Sunday, October 23, 2016

19 Sept 2016: Horqueta, Paraguay

Fotos:  We went on a walk last Monday and here are a few of the fotos we took.  More to follow.
1-  The Lions Club welcome to Horqueta
2-  A traffic sign near our home - we travel to Concepcion many times each week.  About 40 km each way.
3-  The herbs that they use to make terrere - a herb-infused water.  They can cure whatever ails you with these herbs.
4- The new wanted sign at the entrance to Horqueta.  The reward (a thousand million Guarani) is about $200,000 USD.  We try to be discreet when taking fotos of the EPP wanted posters. 
 



 
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It seems that the weeks are flying by.  We are very busy with branch and district work, and we love our visits and activities with our members.  This weekend we had a wonderful District/Stake Conference in Concepcion.  President Evans, our new mission president, came as did the Assistants to the President and the Sister Leaders.  We know them all very well and they are wonderful missionaries (Elder Bickley, Elder Crofts, Hermana Trujillo, and Hermana Jara).  On Saturday evening we had a leadership training meeting with Pres Evans.  He spoke of the importance of members working with and supporting the full-time missionaries- and how to improve.  Sunday morning we had a youth session of conference with three youth speaking and Pres Evans.  The 10:00 am general session of conference was wonderful.  We had over 250 members in attendance.  Our District President and I spoke, and then Cheryl gave her first official talk here in Paraguay about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon.  She did a very good job, and during her talk you could have heard a pin drop.   During the conference we released two of the branch presidents in the District.  It went well and the two new presidents are men that we know well.  Our new branch president is a 31 year old, unmarried man.  He is so strong and well prepared to lead, even though he has only been a member for 5 years or so.  We will work with him over the next few weeks to help train him and answer his questions. Note:  He is actively looking for a wife.  ☺
We also had two young men from our branch, Hugo Barreto and Roberto Sanchez, receive the Melquisedec priesthood.  They have been working so hard to prepare.
We celebrated Daisy Duarte’s birthday with her on Monday.  She just turned 25 years old and will be entering the MTC in Sao Paolo in just about 60 days.  We leave shortly after she does. She will be a wonderful missionary.
We had an interesting experience this week with a brand new fruit, called Yva Povo.  It grows on the trunk and branches of the tree, not with stems but directly on the tree.  It looks like a grape, but you cannot eat the seed or the skin.  The first one you eat is a little bitter, but the rest are sweet and juicy.  The legend here is that if a pregnant woman eats a lot of this fruit, the eyes of her child will be dark or black.  Not too sure about that.
We continue to work hard, even though the time is passing quickly.  We have much to do here in the branch, but we also have much to do with the house before we leave.  It looks like another couple is coming to the mission, but they will be housed in Asuncion and conduct audits for the mission.  This is sorely needed as financial management is one area where our leaders are struggling.  Another couple works in the temple and will start helping with Chapel Open Houses.  We are hoping and praying that another couple will be called to serve here in the north of Paraguay to help these good members continue to progress.  They are wonderful, they just need some help.
Thanks to all for your love and support.
Love,
Jerry and Cheryl

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