Elder Goodell and Hermana Valenzuela Reppin St Geezy and Tuna-Can all the way in Paraguay

Elder Lira and I made it 3 months!

Hmn Willis took a photo of me in  the morning....

I took a secret photo of her laughing (I make her lol all DAY)

 Missionary`s Cloud 9 (thanks again all)

 Grandma sent me a photo of this old man... but Idk who he is?

Thank you Wyatt. We listen to your tunes every morning!

Thanks for the hat and the scarf, yo.

Grandma sent me these things and then my eyes filled with water

 just like freakin out cause I love candy (espacially of the mexican variety)

This is Dalila... She is a huricane trapped inside a child. But shes cute and I love her even though sometimes I want to cage her. Also I recently realized that when she talks (constantly) she ISNT just baby talking gibberish... but it is Guarani. 

OH and ps. My guarani is getting so much better. 

Because Ialso have that China Egg Pic... 

Also the temple is great

Goodbye to cold showers!!!

Well another week has passed in Yby Yau. We are doing alright. 

 The stress of everything gets to me until I think it’s all gonna fall over and smoosh me to death, BUT, silver lining... it doesn’t. 

I thank God for that. I pray that my faith may always be stronger than my doubts. Even when I don’t believe in myself, He doesn’t give up on me. I really love Him for that. I try to keep hope and stay positive. I pray to be able to have charity for and faith in the people here, who are really difficult to see progress in, but I try. 

Its hot here. I am trying. I know:  do or do not there is no try... so I am trying to DO and not just try.

Sometime I get really frustrated because I’m not perfect and I question lots of things. I know "you’re supposed to forgive yourself and be patient with yourself".... but I also don’t want to justify my faults. It’s tough to find that fine line and I am so very far from getting there. Luckily, God knew I was not perfect so he sent Jesus Christ to help fill my gaps after all I can do.I have been studying the Atonement and trying to strengthen my testimony in Christ to help me become more like him. I believe in him and have faith that he will help me. 

I am trying to hold on during these trials of my faith because I believe that that is what will one day turn my faith into knowledge.I hope my faith will be enough to pull me through to where I become stronger and therefore more useful in Gods hands. I do not feel like an amazing missionary or even a very good one, but I at least recognize that and am trying my hardest to become one, so that’s something right? He qualifies the called. This is my Qualific-ying period. 

Besides that slightly depressing complaining rant segment- This week was fun. We had a surprise birthday party for Benevante on Tuesday night. We made him a decoy cake for district meeting AND Elder Muñoz made Key lime pie! So ... the decoy party that was supposed to be lame to contrast the cool party, turned out accidentally really GOOD... hahaha then the REAL surprise party just turned out even better!

We began by hiding in the office in the dark, popping a giant balloon filled with rice (Paraguayos call these Piñatas) on E.Benevante and scaring him half to death! Of course we also yelled "SUPPLIES!"

We made our version of "completos"  aka the best Chilean food.... which from what we gathered are just big super good hot dogs with guacamole, tomatoes, mayo, ketchup and mustard. The Chileans appreciated it. It was an all but sacred moment when they beheld the mini-dogs... like... point of tears! So... Success! then we opened gifts (random supplies we gathers from our houses razors, super glue, floss, one box of Sweet Tarts and a Book of Mormon) The Book of Mormon was my idea and it was funny, when he opened it I just started bearing my testimony about how that book changed my life. Jajaja

Then more cake (you’ll be happy to know they do "Mordida" in South America too) and we topped off the party by sweeping up the rice. It was really fun and we all hope it made him forget about his Dear John the P'day prior 

(Bad timing ex'girlfriend from Chile! You should be ashamed!) 

I had my first lunch appointment... which fell through, but we were still at his house so his mom who only speaks Guarani gave up a plate of beans and rice to share. We felt kinda bad and offered to bring HER American lunch tomorrow! She said yes and we showed up with all the makings for Chicken Alfredo... we made it all in her kitchen but there must’ve been a language mix up because after a while she came in with a Puchero (stew)! We had lots of food and I don’ t think she liked ours.

Then the Menos Activo who lives there came home and was shocked to find us in HIS kitchen. We welcomed him in, made him a plate of food. Then cleared and did the dishes. I think he thought we were nuts and probably said "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE" to himself in Gurani. hahaha it was pleasantly awkward. 

Conference was a very spiritual headache. 

