A Paraguayan Arizona Fall

This is week 44

Candle lit studies (all our bulbs blew out this week... what are the odds, all three).  Drizzling rain.  Cars splashing.  Busses honking.  Motors whipping by.  I got my rain boots on... it´s a good day :)  The last few days have been rainy and it is an answer to our prayers because the heat was just excruciating.  We had a busy past week.

Tuesday consisted of capacitation with President... more interviews and training a zone.  Wednesday we did divisions in a close town on the outskirts of the city (Asunción).  There are a lot more trees and dirt roads so it was a lot colder.   It rained that day and so the night was FREEZING!  We didn´t even sleep with a fan or air conditioning!  A less active member we passed by shared some caliento caldo (hot soup) with us and homemade tortillas :) yum! We also (Hermana Johnson and I) taught a neat lesson to an investigator.  She had invited her dad to listen but he was contradicting everything we said and began raising his voice. Hermana Johnson and I stayed calm and had prayers in our hearts. I don´t remember what was said next, but the spirit was PRESENT.  The words Hermana Johnson and I began to say, and mind you I don´t remember, silenced the man and he didn´t speak for the next 20 minutes until we asked him if he would pray and ask God about these things.  He smiled and looked a little taken back.  The spirit had literally touched him.

Thursday was lunch at Familia Cañiza´s! I love them!  Like 40 family members live in this tiny tiny property with like 4 tiny tiny houses. It was a humble lunch.  She had her beautiful white crochet table cloth folded perfectly over their ironing board.  Their table is falling apart... along with a lot of things in their house, from the rainstorm.  I asked to use the bathroom before we ate.  The floors were mud, the toilet was wet, trails of ants were going in every direction up the walls, little toilet paper, and no water to top it off.  So I went back with dirty hands which I still need to get over, I still feel a little sick doing that, BUT its not unusual here in Paraguay.

Friday was a DREAM!! We went to Itagua (Ee-tah-wah) for divisions. Oh my life it is my favorite place I have now been to twice in Paraguay!   It is FILLED with palm trees and all sorts of trees, literal jungle.  Crops, fields, hills, and you can see out for miles.  

 The weather was like Arizona fall weather, just perfect.  We had a NDH out in the middle of these farm lands (pitch black and a fifteen minute walk from any road).  We watched a video from the D&C videos about how the family is ordained of God.  It is darling and GUESS WHO is in it!?!  The one and only Bro. Heap!! I think he is holding up Gavin? is my guess... to shoot a hoop haha.  

There was homemade empanadas a fun 45 min. bus ride back to the house (their area is HUGE).  I did divisions with an Hermana Braunersrither who is from Fortworth, Texas! She is darling.  

Saturday we had a beautiful COLD run, I´m gettin major ¨Arizona Fall¨ vibes here, don´t know why.  We laughed a ton as well.  

BEST NEWS!  Raquel came to church and LOVED it, especially all the testimonies!! yay!! She walked to church with a member family  (Familia Troche who i LOVE!).  We put a date with Marta (Hno Ricardo´s girlfriend) yesterday. I don´t know if I have mentioned much about Marta because she has kind of been an eternal investigator BUT she accepted a date for the 12 of APRIL!! It was neat because come to find out they were planning to get married the 5 of April. INSPIRED.

I love this work so much!!!!!  

Love you all. Xoxox

Con Cariño,

Hermana Owen