January 25, 2016

Wow - today we complete 8 months in the mission.  We love what we are doing, even when it is hard.  And occasionally we have to ask ourselves if we are really making a difference or not.  We hope so and believe that we are.

We have been working with both the Elders and the Sisters to support them in their times of sickness, depression, challenges, and even infestations of bugs.  Sore feet and legs, sore throats, depression, and even Dengue fever.  We have been at the hospital three times in the past few weeks, and rarely do the missionaries have enough money to pay for their care.  The mission office will reimburse us, but sometimes it takes a while.  But we have been blessed by helping out these wonderful missionaries who are here to serve and hate being in the hospital or confined to their houses.

Saturday we had the opportunity to drive to Tacuati for the Baptism of Kevin Martinez, an 8 year old child.  His mom and dad are both members but he wanted Elder Simao to baptize him.  Elder Simao has had Dengue and has very little physical strength at this time - but we decided to give it a try.  We met the members at the church and drove as far as the road / trail / cow path would allow.  Then we walked for about 40 minutes to the Rio Ypane for the baptism.  Fortunately the water level has dropped about 20 feet from where it was a few weeks ago, and the members found a very private and beautiful part of the river for the baptism.  Elder Simao did a great job and Kevin was very happy.  We walked through some very beautiful country and really enjoyed the experience.  There is always something very spiritually special about a baptism service.

The weather has been very hot and dry.  It has been nearly two weeks since it has rained, and today the temperatures reached nearly 100%.  No one here spends any time in the burning sun - so shade is at a premium.  We are very lucky to ever find a shady spot to park the car.  

Our little garden continues to grow.  We have harvested green peppers and have other plants such as spinach, watermelon, and a leafy green vegetable from Brasil (can’t remember the name).  We enjoy working with the roses and apple trees that are also growing very well. 

We have been spending a lot of our time in training - branch presidencies, district councils, auxiliary leaders, etc.  We use our little projector, speaker, and laptop to prepare and present the materials.  We are focusing on the 2016 Plan for the South America South Area which includes Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay.  We are also working on teaching the importance of leaving the past behind and looking forward with hope.  So very many of the people here get offended and then never return to church.  Or the leaders get discouraged and just give up - or renounce their callings.  Sometimes we forget whose work this is, and who called us to serve.  We are never alone in this work but we need to be worthy of the help we seek. 

This morning our landlord knocked at the front gate and told us that something weird had happened to our small and large gates.  When I looked, we found that the Sister Missionaries had “heart attacked” our house.  Photo attached.

Thanks to everyone for your love, prayers, and support. 
Quote of the week:  “Missionary work is work”. 

I have included a few fotos:

1-Hna Cranney, Elder Mendoza, and Elder Simao on the trail to the Rio Ypane for the baptism.

2- Hna Cranney at the river.  If you look closely you can see the high watermark on the tree behind her.  The river was about 20 feet higher than it is  now just 2 weeks ago.

3- Kevin and Elder Simao in the crystal clear waters of the Rio Ypane.

4- Our front gate after the Sister Missionaries heart attacked out house.  We also received a wonderful note from them.

January 18, 2016

It is actually Tuesday morning, the 19 of January.  Yesterday all day we were helping care for Elder Simao who has a confirmed case of Dengue.  He was in the hospital and they kept running blood tests and all of them came back negative.  Sis. McMullin insisted that we know what type of test they were running because one kind of test is for when you are just thinking you have dengue, and the other for when you have had It for a few days.  Elder Simao has been sick for nearly a week and when they ran the test yesterday it finally came back positive.  So he has to stay in the hospital for 2 or more days until his white blood cell and platelet counts stabilize and then 4 or so days of rest at home.  He thinks he can go back to work tomorrow, but he needs to bet well because he is scheduled to complete his mission and return to Brasil on the 26 of January. Everyone struggles and suffers when there is sickness in a district or zone as it is so much harder to focus time and energy on missionary work.

