5 months

5 months I have been out now. In some ways that feels like years and others it feels like I am just on Spring Break, still haven't graduated from high school. Wow.

Well I don't have too much to write, nothing terribly exciting as far as events happened this week.

First I would like to thank Laurie for telling me about all my friends who are going to serve missions! I had no idea! I was so grateful to her for telling me.

I have been striving more to write in my Journal. I have done it now almost every day the last 2 weeks. I think when my kids and grandkids read it, well they won't be able to read it. I have terrible handwriting. Especially rushing before 10 30. Haha!

Have any of you ever looked at the extra verses to How Firm A Foundation? Wow, they are incredible. You all gotta look them up.

My companion tells me that we are a weird gringo family. Gringo means white boy in spanish, a little less racist. All american missionaries are gringos. Anyways he said we are a weird gringo family because in all of our pictures there is always someone with a soccer jersey on!! I guess they think we don't play soccer up there. I hope we win the World Cup to prove them wrong.

So one night we were returning to the house and I was walking by this fence  outside a house, this fence was of vertical bars. That is an important fact. We were walking by and the dogs started barking like they always do. Then all the sudden one runs up and reaches it's mouth THROUGH the gate and bites me on the upper outside left thigh. Like right where me hand was about a second earlier. The bite really didn't do anything, I only found a few wet spots from the mouth and a little rip in my pants, but it didn't get through to me, thank goodness. I am glad my hand wasn't there! Anyways, I did a big circle around that house to avoid those dogs the next time I walked by. Haha!

So this week is the EFY week for the youth of Paraguay! So all our youth are gone, including our new convert Eduardo! He didn't have any church shoes, so I gave him my good pair that I haven't worn hardly at all. I figure if I need new shoes, all I have to do is ask for my parents to send money. He might never be able to buy new shoes just for church. So I figured, give the best! In the law of the sacrifice, the Lord asked the BEST sheep and other things. Not just the extra one that won't turn out for anything. So I decided to do it! I felt pretty good to be able to find a way to serve like that.

So I had a little spare time this week, so I decided to make a bracket. 64 of my favorite photos from the Ipod I got for christmas. I did a tournament, and Alex's sick Championship Flying Goal won. Of course.

I also did one of my favorite scripture. This one was soooo hard to choose between! My favorite ended up being Moroni 1:2-3. It says. They put to death any Nephite who will not deny the Christ. And I Moroni, will NOT deny the Christ. 

Just imagine him saying that!!!! Wow. Wow. How much faith and strength. 

I also wrote down 17 more of my favorites that I couldn't leave out. I will share them all one day. They are great.

I will end with my new favorite quote from Edward Dube.

It does not matter WHERE you serve, but HOW.

How true that is!!! I love you all, thank you for all of your support.

Signing off, Elder Jake Simpson

Air conditioning and peanut butter - comforts of home

Ok, yall gotta check out the pics of my scripture cases. WOW:)

Went to the Doc this week! Got a bunch of little stuff I am taking meds for. 

Alex, I can relate now. I got an ingrown toenail. I feel you man. You get them all the time.

We were exceedingly blessed this week! WE GOT AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!!! Yeah, it's only life. Super big deal.

I officially found peanut butter! A little pist size tub is like 6 bucks but hey, I bought it anyways. Itll be good for a bunch of sandwiches.

Yesterday at church we had the most people we had had yet. 110 attendence! The hermanas are machines. Hermana Hunt and her comp brought like 8 less actives and 6 investigators to church. Thats rediculous. I probably spelled it wrong its so rediculous. We were happy with our few less actives and 1 investigator! Haha which we found out is in the area of the Hermanas anyways... Bummer.

We got kicked out of Gospel Principles because there wasn't enough room for us! Haha! Super funny!

