Alright people, so I’m super excited for changes, but yeah, I still don’t have them. But anyways, this week was pretty good, we had 9 baptisms: Gustavo, Teresita, Laura, Teresita, and Catalina and her kids, Damian, Ezequiel, Lourdes, and Edgar. So that was fun, especially because on Wednesday we had the baptisms of everyone but Gustavo, with Elder Nolan and Elder Sanchez, who are in the other half of Zeballos Cue, who had 5 baptisms all of the same family. So it was awesome to see 13 people all dressed in white! Check out the picture to see how beautiful it was...
But you’ll never guess what I ate last night! I ate some jacaré... or alligator! or crocidile, I’m not really sure which it was haha. But it was like really good! I enjoyed it a ton. Then today I went with Elder Sanchez to check out this place that we heard served tacos, and Sanchez being Mexican was all for it. They were alright, but they defnitely lacked that distinctive mexican punch of flavor and spice. I am definitely not the same picky eater you sent away, I can asure you of that haha.
Anyways, it sounds like you guys are getting geared up for summer from what Dad says, so have fun with that. I’m loving the weather right now. It’s nice and warm at like 30 C, which is like mid 80s according to the converter on the cell phone, but its nice and cool at night, with just dry heat. So for me this is basically perfect. I’m just going to freeze when I show up at the house in February... But I’m glad you’re enjoying having Parkins there to be a new victim of your touristy needs to go to NYC hahaha. I hope Haley takes advantage of the time to relax and work and prepare to try to go to school again. I’m totally going on a road trip of the states when I get back though, Haley’s little cross country endeavor totally reminded me of that. Shane’s already committed to go.
But I’m guess I’m glad to hear that Paraguay isn’t the only place false doctrine is preached haha, but yeah, just keep chuggin along. I’ve found its easiest if the missionaries or someone who knows the doctrine... okay okay, just the missionaries, speak last, and we kind of twist words to thank the people for giving their talks and teaching us about this principle and then we ‘bear our testimonies’ while really teaching what that principle really consists of. It works pretty well, and the people still feel good about themselves. But I’m so glad Cole is reading and all that stuff, it’s so sad to see how few the people here are educated enough to read. We are truly blessed to live in the states where you really don’t run into that too much. So yeah, just keep up the good work there, and try and get all of the munchkins to appreciate learning, it’s such a blessing to have such great opportunities.
Love ya lots,
Elder Dennis
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
April 20, 2009
Okay, I’m pretty sure my OCD will never compare with yours. But I liked the Lego organization idea, I’m definitely going to have to do that with my kids. But I’ve been getting the same impressiones as you in lines of the genealogy research. I feel like we need to get a move on it, and I’m just so fascinated by anything historical that it’s fun for me. I’m actually reading the Bible Dictionary entry by entry because it’s all historical and explains a thousand things that only have to do with the Bible, and aren’t actually contained in it. And it’s about as close to archeologically exploring the middle east as I can get from a third world country in South America.
But anyways, our week went pretty excellent. We had two baptisms: Alicia and Ramona. Alicia is the cousin of Marina, and Ramona the sister of Mirna and Lucía, who have all been baptized in the past month or so. So that was exciting. Then yeah, we just worked like crazy, and we found like the most awesome family ever, another golden one like Juan and Angelica. Elvio and Eulalia are another young couple of 22 and 20 years of age, respectively. They have a little baby girl of 2 months, and we met Eulalia in the house of another investigator we have, Teresita, who’s planning to get baptized on Wednesday. Anyways, we taught her a little bit with Teresita, and she liked it a lot, but we couldn’t find their house down in the farthest edge of our area, where there’s a lot of the new shanties that the people build up here. But on Saturday we forced the semi, not-good-at-all Paraguayan directions out of Teresita, and we went searching. We found a sweet old rope bridge that was falling apart, so I crossed it for fun (sorry, didn’t have my camera, I’m gonna do it again though...) and they saw us from a distance and came over to show us where their house is. Anyways, they’re awesome, and went to church (we had 27 at church by the way... I really want to hit the 30). After church it was funny though, Elvio came up and was like, ‘Hey, before we take off I just want to make sure you’re going to pass by my house this week.’ And I was like ‘Of course we’re going to pass by’ and he was like ‘Ok, I just want to make sure.’ So yeah, even though the church here is just crazy dirty kids running around and crying and teachers that don’t teach the doctrine and just tell people what they can and can’t do (never right) and you just pray the speakers don’t talk too much false doctrine, it’s amazing how the spirit still touches the hearts of those who go.
