Week 66

Yeah, we went to prison!

Turns out, theres a member who has been in the prison for 2 years, and lives in our area! We heard about him, and decided to go and visit him with his wife!

Hes less active, by the way. Well, we met his wife there, it was about a 20 minute taxi ride, and she asked if we had IDs. uh... my drivers license is always in the apartment, but I had my woods cross high school ID, and i used it, and they let me in. Seems legit.

We met the brother, and as it turns out, he actually started his own church in the prison! Hes a pastor! He brought his guitar and sung us a couple songs, and preached to us for a little bit, and it was alright. He doesnt realyly believe in the book of mormon anymore, and talking to him was almost like talking to an Evangelical Pastor, so im not sure we accomplished too much, but im sure he was happy to get the visit.

we had to walk past all of the cells to get to the courtyard area, and it was just as you would expect a paraguayan prison to be. A bunch of convicts yelling at the big gringo brother as he walks past. It was about as uncomfortable as i have been in the whole mission.

We decided to start talking with EVERYBODY, because weve been a little bit too lazy with it. On the bus, in the street, everybody. We give them the pass along card for Christmas from the church, and invite them to watch the video. One time in the bus, We started talking to a girl with an iPhone (The second iPhone ive seen in the mission!). She watched the video, and liked it, and we started talking. Turns out, her parents are French, Her dad lives in Brazil, she lives with her French Grandmother in a German colony, her brother is studying at Texas A&M, And her cousin lives in Manhattan! She visits them all the time, and speaks English! She was the most cultured person i have ever met! IT was awesome!

I started talking to her about the chruch, and she said that shes been before, because her cousin that lives in New >York is a member! So  we gave her more information about how she can find out how to be saved, and stuff like that, it was great!

Another time, I started talking to this guy, and he said that a year ago, the missionaries visited his house a bunch, and he attended church maybe 5 times! He reads the book of MOrmon, but works on sundays, had to stop attending, and the missionaries stopped passing by. And he wants them to start passing by again! He had a lot of questions. He lives in Elder BAskin`s area. Youre welcome, Elder BAskin.

Also, there was a baptism on wednesday! It was a bummer, because it started raining at midday. And the girl who was going to be baptized only has a motorcycle... And also, when it rains in Paraguay, no one leaves their house. But we had faith that it was all going to work out. We called a few members, and assured them that there was going to be a baptism, and one of them offered to take Damaris and her family to the chapel! As it ended up, about 30 people came! Which is a way good attendence! It was way spiritual. We invited the sister misisionaries from another branch to come and sing a musical number, and it was great.

Wow what an eventful week. Plus, transfers came. And Elder Balcaza is going to Argentina, and the Secretary of Tramites (Josh Blotter of our mission) is going to be my new companion! Elder Quesada! Hes from Cali, Colombia, and has 18 months in the mission. Yet another short companion... hooray. Hugging is EXTREMELY uncomfrotable.

But we get along very well.

I love you.

Merry Christmas!

Elder Christensen 

I WOULD send you pictures, but this computer doesnt allow me to

Week 65

The other day we started singing christmas carols in the plaza. And It was a good experience.

Im writing to you from Posadas, Argentina. I have left my area. We have a meeting here in Posadas today, so here i am.

We will watch a baptism on Wednesday, so that will be exciting.

Ill tell you how everything goes.

Sorry this email is short, but not a lot happened last week.

The Church is true

Have a nice day.

Elder Christensen

Week 64

Well, we helped fix a house this week.

We showed up to the service project at 8, as planned. Waited there for 30 minutes then the Branch President showed up. Then waited for another hour and someone else showed up, and we started goin at it at this house.

I was kind of clueless in what we were going to do. They told me ``service project``, so that could mean anything. Well, the Branch President scales this wooden house, is on top of the roof, and starts tossing us the roofing tiles. We piled them all up. As we were taking the roof off, more people started clearing all of the furniture out of the house. It was insane. I was just kind of standing there with my arms extended out waiting for someone to hand me something.

