Postcards From Paraguay

Alright well... Hermana Linares and I dropped like all of our investigators because they really were not progressing.

We got ready for a new week, our last FULL week together. We went to District meeting.

There were Changes.

Hermana Linares had to go to a new Area with a WEEK and a HALF left of her missing. QUE PUCHA!

We cried and mourned. She is my best friend. I miss her terribly (but I saw her today! YAY! haha we´ll get to that)

My new comp is named Hermana Fardos (first name Lauren: Facebook-stalk away). She is from Cali, but her extened family on her Dad´s side is from Argentina (Buenos Aires, Lujan y Córdoba). She had always been AROUND castellano, but never SPOKE like really... so... She is stayed in the CCM for 6 wees, but she is not like Gringa-tastic with her accent. I like her. We talk about cool stuff and work hard and she is like a natural at teaching. She does crossfit so we have been working out and eating better. She made me this sweet cabage breakfast burrito this morning for breakfast, which was SWEET because we had been fasting and my blood sugar was WAY low and I was like going to pass out, but I woke up and BOOM there was food.... Oh yeah and did I mention she is a Greenie? hahaha Thats right folks, I am training! FELICIDADES to ME for being a Mamá!!!!! Well ACTUALLY I am a Madrastra because She already has half her training with a different Mom, but... whatever. It still counts. 

Our first day was weird because everyone kept calling to verify plans for farewell dinners with Hermana Linares and I had to be like "SE FUE" and it sounds like she ran away basically. Then the next day was like Super hectic because we had a temple history/baptisms visit scheduled for our recent converts, but since Linares wasnt there I had to call ALL the shots, make ALL the plans and make up how to do FAMILYSEARCH.ORG stuff. I did well and played it cool. 

The mission rule is you can go to the temple with the converts you taught IF they do their own names. So Hermana Linares could come. We did divisions and I was back with my LINARES!!!! I love that Colobian so much! EVERYTHING that could go wrong did (lost recommends, names not in the computer yet, husbands going missing right when they should be on their way, cars getting stuck in mud, lights falling off a cars, members complaining because they´d been waiting long... etc) but Analía (the 16 year old who LOVES the gospel and the scriptures) was like "People might have harsh thoughts right now, but if we are patient and have faith, we will all remember this day as a beautiful memory of our first time in the temple"

I love her so much. 

When we were finally in the car and on our way we pulled out our hymn books and praised Heavenly Father from our hearts. It was cool. 

I love the temple.

Then we ate Ice Cream. I like Ice Cream.

It took us forever to get home, but this member (who was a Snake, but its cool cause he helped us) like paied for our bus fare and took us all the way to Luque  and then when we got there we found out it was 20 minutes out of his way. His name is Paul and he served in Brazil. Anyway. We met up with H. Fardos and the comp of H. Linares and waiting for the bus. Well the bus we needed wasnt running anymore so we just got on a different bus and trusted the driver when he was like "I will leave you where you can take a different bus to Mariano". I was like... KINDA scared, because Im a mom so if we die its my fault. But... it was cool (keep in mind its getting LATE). Then when we got off where the bus driver said this redheaded lady (obviously not NATURAL redhead, but whatever thats not important) told us she was going on the same bus to Mariano Too! and that we could follow her. We were literally GUIDED home the whole way. Thanks God! :) He loves me.

The rest of the week was pretty regular. Pray that Mirtha can stop being scared of what her family might think and trust in the Lord. Then ACT on faith... even though its hard. She is supposed to get baptised this Saturday. 

Today we went BOWLING again with Hermana Linares, Hermana Beta, Hemana Fardos and Familia Samanigeo because the Presidente gave us permission since My Linares is leaving next Tuesday. It was so fun! Before we bowled we bought some "chinese" food, something I havent eaten for a LONG time because in china I ate chinese food, not "chinese" food (authentic vs not) and when I came home from china I didnt hit up Panda Express so much (I think I might´ve like once but I cant remember) 

ANYWAY, it wasnt the BEST "chinese" food, but I was so happy. They also had scrabbled eggs with tomatoes which is a typical chinese (authentic) dish. I had some and missed China. I talked to the oriental guy in Chinese a little bit and was so proud of myself. I told him I wanted Ice cream,counted to 10,told him that I love my family, that I was a teacher, that I love Jesus, sang him a song and asked him where he was from (in MADARIN!) :) He was Taiiwanese so he didn´t know the words to the song I sang him but he smiled and said it was very traditional in China. It was weird to talk to a tawaiinese guy in spaniese (Chinese and Spanish mixed). Also while we were in the "city" we heard someone speaking english. We contacted her and her German boyfriend and invited them to watch "EL es la DADIVA". He asked if I knew any German, I told him I loved him in German... because thats all I know. But we could say I contacted people in German, English, Chinese and Spanish today.... AND whilst riding TO bowling Samu and I were speaking in Guarani. I like languages. No matter what went down at the tower of Babel, I am going to try to talk to everyone and tell them what I know. I know that Jesus is the Christ and was send to earth to show us the way home to our Father in Heaven. My goal for December is to get to "know" this fact on a deeper spiritual level. Faith is wonderful because it is never full grown! I am still focusing on faith and it makes my days brighter. 

Faith isn´t easy, but it´s the happiest choice. Life is hard, but the Gospel isn´t. The world is complicated, but God´s plan is simple. Satan has power, but we win in the End!

Pray for me and my hija!

Xoxo Hermana Valenzuela cabeza de Ciruela