Week 34

So this week was a much better week.

I just want to say how much I appreciate my comp. Elder Menchaca has been awesome through this change with me and my many ups and downs and mood swings. And yes, not gonna lie, I’m pretty stoked he’s teaching me to box. I’ve always wanted to box but my mom would never let me. I used to shadow box in the hall growing up and read books about all the great fighters and watched fights late at night when I could. So getting to learn to box from somebody who is about to make his pro debut is pretty awesome. So along those lines we went and bought boxing gloves this week. We bought a heavy bag the week before for the house, but last Monday we bought gloves. I wanted some sick white and gray ones. And after asking the lady if it was a good color for me I picked them up. Love them.

That same day we found a legit restaurant where I got a nice chicken parmesan and a bomb fresh juice. I got a fresh pineapple orange juice that was legit. That is one thing I want to do more when I get back. Drink more juices. I love them down here.

Not much exciting happened on Tuesday, but then Wednesday hit. And I don’t know why, but every activity or something like that I‘ve tried to do recently has been terrible. This Wednesday was no exception. We decided to do a movie night, since that is always well attended.  Well, only 2 people came.  A little later, some youth from a different rama (branch) came, but they don’t count. Haha.  So, ok whatever, it’s 4 missionaries and 2 members again. Next we can’t find the TV. Finally find it. Next can’t find a DVD player. Oh that’s cuz there isn’t one.  Couldn’t get the VHS to work.  Yes I went there, I tried using a VHS player. Finally Lucia went home and got her DVD player. Well great, except the TV is so old, it’s only in black and white, haha.  So we watched a black and white church movie - in Spanish.  Oh and a couple kids came at the end and started throwing popcorn around the room. Haha. Oh man.

So I thought I had seen it all when it comes to cleaning down here. By that I mean they just dump water on everything and put a towel on a stick and move it around. Well nope.  On Thursday I used a power washer to clean the church.  Ya, a power washer.  A little different than the vacuum cleaners in the states.   

Then we had a chorizo dinner after. I also made Chipa for the first time this week. Well, I started to make Chipa and then Blandina finished it the next morning. It’s pretty disgusting seeing what goes into it.  Anyway after that, the usual Paraguayan drama came back.

Making Chipa with Clever

 

So I love Griselda.  She is awesome! She’s one of my moms out here, but her family has the most ridiculous drama. She’s the one with one child living in Brazil because the ex-boyfriend sold drugs and is wanted by the police for kidnapping 2 girls.  Anyway, other drama -- her son Rafa is in serious debt and hiding from his debt collectors.  One daughter got in a fight at work and refuses to go into work now.  The other son has been having a love triangle forever and is now running to hide in Brazil because the one girl got pregnant. And he can’t tell her because she’d kill herself.  So many headaches.  But worth it when I can help.

Saturday we went to Arturo Cantero’s b-day party.  He’s a little boy of the president in Rama 1, and he’s a devil child.  But his party was cool.  It was Disney themed, and we ate hot dogs, drank pop and had cake.  It made me remember all my little kid parties.  Thanks, Mom and Dad.  They were fun.

 

Then I had to give a talk in church on Sunday.  I talked about the second coming and prepping ourselves for it.  Everybody loved it and said I did a really good job.  And yes, Dad, I did begin with a joke. Also Diego came and was confirmed, so that was a relief. We had some really promising investigators not come, so that was a downer.  We went and found out why on Sunday afternoon.  One drank again. So that sucks. The other just had to work, so he will be baptized next week.

Baptism of Diego, with Elder Menchaca

 

Then finally to wrap up the week, I cooked dinner for Clever. He’s the son of Blandina, the chipa lady.  And he can’t cook, and was home solo for the weekend so… I took pity on him. I made some cheap, easy Chinese food.  Basically chicken and vegetables marinated in soy sauce then some noodles -- kind of a stir fry.  It went really well, but I made a mistake I haven’t made in years. I got caught up in doing the stir fry stuff and forgot to drain the noodles.  So ya, they were straight to mush. Especially embarrassing considering I worked at an Italian restaurant before the mission. So I’d like to say sorry to Luke my homeboy from the kitchen at Monticos. I promise I won’t let it happen again.

 

Like I said I had a much better week, but it’s still tough.  I’m struggling right now, so say some prayers for me.

Why is everything I love the most so wrong for me.  And everything I’m holding close, so far away from me.  Deep thoughts from Frosty.

Love you guys.

 

Elder Frost

Hanging with Elder Walton