Ok a super cool story from last weeks Sacrament Meeting. THis lady gave a talk and talked about her conversion. She showed us a picture of this elephant and told us it is from her house on her wall. It is super cool, super detailed and in a cool position and everything. She talked about how the missionaries came in to her house for the first time and they all complimented her picture. Every time they complimented it. After she was baptized a missionary told her that when this missionary was on the airplane on his way to the mission, he was drawing. He was drawing an elephant. The exact same elephant as the one she had in her room. Same position, same details, everything.

Way cool right? He told her that she was the reason he was there. He came to convert her! Super cool.

Alex, how is the tournament going? I wish you the best of luck in the championship! I hope you score a bicycle. or a hattrick, either works.

We played volleyball today! Super fun. It started raining, and it was super fun playing in that thick rain. It was crazy, the cement was steaming because of how hot it was then the water. Wow. Super cool.

Well I spent a lot of time sending pics today, you all have to go see them! Sooooo coool!

I love you all, talk to you again soon!

Love, Elder Jake Simpson

 Blessed Air Conditioning!!!!!!!

 Baptism of Eduardo! Wahoo!! (Jan 4th 2014)

Ingrown toenail. I got the manliest bandaid they had. I am proud of it.

 

 My comp. Cleaning the font. What a good guy. (Elder Menendez from Uruguay)

 Yeah, we are super organized.

 Pizza Hut. Nuff said!

 My super cool scripture covers - Ok, these are the coolest things EVER

 Back of spanish triple

 

Back of spanish bible

 

Side of English quad. Sick.

 

Front of spanish bible. Mom, if you recognize that picture, its because you took it. The real pic is the one of the rainbow behind Mt Timp temple. He couldn't draw the rainbow he said.

 

Back of English quad. Bountiful temple on top, paraguay temple on bottom.

 

Front of the english quad. Missionaries in the stripling warriors. Can't get any cooler than that

 Front of my Spanish triple

 Thanks to Grandma (and Grandpa) K and Grandma and Grandpa S for the Christmas money to help buy these!

faith to move mountains

No pics today. Bad computer again. Stinking hermanas stole our cyber... stuck with the bad computers. But I'm not bitter.

Well in response to questions, there are none. So.... I will get to it.

About the letter I sent. I sure hope it arrives! Haha I just might arrive in that mailbox before that letter does!

So I got a bunch of letters this week from people from the ward and from lauren as usual! I always love getting letters! And the jealous faces of the other missionaries. Haha. Lauren mentioned something about something that happened with alexs christmas letter? I would like to laugh with you and lack the necessary information to do so. So tell me!

So I have been fighting a cough and stuff this week. It seems I am always sick! I am seeing a doctor this friday. But in all the down time I have had, I have listened to a few John Bytheway Talks, which is always good for a laugh. As well as watched a few church movies we have, 17 miracles, stuff like that. If you all ever want a good laugh, watch a movie called Suits on the Loose. Super great. I highly recommend it.

Mom, that ctr ring idea that you had was awesome. I have already given them all away! If you ever can send more, do it! That'd be great.

As far as investigators, Marcelo and his family have been out of town, then I was down for a while, so he didn't come to church and we are going to have to wait on him and his family a bit. I hope we can get out there soon.

Well, this is a very short one today. Bad computer... Haha well what can you do?

Just a quote that I think I heard somewhere. If not, I claim it as my own.

"Have the faith to move mountains, but don't be suprised when God hands you a shovel."

Just thought that was fun. Haha Love you all, thanks for everything. Talk to you soon!

Elder Jake Simpson

2014!

Happy new year all! I hope you all have made your new years resolutions, and I am proud of anyone who has still kept up with them until now.

So I ate some pizza hut today with a bunch of missionaries after we played basketball. It was all you could eat for like 5 bucks. So naturally I ate 12 slices. I didn't win though, there is a new elder who is from peru but looks like a ripped Islander. He ate 14. Cheater. But I regret it now. My stomach isn't as big with all those parasites in there... only joking.

So Hermana Hunt is still in the same area but is training a peruana. crazy! I hope she doesn't overwork herself.

I am in my same area with elder Menendez. He is from Uruguay. And he wouldn't like it if you said he was from argentina. They don't like each other very much.

