Week 59 - Pacheco

This week was very good.  I got a new companion.  His name is Elder Chajchalac from Guatemala. He's a really good guy and he's pretty funny. 

So on Tuesday morning we were doing the transfers and we were waiting for all the missionaries to get there. Then we had to go with the mission secretary who is in charge of finances. We went to the bank with him and we each took out 50,000 pesos so that was an interesting experience. 

This week went well. We have been talking to a lot of people in the street and stuff. Also our area got split and there are sisters on the other side of the ward. So they took like half of our investigators. Yeah this week was good. We are teaching a ton of Paraguayans so that is giving me a chance to practice my Guarani. 

Overlooking "Los Troncos" neighborhood

Eating arroz chafe

View of the neighborhood

View from the rooftop of the apartment

View from the rooftop of the apartment

Week 58 - Pacheco

This week went by super fast.  On Wednesday we did divisions with Elder Spendlove and Elder Galvez.  I went with Elder Spendlove to his area, which is Benavidez.  Elder Spendlove has about 2 months in the mission.  We had a good day and talked with a ton of people.

We had a really spiritual experience.  So about 4 weeks ago Elder Velazquez and I had contacted a lady right after we left the district meeting.  She was standing outside the church in San Fernando leaning against the car.  We start talking to her and it turns out that her husband had just passed away a few day earlier.  So we talked for about 30 minutes and gave a little tour of the church.  She really liked it and felt really good.  After that we got her information and sent it to Elder Spendlove and Galvez because she lives in their area Benavidez.  Then for a couple weeks we had forgotten about her.  Then when I went to Benavidez it turns out they had a lesson scheduled with her.  We had a super great lesson with her and she accepted a baptismal invitation for 3 weeks in advance and was super excited.

Right now basically all of our progressing investigators are from Paraguay.  We had nine people come to church yesterday so we were super excited.  The assistants to the president told us that there will be sister missionaries in our ward so we will have to share the ward with the sisters.  But they also told us that we have to look for a new apartment for them and if we didn't find anything we would have to give them our apartment.  So it looks like we are going to have to move tomorrow because transfers start tonight.

Zone Conference

Elder Velasquez working in Villa Sagrada Familia

Villa Sagrada Familia

Elder Spendlove & Elder Christensen

Week 57 - Pacheco

On Tuesday we had a leadership meeting in the mission home and it went well.

That night we had ward council, and as we were leaving President Zuniga walks out of a meeting with the Stake President and he took us home to the pension.

On Wednesday we did divisions with Elder Hartmann and Elder Savage and I went to Lopez Camelo with Elder Savage and we had a good time and talked with a lot of people.  Elder Savage made a ton of pancakes on Thursday morning.

On Thursday we did divisions and I stayed in my area with Elder Herrera from Mexico and we had a lesson.  We had the Area 70 that is in our ward accompany us, and then take us home. The lesson was very spiritual and the family we were teaching was touched.

On Friday we did divisions again and I went to Don Torcuato with Elder Baez from Paraguay.  So it was raining a ton and we were looking for a contact that they had made in the villa named Juan. So we clap a house and a man comes out.  Elder Baez says something to him in Guarani and then the guy tells us to come in.  So in that moment, I thought this guy was Juan the guy that Elder Baez had taught before, and Elder Baez thought that too.  So the first weird part was I was talking to him and like the guy wasn't even responding to me and kept talking to Elder Baez in Guarani because he doesn't want to talk to me.  Then Elder Baez looks at me and says "Elder he's not ignoring you.  He just doesn't speak Spanish.  He only Speaks Guarani."  So I'm like ok fine and I felt like I was in my training again because I didn't understand anything.

...But then Elder Baez says to him "wait your not Juan? I thought you were Juan? What is your name? He says oh my name is Martin." So then Elder Baez and I look at each other and Elder Baez is like "so why the heck did you let us in? Do you even know who we are?" And Martin says " I thought you guys were police men." So in the end it turns out he was still interested and Elder Baez taught him the lesson and scheduled another lesson.  So it was like super weird but in the end it turned out well.

That Friday night I did a baptismal interview for a 10-year-old kid that had already been baptized a year before but had to get baptized again because the elders that had baptized her the year before did the baptismal forms wrong.  So it was an interesting interview because the girl was like "uh.....yeah I already know all this." So yeah it was interesting.

Saturday we were working away in the Villa and this kid comes up to us and says "Hey Elders? I'm a member from another ward but I live here." And we are like "hey take us to your family." So we find his family and there are a ton of non-members there so we gather together the whole family and have a big lesson.  So that was the Palma family that we found.  So on Sunday night we had a huge family home evening in a member's house and there was like 20 kids under the age of 12 there and it was crazy.

But anyways this was a good week and we have been working like crazy and have some good people progressing.  We just got to get even more work done!

Elders Christensen, Velasquez, Hartmann, Savage

Tanner and Elder Franca

?

Tanner and Elder Savage

Elder Savage cooked some steaks

Elder Velasquez and Tanner

Eating tacos, Elders Velasquez, Galvez and Spendlove

Week 56 - Pacheco

This week went well.

On Friday we had a leadership meeting in the mission home like all day and we talked about being disciples of Christ.

This week we have been teaching lots of people.  We are teaching a couple named Norberto and Helena.  They started to talk to us when we were on the bus like 3 weeks ago but we didn't get their information or anything.  Then the other day in the street, we ran into them and they told us to come to their house.  They are super-crazy and have a bunch of problems but are super-good.  Helena almost got baptized like 15 year ago.  They both really want to get baptized now after coming to church yesterday, but it's gonna be really complicated because they aren't married and Helena doesn't  have any type of identification.  She is actually half-American and always says that we are countrymen which makes me laugh.

Then we are teaching some teenagers, Solange and Kevin who are grand-children of a less active woman.  Solange has been coming to church for like two months now and really wants to get baptized but her parents won't let her.  But this week we ate lunch with them and met Kevin her older brother and invited him to church and he came and it was awesome so we willl have to see what their parents say.

We are teaching a man named Alan who is 28 and just got out of rehab for addictions.  We took a member with us to visit him who had also had difficulties with addictions before getting baptized, and it turns out that they already knew each other so that helped a lot.

Anyway this week went well. I am enjoying everything and it feels like time is going by so fast.  One funny thing that happened last night was like this guy come running up to me and said "wow how tall are you man" NO WAY! Then he run to his drunk friends and they all went crazy.  But yeah it was a good week!

Elder Christensen & Elder Velasquez