Sunday we went to Tacuati and attended our meetings there. It was great with 28 in attendance (or 29 of you count the little black dog).  It was a good meeting with a good lesson on being honest and then a very good Sacrament meeting with one of the members speaking as well as Elder Mendoza and Elder Simao.  Hermana Cranney bore her testimony and I gave a few closing remarks.  It was great to be there again.  During the meeting one rather troubled sister kept repeating everything that was being said, so Cheryl tapped her on the arm and said “Shhhh”.  From that point on the woman kept threatening Cheryl and acted as if she was going to hit her.  Finally one of the missionaries sat between them so that no one got hurt.  This was not the first time that this woman has had trouble at church.

While we were in Tacuati, the local branch here in Horqueta had 35 in attendance.  We are so grateful that the Familia Cristaldo is still attending.  They are such a wonderful couple and we love seeing them and visiting them in their home.  He sells hammocks during the day and cooks and sells hot dogs and hamburgers at night in the central plaza.  Sometimes he works until 2 or 3 in the morning on Sunday morning but he has been coming to church on time. 

Several weeks ago we gave the missionaries a reference for one of the meatcutters at the local supermarket.  Rodney is very friendly and asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon - so we gave one to him.  The missionaries could never seem to connect with him so last Sunday afternoon Cheryl and I went to Rodneys house and had a very nice gospel discussion.  We have not been formally trained as missionary teachers, but we did share our testimonies of the restored gospel and of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  We plan to see him again this coming Sunday and we invited one of the members (Isidro) to participate in the visit. 

The missionary couple in the South Mission, the Biglers from Payson , UT are going home and are sending to us boxes with nice pans and a crock pot.  We have not been able to find a slow cooker here anywhere and they are gifting theirs to us.  We will pick them up when we are in Asuncion in early February.

We are doing pretty well - sure grateful for our air conditioners.  It has been very hot this week and we are miserable when it gets so very hot.  We appear to be healthy and we are eating reasonably well with 2 good meals per day.  (I also snack in the late evening when we return to the house).

Thanks to all for your love, support, emails, WhattsApp messages, etc.  We love you.

Jerry and Cheryl

3 Photos:

1 - the leaf of the mamon / papaya tree.  It is supposed to have properties that help prevent dengue and help with the recovery if you already have Dengue.

2- You mash up the leaf, add water, mix well, let sit for a while, and then drink the water - straining out the pieced of leaf.

3- Me with the juice of the papaya leaf and my “Bombilla” or filtered straw. 

pictures

1- The sky just before a thunderstorm

2- The Elders and Sisters helping with Hermana Lundbergs IV - 

3- A typical view of a paved street in Horqueta - old buildings, motorcycles, and a woman carrying chipas on her head.  (Chipas are a mandioca based bread)

3- Our Zone Conference  / Christmas party

4- Helping set up for the missionary dinner

5- The wonderful sisters that helped us with meal prep and serving. 

January 11, 2016

Hello to everyone.  We have had quite a week.

On Tuesday we went to Concepcion for a zone / district training meeting,  During our district meeting and a discussion of goals and new reporting requirements, one of the sister missionaries had a panic attack and passed out.  She was out for quite a while so we took her to the clinic.  We went to the “preferred” clinic (a sort of small private hospital) and there was not a doctor available.  The second clinic was helpful and we got her right in.  While the Dr was doing his diagnosis we were on the phone with the mission president and the Area Medical Director in Buenos Aires.  They gave her a shot to calm her down, inserted an IV, took blood samples, and we waited - and waited- and waited.  The sister slept most of the time and by the time we left - many hours later - she was doing pretty well.  We are grateful that everything turned out OK.

For branch activity night we taught the lesson on “Looking forward - not back” for the new year and for life in general.  We used the bible story of Lot and his salty wife, and a really good church video.  The members seemed to understand the message and enjoyed the evening. 

I got a haircut and boy does she cut it short.  But it is so easy to take care of and much cooler.  Magdalena said that her daughter Brisa, who takes English classed from us, considers us her grandma and grandpa.  So sweet.

