August 15, 2010

Dear Family and Friends, August 15, 2010
Monday began with zone conference for zones 4,5,and 6A here in Asuncion. We had another musical number by some Elders that was amazing. I love to see the talents and gifts of the missionaries as they participate in conferences. Laura and Sara also sang and Jenny accompanied them. They sang for each conference and it was nice for them to be able to participate with us in that way. They sang in Spanish and sounded beautiful. Jenny traded with Laura and sang during one conference while Laura played piano. Monday night we had an asado ( barbeque) here at the home with the Mission Presidency and their families. It was fun for us to introduce them to our girls. The children of the Canete family speak English so it was fun for them all to visit together. We are still getting used to the customary time for dinners here. Our guests left at 11:30 pm after the barbeque.
Tuesday we were on the road in the morning for our drive to Encarnacion for conferences. We spent some time at two sets of ruins that were along the way. One was in Trinidad and the other was called Jesus. They are both the unfinished town,church/communities built in the 1600’s by the guarani Indians for the Jesuits. The story is that the guaranis decided along the way to quit building for them and they were never finished or used. They were quite impressive and would have been pretty massive if completed. The weather was beautiful that day and we enjoyed exploring. We got to Encarnacion in time for Mark to meet some people for interviews that evening.
Wednesday we had our conferences in Encarnacion for zones 6B and 9. It has been fun for me to have Jenny, Laura and Sara here with us during this conference cycle. I know when they leave it is going to be hard for me but how wonderful that they could come here and share some of these experiences with us. They have commented on watching the process of zone conferences as each one is a bit different but the focus is still the same. Each group does receive what they need and they can tell that even when they don’t understand the language.
Thursday we headed for Ciudad del Este by way of Obligado. Obligado is a town with a strong German influence. There is a nice german bakery there that we stopped at for a little treat along the way. We arrived in Ciudad del Este and had a dinner appointment with the Stake President and his wife. President Kara and his wife are wonderful people and leaders . We enjoyed a nice evening with them.
Friday was our final zone conference of the cycle. We enjoyed introducing the girls to all the missionaries during the conferences. Some missionaries were comfortable speaking with them but it was interesting to watch some almost ignore them so they wouldn’t have to speak to them!
Saturday we were on the road to cross the bridge into Brazil so we could visit Iguazu Falls and the Bird Zoo again so Jenny could see them. The day was wonderful and we enjoyed showing her the falls and seeing all the wonderful tropical birds again. Crossing the bridge between Paraguay and Brazil is quite interesting. It’s not a long bridge but there are many trucks and buses certain times of the day and week that can make the process quite slow. All of our crossing days were problem free though. We stay in a hotel outside of Ciudad del Este in Hernandarias when we are in Ciudad. It is a safer place and we feel quite comfortable there. We have a waiter at the restaurant there we have become friends with. He is always waiting for us when we come. We visited with him about the bridge and he explained the whole economic process that rules the busy-ness of the bridge. Brazil supplies Paraguay with fruits, vegetables, and other thing we don’t have and Paraguay imports many things like electronics and blankets so the bridge is vital for the trading of things. The girls have had fun trying to learn and use a few Spanish phrases and Blas, our waiter had fun helping them use their Spanish.
Sunday we had a nice family testimony meeting and Laura and Sara received father’s blessing from Mark. It was nice for us all to have the opportunity to be together for some special experiences. Jenny has heard reports that her children are doing well with all the kind people helping while she is gone. We are grateful Brian has been so supportive so Jenny could come. She has probably taken more naps in the time she’s been here than in all the last 13 years or so. We are going to say goodbye to our daughters this week and also 7 elders will leave this week and another 12 next week. We are losing some wonderful missionaries who have served well. More about that next week. We hope you all have a good week. Love, Mark and Sandy