Week 96 in Paraguay Change 16 Week 5

So I'm just about out of time today so this one will probably be a little short, but don't worry, anything I don't say by now I'm pretty sure I'll remember enough to tell you when I get home. First things first about the finances, so they took advantage of me in Saltos. I bought a camera for 90 dollars and specifically asked them to charge me in dollars because the exchange rate is higher there so they can rip people off and make money, they charged me in Guaraníes anyways, so that is why the camera was more expensive. I wish I would have noticed, but I didn't notice until the next day because the receipt they gave me said 90 dollars, but the receipt that was with my card said 400 mil, which is more than 90 dollars. Then the next day I just decided to take out the rest of my money to start buying some last things and use in the airports to have cash, and I just tried a high amount, still not realizing I got jipped in Saltos on my camera, just to see if it was on my card not really expecting it to all come out and it did. I think probably because you put more money on my card on Monday, so yes I took out money.
As for the baptism, it didn't happen because the little girl got sick over the weekend, there was a whole lot of rain, but we have it planned for this week, she will get baptized before I go home for sure, my last baptism. Other than that I don't really have much more to say, well I do but I really don't have time, I had a really awesome spiritual experience in a lesson this week, you are going to have to remind me when I get home to tell you, I won't forget and I wrote it down. I want to cook some Paraguayan dishes I've learned to make for you when I get home. I love you all so much, I really feel for my BYU cougars, but I'm alright as long as they have a good team next year! Love you so much, see you next week! Elder Adamson V

Week 95 in Paraguay Change 16 Week 4

Hey Family! So I'm in Saltos right now, I came here today to teach the rest of the Elders in the zone in a joint district meeting and then stayed for P-day, I'm going to be doing a division with them tonight and I'm heading back to Santaní on the 11 oclock bus. First things first, I bought a camera today, I have been thinking about it a lot but never wanted to do it because they are so expensive in Santaní, but today I was in Saltos on the border of Brazil and the prices are a lot lower here, so I didn't really think about it and just bought one, it was 90 dollars. The cheapest one I've found in Santaní is over 140 dollars, and the one I got is pretty nice too. I wanted to get one so I could have one for the airport and things, a few people are going to go here to see me off and I want to be able to take pictures with them, and it will be nice to not have to use my comps camera for the next two weeks. Well, I don't have very much time to write, we've got to go get doing some other things, but we had a baptism last week! I attached a picture of their wedding, my companion has all the pictures of the baptism though. It was such a great baptism, and we are going to have another one this week, and some more next week, if everything goes well, so I should be finishing everything out strong, it really hasn't quite hit me yet I'm going, it's all gone by so fast. Well, a quick story from this week. We called out a little 5 year old kid for lying to us, it was so funny. So Paraguayans when they don't want to talk to you they send out their kids to tell you that they aren't home. It's pretty normal, but I've never had something like this happen, the kid ran out and we had just seen the mom go in from the bathroom and he tells us that no one is home but him, a little 5 year old kid; so I tell him, "Then who is the lady that just finished showering and entered the house?" he just looked up at us dumb and told us he didn't know, like all other Paraguayan kids, and then my companion looks at him and says, "Are you lying to us?" and the little kid, all hurt, just said yes and then went running into the house yelling for his mom. Anyway, I love you all so much, can't wait to see you in a couple weeks and explain things to you a little better! Love you sooooo much, Elder Adamson V