We cleaned the chapel, made a screen, planned the food, bought the food, set up the projector, planned for the keeping quiet of the children, made the food, served the food, cleaned the food, entertained the kids, and tried to listen in Spanish while taking notes in English and not getting a migraine lather...rinse...repeat for 5 sessions. 

I did hear good stuff that I know will hit me even harder when I read it in my own tongue in a peaceful setting without the ward plus the endless neighborhood hooligans on my shoulders.

But I made it our of this week alive!

And I did hear Uchtdorf´s talk about being grateful and am trying to be grateful for my situations here and all they are helping me to prepare for in the future. 

I hope to come out of my Spiritually Gray Area, Pure and white and stronger! like Gandalf

I am sure he was grateful for the Balrog fight because afterwards he got to be all white and Shiny.

Even though right now if feels like I am falling and I am fighting with all my might, I will try to be grateful for it in the moment, looking forward to the scene where I am Libertee the White. 

Then I too will be all white and everything will be "Shiny Cap´n" 

Until then

RUN YOU FOOLS

juuuust kidding

but 

keep it posi!

I know that tough times are also sent from God to help us grow! Im grateful for mine andeven more so  for all the prayers I have to support me during them.

James 1:22-25 May we all be Doers of all the new words we heard this week during conference and one day level up like Gandalf.

xoxo

Hermana Libertee Valenzuela (the gray)

Ps Today was Pday and we went to the river. We aren’t allowed to swim so guess what I did... SANDCASTLES!

we gave Elder Benavente a Book of Mormon for his Birthday. As soon as he opened it I began testifying how it was a book that had changed my life. ja ja ja

feeling awkward in someone else’s kitchen

test running for conference

sometimes Taylor Holbrook shows up in Mormon Adds and I freak out and yell I KNOW HIM and take pictures

Conference Noodle Necklaces made by Yecily whom did not want to be photofraphed so I "made" her smile... 

Leandro helping me across to Sand Castle Bay (not its real name)

Well here I am, writing you once more and to be honest I'm starting to forget which week is which so these recaps are getting tough. Work this week felt good, long and fufilling. We had less ward-things to prepare for so we had more time to teach and serve elsewhere which was nice. Weirdly enough though, last week we had 5 investagators at church after a week of craziness where we felt we had not sufficiently focused on them. This week we had 0 after a week of hard work, great lessons and commitments to come to church. We even left extra time on Sunday morning to pass by, and call nearly 10 people and none of them came. We set our key indacator goals higher this week so it was a very rewarding feeling of acomplishment when we met more than we had in weeks passed! We worked harder and managed our time better this week. I like it! We have a lot of kind people who accept us which is nice. However, it is hard to know when they are just being nice or when they have potential. Keeping commitments is supposed to indicate that... How soon do we drop someone who doesn't keep their commitments? I don`t want to give up on them, but I also don`t want to waste time if there is someone else ready. How do I find that someone else who is ready? Sometimes I feel like this whole town is just humoring us and no one REALLY listens to this AMAZING message! I feel if they were listening they`d have a lot more questions and interest. I don`t even mean they all need to accept it, but they just say some variation of "God is good" and send us on our way. Is it a language barrier? Are we inefficient teachers? or are they`re ears/hearts just closes/not ready?! How can we tell? Oh how I wish I spoke Guarani! Then I could at least eliminate the question of if it is a language barrier. Regarless, we are doing really well. We are trying to do what the Lord wants and be where her wants us. The rest is in his hands I guess. If no one here learns, I`m learning enough for this whole town combined, so I guess thats something. We will just keep on truckin`, tilling the land and planting seeds and trying our best to find those who are ready to be harvested. The more I teach, the more I learn and the more I learn the more I want to teach! Im setting really cool goals to make myself more useful in Gods hands. Hopefully as I better myself, I`ll see more results. Regarless of the lack of visual (numeral) sucess, I feel really needed here. Not so much ME as this work. These are my brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God, and they NEED what I have! I`m maybe far from perfect at everything, but I sure try to give what I can because I have been given SO MUCH! I love this Gospel. I know it is true. And that will be more than enough to get me through another week :) I love you all and miss your guts! (and the rest of your bodies) Hurrah for Israel! Xoxo Hermana Valenzuela

Well another crazy week has rushed by us here in Yby Yau. At the end of every week we review what we have done and it seems that we are always saying "This week was CRAZY" for one reason or another, but I sure do like it like that.