Friday we took the two Elders from here in Horqueta and two elders from Concepcion to work for the day.  They are trying to make sure that some of the Elders know the area and members well as Elder Simao who worked in Tacuati for 6 months is going home to Brasil in 2 weeks.  We all had breakfast with a member family and then we left them there for the day / night. 

It rained really hard that night, and there are only two beds in the tiny missionary house.  So the elders took turns sleeping and reading.  They had planned on putting some mattresses on the floor but due to the quantity of large spiders and cockroaches, they chose to take turns.  They did make it out the next morning at 500 am even though it rained a lot both here and there.

Yesterday was a busy day.  The District Presidency (including me) spoke here in the Horqueta branch.  In the afternoon we had a Branch Presidency training meeting in Concepcion where we taught “How to teach in the manner of the Savior”,  how to use the General Handbook of Instructions, and we counseled on the 2016 Area Plan.  It went pretty well. 

We had to leave a bit early to arrive back in Horqueta for a fireside on the Book of Mormon.  All of the members in the South America South Area (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay)  have been challenged to read the Book of Mormon, cover to cover, prior to the April General Conference.  So we showed the members here a video about how many youth received their testimony of the book of Mormon.  We then invited any who wished to participate to share their testimonies of the Book of Mormon.  It turned out really well.  One of the members, Isidro Morales, told of his conversion 5 years ago.  He said that when the missionaries came and taught him, they told him that our church was the true church of Christ.  He said he needed to know that for himself.  When they testified that the Book of Mormon was the word of God, he needed to find out for himself.  So he started reading the Book of Mormon immediately.  He said hardly a page went by when he didn’t feel the Holy Ghost testifying that the Book of Mormon is true.  When the missionaries returned to visit him, he stated that he was ready to get baptized.  They protested that they hadn’t taught him all the lessons, but he said he was ready and knew it to be true.  They taught him quickly and now he is serving as the secretary in the Branch Presidency. 

We read in the church news this week that our new mission president is President Evans.  We don’t know anything more than that they will arrive in July.  We will truly miss the McMullins.

I have been sick with the flu for the past few days.  Some of the symptoms are unpleasant but I am feeling better today.   We hope that Cheryl doesn’t catch the bug that is going around.

We heard reports that a new pickup truck has arrived for us to use.  We will miss this very nice car that we have been driving, but the roads here require something more durable than a nice mini-SUV.  We don’t know for sure when we will receive the new one or where the exchange will take place. 

We have been invited by the McMullins to take care of their son Bryant again the first week of February while they are in Buenos Aires for a Mission President’s seminar.  We always enjoy our time with Bryant and their family.

We hope and pray that you all are well and happy.   We love and miss you all.

Thank you for your love, support, and prayers.

Jerry and Cheryl

Weather this morning:  Temperature = 82 degress

Humidity = 83%

Forecast for rain.

4 Enero 2016

Fotos:

1-  New Year’s Eve with Ramona, Kelly, Dario, Elder Cranney, and Hermana Cranney

2- A family visiting Horqueta from Asuncion.  They have been members only 4 months.

3-  Sunday dinner with the Elders (Mendoza y Simao).  It was too hot to eat at the kitchen table so we ate in the living room where we have air conditioning.  The Elders sat on the floor.

Hello to Everyone.  I  have attached the fotos for last week and hope you enjoy them.  We so appreciate the opportunity to share with you some of our experiences - some very positive and others just a challenge. 

Yesterday at church we had 49 in attendance which is the most we have had in months.  Part of it was we had visitors (see foto above) and some members who appear to be returning to activity.  Many of our members, especially the youth, have been in Asuncion for the new year and should return soon.  Yesterday was Testimony meeting which is one of my favorite meetings of the month.  Unlike many of the wards in the US, there are no dead spots during our meeting.  Nearly all of the adults and most of the youth bear their testimony every month.  And these are not simple one minute testimonies - they testify of why they are members, why they come to church, and of the basic truths of the Gospel.  It is really very good.  Yesterday we started our meeting nearly on time and it ran overtime so everyone could bear their testimony.  Hermana Cranney bore her testimony - part in Spanish and part in English with the help of a translator.  One of the newly activated members said that even though he could not understand the words of her testimony, he could feel very strongly of the spirit.  It was a good day.

