Week 61

Well, I got changes. And it’s going to be quite different.

I got changed from the city in Capiata, well Anahi to be exact, and dropped off in the middle of the jungle - literally. There are more dirt paths than actual roads.  And yes, I’m using roads as in Paraguay roads.  It’s at least a 30-minute bus drive to get to the closest thing I can call a city. I need a machete.  It’s pretty intense.

I also got a new comp, and we are whitewashing the area - meaning that both of us are new here. His name is Elder Alvizures, and he’s from Guatemala. He is also going home December 17^th, so we are decently old together.  Therefore, I don’t think we will be comps very long, but we will do our best while we are here. But I’ve got to start with Monday since that’s how I do these things.

Last Monday was a bit of a train wreck in the morning, as we walked all the way to the ruta only for Elder Wolfgramm to call and say we need workout clothes.  So, back to the house, then back to the ruta, and then to Elder Wolfgramm’s house, while we waited to play rugby. Well I needed a haircut, and Elder Wolfgramm has a machine, so he cut my hair.  It actually looks pretty good.   I guess he used to cut his brother’s hair before the mission. I am glad it was free though. Ha ha.  Free is always good as a missionary.  Then rugby got canceled, so we went to Pizza Hut.  But we got there late, so we dropped that idea and we just went to the food court inside.  I got some Chinese food that was really good, but not really filling.  I am on a budget so I was looking around for something to eat to fill me up, and then I saw a movie theater. Bingo!  I got movie theater popcorn.  Although I got seriously distracted by the movie posters and forgot to order buttered popcorn.  The girl also gave me a discount which may or may not have clouded my vision.  But it filled me up and was pretty good.  I can’t wait to go to a movie for real again. 8 months, heck ya!  Anyone wanna be my date... ha ha.

 So it turns out I was wrong last week when I said that the strike was in Argentina.  The strike was actually here in Paraguay, and it turns out Paraguay strikes happen all the time and people just use them as a holiday.  It was nothing big or bad or scary ha ha.  But it did prevent changes from happening until Thursday. 

So we did a noche de hogar with the Famila Avalos, who may just be my favorite family in Paraguay.  We watched the movie Families are Together Forever, and it was a super scratched disc so that sucked, but they liked it.  Hopefully the husband gets converted.  Then we ate peach cobbler I made.  They loved it.  Shout out to Elder Anderson for teaching me to make that one. It’s really good.

Then we got changes.  I owe Elder Wolfgramm the aforementioned cobbler, as I told him if he got me the news on changes faster than my actual district leader, I’d  make it for him… and he did.  So I found out I was leaving, which meant a day of goodbyes.  It’s weird how in one change really of working there were a lot of lives I touched. Freddy Gonzalez, a less active guy, actually teared up.  And my soccer boys were pretty devastated.  So were some of the other families. I’m glad I left my mark here in Anahi, even if it wasn’t with a ton of baptisms.

Then we had a dinner with the Familia Zorrilla, where they all wrote in my book and it was really good.  It was tofu empanadas, but they were awesome!  Who knew tofu could be so good? 

Then the shock at changes as I found out about my new area.  Like I said, it’s straight jungle -- like out of The Testaments.  And we are whitewashing, so that is really hard.  (Note:  Whitewashing is where both Elders get changed into an area at the same time – and neither have been in the area before).  But I can see some potential here, and my comp is really chill.  We have gotten along so far, so that’s a plus.

One last crazy story is that on Sunday, the floor broke in the church.  The tile began to crack, as the humidity got under the tile into the cement. The people were freaking out. Only in Paraguay.

Love you guys, and have a great week.

 

Elder Frost