Week 64 - Paraguay - Concepcion

¿Mba'eichapa mi familia?

I've really got to work on my Guarani now that you and all the members here in Concepcion think that I can actually speak it. :) 

I'm still in Concepcion! I'm SO GLAD I didn't have to move again. I think I may stay here until the very end of the mission, which is a really weird thought. It adds extra pressure to make my time here in this area extra wonderful, A) because there's no hope of a "better" area after this one, and B) because I need gente who will miss me when I'm gone. :)

Last week, we lost our cell phone. It fell out of Hna. Van Dusen's bag, and by the time we realized and went back to look for it, someone had taken it and probably sold it. It was very hard not being able to call our investigators or our leaders or anybody. We had to go borrow a member's phone for very important matters. I didn't think I depended on technology so much until it was taken away from me. :) But because we were phone-less, we learned about Changes later than the rest of the zone. When we finally did hear, though, we couldn't believe our ears.

Hna. Van Dusen se fue. She is now in Villa Hayes (yay!) with Hna. Brittner, who was her companion in the MTC. She was very surprised that after all that time, they'd be companions again. And guess who my companion is now? Hna. Tua'one! Again!! I didn't even know that was possible to be paired up with an old companion, but because there are so few Hermanas coming into the mission lately (there are only three Junior companions out of the 14 of us), we're all repeating companions! It's so weird. True, we're not in Mariano anymore, but it was such a blast from the past to wake up and find Hna. Tua'one as my roommate again with her same bedding, same rice pudding breakfast, and same CDs playing. It's been such a blast, though. Even though I pretty much whitewashed an area AGAIN, it's been so nice being with a companion who I already love and trust. 

This is Hna. Tua'one's last Change of her mission. It's very weird. That means I'm for sure getting ANOTHER companion next Change, and in the meantime we're both trying not to be "trunky." I have a lot more time left than her, but since she's all figuring out her flight plans and everything, it makes me think about my own. 

I have no idea what's going to happen next Change. I don't know if more Hermanas are coming in or what. I've now been companions with all but like three Hermanas currently in the mission, and I've seen every Hermana area except one. I feel so old. :) I can definitely say that I've seen almost all that Paraguay has to offer. On the bus ride to Asuncion to drop off Hna. Van Dusen and pick up Hna. Tua'one, we left at night so I slept the whole ride. But on the way back, we drove in the middle of the day. You know how usually when you go on road trips, you look up every now and then and the scenery around you is different? Not so here in Paraguay. I fell asleep after we passed Villa Hayes, and when I woke up two hours later, you'd think we were still just barely leaving Villa Hayes. The campo around us was identical. No hills or different plants or anything. 

But being out there in the chaco, I saw so many little villages that I'm sure aren't in any missionary zones. It's so sad to think how many people are completely isolated from the gospel. All we can hope for is that some member or investigator relative will share the gospel with them, or that they have internet and will find the Truth online. There are SO MANY people in the world. Here in Concepcion I'm sure that even after contacting every day for three Changes straight, I still won't have met everybody. And that's just a tiny little city in a tiny country in the huge world. Share the gospel with everyone!! 

Our recent convert Manuel is doing a great job of that. He's brought a new family member with him to church every Sunday that I've been here. Yesterday was his sister, Inocencia, who said, "I really liked your church. There was no shouting or screaming. It was easy to feel close to God." She also liked the fact that we don't pay tithing in front of everyone else. She always felt pressured into giving up her money. She lives out in the chaco. Not too far away, though. If she comes back, we're going to teach her again. In the meantime, hopefully she reads her folleto and shares the gospel with some other people out there. :)

It's a little stressful having to take care of Concepcion practically alone. Thankfully Hna. Tua'one is amazing and has perfected befriending and teaching the people. She never just follows me around, either. From day 1 she was helping me with all the planning, even though she had no idea where anything was or who anyone was. We only got lost a LITTLE bit. :) Laurel asked me if I feel really trusted for being sent far away from other missionaries, and now being left to lead with only two weeks' worth of knowledge of the area. It is rather flattering, I must admit. I have no idea why President (and Heavenly Father) have so much confidence in me to give me a task like this. Trust me, I'm not letting it get to my head. I still feel so weak in so many ways. 