But I also got to talk to Elder Spencer this week, and he says Eddy is doing amazing, and that he’s already excited to get to go to the temple in January... so I have no doubt that he’s a stud and going to get there. Spencer was just talking about how even though he’s around some bad influences a little bit at work, how he just has a good head on his shoulders and just knows what’s going on. So that was good to hear how my best friend convert is doing right now. Supposedly he’s half-way through writing a letter for me, so I’m looking forward to getting that in a little bit haha (I write my main converts a letter every couple months to check up on them and all that jazz).
But yeah, yesterday my comp gave his good-bye talk, and this is his last week of work in the mission field. Pray that he doesn’t make me too trunky... I’m resisting alright for now, but I dreamed of hockey last night (probably because the nights are starting to get chilly) and wow, it was not good hahaha. I really want to work at the ice rink again, not even kidding. I miss the smell of crisp ice and sharpening skates and playing competitive, sweat drippin, blood spittin games. Okay I’m gonna stop now. I thought about coaching a little house team or something when I get home, that’d be fun.
Love,
Elder Dennis
But anyways, our week went pretty excellent. We had two baptisms: Alicia and Ramona. Alicia is the cousin of Marina, and Ramona the sister of Mirna and Lucía, who have all been baptized in the past month or so. So that was exciting. Then yeah, we just worked like crazy, and we found like the most awesome family ever, another golden one like Juan and Angelica. Elvio and Eulalia are another young couple of 22 and 20 years of age, respectively. They have a little baby girl of 2 months, and we met Eulalia in the house of another investigator we have, Teresita, who’s planning to get baptized on Wednesday. Anyways, we taught her a little bit with Teresita, and she liked it a lot, but we couldn’t find their house down in the farthest edge of our area, where there’s a lot of the new shanties that the people build up here. But on Saturday we forced the semi, not-good-at-all Paraguayan directions out of Teresita, and we went searching. We found a sweet old rope bridge that was falling apart, so I crossed it for fun (sorry, didn’t have my camera, I’m gonna do it again though...) and they saw us from a distance and came over to show us where their house is. Anyways, they’re awesome, and went to church (we had 27 at church by the way... I really want to hit the 30). After church it was funny though, Elvio came up and was like, ‘Hey, before we take off I just want to make sure you’re going to pass by my house this week.’ And I was like ‘Of course we’re going to pass by’ and he was like ‘Ok, I just want to make sure.’ So yeah, even though the church here is just crazy dirty kids running around and crying and teachers that don’t teach the doctrine and just tell people what they can and can’t do (never right) and you just pray the speakers don’t talk too much false doctrine, it’s amazing how the spirit still touches the hearts of those who go.
But I also got to talk to Elder Spencer this week, and he says Eddy is doing amazing, and that he’s already excited to get to go to the temple in January... so I have no doubt that he’s a stud and going to get there. Spencer was just talking about how even though he’s around some bad influences a little bit at work, how he just has a good head on his shoulders and just knows what’s going on. So that was good to hear how my best friend convert is doing right now. Supposedly he’s half-way through writing a letter for me, so I’m looking forward to getting that in a little bit haha (I write my main converts a letter every couple months to check up on them and all that jazz).
But yeah, yesterday my comp gave his good-bye talk, and this is his last week of work in the mission field. Pray that he doesn’t make me too trunky... I’m resisting alright for now, but I dreamed of hockey last night (probably because the nights are starting to get chilly) and wow, it was not good hahaha. I really want to work at the ice rink again, not even kidding. I miss the smell of crisp ice and sharpening skates and playing competitive, sweat drippin, blood spittin games. Okay I’m gonna stop now. I thought about coaching a little house team or something when I get home, that’d be fun.