Week 94 in Paraguay Change 16 Week 3

Hey Family! I can't believe it is SEPTEMBER! But believe me, I don't know if I am going to want to go when the time comes. My mission and my area are better right now than they have ever been my entire mission. We are putting things into pratice and we are really seeing results. I can't believe what Santaní is like now, it is completely different than when I first got there. I am really excited for what is going to happen these last three weeks. Yesterday we went out to look for investigators to take them to church and everyone we went by to take to church wasn't ready. We went for three different people, two were in bed and the other one didn't even have any response to our claps, so we just went to church, and when we got there, there were 4 investigators there waiting for us, and 5 other investigators came before sacrament meeting started! It was amazing, the branch is growing so much, we used to have an average total church attendance of about 35 people when I got here and yesterday we had 90, including 14 investigators, 9 from our side and 5 with the other Elders. The work is really moving forward and the Lord is blessing Santaní. This Saturday Justino Salas is going to be getting married and baptized. He is going to marry in the morning and then get baptized in the afternoon. He started investigating the church 15 years ago and has gone to sacrament meetings on and off for the last 2 years. Right now we have a Paraguayan Elder in Santaní on the other side that has made real good friends with him because he hardly speaks any Spanish. He told him that the only reason he hasn't listened to the missionaries or got baptized is because they never understand him, this is the first time that people have tried to teach him in Guaraní, and it isn't me. I try to teach him in Guaraní, but I really don't speak very much, but the members go there 2-3 times a week and teach him. He told Elder Aguilar that once he gets baptized he wants to receive the priesthood, get a calling and help us teach his friends. When I first got here he wouldn't even leave the house to shake our hands, and now he has completely changed and its all because someone tried to teach him in his own language. Guaraní is so great, I love the language so much, it is just so hard, sometimes, I can't motivate myself anymore to study it because of how little time I have, but I know I need to, the very little I speak has helped us so much. I have never been more laughed at my whole life though. You really have to have no fear to learn Guaraní, it's so hard because most people you can't communicate well enough with in Spanish, so it seems worthless, then on top of that once you even try the littlest thing they make fun of you, they laugh at me sooo much, but I've got to the point where I really just don't care and I expect it, and I laugh with them, and they help me learn that way. Anyway, running a little bit off topic and I don't have too much time. As for the other investigators, Cintia's mom went to church again, she has a baptismal date for next week, the 17th, and she is set to go. The only thing she can't get over is her ex husband, they aren't married so if she wants to be with him they have to get married before she can get baptized, but he doesn't want to marry her and they aren't even living together, but every time we talk about it she says that she misses him. I was pretty frank with her one day and just laid out the law of chasity to her and asked her some pretty frank questions, and she says they haven't done anything to break the law in over 2 months, but she still wants to be with him even though he is off and the rumor is he has another family. So we are going to gently, but probably boldly, to get her to make a decision to just let him go completely. We will see what happens. We are working with this really cool family too, don't have too much time to write about them, but they went to church for the first time yesterday too. One of the sisters has been twice and the older sister and her couple went yesterday. The younger sister is Karin and the older sister is Viviana and her husband is Jose. They came to church completely alone, we didn't look for them and no members went by their house, they are really sincere and I could really see them getting baptized at the end of the month, we are going to challenge them with a date for the 24th tomorrow. Anyway, I don't have much time and I'm sure you would like to know how things went with President Arnold, to wrap it up short it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. I have never met and sat with any man as in tune to the spirit, he knows exactly what to say and you can tell he completely relies on the Holy Ghost to guide his words. He talked a lot to me about life after the mission, in fact everything we talked about was about after the mission. He put a goal with me to pay off my house completely by the time I was 30. It is a really lofty goal, but it was amazing how much confidence he put in me, and I could feel the confidence my Heavenly Father put in me. I have no idea how I am going to do it, but I'll do it, because I know the Lord has the confidence in me, and who knows, maybe the Lord will need me for some reason or other and that is why he wants me to do that. Pretty much the whole interview we talked about setting goals, planning for goals, and actually completing with the goals we set. It really put into an eternal perspective the little things I've been learning here on my mission. Anyway, I'm all out of time now, I am so very thankful for this mission, I am having the time of my life right now, the mission is better than it has ever been and the time is going by way too fast I can't believe it. We have so many people to teach and the work is really moving forward. I love these people and I am truly going to miss them, but I am going to serve them the best I possible can in this little time that the Lord has given to me that I have left. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that he truly is directing this work, I love you all so much and I am so thankful for your support, Elder Adamson V