If you dont know my father, you should know that he is notoriously unknowledgeble about handywork. Anything that has to do with construction. And I take after my father. I was completely clueless what to do when these guys started taking down a wall. Then another wall. They start mixing concrete. It was weird.

They finally sent me over to dig a well. I can do that! We got down probably 3 feet. My hands are jacked up.

Well when we left, they had completely replaced the roof, were rebuilding one of the brick walls, and were starting on another wooden wall. Apparently they finished everything except for some electrical work.

So thats my week. We went to Posadas. Got sick. Way sick. I dont think ill ever be buying ham and cheese from a little dumpy shack on the side of the road ever again! So we were in bed for a couple days, too. What an eventful week!

On the spiritual side of things, While in Posadas, we had to do divisions with the elders in posadas. And we were right next to my old area, tacuari. While we were contacting, one lady said that she knew a family of members. When we asked who, she told us, and I totally knew him! He used to leave with us on visits all the time! Hes the bomb!

So we invaded my old area(hermanas are there now) to go and visit this family. We got there, and as we started talking with the sister there, she told us that her husband, who used to leave with us all the time, was on a ``spiritual vacation`` for the last couple months... NOOO!! He came outside, and we shared a scripture with him. Talked a little bit, and he still bore his testimony of the chruch. We left. I hope we helped him a little bit.

I also memorized the Living Christ in spanish this week. That was exciting.

I love you all very much.

Elder Emil

Week 63

Hello

The week went by really fast. Travelling kills me.

Leaving Saltos was cool. Our branch president there is 80 years old, and is about 5 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds. And calls me Elder McChristopher. Super hilarious. We sang his favorite hymn. How Great Thou Art. And he started to cry! It was such a tender moment.

Elder Balcaza is the greatest. He lives about 5 minutes away from the Buenos Aires temple. Hes teaching me all the Buenos Aires slang. Its super funny. But about every other thing he says, he follows it up with ``dont say THAT as a missionary. its very vulgar`` haha So im not sure if ill be learning all the hood slang for the rest of the transfer. But hes got the heart the size of a wooly mamoth, and about the body of a wooly mammoth, also. Hes huge. Im very confident that no sound minded paraguayan will try and rob us.

Theres one lady here. She lives with her boyfriend and her boyfriend doesnt want to get married. They have 3 kids together. And she has been attending church every week for the past 4 years. And shill has yet to be baptized. On sunday, we visited her. She knows a TON. Go to church every week for 4 years, and i guess thatll do it. Well, her daughter was there, too, who is 10 years old. We started talking to her, and then told us that she wants to be baptized on her birthday this december. Uhhh... we said okay. Her mom told us that she doesnt know why her daughter hadnt been baptized yet. She just... hadnt.

We talked to another member, the primary president, and when we told her that this womans daughter wasnt a member and she was so suprised! The daughter even had an assignment in the primary program!!

So it looks like well be around to see her be baptized. Were in charge of teaching her, because neither of her parents are members, and it shouldnt be too hard, since shes gone to chruch every week for 4 years. Tranquilo.

I am currently in Posadas. We have meetings today and tomorrow. How exciting.

I bought a 2.5 kilogram bag of cereal. Thats what im talking about.

have a nice day

Elder Christensen

Week 62

Well if you want to know how the zone is, look up ``hindenburg blimp`` on YouTube, and any of those videos will give to a good picture.

Yes, i Am in Natalio 10 right now. the branch of Carlos Antonio Lopez. If you speak Paraguayan slang, I am not found here in Natalio. Ill probably be here for a few more days. Ive been working with Elder Andrascik from Syracuse since thursday. Were having a blast. Hes still in his training, so im now considering myself his trainer.

well, the most exciting thing that happened this week was that I got to do divisions in Carlos Antonio Lopez!! Where I started the mission more than one year ago! So exciting! We went to visit a couple of new investigators that the elders had found, and they were some of the same people that I had taught before! It was very funny. The town is very very small. Theres not a lot of new people to find haha

The members are all still great. A couple more people got baptized, but the church attendence is pretty much the same as when i was there last year. Being there brought back so many good memories that i have with Elder Acevedo. I really enjoyed my time there. It was a great day. I took a couple more cool photos during the bus ride. Ill try and send them.