Love,
Elder Dennis
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
April 14, 2009
What up thug?
So, yeah, I’m still here. I got your package on Tuesday, and I am still in heaven, with straight up Skittles and Starbursts, and that’s all I need. Tell Aunt Audrey thank you very much, her package was an awesome surprise. I share with the little kiddies every once in awhile, when I’m not feeling too selfish haha. But whoever sent the chocolate, I forget in which package it was, it didn’t quite survive the trip hahaha. It was all just molded to the plastic wrapper, and I couldn’t even begin to guess in what form it was when it entered the package. But I’m glad you guys were able to make it down to the old folks in PA. But man, I gotta say, Cole is soooo white hahaha. I don’t know if its that I’ve been living among latin tanned skin for a year (tomorrow, the 15th, hehe) or what, but man, get that kid out in the sun haha.
But as for the Latin culture, they don’t have ‘Easter,’ they have the Holy Week, or the Semana Santa. They focus on the more religious side of things, in just about everything. So like, Palm Sunday is a big thing, and then on Wednesday they all stop working about mid day for the rest of the week. Thursday is the Last Supper, which is the real Passover, and then its Good Friday, or Holy Friday, when Christ died, and it’s basically impossible to find anyone. That day was deader than Christmas, not even kidding. Then Saturday is basically normal, and then Sunday is the Passover of the Resurrection, which is the only day we celebrate, as Easter. Look up Easter in the Bible Dictionary and you’ll learn why we call it Easter. So yeah, this week was dead for us, and it was a learning experience for me because before this year, I barely knew that Palm Sunday existed, and so I learned a lot more about what happened the final week of the Savior’s life.
But this week we got to go to the temple on Tuesday, and that was just awesome! It was like this personal guided tour by the mission president through some of the ordinances and answering questions, I found it most enjoyable. But the blue pants that you sent REALLY don’t fit… the waist is so small that I’d guess that they wouldn’t even fit Cole… But the grey ones fit just fine, so it’s all good. But I like Dad’s multiple corporations… it’s pretty cool. Doesn’t he have three now: One for the building, the Smiles, and now the Lake Ave? I’m impressed. I hope this new venture works out good so that you can stay ahead of this little economic problem. Down here, we’ve noticed that the dollar is starting to drop again, so… yeah, I’m trying to think of an occupation I can choose that will get me ahead of the curve as well. I might just work with Dad after all; I could make it through undergrad if I have to haha.
Oh, but no, the cleaning lady was like a 3 week stint… it didn’t quite work out and looking back, I’m not sure it would have been allowed even :D but I didn’t know better back then. So yeah, I’m still not mastering that skill, though my organization, while I’ve always had Mom’s (fetch I can’t think of the word, it’s like ADD but with like you have to do something like organize or like flip the light switch 4 times before bed, etc or you go crazy) anyways, it has improved a ton since the start of my mission. But I still have my clothes all over the place… its just organized now: lumps of dirty clothes and lumps of clean clothes and lumps of maybe needs washed but could probably be used another time or two before clothes. Organization at it’s finest, I swear.
As for the phone call though, I’m not sure why they got charged so much, but I’m pretty sure they couldn’t get their calling card to work or something. Things will probably be organized next week or the week after to get you guys planning for the call in May. Wow, to think that it’s coming up on a year since last mother’s day is just absolutely crazy! But yeah, things are going good back in Saltos, they’re both still active and Eddy is just crazy helping out the missionaries. He’s going on a mission for sure, he’s probably my strongest convert for sure, he’s such an amazing kid.
