Hermana Ross; Proselyting in Paraguay!: Water!!!!


Sent:	Mon 7/15/13 10:34 AM

I have so much to write! I love you guys so much! This has been a really hard week! I'm not going to lie. The hardest week of my life but at the same time the best! But to start off with some questions you have! First off I wish I wouldn't have even brought my straightener and hair dryer. Trying to use them with the converter is ridiculous. If you are going to bring one make sure it works with the plugs. I am however glad that I brought your converter, mom. Just for the reason that it converts the plug in the wall. If you want to bring stamps to the MTC it is only for the MTC. I have to pay some serious dollars to send mail here. By the way, How much money did I take out of my account? I'm curious to know how much different the money is here. Here it was worth 300 dollars. There are shops everywhere. So if people really want a straightener bring one with the conversion or buy one that works here. I don't ever use mine. And to be honest I don't have any time to.

P-days. We start off our p-days with study and then email. We email in this small shop that is also the home of a small family. We get an hour and I found out that I can print emails. My companion didn't understand my question last time. After email we go and shop for food. IT IS CRAZY!!!!! Probably the most stressful thing I have ever done. First off we put all of our things in these lockers in the front of the shop, lock it and then shop. The people pretty much leave their carts in one spot in the store and grab everything they need. I have written a letter with more details of this and you will receive it when I mail it. But to say the least its stressful!

But have I mentioned that miracles happen in the mission? Because they do! This week I want to tell you about one of my new investigators. We were teaching this father and son. Juan is the father, and Silvio is the son. We were teaching the first lesson and we had just finished teaching the first lesson. And were talking to them about baptism when the father, Juan, said he had been baptized when he was a boy! WHAT!!! We seriously sat there in shock because we had no idea! This entire lesson he didn't say a word. But his son is not baptized! Silvio is 10 years old! OH HE IS SO SO SO SPECIAL!!! He told us that he knows the church is true. and wants to be baptized now. His dad said that he wants this for his son only if his son knows its true. Silvio has been our little buddy! He is perfect. Natalia is doing good! We have scheduled this Saturday for her baptism. We don't know much about what her husband thinks but she has had a fast and I think she feels that he will let her. She is wonderful. Miracles happen! Its no coincidence that we found Juan and Silvio!

This week we had zone conference on Tuesday! It was crazy! My companion has only been in the mission for 3 months and she doesn't know a whole lot. For example we had to take a bus to arrive in zone conference. Well we missed our spot to get off, and we ended up thirty minutes into Asuncion. We were late for our meeting and had to take a taxi to the mission home. Its really difficult for me to understand our president because he speaks like the people from Argentina. They speak a different dialect of Spanish. Which is part of the reason I'm struggling with the language so much. The people of Paraguay drop their S's and use vosotros and vos. These are words I'm not allowed to use. Have Craig explain why. But I learned Spanish in Argentina and the Spanish in Paraguay is definitely different! Plus they mix their words in with Guarani. But at zone conference we learned how to clean a stove and had burger king! It tastes different here though. We have 3 meals during the week with members and the rest we cook on our own. Its pretty good. The problem in Paraguay is there are tons and tons of members. But tons and tons are inactive. Mainly I've noticed because of work. Its hard because these people have a whole lot of nothing and to tell them that they need to keep the Sabbath day holy and not work is difficult. In our ward we have 4 missionaries. Me and my companion, and two elders. This last Friday the ward had an activity. It was super awesome! TALENT SHOW! Lots of dancing mom! I have pictures I want to send you. And after we finished we had hot dogs. Silvio came with us and is really good friends with the elders also.

Saturday my companion and I had some serious cravings for some Alfajores. Remember what these are? They are kind of like candy bars. Well I bought 8 this Saturday and they are all gone right now! We eat breakfast and lunch and never eat dinner because we proselyting this time. So when we plan and study those Alfajores are gone! Sunday I actually was actually able to understand a lot of the things people say. Its easier to understand because I can translate in my head but its really hard to speak it. And I have been rejected a lot. But I was reading in 3 Nephi chapter 21 verse 9. My job is only to preach the gospel! No more and I shouldn't feel bad when people don't want to hear me. I did my job. This week we went proselyting in Gycitu.I don't know how to spell it We taught a family home evening and gave the children chocolate! I wish you could see their faces! But it is the homes by the river. On the blog with Hermana Jones in Paraguay she served here. She served in this area and I have met and taught the members in her pictures. The only problem is we have to wear our boots to proselyte in this area because it is flooded from the river. I don't know exactly why but my companion said that something in the river broke and it is rising. These homes by the river are the ones that are so small. Boxes really. Lots of the families are having to take higher ground! They have nothing and the stuff they do have is now being filled with water! We have a new family of members that live down there that could use your prayers.

Some other random thoughts. A lady in the ward does my laundry. My zipper on my black skirt broke. What should I do mom? It has only rained one time here since I've been here and if this is cold weather then I am seriously going to die when its hot weather. But the one time it did rain the streets were flooded in like 10 minutes. Its crazy! When we have dinner with the members the main things they eat is pasta and rice. This is normal. But the food is not really that different from home. I haven't had to try anything really crazy yet. My apartment is next to a hair salon and on the main road. My companions family is all members of the church. She is pretty strong. She is allergic to mosquitoes and the first few weeks she was here she got really, really sick. Her family is her strength. She has two brothers, the same age as Trent and Jared. And her brother Jared is the same age as my Jared. Also I teach English classes every Saturday at the church. Its crazy! I'm the only one out of the 4 missionaries in this church that speaks English but I teach our investigators and the missionaries. Its been so beneficial that I worked with the elementary kids. I feel like I am learning more about English then I am about Spanish. I have to think about what part of my mouth I use to speak Spanish and what part of my mouth I use to speak English. What vowels are and what is the best way to teach someone who doesn't know the language at all. It will help them and me in my future life I know it. Also my companion asks the baptism question like every person we talk to. I don't know how I feel about that because I'm really not blunt at all. Well I love you all! I have to write my mission president right now! I hope I answered some of your questions! By the way my hair is a fro! Love you all!!!!! Keep strong and follow the commandments!!!

LOVE HERMANA ROSS