But something I learned this week in my Doctrine and Covenants studies is that God really does let us help Him with His work if we're willing. He knows that we're not perfect, and He knows that He could do a better job, but he lets us try our best so that we'll learn and grow, and so that we can earn the blessings that He so wants to give to us. I love reading in Doctrine and Covenants so many revelations given to individual people, where the Lord shows them that He knows their hearts and is willing to answer their questions. I've been reading my own Patriarchal Blessing a lot this week as a result, and I've been trying to strengthen my testimony of prayer by making my prayers more specific and recognizing the answers throughout the day. I'll always remember the great spiritual moments in my life, but now I'm trying to see wonderful spiritual moments every day. 

Thank you so much Grandma Springer, the Blairs, Brother Dorny, Chase, Amanda, Mom, Dad, Ashley, Goompa, and Laurel for your letters this week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA AND GRANDMA!! I love you so much and hope you get thoroughly spoiled on your special days. 

Take care everybody. And if you have time (and you should), check out Moroni 9:6. That's the Change scripture that Hna. Tua'one and I are reciting every morning of companionship study. 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

---Hna. Springer

Oh. P.S. Hna. deVries went to Ypacarai with Hna. Nestares from Peru. They should get along great. Hna. Tua'one's companion, Hna. Reyes, is in Loma Pyta with Hna. Rivera, my old companion. They were already companions before, too. Crazy!

1-A photo I took of someone's pet parrot. They all have the exact same kind of parrot, and they always just let them hang out in their trees in their yards.
2-Me and a ton of Hermanas who used to be my companions (except for Hna. Nestares on the right)
3-Some adorable lamanitas. :)

---Carly

Week 63 - Paraguay - Concepcion

Dear Family,

How awful am I? I totally forgot to thank the whole Anderson family,
Dad, Mom, Grandma Springer, Amanda, Chase, Sarah, and Laurel for
writing to me last week! And thank you so much Grandma Springer,
Teresa, Dad, Mom, the Blairs Goompa, and Ashley for writing to me this
week. Happy Blue Day, George! I wore jeans this morning just for you
(well...and because we thought we were going to go hiking...but I
thought of you!)

Oh boy. What to write about. You know, Dad warned me that there would
come a point when I wouldn´t be able to think of anything to say. I
never imagined that he´d be right about that. I LOVE to write. But
while it´s easy for me to think of something to say every day in my
journal, it´s hard for me to know what would interest you back home.
Teresa, I loved that list of Paraguayan things that you sent me. SO
true. I may have to come back and visit so I can do some of those
things. There are a lot of touristy opportunities that I can´t take
advantage of as a missionary, and lots of souvenires I can´t pick up
right now.

Here is some more information about Concepción to answer Dad´s
questions and let you all know a little bit more, too: It is the
farthest sister missionary area from the mission home. There are three
branches. We´re in Rama 1. Rama 2 has two missionary companionships
working in it, and Rama 3 has another. Even with eight of us there is
a lot of work to do. We all live close enough, though, that we get
together pretty regularly. Last Monday we played pictionary (I don´t
like to brag, but I creamed them), and today we went out to lunch. We
were going to go hike some old native Paraguayan-made tower or
something, but the Elders flaked out. We´re all worried about Changes
coming up so we decided to stay closer to home.

As is typical of most of the areas I´ve been in, if people live here
in Concepción, they work around here, either living off of their own
family´s despensa (mini convenience store thingie), selling chipa in
the streets, or taking care of other peoples´ children. There are a
LOT of women who take care of their families by themselves while their
husbands work out in the Chaco. It´s so sad how many times I hear
about how someone only sees their husband at Christmas. It´s worse
when the wives go to Spain for six years at a time, leaving their kids
with their husbands. I can´t imagine living like that.

There is a lot of Guaraní around here and I´m learning a lot more than
in the areas closer to Asunción. Because so many words are stolen from
Spanish, generally I can get the gist of what people are saying. But
if they expect me to respond, I just blank. I just learn to recognize
trigger words that let me know if it´s a yes-or-no question, or a
question that requires a full response. Even then, I mess up a lot.
They find it hilarious. :)

To answer some of your questions about my companion, Hna. Van Dusen
has only one Change less than me. She goes home in August. Yes, she
has Dutch heritage. But she´s a brunette. Many Paraguayans look at me,
then look at her, and figure that she MUST be latina because she´s not
blonde like me. They think all Americans are blondes.