Anyways, I hope things keep going good for you back home. Love ya lots,
Elder Dennis
So, yeah, I’m still here. I got your package on Tuesday, and I am still in heaven, with straight up Skittles and Starbursts, and that’s all I need. Tell Aunt Audrey thank you very much, her package was an awesome surprise. I share with the little kiddies every once in awhile, when I’m not feeling too selfish haha. But whoever sent the chocolate, I forget in which package it was, it didn’t quite survive the trip hahaha. It was all just molded to the plastic wrapper, and I couldn’t even begin to guess in what form it was when it entered the package. But I’m glad you guys were able to make it down to the old folks in PA. But man, I gotta say, Cole is soooo white hahaha. I don’t know if its that I’ve been living among latin tanned skin for a year (tomorrow, the 15th, hehe) or what, but man, get that kid out in the sun haha.
But as for the Latin culture, they don’t have ‘Easter,’ they have the Holy Week, or the Semana Santa. They focus on the more religious side of things, in just about everything. So like, Palm Sunday is a big thing, and then on Wednesday they all stop working about mid day for the rest of the week. Thursday is the Last Supper, which is the real Passover, and then its Good Friday, or Holy Friday, when Christ died, and it’s basically impossible to find anyone. That day was deader than Christmas, not even kidding. Then Saturday is basically normal, and then Sunday is the Passover of the Resurrection, which is the only day we celebrate, as Easter. Look up Easter in the Bible Dictionary and you’ll learn why we call it Easter. So yeah, this week was dead for us, and it was a learning experience for me because before this year, I barely knew that Palm Sunday existed, and so I learned a lot more about what happened the final week of the Savior’s life.
But this week we got to go to the temple on Tuesday, and that was just awesome! It was like this personal guided tour by the mission president through some of the ordinances and answering questions, I found it most enjoyable. But the blue pants that you sent REALLY don’t fit… the waist is so small that I’d guess that they wouldn’t even fit Cole… But the grey ones fit just fine, so it’s all good. But I like Dad’s multiple corporations… it’s pretty cool. Doesn’t he have three now: One for the building, the Smiles, and now the Lake Ave? I’m impressed. I hope this new venture works out good so that you can stay ahead of this little economic problem. Down here, we’ve noticed that the dollar is starting to drop again, so… yeah, I’m trying to think of an occupation I can choose that will get me ahead of the curve as well. I might just work with Dad after all; I could make it through undergrad if I have to haha.
Oh, but no, the cleaning lady was like a 3 week stint… it didn’t quite work out and looking back, I’m not sure it would have been allowed even :D but I didn’t know better back then. So yeah, I’m still not mastering that skill, though my organization, while I’ve always had Mom’s (fetch I can’t think of the word, it’s like ADD but with like you have to do something like organize or like flip the light switch 4 times before bed, etc or you go crazy) anyways, it has improved a ton since the start of my mission. But I still have my clothes all over the place… its just organized now: lumps of dirty clothes and lumps of clean clothes and lumps of maybe needs washed but could probably be used another time or two before clothes. Organization at it’s finest, I swear.
As for the phone call though, I’m not sure why they got charged so much, but I’m pretty sure they couldn’t get their calling card to work or something. Things will probably be organized next week or the week after to get you guys planning for the call in May. Wow, to think that it’s coming up on a year since last mother’s day is just absolutely crazy! But yeah, things are going good back in Saltos, they’re both still active and Eddy is just crazy helping out the missionaries. He’s going on a mission for sure, he’s probably my strongest convert for sure, he’s such an amazing kid.
Anyways, I hope things keep going good for you back home. Love ya lots,
Elder Dennis
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 6, 2009
Hello folks,
So how’s it going? This week was just absolutely crazy for me, we had like no time to work whatsoever! On Tuesday we had a leadership meeting called Consilio which is just the ZLs in the house of Pte. Wade, but it went until like 4 in the afternoon, and we didn’t get back out into the field until 6, so that was only like 3 hours to work. Then on Wednesday it was the same thing, we had Zone Conference. So we get out again at like 4, but we had to buy stuff in the Distribution Center that’s next door to the temple and main chapel of the mission where we have the zone conferences. So then we get back to the area just in time to have the baptisms of Francisca and Victorina. It was so funny though! Okay, so Victorina is the mom, and Francisca is her 8 year old daughter. So Victorina gets baptized first, and Francisca sees it and starts freaking out cause she’s scared of water, but her mom like shoves her down into the font with me and she’s all screaming and thinking she’s gonna die hahaha. And then her mom is like ready to just shove her under screaming and all! But we took a few minutes and I calmed her down with the help of Elder Nolan who was there, and got it done hahaha. It was so funny, her mom was all like wanting to swim in the water and her daughter was freaking out, and her mom was like splashing her with water like, hey its nothing while we were trying to calm her down and it was NOT helping hahaha. So that’s the funny story of the week.
