Mar 30, 2009

Hey there everybody,

So this week went pretty legit, if I do say so myself. We only had 2 of the 4 baptisms we were planning on, of Liz and Gricelda, but yeah, we’re happy. We’re just working hard like crazy, and the work really paid off this Sunday when the weekly ‘exam’ came: we had 28 people in church, with 5 men and 3 families. So yah, a lot of the families are starting to turn around, and we’re just being blessed with so much success right now, its truly amazing. That 28 in church marks my new record high of church attendance since back in my Salado days when I managed to bring in 16 for a couple of Sundays in a row. But as you stated that spring is in the air, as well I can say, autumn is in the air. Its still hot, but you can feel the cold starting to come. Like last April when I showed up in Paraguay, my first day here I was freezing, even coming from cold Utah. So April is really the start of the cold, but it won’t be until about mid May that it really stays.

Okay, so about the area. First off, none of the actual ‘city’ is in the North Mission. So like, thinking of Columbus, its like the mission has the area above the 270. So my area is actually very tiny, and its a little suburb thats actually pretty urban for Paraguay, with the normal working class people. Its on the Paraguay River, which loops down around the city, and yah, its cool. There’s a ton of people who live there. But its like a part of Asuncion, sort of like a Whitehall to Columbus. The area the Wade’s live in is like the nicest part of Asuncion, with mansions and nice cars and its like stateside houses, just on little stone streets. There are schools everywhere, and most of the kids go to school everyday, but its a very crappy system and most don’t pay attention to the teacher or learn anything. They only go for like 4 hours a day, and there is a huge problem of schools getting filled up and parents not being able to find an available school for some of their children.

But yah, I’ll be here until at least June 10th, because I have to stay in the area because my comp will be leaving. I guess I’m okay with that, but me, I get bored in the same place for too long. Living with military brats for parents didn’t help, and now getting to move every 4 months definitely isn’t helping me for later in life, but you know, I put up with staying put. But yah, the house is really nice, we just need to clean more... :) But as for more native companions, actually its not that likely that I’ll have a latin anymore, because there’s very few of them in leadership positions, and those that are are leaving this change and the next. So more than likely I’ll be training a new zone leader next change, because almost half of the zone leaders are going home. Its a very young mission now, most of the big leaders are going home this change or next, and there’s only 4 of us who are zone leaders (out of 20) who don’t go home in June. So there’s going to be some big changes these next couple transfers. But because I went up so early in my mission, there’s a big possibility that I’ll go down to train or something before I leave, but that all depends on what the mission is like 9-10 months down the road. But yah, that’s the mission right now. If anything is unclear, just hit me up. Oh, and are you still Google Earthing my areas? I still want to see your guesses when I get home haha.

Love ya,

Tuja Dennis
Hesukrísto
Tupao
Marangatukuéra
Arapahapegua