June 20, 2011

Hi family,

Finally Elder Ayola is gone, which is good because he had completely given up on working. I actually was pushing him, but there was no point. I feel like the only thing that could count as working was getting Soledad baptized and we didn´t work that hard to accomplish that. Well anyways here is how the week went

      On Monday Elder Ayola took all night packing. He only has bags no suitcases. 1 duffle bag, 1 hiking backpack, and then 3 other backpacks (One of which he bought here and spent 190mil guaranis on it. He just had to have it because it was a Hulet Packer backpack. It was pretty dumb). Besides that it was a normal Pday.

     Tuesday we left for Encarnacion for district meeting. Elder Ayola and Elder Monterosa dropped off their bags at the zone leaders house. We did a quick little goodbye district meeting. We ate lunch at a Chinese Buffet. It was good but it was during the Paraguayan Siesta so there wasn´t much options. It is so dumb how paraguayans usually close the food shops at 12. Oh well I ate until I was satisfied and it was pretty good food. Anyways we did some "Souvonir shopping" while we waited for the bus back to Obligado. Elder Richards and I went back to our house, we hung out with Hna.P and then went home and stayed up late doing a 500pc puzzle. We promised each other that since we are starting a new change that, that was the last Macanero thing that we will do again. It was a Casle/City in the mountains/beach puzzle. Aparently it is in Spain. I decided when we are rich we are totally going there.

     Wednesday morning, 6am, we got a call that Elder Richards´ companion had arrived because instead of going to Asunción and then to Encarnación he just came directly from Ciudad Del Este. His name is Elder Yaringaño and he was in my district in Ciudad del Este. He is crazy, but funny. Anyways they told us we had to come as soon as possible. We called the terminal and they told us that the next bus to Encarnacion would be at 9am, so instead we went to the Supermarket and bought some sandwich stuff. Then when we blessed the food Elder Richards prayed that we could find a way to get to Encarnacion faster. Then we hitched a ride from a Adventist with a truck to the main road outside Obligado. Just as we got off a bus to Encarnacion was passing by. We got on and made it to Encarnacion a little after 8. 

The Moral of the story is, If you pray for something you have to go out and exercise your faith and search for what you prayed for. Then while you are searching God will put that thing you´re looking for in your path. You can´t just sit back and wait for God to take the bus to you, your have to look for the bus.

     Anyways Elder Richards and Elder Yaringaño went back to Natalio and I spent the day with Elder Alexander. We did study and contacts and ate until our companions showed up at 2:30. The bus back to Obligado wasn´t until 4 so I got to talk with my new companion for a bit. His name is Elder Gillette (Gillette Fusion). He is tall and he only has been in Paraguay for 2 changes. He is from California, he is 20yrs old, and he wants to make videogames. I suppose that means he can draw really well but he hasn´t showed me yet. We got back at 6, so we did some cleaning, unpacking, and talking about the condition of the area. Even though he is new he is definitely the guy I needed. A hard worker and a leader, who knows how to work.

     Thursday was weekly planning which was really pathetic.

     Friday we went out to Los Colonos an hour away and he decided that he is going to ask President Callan for the bikes again or else we aren´t going there again for a while.

     Saturday was a birthday party and fathers day barbique and he got to meet a couple of members. I have basically already showed him all the area I know and all the people I know. We are asking for references like crazy, but the progress is slow. 

     Soledad left for good this time. She transferred her shooling and has a job in Coronel Olviedo at her new school and she is staying with her boyfriends parents.

     Sunday only 25 people in church and after we had visited a ton of members. I was upset, but what can I do? They just don´t want to be happy and live with God¡

   

Still going strong,

Elder Zachary James Singson

June 13, 2011

Hey family,

I was hoping that grandpa would say goodbye to me in a dream when he died. That would have been sweet¡ But I guess it wasn´t necessary.

 

I found out changes today, the district leader isn´t supposed to tell till district meeting tomorrow, but he did.

Elder Ayola is finally leaving. I get a newbie who only has one change. I don´t know his name, it´s like Elder Gillette or something. That means I´m senior companion.

President Callan said he would send someone to help me, but I guess there are too many new missionaries to handle.

Two unexperienced missionaries in an failing branch with no organization and no investigators. Sounds like a great growing experience.

So aside from Grandpa´s death how is summer?

This letter will be relatively short.

     Monday we had family night with The Muñose family. The dad is 60 and the mom is only 30 or something. They both have callings and pride, but both are very negative and don´t really help the branch that much. They brought an investigator to family night. Beatrice is a single mom with a 5yr old named Jordan and a 1yr old named Mariana (Who looks just like marisa when she was a baby). We watched the Legacy. Bad quality plus in spanish equals boring. So obviously I just played with Mariana the whole time. Ha ha I love babies. I can´t wait till I can have my own... or maybe I´ll just play with everybody else´s to make my life easier ha ha.

     Tuesday was freaking cold. I almost turned into a popsicle because the humidity penetrates even through the windbreaker.

     Wednesday I bought an awesome Jacket it´s an official Paraguayan Soccer League so it´s a recuerdo and useful a la vez. We went to Noche de Rama because the President couldn´t go. Turns out we were the only ones who came, but my companion used it as an excuse to watch "Dragonball Evolution", "Percy Jackson", and parts of "Ben 10" and "Thor".

     Thursday we had a crappy lesson with Beatrice. My companion doesn´t know how to teach. He just talks and asks rediculous questions that confuse the investigator. He never lets me talk and he doesn´t even teach the lessons, so if he does I don´t even know what to say anyways.

     Friday I tried teaching prayer for the third time to an investigator and his dad. The dad drinks and I´m pretty sure the son is on drugs and that´s why they don´t understand, but Elder Ayola only cares about numbers, so we keep going back even though they will never progress. After that we went to the Family Rolin. Turns out they have a truckload of problems. I tried teaching the atonement and that she needs to come back to church to receive the blessings of the Atonement, but she doesn´t want to change. I´m pretty sure she didn´t even listen to me, she just wanted to complain and justify her reason for not going to church. We are trying to help the rest of the family to go to church, but her daughters are snakes. (A Snake is a girl who tries to flirt with the missionaries. Missionary term because their cat call sounds like a Snake hissing, I don´t have problems with Snakes because I´m scary, but I´ve heard a lot of stories)

     Saturday my companion was "sick" so he couldn´t go out to work, but he was well enough to go to the church to "Work". "Work means he made missionary badges for the primary, but then he pulled out a dvd and watched "The Green Hornet". First he watched the old one with Bruce Lee and then he watched the new "Green Hornet" movie. It was in English and it was funny but it had lots of bad words.

     Sunday there were only 30 people who came to church. Shows what happens when I can´t get my companion to work. He has completely given up teaching, now he just goes to talk with the members. I tried teaching the older Daughters of Hna.Rolin why they need to come to church, but it was like talking to a brick wall. I taught them like I would have taught the Primary. Finally I got one to "understand", but really she only reapeted the answers I told her.

Well things are in my control now and I hope God guides me and helps me do what I need to do.

Love ya,

Elder Zachary James Lucero (literal Translation of Singson from Chinese to Spanish is "Lucero". Lucero means Morning Star. Morning Star in Hebrew is "Lucifer" ¿Cool huh?)