2 months!

Alrighty, so this computer we are using this week is weird, so no pics this week.

Yes, I just barely figured out my camera thing, so any pics I take from now one will be better I hope.

Ok, to answer Dad's email.

Thanks for the sports updates! How are the Braves doing in football?

Ok so the food is ok! Mostly a lot of meat. But all the meat has a ton of fat and it is always on the bone, so its hard to get everything off. There is lots of bread too. Rice often, noodles too. I like the noodles. I have been trying to buy different foods from the supermarket. The milk is gross. The apple juice is good the first time or two but by time you get to the bottom its like jello. They have lots of little tortas, cakes without frosting, sorta like sweetbread. Its usually good! One Hermana that we visited had brownies. Ohhhh heaven. They also have a lot of Coke which we cant drink, Sprite type stuff, carbonated apple juice type stuff, all yummy!

They all drink this drink called Terere down here. They but this weed grass clipping looking stuff in their cup and pour water in and share with everyone. Its like a tradition thing. You just sit down and drink terere with your neighbors. All day. We can't drink it (haleluia). It looks gross.

They do have stuff like McDonalds and Burger Kings and Pizza Huts in the big parts of some cities, but its usually not within a missionary budget. Maybe once every few weeks.

We usually get like 680000 guarani per month, about 150 bucks I think. But everything here is cheap. If you arent eating out it is usually enough money for everything you need.

The people we work with... Idk, there are super great members who work with us a ton. Most of the great members are just recently returned missionaries. The President of the Branch got home from his mission in 2010. Super young. There are some solid youth too. Our average attendance in church is like 70.

Speaking of church, I gave a talk on Sunday! To be quite honest however, I had written it down before, so when I got up there to read it, I had no idea what I was saying. Whatever. I hope it made sense.

Mostly with our investigators and stuff its hard to get them to do stuff. They will always talk to you, all that stuff, they will say they will come to church, but their word means nothing here.

Discussions is hard for me, because I have to prepare in my head what I have to say, and once I figure it out we are usually on to the next topic. Oh well. We try to ask a lot of questions, it really helps when they can sorta teach themselves. Oh, and can I tell you how important members are??? If there is a member present or a member gave us the reference or something, the lesson always goes 10 times better for the investigator. SOOOO IMPORTANT!! GO OUT WITH THE MISSIONARIES!!!

The most powerful teaching tool in the world is the testimony of a friend or family member. Don't be afraid. The missionaries are just two kids from a different country here to dunk them in water, but a relative or friend is a true miracle in conversion.

My companion is chill. Sometimes too chill, but its just him! He works hard, and often gets frustrated because he can't do it all. Often he forgets I can't speak Spanish I think. He is very spacy, I always have to remind him to pay attention so we don't get lost. No mountains to guide me! He is a good guy. Jokes around a lot, sometimes I have to tell him not to say that, cuz the missionary he learned his English from didn't speak with the most reverence. But hey. He always teaches, teaches, teaches. We have been working on asking more questions and stuff.

Questions from mom.

Pday we study in the morning, just 2 hours. Then we go out and do some sort of activity. Today it was ultimate frisbee! It was funny teaching the latinos how to play. It was fun to be able to beat them at something, cuz we usually play soccer. Then we write, shop, haircut if needed, those types of stuff, then we are back to work by 6, FHE with a family, and probably one or 2 more lessons that night.

We give our laundry to a lady in the Branch, and it usually takes a week to get our clothes back. So I sorta have a cycle of two groups of clothes I wear. Mom, thank you for overpacking everything. Youre the best;)

I liked the whale van picture! Nice beard McKay! Way to keep up the tradition of the Penguin Kevin!

Mom, no worries, I eat way to much.

Yes I have been doing contacts because glasses slide off my face with the sweat. It has been fine!

Yes I use bug spray most of the time. There are lots of bugs, flies and mosquitos in our house at least, but they stopped eating me. They realized there is nothing to eat.

No the water is not clean in many areas. Thats probably why I got sick. But we pay like 2 bucks and we get water in a big tube for the week. Its super cheap and clean. I also buy lots of Gatorade type stuff, like one per day ish.

Mom, anything that I NEED I cannot wait for 2 months for. I would get it down here. Thank you though. And yeah, packages are expensive, just make sure never to send a package valued at over 100 dollars. 99 is ok, 100 will get checked by people and I will have to pay 50 bucks just to get it.

No, there are no mice that I have seen. Where is Elder Rigby now?

No it isn't against the rules to email back and forth within the same time I am on, I just don't have time to do that mostly, I only have 2 hours to do everything, to write everyone.

Alex, go kick some net.

I haven't talked to Noah in weeks! I don't get his letters, nor do I send mine to him. We don't have time to read all that. I will email him today though, I have been wanting to talk to him. Keep sending me little snipits from his letters. They are fun! He freezes, and I am getting up around 100 already. Wahoo!

Shannon, any tips, besides lighting big spiders on fire? I haven't seen any big spiders. There are huge frogs though, bigger than my palm plus legs!