My favorite of all the crazinesses of this week was our adventure to the Familia Cinturion`s house for Family Home Evening. They missed church last Sunday and when you have ONE active family, you really notice their absence. 

We planned with the Elders to have a Family night on Tuesday with them. Hermana Willis and I, not having the blessings of bicycles, headed out on the 6 kilometer walk up 3 huge hills to their abode. 

Sticky and sweaty and taking turns carrying a cake for Hermano Cinturion`s cumpleaños- we made it! We enjoyed a short video, played games with ties and `the fruit game` while we watched giant rolling deep purple clouds gather outside. When we had stayed the polite amount of time Hermana Willis and I tried to excuse ourselves so that we could get heading back. 

Hermana Cinturion brought out sopa Paraguaya and empanadas. We tried to eat as quickly as possible without turing into the Beast when he tries to eat with Belle in Beauty and the Beast. We said our "Heterei"s (very delicious) and got up to leave and then.....  CAKE. We forgot about the cake. We gobbled down the cake and tried to make small talk as we watched the sun sink and darkness fall over a brewing perfect storm. 

We finally managed to get on our way and faked confidence until we were out of sight. We immediately prayed for God´s help/protection on our scary, dark, and long walk home. We were trying to walk fast to get home before the inevitable rainfall. Not but 5 minutes later the Elders came wobbling to our side on their bikes. I don’t know if they intended to ride by our side the whole way, or if they were just chatting for a bit before riding off, but before I could find out we heard a `mysterious ticking noise`. Elder Muñoz`s back bike tire quit.

Now whether they`d planned to or not, they were accompanying us on our long walk home. E.Muñoz hiked his bike up onto his shoulders and we began to walk. 

But like Igore said to Young Frankenstein "Could be worse." .... "WORSE? HOW COULD IT BE ANY WORSE?".... "Could be raining."

(cue lightning and pouring rain!) 

hahahaha 

In their Sunday best, flashlights and cake-pan in hand, four mormon missionaries made their way down a `drug-trafficking`road near the border of Brazil on a dark stormy night, one with a bike riding HIM. 

We eventually readjusted. Elder Muñoz carried his back tire up while I steered the front. Hermana Willis carried the glass cake pan and Elder Benavente walked his bike and held the light. All this for one Family who had missed church.

And that was Tuesday.

Other adventures occurred, but I can not write all the things which happen for there are many!   

 This week Hermana Willis asked me "What do you think a General Authority would say if he came to our ward?" I thought long about that and about all that we (The missionaries here) do to have a fully functioning ward. I smiled as I imagined President Tommy Monson describing all of our efforts to give the people here our ALL. We recognize the importance of all of the organizations of the Church and take it upon ourselves to make sure we have as many of those as we possibly can. I know you already know, but we do it all here. Primary, Releif Society, Activities directors, Ward council, We give the talks during Sacrament meeting and now we help teach Seminary and institute etc... I joked with Hermana Willis that when we get home we`re going to accept callings by saying "Okay, And what else?...". Sometimes it feels like we are "playing house" but instead we´re playing "church". This week my new "role" was to be a seminary student in Hermana Willis`s class. She taught and I answered all the questions while the other student stared out the window. We do all this on top of the contacting/finding/teaching missionary efforts we also try to get done. Sometimes I get stressed because there is so much to do and so little time, but God blesses me with comfort (Hermana Willis kindly telling me to "SNAP OUT OF IT BUZZ!"). We focus on the task at hand, one at a time. When the weeks come to the close I am always amazed at how much He helps us get done. We really are just tools in His hands and as long as we stay completely obedient and trust in Him, HE will get done the things he needs to get done. 

We found a new investigator this week on Saturday night and, by some miracle, got her to agree (and follow through) to coming to Church on Sunday! I hope she keeps progressing. Her name is Judy Meza. We rode IN A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with her and her boyfriend to church. Church was really great this week.

 Although I have seen little to no of the "Expected"/"normal" progress Missionaries hope to see (investigators progressing and discovering the fullness of the Gospel), I am trying to have hope that this will go somewhere. It´s difficult to picture the `vision` of her (or others) baptism and start of her journey because I`ve still never seen that happen, BUT I don´t have to see to believe that it can happen. I pray and hope and have faith that we are here to help her and many others and so whatever God has planned, He will get done. I only aspire to be ready, worthy and willing to take some part in His marvelous plan. That is all He asks. 

