Primary President, Relief Society Class and walking 3 hours to meet investigators. Can you say Transfers?

Hey family,

So we have had transfers! I'm sure you are all very curious for what I wrote as the subject of this letter. Lets just say that I'm living in the jungle/country. Ha ha I'm not in Asuncion anymore, that's for sure. I'm in an area that is called Piribebuy. Before it was in the north mission and now it has been moved to the south mission when I came to Paraguay. We went to the terminal to meet my new companion. She is from Guatemala. All of my mission I have gone in taxi to the terminal but when we had found our new companions and needed to leave to go to our new areas. I went in BUS! And not just any bus, PUBLIC BUS. We were in the bus for 2 and a half hours with all of my bags and a ton of people. I couldn't even breath. It was crazy. And when it was time that we needed to get off the bus. We pushed the button that was above the door and asked three men on the bus if they could help me get my bags off. It was crazy! after that we walked 3 blocks to get to our house on the cobble stone. There aren't side walks here. I really truly was in shock when i got here. Ive gone ´campo´as they say here in Paraguay. 

The area has a LOT OF WORK!!!!!!! Its a branch with the normal assistance( attendance) of about 25. Yesterday I found myself teaching the primary for half of the day and after going to the relief society room to see if we were going to be teaching that class too. I about died when my companion told me that there are no families in our are that are active members of the church. There haven't been baptisms here for quite a while. My companion has yet to have a baptism and she has 6 months in the mission. I'm actually starting off where my companion from the MTC, left off. I'm with the companion that she trained. Well what are we going to do. We have so much work here it is crazy. The first day that i got here we had to walk to a part of our area that was about 2 hours walking.  My first two nights here in the mission I was so sore. My whole body aches from using muscles that I have yet to use in the mission. It was a lot of walking, but its so beautiful. So green and the palm trees. The area is huge. and there are tons of less actives to work with. I'm using my language study to learn Guarani. Its the main language in this area. The only way that I can think to explain this area is to tell you is like the church house would be in Manti, Utah, and my area includes Manti, Ephraim, and Mountain Green, and Moroni. We get to these areas walking. There are members that are in the far out areas that have been to the temple but don't have the means to get to church. Almost everyone receives us. If we get hungry we eat oranges that we pick off the trees in the walking distance. 

I think my eyes have been opened to the real Paraguay. Its incredible. President has told us that we are going to be the start of this branch. We have a church house but not much of the member support. Its hard to find investigators and invite them to the church when you don't know if there will be members in the church Sunday. Our district leader is branch president in his area which is a different area. Almost nobody has heard of the church here. We gave more than 10 Books of Mormon in the last 4 days. There are tons of people here who are so interested and so humbled and ready, they just fault the church support. Its just crazy. 

The good thing is that I don't have time to think about anything. I'm working my tail off and and I'm learning how to cook, and I have lost weight for walking miles a day. God wanted to humble me a little bit. I'm humbled. 

Pray for me,

Love you all so much,

Hermana Ross

Cambios

Hey guys hope all is well with you guys. I'm here, working, living, breathing. What more could you ask for? Right? Life is good, I really am just working. I don't really care what happens this week in transfers. If I stay I will be happy and if I go I will be happy. It's the way it is here in the mission. This week was the holy week here in Paraguay. At home is only Easter day, Sunday. Here it is a holiday all week long. We saw a whole lot of rain! A WHOLE LOT OF RAIN. until Sunday where the sun came out and the weather was perfect. I find that interesting because Sunday was the day that Christ was resurrected.  There are some really weird traditions here. For example Friday is when Christ died and we can"t eat meat this day. So I went without a whole lot of meat for this week. But they eat a ton of Chipa. We ate tons. It was delicious. I ate fish this week. It was disgusting but I ate it. They had fished it from the Paraguay River. My companion is used to eating fish for where she lives but it is not my favorite food. This area is really exploding with people who are ready to accept the gospel. We´re trying our best to help them. It will be sad that one of us will be leaving. The ward is amazing here. But we do the will of the lord. I don't like to think about how much time I have here in the mission. It gives me a headache. This is my life now, I don't want to be anyone else. I've forgot my first name and want to be Hermana Ross forever. I feel like I don't have words to tell you guys these days. Maybe that's because I am not used to speaking English, or I'm just lost more in what I'm doing here than in knowing what to write you guys. I´ll be sending pictures this week from my companions camera. Hope you guys like them. Really I  don't have any idea when I will be talking to you guys for skype. I had forgotten that mothers day is next month. When I find out you guys will know. Sorry that the letters are so short. I'm good and happy here in Paraguay. Love you guys too

Love Hermana Ross

This little girl will be getting baptized!

There is nothing like a good rainstorm.

The streets are like rivers here in Paraguay.

Eating mangos from the church.

Eating mangos from the Mango tree at the church.

Hermana Ovelar making Chipa and sharing with
us for the semana santa.

More Chipa!

.

Another Day in Paraguay!!

Hey guys, so the mission is the mission. This week we were able to see some awesome miracles. But the cool experience that I wanted to share with you guys this week is about a lady. She was a reference that we received from the general offices of the church this week. She went looking for the church website because she wanted the elders to come to her house. She lives literally in the limit of our area and the reason why those elders never could pass by her house is because they can't cross over their limits. So we called her up and she told us to come over. We went to her house and she had so many different questions. We didn't have much time to teach her but we gave her a Book of Mormon and explained why it was important and invited her to read it. We also explained a little bit about the restoration. So we left her with the Book of Mormon on Thursday and we came back to her house Saturday. She had read up to the 4th or 5th chapter in first Nephi. She said that if she finds out it is true she will be baptized. She is different than any other investigator that I have ever taught. She is so prepared. She said that she wants to know more because of some of her friends who are members. She said that we are the only church that she has seen that say and do the things they say. She seems pretty interested. She didn't come to church this week but we will be going to visit her again on Wednesday.

Transfers are in one week. I love this ward and I don't want to leave but a transfer will help me keep my mind off things. I really do what ever thing I can to keep my mind here in the mission. This week we could see this because we had 5 investigators come to church. 9 lessons with members and 19 other lessons this week. that leads to about 4 lessons a day this week. Not too bad. We have 4 with baptismal dates and 

we´re trying to find more people. We´re working. I told my companion that the only way we would be happy this week is if we got to work. So we did. 

Nothing is really new. Its hard being here. I love being in the mission. I'm here and this is my life now. I am actually dreading the day that I have to come home and face the reality that faces me there.  So I'm good. I really was able to see a whole lot of miracles this week. I didn't have time to think about anything else but the mission. 

Sorry my letters are so short. love you guys tons,

Hermana Ross

This is what it looks like after just 2 minutes of rain!

This was conference day waiting for the bus. These are the rocks that I walk every
single day. All of the roads are like this and by the end of the day.......my feet kill!

This was yesterday proselyting in a little park in the area.

 She is 12 years old and we are teaching her and her sister, and her brother. She loves to read the
 Book of Mormon. This is where we taught her, in the Young Women's room.