Hna. Van Dusen is kind of my hero. This week was hard for her, because
some recent converts were falling to temptation and doubts about the
gospel. The way she handled it, I seriously felt like I was walking
alongside Alma the Younger or Captain Moroni. I hope we all get to sit
in Heaven and watch the video of her being a missionary someday. I
wish you all could have seen her. The way she bore her testimony with
unwavering conviction and authority and chastised the people with
loving, righteous indignation gave me chills. I´ve learned so much
from her about being confident in my call and loving the people so
much that fear has no power. She´d tell you that she´s a very
imperfect missionary, though. I think we may only have been together
this week and a half so that she could benefit from my adoration. Her
last companion was so hard on her, and now all I can do is praise her
for being so awesome. I hope that we get to stay together a little
longer so I can learn more from her.

This week our district leaders invited us to do a "Sacrifice Week,"
where we identify one thing that distracts us from the work and stop
doing it for a whole week. I decided to put my notebooks aside for a
week. I love to write, as you all know, and there were too many things
that I was writing down that had no real purpose in the mission--life
goals for the future, etc. So I gave them up for a week. It was kind
of hard, but much easier to focus on the task at hand. I think
"Consecration Week" is coming up next, so I hope I can really do away
with any of my own desires and just get to work with singleness of
heart.

We really have a great branch here. The branch president is actually a
recent convert, and his testimony is so impressive. He has such a
great love for the gospel and for the people. He´s very humble and
hard-working, and I´m sure all of his non-member neighbors are
impressed with him and possibly considering visiting the Church. He
certainly invites them enough. :) We have another recent convert who,
in the short time I´ve been here, as found four new investigators for
us amongst his own family, just by sharing his conviction about the
gospel so much. It´s so helpful and wonderful. That´s a sign of true
conversion right there--how they desire to share it with others.

I gave a talk on Sunday about the prophet. The new Liahona talks a lot
about Pte. Monson, and I just talked about how sometimes we´re so
quick to bear testimony of Joseph Smith, yet so slow to listen to our
living-day prophet´s counsel. The Liahona also helped me to talk about
how the culture of the church doesn´t differ from country to country.
Now that there are two American Hermanas working here, the members are
a little slower to listen to us because they say, "Oh well, in the
STATES, visiting teaching works, because you all don´t have to work so
hard to provide for your families and such. But here, it doesn´t work.
We´re the exception." I cracked down on that in my talk a little,
about how God is no respector or persons and how the prophet isn´t
just the prophet of the United States, any more than Jesus Christ was
the Savior of just Jerusalem. As is usual in any sacrament meeting,
here or in the U.S., many people weren´t really paying attention, but
I did my best with the hope that maybe ONE person will have been
touched by my words.

Well, I really don´t have much else to say about this week. Boring, I
know. I´m sure with Changes tonight I´ll have lots more to say next
week. I´m so nervous. I don´t want Hna. Van Dusen to leave me--not
only because we get along spectacularly, but also because I don´t know
the city well enough. It won´t be the first time I´ll have been
trusted to work in a strange area, but I still wouldn´t mind not
having to do it ever again. :) We´ll see...

Take care, everyone. I hope you´re having a wonderful Spring Break and
getting lots of sun. Pray that autumn comes quickly for me.

I LOVE YOU!!

---Hna. Springer



1-Me and Hna. Van Dusen looking adorable yesterday
2-A map of Concepción. Our house is the little blue flower down by the
temple sticker (which is the church). The little stick figure is
actually drawn in the wrong place. It represents the giant Virgin Mary
statue and should be two blocks down right in front of the catholic
cathedral.
3-A picture i liked of me and an investigator named Myrna in Ybera.
4-Some adorable ao po´i dresses that Hna. Van Dusen has.

Enjoy! Love you! Have fun in California! I´m jealous that you´re at
Sea World. Pet a stingray for me!

---Carly

Week 62 - Paraguay - Concepcion

Dear Family,

It's official. I'm cursed. I'm thinking I may never have a latina companion for a whole Change for as long as I'm a missionary. :(

On Tuesday, Hna. Fonseca got a phone call from Pte. Madariaga and learned that she would be staying at the President's Home for a few days with another sick latina, a Peruvian who was way out in Concepcion. Meanwhile, the Peruvian's companion, Hna. Van Dusen, would be my companion for a few days while the latinas rested in Asuncion and figured out what their ailments were.

That week was actually really fun. I got lost A LOT in Ybera (I'd had no warning and hadn't been paying much attention to the streets or anything), but it was good to really lead in the lessons. I learned so much from Hna. Van Dusen, too. She's a great teacher and very obedient and we found out that we had a lot in common. 