I am still loving daily studies and am flabbergasted at how much there is always left to learn. I am excited to have eternity to learn more about the mysteries of God.

Thank you for your guidance and prays on my behalf. Thank you for Emails and Letters!

We also had Zone Conference this week and when we have Z.Con. we get our letters from the Office in Asuncion! YAY! I got a sweet paper crane and note from Zman and three more Grannee letters with pretty blue birds on them and pictures of flowers and lady bugs. Thanks for those and all the others I’ve received. 

I am sorry I can’t get back to you all individually, but when I physically get BACK to you all I promise to pay you all back with loves and hugs! Keep um` coming! 

I DO read and smile at them all!

XOXO 

Hermana LIBZILLA

Hermana Chempen and I ready for bed on splits in Pedro Juan

Hermana Francois, Hermana Chempen and Hermana Willis and myself

I feel like we harvest Mandioca more than we teach the first vision

Mandioca is LIFE

(There is a saying here "more paraguayan than mandioca"... meaning very Paraguayan)

an "artistic" shot of the elders working ("the field is white")

Us!

Dahiani taking selfies

 Cake from the S.S activity 2 weeks ago

 Romina

 We clean the chapel every week soooooo I thought I'd take a pic for remembrance sake

GROSS GROSS GROSS

 I love my wall of letters!

This week started off pretty crazy and just kept getting crazier...

There was a big storm on Monday and none of the grocery stores were open for us to get our shopping done for the week. Because of the rain, it was harder to find people to teach. We pushed through and got as much done as we could, but it was still a shaky start. I was feeling overly dramatic and weepy. 

On Tuesday, we traveled to Pedro Juan and I stayed there with Hermana Chempene from Peru and Hermana Willis and Hermana Francios from Hati. It was an extremely enlightening division. It sure is different in Pedro Juan. I had the chance to see how other districts work and what it’s like to be a missionary to a well established ward. There was SO much support there. I saw more members in my one day of work than double what we have attending on a good Sunday. I’m not saying this to compare numbers or complain, but rather that I recognized that even within the same mission every area is REALLY different. Also, there are good and bad’s to Everything. It’s AWESOME the support they had there, but as a result of the lack of ward here in YBY YAU we have a very close district that works wonderfully as a team with a focused unanimous goal! 

Hemana Chempene was awesome and I loved having a Latina companion for a day. It forced me to speak Spanish all day, but I didn’t mind! I was so thrilled that people there understood Spanish! More often than not in Yby Yau they speak more Guarani and can only understand very simple terms and small talk in Spanish. It was so wonderful to teach a lesson and feel like they understood! On the other hand it was hard not to start speaking in the little Guarani I do know, out of habit. I was pleased with the reactions of the people there when I did speak in Guarani. They seemed extremely impressed by my Guarani and grateful that I was trying to learn a language that is so close to their hearts and such a part of their culture. The best part was when they disbelieved my "mission age" because I spoke Guarani and Spanish WAY too well to only have 3 months (ok ok enough bragging... :) but it did make me feel like a million bucks )

 I loved the whole exchanged and learned a lot of new things. My overall impression was that I still have plenty to experiences to have and even more to learn here in Paraguay, but I am certain I already knew that. The more I learn the more I recognize how little I know and how much I have left to learn. I´m starting to wonder if 18 (now 15) months is long ENOUGH!

I also gained alot of HOPE from the divisions. The hermanas apartment was really lovely so I hope for a change with less rats in my future and... get this--- HOT WATER! Someday I will get to have a hot shower once more! PRAISES!

I gained hope that I AM learning way more Guarani than most/is expected so thats nice because I was feeling like a Do-Do here in YBY YAU only being able to pray and small talk and share my testimony that ñanda ha`e Ñanejara ra`ykuera!

I gained hope that I actually dont suck as bad as I thought at Spanish AND that I will rapidly learn more as soon as I get a Latina Comp again.

I gained hope that there are towns that aren’t located in Satan’s Armpit (aka it wasn’t so blasted hot there)

I sat on a COUCH!! I had a LUNCH appointment!!!!!!!!!!!!! I RODE IN A CAR!!!!! It was the fanciest experience of my life and I felt like My Fair Lady. 

