Week 40 (Jun 25, 2012): Ita Enramada

Querida familia,

I am starting my time in Ita Enramada. It is SOOO different than Ñemby but I know that it is my time to be here and that I finished my work in Ñemby. There are a few poorer areas but the home are HUGE here and everyone has cars. I felt really out of place my first couple of days and just gaped at the homes as we walked around. Paraguay is a country were most of the people are extremely poor or extremely wealthy and I was in for a little bit of a shock when I left Ñemby! I am really close to downtown Asunción and we can look across a river on the edge of our area and see Argentina!

It was so hard to say goodbye...so many of the members were so kind to me as I left and came over to drop off food and letters and things like that before I left. Hna. Leanor gave me a purse that she has that she thought I might like...this is coming from someone who barely has anything. They are so humble and so giving. Marcos and Elias were baptized this past Saturday...that was really hard to tell them that I wouldnt be there and it is hard to explain why I cant make an exception for just an hour for them, but the rules are there and I am here in Ita Enramadad where the Lord needs me.

We are working with a guy named Gilberto right now. He is 21 and loves the lessons. He has a lot of finals this week so we will need to work on helping him still read his Libro de Mormón... we are stopping by every day to drop off cards with different short scriptures to read. He is preparing to be baptized the second weekend in July!

I am so excited to start working here even though I miss Ñemby so much! We went over to the chaple my first night and a bunch of the RS sisters were sitting in a room watcing a cooreagraphy of some Paraguayan dance and were all dressed up in long red skirts. When I asked Hermana Parini, the gospel doctrine teacher, who is about sixty or seventy years old what they were doing, she said, "Hermana we are adding a little bit of spice and color to the RS!".

The ward is great. My companions name is HNA. Andrade and she is from Mexico. I know that the Gospel is true and I know that I have a hight title to live up to...missionary...representativeof Jesucristo. I am so grateful Hevenly Father has given me this opportunity.

Amo a todos de uds.,

su Hermana Jones

"Mini Missioanries - All of Ita Enramada is very "chuchi" or fancy except for barrio Jukutu (same name in Giuarani). We can't be in their neighborhood when it gets dark because it is really dangerous (haha don't really mean that mom....only a little)