Our District in Pedro Juan (after Zone ceonference we 4 bought Ice creams together to celebrate me Bday) 

Zone conference was SWEET... The best part... I HAD FIVE PACKAGES JUSSSSTTTTOOO PARA MI CUMPLE!!! YAHOOOO!!!

We found a cool secret river in the jungle by our house. Itt is our p'day refuge.

Swings by the Secret River aka the Pday refuge

Sometimes I look at Hermana Santos and shes doing weird things so I take a picture. (come to find out she was trying to summer salt)

Hermana Santos woke up in the middle of the night to bake me a Cake (its hard to surprise your comp when youre together 24 7) 

She woke me up at 4:30am(because we had Zone conference)by singing happy birthday (In english) and handing me this Banana bread cake. I love her. Can I keep her?

We watch movies on Pday (Mostly we just watch Legacy "Legado" over and over.... and over and over, but we LOVE it. David Walker FOREVER!)

Our elders work so hard 

I was so excited that on the bus i opened one package from the land of FUN AND SUN ARIZONA! (Thanks GOATES! PERFECT BIRTHDAY HAPPINESS FOR ME. I LOVED IT)

Package aftermath

We Party Like Rockstars(but also more like missionaries)

Birthday Packages=Joy and Splendor

PIZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

Pizza

PIzzA

pIZZA

(They are too good too me)

Mordida.... its tradition

After All the zone conference and the stuff of the day we had Consejo de rama.... but actually it was a secret surrrliiizzzeeee parteee 4 me! 

We were singing the opening hymn of our meeting when BAM I heard a crash and all the lights went out... I thought it was just the Crappy Electricity problems that are normal in YBY YAU so I went to flip the Electricity switch... when I came Back into the room there were Balloons and a paraguayan Piñata and cake and presents and Pizza and People and joy!!!!! The Elders, Leandro and Romina TRULY out did themselves... I love them

(They Busted a Lightbulbtube for the Crash sound effect... it was all very well planned and properly executed)

Along with Sam Rolfe, Max Crittenden and I- Yicely Alonso celebrates her day of birth on the 4th of June... I got so excited when she first told me that I promised to come give her presents and sing to her... Well I never break a promise.

(thanks for the packages because I used some of my gifts as her gifts... I'm a regifter.... 

but hey, I'm a humble missionary- no mas)

Dahiani Alonso

Romina Aquino (soon to be going on a mission!)and Dalila Aguello(the bebe)

Elder Jared Muñoz

Elder Alfredo Benavente

Hermana Ingrid Santos

Me

Leandro Romero

These people are the best people

Also we made a batter and deep fried cheese this week(Long story as to why)...it was super not healthy but REALLY delicious

Although it seems like all I do is party... I also try to bring the world (Or at least Yby Yau) His truth. Here is a jazzy photo snatched of us in our jungle town

HI PEE-POLE! Its me- Lib! 

Who even knows what happens during my weeks? Everyday has a novel amount of context to write about, but then we smoosh it into a week and into the small amount of time I have on the computer and forget it! Idk what to say! 

So... as usual when I don´t know what to say ... I just say things and hope the things bring joy to others! This weeks Highlights (according to the photos captured) 

1.Hermana Santos gifted me a pair of Crocs because my flip-flops died... I am the tackiest and the happiest. I feel weirdly guiltly about how much joy these horrific foam-turtle shells people call "shoes" bring to me.   I have strange guilty pleasures. 

2. A month ago the hood-rats from the casa next to the church gifted us HUGE pomelos. We tried making a juice and... it was the most bitter cup I have ever drunk (Dranken? drunken?) ... anyway so we had these huge grapefruits just sitting in our house for a month when suddenly I decided it would be worth the while to make "Elder dummies", using the pomelos as heads and leave them at their house. We were at Rominas house when the idea struck me and as she does their laundry and encorages us in our macanadas , we had 2 white shirts at our expense. Maybe we were just due for a laugh, but for one reason on another it was the funniest thing EVER while we were preparing them and their dueños were watching us with expression of "Crazy Mormons" on their faces. hahaha. The Elders called us laughing and we all shared a chuckle... I think a prank war has begun but more on that next week. The best part was that Elder Benevante ate all 3 of the old bitter pomelos. hahahaha 3 ?!? 

Also,  I remembered the fisheye effect on my camera and the results made us almost pee our pants from laughing. 

4.I made weird goolash...goolosh? I can't spell.

 Thank you all for the birthday emails! (and future birthday emails from people who were planning on sending after and not before birthday emails) I will let you know how the day goes. I have just been informed we have Zone Conference that day so... Presumably I will be in Pedro Juan on the day of. That means that if I have packages or mail I will recieve them that day! YAY! It´s just what any missionary would ask for on their birthday! I feel old and I'm going to be even older on Wednesday. I can soon legally drink and gamble... although I choose to do better things with my time. Last Bday I was in China and now I'm in South America. That's kinda cool but also weird. 

Who Am I? I feel like the news about the progress, or lack thereof in my area, is getting old, but ... here goes: Yby Yau is the same. We clap at houses. People let us come in, sit down and speak, then leave. I try to desern what to say so they will REALLY listen...I try to figure out how to tell their hearts that THIS is the "something" that is missing in their lives! but so far nothing has worked. Words from my mouth go into their ears, but nothing is heard. Sometimes I plead with them to listen, REALLY listen... But, So far my pleas, as well as the message of Christ restored Gospel, go "unheard"... even though they hear my palabras (words). Honestly, it bums me out. I know that God has a plan, and it´s HIS gospel, not mine... So I`m all set to keep doing this for as long as He allows me to represent him. Patience is an attribute of Christ that is related to Faith. I just need to keep believing. Hope is never lost. I know that God lives and that He loves His Children, because of that love, He sent His Son. This is His Church and He has a plan. He has prepared a living Prophet to guide us by His word. That prophet signed the certifica I carry around everyday that says I am authorized to do this (even when I really don`t feel sufficient). So... Even if I`m bummed because of the lack of visible "fruit" of my labor... I can keep my head up knowing that I am called of and being humbled by the hand of my Father in Heaven. There is always going to be opposition and rejection. People rejected Jesus Christ Himself, so likewise, to this day there will, be some who choose not to listen. That doesn´t make the truth of the restoration of His gospel any less important. I will keep opening my mouth and searching of hearts ready to hear. . .  I just really hope I find some soon :) 

Until next week- (and for the last time as a 20 year old) 

With X`s and O`s 

Hermana Valenzuela

We didn't have a heater so we were lighting the stove to use it as a fire to warm up when we came in from the cold. Well... the other day, we did and we smelled something burnt. I thought maybe it was my scarf, or perhaps Hermana Santos' jacket... but... nope. So we warmed up and then went about doing our thing. 

When suddenly Hermana Santos said "Que le paso?" (what happened?) and we looked at my arms-which looked way dirty. 

Turns out...

I singed off all my arm hair! hahahaha!!!

Que Verguenza (how embarrassing) 

My Crocs

Being fatties by candle light- our electricity goes out frequently

Study the scriptures