People yell out of the cars, Hey Elders! Or Hey Hermanos! just to make their friends laugh, but its not in anger if that's what you mean. Sometimes drunk people are like, Come share something with me! I want the word of God! Usually we ignore the drunks. Or just tell them to come to Church.

Ok, now for the stuff that I have written.

First of all, it has got to be a record how fast I got pique. Serious. I had to go to another Hermana this week to get the rest out, this hermana had a special tool and stuff and she did medical stuff in school. About the same routine, just put cows blood over it instead of ashes. Idk what it did, but hey my pique is gone! It reminds me of a scripture that says,
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that bringeth good tidings!

I hope you were being figurative, Isaiah.

The other day we were trying to show this member where utah was on her google maps on her phone, so just for fun I zoomed in and in and in and saw our house! From like 5 years ago. Before the remodel, after the tree was taken out. It was funny for me.

A different young woman asked me what my first name was, so I told her, then a few minutes later she showed me her phone with my Facebook page. Haha I am glad I don't have anything dumb on there.

Happy Birthday on Friday Jason! I realized that I am probably as far away from Korea as you can get in the world. I also realized that my struggles with the language, Kevin would know exactly how I feel! Any tips Kev? Usually in lessons its hard to do body language however;)

So, may I just say, this plaque on my chest does not change anything. I am no different than any other member. Just more focused on the work, I don't have other things to worry about. If I was hungry before the plaque, I sure well will be hungry after. Lazy before, lazy after. Do not go into the mission thinking that it is going to change you. To be quite honest, you could leave the same way you came. The reason for the change so many missionaries see is a stricter obedience to the Lord, more focus on His work and especially on His Son. Don't wait for a mission to be a missionary. There is soo much you can do as members. Go out with missionaries. Feed them. Offer a family home evening with nonmembers in your house. Just mention your religion to a friend, and offer to answer any questions. Most of all, live your religion. Live it every day so those people will see you and say, Why are they so happy? How are they so successful in their family or in their home or work or life. Pray for opportunities. They will come. Pray to be ready. You will be. As a set apart servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, I promise you will see miracles if you just reach out. Be a friend. Serve first. Service opens hearts. Remember Gloria? She and I could talk and have a normal conversation because I offered to shovel snow once. Service is love in action. This Gospel can bless you in any part of your life. Be prayful over all things. Always have the Lord in mind, and He will always have you in mind.

Wow, ok that was my spiritual talk for the day.

I got a hat! It's so hot out hear that they let missionaries wear hats. It's sorta a half breed of cowboy, explorer, and sombrero. I have been trying to form mine to look more like a cowboy hat. It's sorta working.

So Elder Christofferson is coming to Paraguay for a conference on Nov. 13! I can't wait to hear him.

Yeah, it's hot down here. Like a sauna. All the time. Good thing I like saunas!

So there has been a lot of opposition this week. Crazy stuff. This inactive member of the church who is angry at the church for some reason has been going around this one area of ours with a lot of our investigators, telling them bad stuff, like how Joseph Smith was a raper and stuff like that. Crazy stuff. But we have lost a few of our good investigators to this plague. One of our investigators just stopped progressing once she saw a less active member neighbor drinking beer or something. Sad stuff out there. It's hard to do anything out there now.

So today is day 1400 of reading my scriptures! I still keep track of it, its pretty cool to remember when I started and the number was only 20 or 50 or 100. It's so easy to read scriptures if you just get a habit.

So I guess the local soccer team here in Itaugua got promoted to the first division league in Paraguay, so everyone was partying a few nights ago, fireworks, the whole shabang.

So there are soo many motorcycles here. Soo many. Like probably 3 to 5 for every car. Every family has one. Its just easier here. Everyone jsut uses the Colectivos if they need to go somewhere with more than 3 people, or don't have a motorcycle.

So my mind like completely shut down the other day. We were trying to practice and my mind just powered down to reboot. I couldn't think in Spanish, English, I was only doing anything on sheer will power, instincts, and following my companion. It was like this for a good hour or two. I just can't try to say more than 2 or 3 sentences in Spanish, because I can't focus on what to say while I am saying something else. It was weird. But no worries, I am just learning my limits I suppose.

Is there any way you could find and get me the email or address for Elder Jay E. Jensen? Idk why, I have just been wanting to write him! He dedicated this temple here! I think it would be cool to connect the world. I remember when he wrote me that letter when I was like 14 after I gave a talk in church, telling me how he could see me as a missionary. And now I am here, in the land where he dedicated the temple!! Cool stuffs!

It's sorta funny how the church is the same everywhere. There is a guy here with curly hair and is the 2nd counselor in the branch presidency. He is the Troy Salmon of here. Its funny cuz he has the curly hair and little 2 year old girl and its funny.

Well I will end with this scripture, it is one of my favorites out here on the mission.

And whoso recieveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Doctine and Covenants 84:88

Super purete scripture. Purete means cool in Guarani.

Well thank you for all your support! I have to wait until I go to the office next to get the package that you sent. Idk when that will be.

I love you all, I love hearing from you. If I am not hearing from you, I have something funny for you next week. Dun dun dun!

With love as always, and until next time, this has been the weekly news. Over and out.

Elder Jake