Emil's Emails: Week 18

Vostros, ¿Cómo estáis?

Just kidding. But not really.

MY companion is George Costanza. No joke. He is balder than Quinten L Cook. He wears glasses. He´s short and a bit chubby. He has the same attitude as Geroge. He kinda freaks out about little things. Like George. He is Geroge Costanza. But he´s Chilean. I like him.

Oberá is a bit different than Carlos Antonio Lopez. Its pretty much San Francisco. It is way hilly. There are so many hills. Thats all it is is hills. Its not a huge city. But compared to lopez... haha thats like going from Peoa, UT to Murray. Oh my, what a difference.

There are three pairs of missionaries here. The branch has about 100 people attend every week. Our area has 3 members living in it. And 2 are inactive. We have an area that is whiter than white. Its strange to actually go out and contact and be rejected. Barely anyone rejected us in Lopez, but here, about one in every twenty lets us in. Its definitley different.

Well not a whole lot has happened. We seriously just talk to people at the bus stop and then they get way interested, and we ask for their address and it turns out they live in the Hermana´s area. Then the hermanas visit them, and they accept a baptismal date and come to church the next day. haha seriously, though..

I really enjoy reading the Book of Mormon. Nefi, the prophet in most of the book of Helaman cited Abraham, and i re looked up his story. And it was Abraham almost sacrificing his son, Isaac, to fulfill a commandment of God. In the end, an angel came and the Lord provided a sheep to sacrifice, and Isaac was a prophet later in life. Anyway, i really want to have the faith of Abraham. To be willing to do anything for the Lord. It would be impossible to sacrifice my son, since i dont have one, but I am asked to reach out and talk to people everywhere i go, which is dificult for me. But i perservere.

I hope you have a nice day.

Elder Christensen

Merry Christmas from the Elderes from District Natalio10!!!

La familia Benitez!

My study desk. My knees didn't quite fit underneath, so I had to sit about a mile away!

This is my bed and dresser. There were moths in the wardrobe that got on my suit, and the bed frame was broken, so I slept on a slant the whole time I was in this area! You'll also notice that there was no air conditioning and there was a ceiling fan that wouldn't work about once a week because of a power outage. It was very hot.

Our kitchen. You can't see the fridge, or the gaping 4 square foot hole in the wall that let our neighbor talk to us as we were eating dinner.

We lived in the middle third of a house. For a couple weeks in the transfer, our landlord rented out the room I am standing in, and we would walk in to a man sleeping on his bed every night.

This is where we waited for the bus. you can see the white sign outside of our house just up the street. Also, my body is blocking the view of the chapel. Everything was very close in Carlos Antonio Lopez.

There was a huge jungled area across the road from where we waited for the bus. It would come 4 times a day. At 2 am, 8 am, 2 pm, and 8 pm.

Outside the pension in Natalio 10. My Peruvian companion, Elder Silva.

Our landlord was quite the party animal!

The sign outside the pension.

Our house!

Another view of our house

We ate my first asado at the birthday party of a member.

One time, as I was studying, a frog jumped across my feet!

Divisions with Elder Ortiz, my first district leader, in Natalio 10. He was from El Salvador, and was a pretty cool guy. I don't think I have any pictures of him.

Coolest picture ever. The bus ride ranged anywhere from 4 to 9 hours from Encarnacion to Carlos Antonio Lopez depending on traffic, weather, and the route we took.

Isabelino killed and skinned a little bird.

Ramona Benitez!

Popsicles with the Benitez Family!

Me and Silvino at his baptism.

This was a great experience for a young elder in his first transfer.

Silvino Benitez Acosta

An investigator bought two little coatis. Evil little creatures.

There were tarantulas in the apartment all the time.

Transfers! Boy was I happy to be getting a new companion!

Me and Elder Acevedo saw a dead snake.

Family night with the family Benitez! Armando is dressed in the armor of God.

My first zone leader, Elder Farnsworth from Enterprise, Utah. We would talk about the Utah Jazz all the time. One of the happiest moments of my mission was when we learned together that the Jazz had beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Probably not. But he was a great friend and probably the best spanish speaker in the mission (including natives).

Me cooking up some french toast. Mmm. Barely visible is the hole in the wall.

My first Christmas in Paraguay! At Natalio 10 with Elder Acevedo, and my district leader, Elder Cullimore, from San Francisco, and his son, Elder Herd, from Texas.

Christmas day hike!

New Year's day hike to el Rio Parana!

The road out of Lopez

My other first zone leader, Elder Reid, from Las Vegas.

Great baseball player. He played against Bryce Harper.

My last day in Lopez with Elder Acevedo. This is one of the biggest streets in the center of town!

Familia Ramirez! Claudia is the only member, but her two sons are both over 8, and wanted to be baptized, but their, father, Carlos, wanted them to wait... He'll come around eventually!