But my comp is super great. He speaks pretty good english. He knows even the slang, cuz he learned english from movies and missionaries. He has 8 or 9 months in the mission. But he is super great. We got home and he says, hey lets put up some paper on these windows so people can't see us when we walk in and our of the bathroom, I like my privacy. I was like, YES!!! And then we come in and we clean everything, he does the dishes, we make a nice little whiteboard out of a big sheet of paper  and clear duct tape. Its great. Super organized, I love it. His accent is super chuchi. Super fancy, rich. Like British to us I think. Very formal. It's fun.

Hey, Happy Birthday tomorrow mom!!!!! I can't believe you are turning 25 again??!!!!! Hahahaha

Well my other watch broke. So I am on my 3rd watch. But the olimpia shirt was still worth it.

So when Elder Herrera said goodbye to everyone, everyone was gathered at a members house. Like 30 people between the missionaries and the member. The whole presidency was there, basically we could have held the ward council and then some. We ate our 3rd dinner of the night (oh......... sooooo fulll.....) and then had cake. Well Rodrigo, the 1st counselor, decides to put some cake in the face of Hermana Villanueva, who was on her last day as a missionary. Well she goes and puts some in the face of Hermana hunt. Well hermana hunt is a little competitive and wouldnt have that. She drops her bag, runs over to the cake, grabs a nice handful of cake and starts chasing down this 30 year old peruvian hermana villanueva, and covers her face in cake. Then someone got Herrera, and he tried to kiss rodrigo on the cheek... THats when it got weird. But I made sure to stay as far away from the cake as possible. Not that the cake wasn't good, but ya know, its bad for the skin... hahaha I didn't want a cake face.

So apparently the other day someone threw a beer can and it hit the head of Elder Hathaway! HAha super exciting stuff. I guess the same guy pulled a knife on his brother or something but hey, they just weren't ready for the message right? Haha

So we made brownies early in the week for a baptism we were planning for marcelo. Then as the week went on we realized we had eaten them all already. So naturally we made more for the baptism that day.

So the baptism. We were planning on marcelo. We didn't think eduardo the son of cleto and nelida would be able to because he was leaving to travel. But it rained Friday and Eduardo didn't leave!!! So we prepared everything to be able to baptize them both.

Well we gave the family of Eduardo some money so that they didn't have to walk the whole 7 kilometers again. But they used it on food and walked anyways. Gah!! Whatever. At least they got there.

Well Eduardo was there and all ready, but marcelo wasn't. We called his sister karina and she said she didn't know hwere he was. We called again later and they said that they were in a different city visiting family. What??? He didn't show up for his own baptism. WHat??

Well we were able to baptize Eduardo. It was so great. He had given up smoking 2 weeks ago with the help of a ctr ring that I gave him from my mom and told him to put on the hand that he smoked with. And he gave it all up! Super cool. The first thing he said to me after the baptism was, you got me all wet! Haha he also said how much of a weight he felt lifted from him. Super cool.

Ok so I rediscovered bacon. We made bacon burgers for lunch one day. Wahoo!! ohhh yeah.

Oh one more thing about Elder Menendez. He has lost 55 pounds on his mission. No joke. Crazy stuff.

One thing to ask for the next package, whenever it may be. One of those beanbags from home that you can heat up and cool down for your daily pain needs. That'd be delightful. I can't wait to open this next package. Shortning, peanut butter, my prayer rug, a beanbag, you know, the normal pleasantries of life.

Haha well its been great. I will send the pics next week, the hermanas found out our secret cyberweb cafe...... fat. We will just have to write earlier.

Oh and Hermana Braunersrither is in my district now! And our district leader is elder willes, he is super cool.

Well until next week, when who knows what baptisms will happen or not,

Love Elder Jake Simpson

first baptisms ... and a Happy New Year

aright, so christmas. wow. snowless. quite odd.

first, tomorrow are changes! I am gonna stay in the same area with an Elder merendez or something like that, I think he is from argentina.