New Year’s Eve was really a good experience for us.  We have become friends with Kelly, her mom Ramona, and now Kelly’s husband Dario who works in Asuncion.  They had invited us to their house for dinner so we went on New Year Eve.  We had planned for 800 pm but Kelly called and said that it was way too early and 900 or 930 would be better.  So we went over for dinner and had a great evening.  This family (non-member) owns a bookstore / copy center right in the middle of town and are more well to do than most.  Dario works in ranching near Asuncion and so the family is financially well to do.  We had a great dinner of chicken, pork, potato salad, Cheryl’s pasta salad, and for dessert Cheryl’s apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  We had really good discussions about churches, raising children, the country of Paraguay, etc.  We really had a good time.   We left in a hurry just before midnite because there was a huge thunderstorm and Dario said that at midnite people start shooting firearms.  We really enjoy this family and they are getting a fair amount of exposure to our church.

For several months we have been visiting the Cristaldo family.  Hno Cristaldo is an Elder and he and his wife have been inactive for several years.  We and others have been visiting this family and inviting them to come back to church.  Last week Hermano Cristaldo came and yesterday his wife joined him.   We visited with them last evening and they both seem committed to coming back to church and enjoying the blessings of repentance and the atonement.  Bro Cristaldo sells Paraguayan hammocks in the morning door to door, and then sells hamburgers and hot dogs on the corner of the plaza at night, sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning on Saturday night.  So coming to church is a real challenge for them.  We have really grown to love this good family. 

The weather is very hot and humid.  By 900 am it is usually 85 degrees with 85% humidity.  We are constantly sweating and all the missionaries carry cloths to wipe the sweat (even the hermanas).  Nearly half of our Zone has been sick.  Our two elders both have had back problems, one of our hermanas has a rash of some kind on her finger and her leg and the other has a sprained foot.  In Concepcion two of the elders had some kind of flu, another appears to have Dengue fever, and others are like me and just don’t have any energy.   We hope and pray that the zone recovers quickly.

We love hearing from all of you, and appreciate your emails and newsy updates.  Thank you for your prayers and support.

Love, Jerry and Cheryl

A funny story:  Hermana Ross has had this weird rash on her ring finger and hasn’t been able to clear it up.  So we sent fotos of her finger to the Boyds, our neighbors and asked if their son Jason and his wife Katie who are both dermatologists could take a look.  We received a reply the very next morning that Dick and Susie were in Vancouver visiting Jason and we got a diagnosis and a “prescription” to  help.  It is amazing how many people are willing to help the mission work in a very real way 

Thank you!

I just wanted to send an update to each of you, based on a request that we made a few weeks ago.  In one of my emails I had explained how challenging life had become for one of the families here in the branch.  The husband has lost his job, the son was without work, they had no lights or water, and most of their animals (ducks and chickens) had become sick and died.   Things were looking bleak.  I had asked you to pray for this good family that the Lord might see fit to relieve a bit of their suffering.

Angela asked my last night how they were doing.  I was surprised but grateful she asked.

Here is the latest:  they are not out of the woods yet, and quite frankly may never be.  But they are in good spirits and have had some improved luck.  The dad got a part time job building bricks for $10.00US per day.  On days that he doesn’t have work he is building and selling grills.  Thirteen of the ducklings survived - but that is all.  The Hermana had a food sale and earned enough to pay the light bill so they have lights again, and the church helped them a bit with their water bill so they have water again.

They are a wonderful yet humble family and we love them.  We love each of you and appreciate your support for us and for these wonderful families here in Horqueta.

Thank you.

More Christmas Fotos

1- Our Christmas Decorations.  We had a small cradle, a traditional Coco Flower, a Christmas Stocking, a painting of Christ’s birth, some pretty lights, and a few red balls. 

2- A close up of the cradle (made by Brother Garay) and the flor de coco, or coconut flower.

3-  A flor de coco from our front porch.

Hope you enjoy.  Love you all.