Dear Family!!! What an adventure, you do not gently ease into missionary work....at all! After 30 hours of traveling we walked off the plane and met our mission president and his wife. They are so amazing, and he is absolutely hilarious! They along with several Elders took us back to the mission home where we did everything from interviews, to training, to being fingerprinted. It took hours! But then they fed us Pizza Hut, yes, Pizza Hut! It wasn't quite the same, but I was so so so so happy!
The Hermana's spent the night in a hotel, which I have learned is pretty fancy by Paraguayan standards. The next morning we were assigned to companions. I lucked out and got a great one. Her name is Hermana Ashlynn Arnell of Salt Lake. She has been here 3 months so we are both pretty new to this thing. Usually, you don't train at three months when you don't speak the native language. It is pretty unheard of for a newby to train. She is great though! Anyway, we took a taxi from the mission home to our area and our house which is called Lambaré 1.2. We have one of the larger areas and I am freaking out because there is soo soooo soooo much to do. There is another set of Hermanas that have an area near ours, and they and their area are part of our ward. One of the girls I came with is in that companionship so it's really fun to see them. They live about two blocks away in a very, very, tiny little house and we live in a mansion right next to the church. I kind of wish they lived with us. We have so much room that it's kind of lonely in our house. We have a room for our clothes, a room for our beds, a room for washing clothes, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. It's pretty grand for only the two of us and I have already been in houses of investigators that could fit in our front room. Anyway, we showed up at our house, dropped our stuff and walked right back out the door to go to work. I didn't even have time to unpack until today. Like I said, there is so much to do!
I have soooo many stories already that I want to tell you but I know there isn't time. I will start and we will see what I get done. First off, you greet every woman or girl by kissing each of the cheeks. It is rather odd, but I think I am starting to get used to it. Next, every neighborhood has guards. Ours has his hut right by our house and he is so sweet and friendly, but he only speaks guarani, so it is a bit difficult. Next, every single person has a big wall or iron gate around their house. It remains locked even when they are home. You walk up to their gate, clap 9-10 times and they either tell you that you can 'pasar' or that they don't have time. They then come out by unlocking their house door and then they come unlock the gate. And even if you are only staying a few minutes they lock they gate after you. I wish I had pictures, but there really hasn't been time. I will get some sent eventually. Anyway, so we clap and kiss a lot! Oh.....and we sing a lot....ahhhh! Haha! Every time we teach a lesson we begin with a song and a prayer. They honestly don't know how to read music here, and they don't know how to sing. As a result, we hear tons of American music. Many of the people listen to it even though they have no clue what it says. So, Hermana Arnell and I are usually carrying the tune and they speak along with us. Even the members! Haha! Anyways, in the States, you know how there is a fancy or rich, newer part of town and there is a slummy part of town? Not here! It is so funny to me. There will be a shack with 15 unrelated persons living in it and next door will be a beautiful grand house. It is crazy how many different kinds of houses you will see on one street. Some of them really do have beautiful homes though. And the sidewalks, if there is one, are beautiful. Everyone does their own sidewalk in front of their house and as a result some are two foot higher than others. For the most part they are tile and different patterns. So pretty.
I don't have any gross stories to tell yet. It is dirty and they don't have a lot, but they are so happy! We have to get five contacts a day and so we stop random people and ask if we can pass by on another day and they are always so sweet, even if they do say no. We have had people run away from us, hide from us, pretend like they aren't home, etc., but still they are so accepting, I guess, is the word for it. I only have time for a quick story, so the first day, we were teaching a progressing investigator that they have been teaching for a while. Several months ago, Elders actually used to have part of our area and so they turned their records and everything over to us. But they forgot one, that we know of. They had been teaching this guy and then they disappeared, so he actually found the Church and came looking for them. We go to his and his partner´s house every Wednesday. He is amazing. He is so hungry for the gospel and he wants to know so much!!! He reads and studies and he actually called the other day and said, "I was reading in D&C and I have a question about section 121." Haha, we haven't even taught him about the Doctrine & Covenants yet! The one problem is that he is in love with Gladys and they live together. In Paraguay you can't get married until 1 year after a finalized divorce, and she hasn't even finalized her divorce yet. We are teaching the law of chastity this Wednesday...wish me luck. Anyway, I have no more time and so much more to tell. My companion actually has a recording thing that she got at Walmart and she just sends her family audio files. Maybe you could find something like that. It would take way less time and I could tell you so much more! Anyway, I love you all tons! Please email me and tell me how everyone is doing! Oh, and I was wondering how Sherry Winterton is? Could you tell her that her fabulous family picture is hanging up by my desk? Love you and miss you more than ever, but this is where I am supposed to be! See ya in 17 months!
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