I am listening to alex's solo over and over again in the video mom sent me! voice of an angel that one. We gotta make a barber shop quartet with alex and mckay and mom, you gotta have another kid, we aren't complete yet! and we all know kevin can't sing. he will be the pretty face for the album cover.

for christmas from the mission we got a book of the history of the church in paraguay, I can't wait to read it.

I also got a christmas card from the first presidency. Hah. Eat that.

for christmas we did the normal schedule in the morning, then ate lunch in our house so we had time to open my presents (Herreras haven't come yet, poor guy). Then we called our families! so short. Too short. It was just like saying goodbye again sorta. It was great though.

We also did a choir as our zone and sung christmas songs in a park for a bunch of people. It was fun!

christmas eve was the real party. It was like the whole world was right in the middle of the biggest loudest firework show ever. THings blowing up everywhere. Hardly not of them had lights however. just the noise. all night. They don't sleep the night of christmas eve. almost everyone is drunk however. That must be how santa comes in to give them presents, because they won't remember.

We had special permission to be out til 11 30 christmas eve and new years eve we will be able to as well. super cool. we were and will be in houses of members however.

a few days ago we were in a bus crash! just a nice fender bender, no injuries other than the vehicles. But the poor driver of the bus that wasn't at fault still had to reimberse everyone on the bus for their fare. Poor guy.

OH, my christmas presents were being able to talk to me fam, ipod and speakers!!! pjs which I loved, my evergrowing pez collection, candy, and shoe insoles that will help my feet be more beautiful upon the dirt. Thank you family!

so we were preparing cleto and nelida for their baptism saturday and we thought they needed paperwork that they actually didn't need, but they went in all the way to asuncion and spent almost all their money to be able to get it. We felt horrible!!

Ok so now is their baptism!! They got married and baptized saturday!!

They walked 8 kilometers to get to their baptism. They didn't have enough money to pay the bus ride to get to the church. And we had no idea. They are soooo cool like that.

so before all this we filled the font, but it was super nasty, super yellow. lemonade. We tried to drain it all be the drain didn't work. so we got all the missionaries there to help us bail out this font with trash cans. and poor Elder Horrocks. What a guy. He was filling it and splash!! He falls in!!! soaked head to toe! Good thing he didn't have the phone on him! He stayed in there and helped us out a ton from in there. What a stud! Haha sooo funny.

I was able to baptize cleto and nelida! my firsts ever! It was great. We are going to baptize marcelo next week btw, if yall are keeping up on the whats up.

I also had made some delicious sugar cookies and brownies from my moms recipies! They all loved them, they couldn't stop eating them. They would come back and say, I need 3 cookies one for me, one for my wife, and one for me hahahaha super funny.

Haha hermana nelida told me that I could baptize a hippo hahahahahaha I thought that was sooooo funny even though I assured her that she isn't fat hahahaha.

so I have found out that the mission nurse found my blog! she told me how great my letters were home, how proud she was of me for my good letters! Haha! love her, she's so funny. We are good friends. Her name is Hermana fuller. she's the best! I am not only saying that because she might read this... hahaha

Oh another interesting story, my comp had to get a shot for something, and a member who was trained and fully qualified to do all this was going to give him it. Well halfway through he passed out. I here from the other room, simpson! simpson!! so I run in to see the member amalio holding my Elder Herrera, so I helped him put him in the chair, and thats where he woke up. only like 10 seconds max he was out. He thought he was out for 20 minutes! haha he felt like he was in the spirit world, he said he saw a bunch of youth, and thats it. Haha he was alright, just scared, and the shot was strong. Needless to say we got pills for him instead. 

But the really funny part is that when he fell, he hit his head on the very thick area book, and not the desk corner! I now have a testimony of the area book hahaha!

Haha well thats all, I wish you all a happy new year! crazy week this week.

mom, I enjoy reading the clips of grandpas mission journal! keep sending those.

love you all, happy 2014!

love elder jake simpson

Yesterday already passed, tomorrow will never arrive. Our life is full of TODAYs, so live each day alive!

quote from me

These are Nelida and cleto. This is their wedding!

