May 2, 2010

Dear Family and Friends , May 2, 2010

This week began and ended with the final visits to apartments and interviews there. On Saturday we visited the apartments in Zone 6A which is about an hour and a half out of Asuncion. We got home in the evening and packed for the trip we left on the next morning. Sunday we were up and on the road before light to head to Pilar. There are 4 missionaries there so we met with them there and then went to their apartment for inspection and interviews. The drive out to Pilar took 4 and a half hours and it was an interesting drive. The area is swampy and full of birds and wildlife. We saw birds that look like flamingos but were white and red and black. One bush had about 25 black and yellow birds that were beautiful. We saw a crocodile that had been hit by a car and many more different types of birds and animals. We met with the 4 elders there and then headed on to Ayolas and San Ignacio to see two elders in each city. We had been to the apartment in San Ignacio before and we were happy to see that it was cleaner and more organized than the first time we saw it. We ended up in Encarnacion for the night.

Monday we saw 10 missionaries in and around Encarnacion. It is nice to see some different parts of the cities as we visit the apartments. Usually we come into Encarnacion and go right to the church or hotel. It gave us a whole different idea of what the city is like. The next day we drove out in the country more to Tridnidad,Obligado and Natalio 10. It was a nice long drive with beautiful scenery. Tuesday night after we were back in Encarnacion Mark had interviews with 12 people who were preparing to receive their patriarchal blessings. Wednesday we drove out to San Pedro and Yuty. This is an area that is not accessible when it rains. They are working on some roads but if it rains no one can get in or out. When the new road is done it will be nice. This trip took us out into the country where there were banana plants full of green bananas and divided dirt road where you have to stop to let the cows pass. There is an old wooden bridge we had to pass over and we could see the concrete pieces of a new bridge that will be wonderful when it is done. The missionaries call it the death bridge! We were following a motorcycle at one point,which is very common here. We often see families of up to 5 people on 1 motorcycle. This motorcycle had two men on it and as we got closer we could see the head of a duck or goose that was looking at us from a backpack on the man’s back. People are very creative with their motorcycles and what they carry on them. I’ve seen lawnmowers on the back of a motorcycle, large boards , gas tanks and anything else you can think of. When we opened the freezer at the apartment in Yuty we were greeted with a snowman holding a sign that said “welcome to Yuty”. Some missionaries really like us to come visit them in their apartments. Most have been clean and nice and pretty decent. There have been a few that needed some work. Only a couple that we found were apartments that we would like the missionaries to find something better. We drove on to Ciudad del Este that night.

Thursday we saw all 8 of the apartments in Ciudad del Este area and 18 missionaries. Friday we finished up Coronel Oviedo,Villarica and Colonial Independencia and crawled on back to Asuncion.

We figured we drove 1300 miles, saw 70 something missionaries in 21 cities in 7 days. We felt good that now we have visited every apartment in the mission within ten months of starting our mission. One missionary who lives in Pilar , which took us 4 and half hours to get, asked us if we were always going to do interviews this way from now on. We looked at each other and smiled and later said to each other we would die quickly if we tried to do that. Luckily normally the interviews happened at zone conferences when everyone comes together in zones.

Saturday we were able to attend a nice baptism here in Herrera Ward. That is really what this is all about. Helping people find Jesus Christ and preparing them to make and keep sacred covenants. The missionaries are working hard and we are grateful for their goodness. We all can improve but that is what this life is all about- learning and growing and improving every day. We are grateful that now when we hear about a missionary in a certain place we can know exactly where he or she is. We have taken photos of all the apartments as we visited each one and will be compiling a book so we can refer to it if (or when our memories fail us!) we need to. We also took an inventory of any items that were needed in the apartments so our office staff can take care of those things shortly. It takes a lot to keep 95 or so apartments furnished and kept up.

We found out this week that in July we will receive a new missionary couple to serve in our mission. We are excited to put them to work as there are so many things that they will be able to do here in the mission. Mark’s cousin Scott Sringfellow and his wife Julie will be a great addition to the missionary force here.

Today we attended church in Villeta. It was a nice little branch where guarani is spoken by many people. It’s always interesting for me to be listening and understanding Spanish and then the guarani pops in and I’m lost. Many people go back and forth with Spanish and guarani so you can kind of at least keep up with the general idea of what is being said.

This week Matt graduated from medical school in Buffalo. We again are missing some important things in the lives of our children but we know the Lord is helping us and them during this time. This gospel is worth so much to us and we are grateful for the opportunity we have to help a bit with the missionary efforts here in Paraguay. We love you all. Mark and Sandy