so it´s important) We went door to door  to the members and explained "we´re having a wedding and we need a cake, can you donate A:flour B:eggs C:butter or D:sugar etc....  Hermana Gimmenez offered to make the cake. (THANK YOU) The Primary President offered to be our cake decorator (THANK YOU HERMANA SUARES) We called the judge. We assigned the witnesses and told them what they needed to bring.

 EVERYTHING! I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT ELSE BUT SERIOUSLY EVERYTHING WAS CRAZY AND I WAS GOING LOCA AND BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 

Every hour every second was plan. We would have a lesson at one place and then we would run to Hermana Gimmenez house to get the cake and contact people on the way to 

Hermana Suares house to drop off the cake and we can plan the week tonight and another lesson on the way home and blah blah CRAZY! 

THEN - Our other investigator, Marcos Sanchez (16 years old), called and said "I want to get baptized Tomorrow (the day of the wedding!) It was CRAZY! We planned an interview and a baptism and we were seriously running around like chickens without heads.

 Our District leader didn't have the keys to the church so we had to go to a members house for the interview. The electricity was out. The interveiw was by candle light!

 In the end, his bastism is going to be THIS coming Saturday, but still worth noting that we had a CRAZY Friday and I barely slept, not because I wasn´t DEAD tired, but because the WEDDING WAS THE NEXT DAY! 

We woke up early and went and did more cleaning and decorating and taught lessons to Vivianis relatives in between (they just sat and drank Terrere while we all worked, WHATEVER). But her Mom (who is actually her Grandma) ended up coming!...She even did work and cooked a bunch and wasn't mad anymore that Viviani was not Catholic.
Viviani´s cousin, who is very flamboiant, at one point blasted Shakira and he did a belly dance and it was very memorable and HAS to be noted because it was so crazy and Hermana L and I didn´t know what to do but we almost died. Also He went around all day with ice cream in a bowl and fed all of us spoonfuls... so... I guess you could say he helped. 

Then we went to Noelias house to get the bride ready and her ride was supposed to come at 6. We were ready at 6 The bride looked BEAUTIFUL and Loved her hair (me), dress (noelia) and makeup(Hermana Linares) The judge was at the house around 6 but the ride was no where to be found... THE GROOM WAS AT THE SUPERMARKET. The judge got mad and threatend to leave.  The bride got  nervous. I got nervous. 6:30-  I was just sitting on a chair closing my eyes and trying not to explode from the inside out. More phone calls from people at the wedding. "The judge is pissed" "I KNOW" deep breathes. 3 very memorable prayers Noelia RE-decorated the cake, made a tie for Tobias and a bow for the car (in like 5 seconds ... really... it was crazy) 6:35 all the sudden Noelia was showered and dressed and adding yet MORE to the cake and making a flower arrangement. Idk whats happening. 

HONK HONK THE RIDE WAS THERE! 

We grabbed the cake. Hermana L started filming the insanity. We got in the car (our Ward mission leader was driving, not the groom) The car began to malfunction and an alarm went off. While Hermano Dominguez and Vivi fixed the alarm Noelia JUMPED out of the car and all the sudden the car had a Giant BOW on it and streamers on the side and stufff... idk ... CRAZY! The honking stopped. Noelia was back in her seatbelt and we were on our way. We arrived and Hermano Dominguez parked in the wrong spot. The women in the car were like " NO NOT HERE OVER THERE BLAHHHHHH " Crazy! He backed up and parked in "the right spot" according to all of us locas! He opened the door for the bride. She walked down the Isle.  Noelia disappeared and reappeared with Tobias in a shirt and tie that... I HAVE NO IDEA where she got them from!!!! 

Viviani and Anibal got married. 

I took pictures. Hermana Bautista and Hermana SANTOS!!!!! (they are companions now! CRAZY) were there. Then they left super fast. Noelia was babysitting and playing with all the kids! The couple shared their first kiss, then cake, then dance.  Awwwww cute.... Then all the sudden Noelia is in the kitchen making plates of food for everyone and doing everything! Hermano Dominguez is cooking the Pork. Then we had to leave and we said "see you tomorrow" to Vivi. She was like... Maybe. What? no- no nonononoonononono NO WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAYBE? well there is alot of cleaning up to do and maybe well just come Next Sunday.

  I told Miguel and Noelia that Vivi was disanimado to come to church tomorrow. Then We gathered all the borrowed stuff (suit, plates, the little cake toppers etc) and left... because we´re missionaries, We have rules and bedtimes! We got to church. They didn´t come the first hour.  We called. Vivi said that Anibal was too tired. He had gone to work after the wedding and was DEAD asleep. 

(Anibal faltaba 1 asistencia) She said it was "impossible", They weren't coming. 

 Hermana Linares and I found an empty classroom and prayed for a miracle. We went to our next class.  Then, BOOM, We see Noelia´s giant smiley face waving at us through the little windows the church door´s have. She was motioning us to "come here" She said she had stayed and cleaned EVERYTHING the night before. She took down ALL the decor. She washed ALL the Dishes. She put up all the chairs (with the help of the YSA, but I've seen her work. I KNOW she did MORE... WAY MORE than expected) She said with a smile "I did it so they wouldnt feel like there was too much to do in the morning and could come today!... where are they?" We told her. "Well lets go get them then" We prayed again and went to get them (Noelia´s Dad driving) 

They got dressed and... 

CAME! THEY CAME! THEY WERE HAPPY AND IN LOVE AND THEY CAME. 

They just needed a little push. Everyone congratulated them on their marriage. Marcos shook their hands and said "We are all going to get baptised on Saturday!" And he is right We´re going to have 3 baptisms on Saturday- Marcos Sanchez, Viviani Arevalos de Alvarez, and  Anibal Alvarez. 

I tried to put in a lot of details so that the miracles were as clear to the reader as they were to me.  I have NO idea HOW everything worked out. Seriously.... but I know it was by the hand of God .... 

& Noelia! hahahahhahaa. 

I am so happy! ALSO MARIA JOSE gets back from her vacation this week! So we can visit her TOMORROW! The ward finally took the sacrament to Hermana Mensia! Samu is going to baptize Marcos!!! AND I got a package from home this week. 

 God bless us, Every one!

 XOXO Lib