 

 This is their baptism! I got to do it! my first and hopefully not last! Haha

 she's wet

 he's wet too

 

 Poor Elder Horrocks. What a trooper. He fell in helping bail out the font when the drain failed.

  

Us bailing out the font.

 

me and my presents by the tree!

 Us with our stockings!

 (we sent a stocking to Elder Herrera as well)

 This is a sick dragon someone made out of a bunch of tires. and yes that is my elbow. don't ask me how it got in the picture.

 This is the basic nativity scene. This one is pretty big. I saw bigger. But everyone at least has one.

Feliz Navidad

Skyping with Jake on Christmas Day!

2013 - 1st Christmas in Paraguay

Family Time - Priceless!

Dish soap? Shampoo? Whatever!!!

Ok so I forgot my book that I write everything down to write to yall, so I will try to remember everything.

I am very excited to talk to my family on wednesday! I got my skype account set up before I saw the email from mom and lauren, dad has it. so no worries.

I will call about 10 in the morning your time.

Yeah kevin told me he was going to korea! super cool.

I love all the pics of snow. looks so fun!! cool sculptures as well!

I was emailed by shannons girls this week! Thanks to all them who wrote me! I loved the letters!

I got a few letters this week. One from a little girl in our ward who I honestly didn't even know! IT was fun. One from my best sister ever, the most faithful in handwritten letters than any other sister before! love those. One from rachel Uryan! cool to hear from her, laurie, you will have to get me her email.

Thanks to grandma and grandpa simpson for the money for christmas! It will also go towards my super cool scripture cases I am getting, I can't wait to show you all.

Thanks to alex for putting in my bowl game guesses, lemme know when I win.

mom, don't worry, I will hog the airheads.

To answer a question, yes we eat food off the street a lot, an empanada is super cheap, like 75 cents. maybe a mayanesa sandwich, which is like a thin fried chicken breast. I have eaten burger king a time or two, haven't gotten to the pizza hut yet.

I held a baby duck. It was cute.

there is a gatorade here that is apple flavored. Its actually pretty good.

I did a division for a day with the zone leader elder phippen and it was great, it really strengthened my confidence in my ability as a missionary.

We ran out of dish soap, so we used shampoo. It worked just fine! Hahaha

I tried to make frosting, but I don't have shortning, it doesn't exist here, so it wasn't very good. send me a nice big can of shortning will ya? never thought I would be asking for that...

I saw the christmas devotional in spanish yesterday, super cool! reminded me of last year when I was actually there with laurie! Good times...

so with the couple who was going to get married, they weren't quite ready but it for sure will happen this saturday! and marcelo came to church again and brought his little brother bruno, so we are planning to baptize marcelo saturday too! 3 in one day! and we have a bunch more that are progressing for the following weeks. Its super exciting to see the fruits of these last two months! Glad to see these people finally taking that first step.

Well I don't remember any more. But hey, I love you all, have a very merry christmas. Remember, don't be one of the "inn" crowd, but be one of the "stable" few!

can't wait to talk to my family! for everyone else, enjoy it! I hope it snows a boatload.

love you all, remember the ultimate gift of christmas, that God gave His own Son so that we all can live together for eternity, with inexplicable happiness with no end. What better gift could you ask this christmas?

love you all, thank you for all your support as always.

Your less than freezing missionary, Elder jake

 

 Our Christmas lights - they are purple.

 This is exactly what my mom wanted to see. This little guy that has been living with us. a good 2 inch long cockroach! We found it after we sprayed down our stuff good with the crazy bug killing stuff. It works good.

This is us and a member on the left, Hma fatima, and two investigators, Hma adelaida and carina. We discovered carina when she came home from argentina, she is the sister of marcelo, lujan, and bruno. she is super interested. This is after the christmas devotional.

 

 

We thought this was cool.

Merry Christmas!