Friday morning, I was just commenting on how much she and I have in common and how fun it is to work with her. Then Pte. Madariaga called again--Hna. Fonseca and the Peruvian were going to stay together in Ybera so they could be closer to Asuncion, and I was going way out to Concepcion to be Hna. Van Dusen's companion!

I was both very excited and very sad. First of all, that was the THIRD time in ONE CHANGE that I've had to pack and unpack all my belongings. Not. Fun. Second of all, I really love Hna. Fonseca. Turns out she has a parasite, NOT pneumonia. Not sure how the doctor missed that one... Anyways, saying goodbye was kind of hard. I was just getting used to being in Luque with all the cool souvenire possibilities and the fun ward and everything. I was scared to go to Concepcion, six hours away from the mission office, and start all over in a hotter, harder area. 

But I actually really like it here. The bus ride was LOOOOOONG but it was in the middle of the night so we slept most of the way. I really hope I don't have to make that trip again for Changes next week (and I really really really REALLY hope I don't have to be Changed myself and pack AGAIN--I'm in limbo again). But Concepcion is actually way nicer than I expected. It's the cleanest, prettiest city I've been to so far, with a nice, easily-navigatable grid system. There are no buses, so we're going to be doing a lot of walking, which is good. Our apartment is nice. The toilet doesn't flush, so we have to fill a bucket of water and pour it into the toilet to flush our waste down ourselves, but at least it's an actual bathroom and toilet! I've seen worse! Concepcion is right next to the Paraguay River, but six hours up from Villa Hayes. I should send Hna. deVries a message in a bottle! :)

The people are very Catholic (surprise, surprise). There are several huge Catholic cathedrals around here, and the city center has a huge Virgin Mary statue. But the people are a lot like they were in Villa Hayes--generally willing to at least let us in and talk for a while. They speak a lot of Guarani because they're so far out in "the Chaco." Hna. Van Dusen has picked up quite a lot of it. I put my own Guarani to good use in sacrament meeting on Sunday. The branch was really upset that I had replaced the Peruvian--she hadn't been able to say goodbye or anything, and they don't like "rubias" as much. I was feeling kind of unaccepted and knew I needed to do something to break the ice. Luckily, I'd met my personal goal last month of learning a short testimony in Guarani. So, when i was asked to introduce myself in church, I ended by bearing my testimony in Guarani. They hadn't really been listening up until that point, but when the new rubia suddenly broke out in their native tongue, they all got so excited I almost expected them to applaud at the end. Now we're still a little timid around each other, but they're a lot friendlier. 

Hna. Van Dusen is really wonderful. It was great having a latina companion, but it's also nice to have an American companion again. She's from Orange County, California, and has a very strong testimony of the gospel. She's so humble, and naturally compliments people and points out the good things about every situation. I really admire that about her. She's obedient and hard-working, and we talk so easily. It's going to be a fun time together. We hope she's not just going to leave at Changes next week. That would be sad. But she's been here in Concepcion for three Changes already so she might leave. We'll see. 

We have some really amazing investigators already. On Sunday, the recent-convert branch president brought his brother-in-law, Mariano, to church. Mariano hadn't had any interest in the church when his brother and his family got baptized, but then he got really sick. Suddenly he started noticing all the great things his brother has, and recognized that it came from God. He also remembered something about how his brother holds the priesthood. He asked for a blessing to relieve his suffering. The blessing was given, and he immediately felt better. Now he's determined to join the church, and we're super willing to help him with that! :)

Dang it, I don't have much time to write this week, nor can i send pictures yet. I'll send a bunch next week, I promise. But to finish, here's a gross food story for this week: All my mission I'd been dreading having to someday eat mondongo, which I THINK is cow stomach lining. The natives love it, but all the Americans think it's awful. We had a lunch cita the other day and the family made us a nice rice dish, knowing we hate mondongo, but they had mondongo for themselves and persuaded me to try it so I can be sure that I don't like it. Now I can honestly say that I don't. Normally if something is gross I can at least swallow it. This stuff was AWFUL. It tasted like rotten shrimp, but had the texture of Silly Putty. I tried my best to force it down, but couldn't. Thankfully the host was a good friend of ours and said I could spit it out. I did. BLECH!

And here's a quick thought that really inspired me this week: "You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can't count the apples in a seed." What do you think?

Gotta go! I LOVE YOU ALL! I promise I'll send more fun details next week. Take care!

---Hna. Springer