But then in Thursday we basically got to work, even though we had a liderazgo, which is a weekly leadership meeting we hold with the DLs in the zone, but thats tranquilo. But then on Friday we used up all the morning with the weekly planning, and then by 5 we were in the church to set up for the weddings of Hugo and Sofia and Dionicio and Lucia, which almost didn’t happen because they almost didn’t show up in time, but they managed to show up half an hour late and just as the judge was about to have to leave. Trust me, mormon standard time and paraguayan standard time should never have come together... its a thousand times worse than back home. It was pretty cool though, Hugo and Dionicio are brothers, and we’ve been working with the two families separately for quite some time now, like we baptized the daughters, Natalia and Karina, of Dionicio and Lucia awhile ago because they were taking so long. So it was cool to see them pull together to support each other and want to do it together. Afterwards we had their baptisms and we didn’t get done until pretty late. Then we had General Conference on Saturday and Sunday, and because we had to go to the stake center to watch it we didn’t get to work like, at all, because only the stake centers have the big satellite receivers here. But it was absolutely awesome, especially the priesthood session. Sorry mom, you always miss out.
But yeah, you guys should feel so blessed to get to watch the speakers giving their talks in your native tongue, because in all of the other languages, its just dubbed, and wow it is not the same. We, fortunately, got to watch the transmissions in English in the high council room in the comfy... not as nice as the states but still... chairs at the big table. And it was really cool at night during the Priesthood session, Pres. Wade and the temple president showed up, because they were able to watch the other sessions at their homes, so it was cool to take notes with two of the great Moroni like leaders of this dispensation. But a little bit of what I was hearing got me kind of worried. Is the economic situation back home really as bad as the talks were making it sound? It seemed like every single person mentioned it, and I don’t know, here in Paraguay that situation has and probably always will be bad, so we don’t feel the drop in the economy that much. Plus the dollar is staying stable down here at least, and that’s basically the only indication that I have of how it is up there, cause we hear absolutely zero about what’s going on.
But yeah, that was my third of four General Conferences... and next Monday I hit one year in Paraguay, officially, and 14 months in the mission. I’m officially on the downhill, and it’s sad I must admit. Time is really just flying now, I can’t believe that time can move as fast as it is now. I remember when I was a kid, back in Willoughby, when those summers, the best summers of my life, just passed like decades. I miss being a kid. I wish I were the same age as Cole, and we could just play with Legos all day long. I’m looking forward to it when I get home and have a couple months to kill... by the way, I have no clue what I want to do yet, and every passing day just makes me more confused. I don’t even know where I want to go to school. I don’t know if you’d be able to pick me up some school catalogs of whatever of like the U, BYU, BYU-I, maybe like Arizona or something, I don’t know, whatever other inspiration you get for me. Focus on like architecture or archealogy/history, and I don’t know, business stuff like computers or accounting or something, I have no clue. I know its a little early feeling right now, but I figure by the time you can pick up some stuff and send it off to me it’ll be a couple months down the road. Oh, by the way, I got a call from the mailman of the mission today, one of my best buddies, telling me I got your package and a package from Aunt Audrey, so I’m stoked to pick those up tomorrow.