In the past couple weeks, ive been studying the Articulos de faith. And i just try and think of every scripture story and scripture that i can that supports our beliefs. And guess what? The Church is true!

Its actually one of the coolest things ive studied so far, and its awesome.

Have a nice day

Elder Christensen

[Pictures Needed]

Week 61

Sorry that im typing a little slower today. Some bug a couple days ago bit me on my right middle finger, and it swelled up like a balloon, and hurts like the dickens.

I will be home in less than 9 months. If someone gets pregnant today, I will be home for the birth!

Yes, it happened! I went on divisions with the èlder Robert Paul Baskin. It was a blast. He doesnt manage his sector very well, and still doesnt know how to speak spanish, but he sure is trying!

Just kidding, hes doing great! We had a blast going on visits with this one member, and then we went contacting. It was probably one of the best days of my mission. Behind the first day that me and Elder Hutchison met FAnny. Anyway, going on divisions with Paul really made me realize that Utah is awesome, and that I love my family and friends. I had never realized that before. Just kidding. I had always knew it, but being with him rekindled the flame. Well... kindled the burning forest fire thats there.

Thanks for being so awesome, gang!

The missions going great! The zone is a bit of a black hole if you want to be obedient, but whos counting?! Elder BAlcaza is awesome. We really get along very well, and he likes to work.

The 9 year old girl who were working with will be baptized on 2 december, so thats awesome.

We just had a multizone conference yesterday, and because of that, im writing to you folks today. The conference was AWESOME! I love listening to Presidente Talk. And the other missionaries. I just love feeling the Spirit, and I love learning from other people. We talked about a lot of missionary stuff. Mostly having a higher quality of teaching. 50% of the mission has less than 6 months in the mission, so its just a lack of experience that were trying to make up for. Its really weird that im one of the most experienced in the mission.

During the conference, they were trying to get us psyched to do exercises in the morning, so they had 2 elders to a pushup contest. And i was selected... crap. It was technically a tie, but im pretty sure that I lost. I did probably 50, and Elder Eddenfield probably did 60. But it was timed, and we were going both for the same amount of time, but he was going faster. So that was fun.

There have been like 3 people who have told me that the US congress declared the 3rd world war. Im pretty sure that its a lie.

I love you all.

Elder Emil

[Picture Needed]

Week 60

By the authority of the Preisthood of Melquisedec that i hold, this week i gave a child a name and a blessing.

Im not kidding. I was sitting there in gospel doctrine class yesterday, and a recent mother walked in, and handed me a piece of paper. It was a certificate of a baby blessing. Then she left. I was very confused. Right before the sacrament meeting started, i asked our branch president why i had this paper. He told me ´´so you can memorize her full name.´´ What? why do i need to know this babys full name? ´´because the parents want you to bless her.´´

well, so i had about 10 minutes to pray and pray and pray and prepare myself and pray some more. Before the meeting started,  i asked both of the parents if they REALLY wanted me to bless their baby. The father, Daniel, was baptized 2 months ago. He asked me to baptize him. And i did. And now, he told me that he doesnt want to wait a nother few months to get the melquisedec preisthood, he wanted me to bless and name his baby that day.

Well i couldnt really say no. I was pretty calm. I was super happy that the missionary handbook has what needs to be siad in a baby blessing. halelujah.

I blessed her, and it was a pretty awesome experience. Its not that i felt unprepared, but i felt super immature to be doing that sort of thing. I would have never guessed that i would have done something like this on the mission. But i was very happy to have the experience.

So... yes. I cant really remember if anything else happened this week. Changes came. Im going to Encarnacion with Elder Balcaza. Hes from Buenos Aires.

Paul Baskin is my District leader. So im pretty stoked about that.

And also, Carlos Antonio Lopez is in my zone, so i will SI o SI be going back to visit.

The mission blesses you in ways that i never thought were possible!!

Elder Christensen

teaching fanny. she lives so far away.

roberto and alfredo

Daniel is on the left. His wife and baby had to leave early... i couldnt get a picture..