When back in Yby Yau, Hermana Willis and I got back to work. In fact I was welcomed back to the country by diving into the dirt and pricklies of Lorenza´s mandioca feild again! It felt good to get down and dirty again! I`m happy to say I felt at home! (well like...Paraguay home). I guess my little `Eat Dirt` town is growing on me.

 We, as you know, ARE the ward here and so this week we planned,prepared and executed a Relief Society activity somehow between our regular missionary resposibilities. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to not be the Ward Council, Primary President, Relief Society Committee and Activities Committee and "just" be a missionary. I understand , of course, that this IS part of being a missionary, especially in areas where that support and help is needed for the Ward. Sometimes I get discouraged though, feeling as though I have so much I wish I could give more to each of the categories, but I only have 24 hours in a day and we (Hermana Willis and I) are only 2 people! But I find comfort in knowing I really am giving all I possibly can to each aspect of my current callings and hoping and praying for the grace of God to fill in the rest. 

He does fill in the rest too. Hermana Willis and I, after planning and buying the supplies for the Activity with Hermana Romina, focused the whole week on inviting EVERY lady we saw to come share in an afternoon dedicated to supporting and uplifting Gods precious Daughters. We invited, seemingly if not THE, the entire female population of Yby Yau to the event. Besides the three of us that planned it, three others showed up. One Hermana had been assinged to give a small intro about the Releif Society during the meeting and the other two young women gave the closing and opening prayers. The spirit was very lovely and I really think they deserved to take part in a well executed event where we went ALL OUT and they got to just enjoy. During the activity nine neighborhood children, two of the Hermana`s sons and three little sisters of one of the young Women showed up to help us eat all the food we had prepared and the BEAUTIFUL cake Hermana Willis and I had decorated. I prayed and prayed and prayed people would come and they did! Maybe not the people I had thought/wanted, but the kids all came bathed and behaved as well as little kids can. I was glad for that. I joked with HNA W. that if we threw a Primary Activity unexpected Hermanas would show up. :)

At Church we had the son of a Menos Activo named Aierton (age 17) show up for the 2nd Sunday in a row! He came in a Suit! Also, Anacleto, whom the missionaries have been working with since before my first day here to help overcome some addictions, passed the Santa Cena this week. Those things made me happy to witness.

I hope were doing enough and the right stuff. I feel like we are. I find comfort in knowing that I am EXHAUSTING myself doing the work of God. 

I am dead... because tired, exhausted, worn out do not cover the fatigue I feel. 

I have a blister the size of a marble on my toe that is the Piggy that had `none` roast beef (the 2nd to pinky toe)

My back is broken

16 Assistencia....

0 confirmados

0bautizados

Those last few mumuring lines are for Mom because she said I make it seem like its ALL wonderful here

I quote the great Kimya Dawson to express my feelings 

"Life is a highway and Im gonna ride it and everyday is a winding road, 

yeah

My Roller Coaster`s got the biggest ups and downs but

 as long as it keeps goin`round it`s unbelieveable!"

I love this crazy mission I am on and during the downs of `my roller coaster`I am so grateful to have a Father in Heaven who loves me, a family at home who understand why I do the things I do. Knowing when people do them too makes me really happy. Thank you to all who have written me telling me they took me up on my invite (which was really just an echo of Moroni`s promise) and are reading the Book of Mormon. 

I carry around copies of that little blue book on my broken back and squish my swollen toes into mary-janes everyday. I walk under the hot sun up and down dusty dirt roads along side one missionary (and metaphorically thousands more) to try to do MY little tiny part in building up his kingdom.

I do this because I know that that little blue book and ALL that is riding on it´s validity (in so many words the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) is 100% true. 

I have invited you all and am Re-Reinviting you all... no this time I DARE you. I DOUBLE DOG.... I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU to read it and ask for yourself in humble prayer if it is not true. 

I testify that if you ask with a sincere heart, doubting not, that by the power of the Holy Spirit

Ye may know the truth of all things.

And if my silly little triple dog dare paired with my testimony is still not enough to compel you to action

I exhort you to look up Jeffery R Holland`s (an Apostle of the Lord) POWERFUL testimony of that same book. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints is the true church of God restored today on the Earth. I promise that you and your loved ones can find true and lasting happiness by living its principles and teachings. You find these teachings and the fullness of the Gospel in The Book Of Mormon. 

I testify of these truths in the name of our brother, Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