Love you lots,
Elder Dennis
So how’s it going? This week was just absolutely crazy for me, we had like no time to work whatsoever! On Tuesday we had a leadership meeting called Consilio which is just the ZLs in the house of Pte. Wade, but it went until like 4 in the afternoon, and we didn’t get back out into the field until 6, so that was only like 3 hours to work. Then on Wednesday it was the same thing, we had Zone Conference. So we get out again at like 4, but we had to buy stuff in the Distribution Center that’s next door to the temple and main chapel of the mission where we have the zone conferences. So then we get back to the area just in time to have the baptisms of Francisca and Victorina. It was so funny though! Okay, so Victorina is the mom, and Francisca is her 8 year old daughter. So Victorina gets baptized first, and Francisca sees it and starts freaking out cause she’s scared of water, but her mom like shoves her down into the font with me and she’s all screaming and thinking she’s gonna die hahaha. And then her mom is like ready to just shove her under screaming and all! But we took a few minutes and I calmed her down with the help of Elder Nolan who was there, and got it done hahaha. It was so funny, her mom was all like wanting to swim in the water and her daughter was freaking out, and her mom was like splashing her with water like, hey its nothing while we were trying to calm her down and it was NOT helping hahaha. So that’s the funny story of the week.
But then in Thursday we basically got to work, even though we had a liderazgo, which is a weekly leadership meeting we hold with the DLs in the zone, but thats tranquilo. But then on Friday we used up all the morning with the weekly planning, and then by 5 we were in the church to set up for the weddings of Hugo and Sofia and Dionicio and Lucia, which almost didn’t happen because they almost didn’t show up in time, but they managed to show up half an hour late and just as the judge was about to have to leave. Trust me, mormon standard time and paraguayan standard time should never have come together... its a thousand times worse than back home. It was pretty cool though, Hugo and Dionicio are brothers, and we’ve been working with the two families separately for quite some time now, like we baptized the daughters, Natalia and Karina, of Dionicio and Lucia awhile ago because they were taking so long. So it was cool to see them pull together to support each other and want to do it together. Afterwards we had their baptisms and we didn’t get done until pretty late. Then we had General Conference on Saturday and Sunday, and because we had to go to the stake center to watch it we didn’t get to work like, at all, because only the stake centers have the big satellite receivers here. But it was absolutely awesome, especially the priesthood session. Sorry mom, you always miss out.
But yeah, you guys should feel so blessed to get to watch the speakers giving their talks in your native tongue, because in all of the other languages, its just dubbed, and wow it is not the same. We, fortunately, got to watch the transmissions in English in the high council room in the comfy... not as nice as the states but still... chairs at the big table. And it was really cool at night during the Priesthood session, Pres. Wade and the temple president showed up, because they were able to watch the other sessions at their homes, so it was cool to take notes with two of the great Moroni like leaders of this dispensation. But a little bit of what I was hearing got me kind of worried. Is the economic situation back home really as bad as the talks were making it sound? It seemed like every single person mentioned it, and I don’t know, here in Paraguay that situation has and probably always will be bad, so we don’t feel the drop in the economy that much. Plus the dollar is staying stable down here at least, and that’s basically the only indication that I have of how it is up there, cause we hear absolutely zero about what’s going on.
But yeah, that was my third of four General Conferences... and next Monday I hit one year in Paraguay, officially, and 14 months in the mission. I’m officially on the downhill, and it’s sad I must admit. Time is really just flying now, I can’t believe that time can move as fast as it is now. I remember when I was a kid, back in Willoughby, when those summers, the best summers of my life, just passed like decades. I miss being a kid. I wish I were the same age as Cole, and we could just play with Legos all day long. I’m looking forward to it when I get home and have a couple months to kill... by the way, I have no clue what I want to do yet, and every passing day just makes me more confused. I don’t even know where I want to go to school. I don’t know if you’d be able to pick me up some school catalogs of whatever of like the U, BYU, BYU-I, maybe like Arizona or something, I don’t know, whatever other inspiration you get for me. Focus on like architecture or archealogy/history, and I don’t know, business stuff like computers or accounting or something, I have no clue. I know its a little early feeling right now, but I figure by the time you can pick up some stuff and send it off to me it’ll be a couple months down the road. Oh, by the way, I got a call from the mailman of the mission today, one of my best buddies, telling me I got your package and a package from Aunt Audrey, so I’m stoked to pick those up tomorrow.
Love you lots,
Elder Dennis
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