Sorry if this is a little early for those of you still planning on writing me last-minute. My companion is really eager to write her family so we're doing things earlier than usual.
Would you believe that I'm NOT training Hna. Greer? She did come to Paraguay, finally, but my old companion Hna. Brittner is training her. I'm training, too, but I was really surprised not to get Hna. Greer. So was Hna. Brittner, who was actually acquainted with the Sister that I'm training. I don't know what Hna. Greer would have been like or why President switched things all of a sudden, but I am LOVING being with my new companion and training again.
Her name is Hna. Goimarac. In English, it's pronounced go-mare-ick, but she tells all the Paraguayos that it's Go-ee-marr-ack. It's easier for them that way. :) Anyways, she's an adorable Hermana from Sedona, Arizona. You'll see her in the picture I sent of us, but let's just say that I'm no longer the only pretty blonde in Concepcion. She is turning lots of heads around here. And she just loves Paraguay. As luck would have it, she's already traveled the world a ton. Her first name is Faith but it should be Charity. She's done service projects her whole life, and before coming to Paraguay went to Jerusalem, Tanzania, Peru, and Guatemala. She's very used to culture shock and dealing with strange new customs. It hasn't thrown her off hardly at all.
She learned quite a bit of Spanish before the mission and was in the advanced class at the MTC. Nobody believes her when she says that she only has one week as a missionary. She's a pro already. She loves meeting new people, so I'm learning quickly to not be afraid of contacting anymore. We stop and talk with EVERYBODY. Well, SHE stops. I still end up doing most of the talking. :) She thinks I'm so good at talking with people but really if it wasn't for her boldness and friendliness in just approaching people I wouldn't be doing as much contacting. She's helping me grow already in so many ways, and I know she's going to be a stellar missionary.
She's also very health-conscious, which is what I was praying for in a companion--hard-working and health-conscious. We go jogging a lot and we eat a lot less sweets than I did with Hna. Tua'one. (By the way...I guess I wasn't clear enough in my e-mail last week. Hna. Tua'one's homecoming was YESTERDAY. Sorry...)
There's just such a special spirit to training that I love so much. I'm SO GLAD that the Lord has given me this opportunity to really work my hardest right up to the very end. No slacking off at all with a new Sister to train! And with someone fresh out of the MTC, I'm so aware of how special each and every day really is. This is all new to Hna. Goimarac, and I love remembering that feeling that I had when I was new. I can't believe how long ago that was. It's still funny to me how she thinks I'm so old and knowledgable in the mission, but I don't feel like it at all.
A lot has changed in the MTC since i was there. Hna. Goimarac is teaching me a lot more than I feel like I'm teaching her. There are a lot more teaching tactics that they're given at the MTC, and a lot of what I was doing before is now being taught as being wrong. Oops. :) So I feel like I'm improving a ton, and she's really learning so much every day, too. We're having tons of fun meeting new people and teaching with the Spirit. It helps that everybody else in Concepcion is being a lot more receptive to our message now that there's a super-model blonde teaching them. :) That sure gives us a lot more opportunities to find people to teach.
Saying goodbye to Hna. Tua'one was hard, though. She is definitely one of those friends you keep for life and beyond. I hope you all get to meet her sometime. She should be coming to the airport when I get home and I'll probably invite her to family functions a lot so be warned. :)
It's getting way cold here in Paraguay now. Is that bizarre to you? Hna. Goimarac doesn't even wear a jacket and I'm all wearing a coat around. She just came from snow but my blood's all thin from trying to not fry to death this last summer. I can't believe I've already been through an entire winter and summer and now I'm repeating seasons. A year and a half is really short.
Anyways, we have a lot of baptisms lined up for May. We were supposed to have one on Saturday but then the mom last-minute decided she wanted the dad to come from out of town to see the ceremony and he can't come until the 20th. Such is life. We really have some great investigators, though, who I don't think will let us down. They all came to church yesterday. It was fantastic.
Since it was the 5th Sunday we had a really spiritual Relief Society/Priesthood block about the temple. We watched a movie with real families on their way to the temple and it was so sweet I cried. I realized as we were watching that movie that there's a deeper meaning to that famous scripture about the spirit of Elijah. I always thought it just meant that everyone would be interested in their ancestors. Which is true. But when it says that Elijah will "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers," it's referring to our current families, as well. When we're all working together to go to the temple, our families are strengthened. We understand each other better and strive to be more united.
Speaking of temples, we get to go this week, finally! I'm so excited. We also have interviews and zone conference that day so that should be an adventure, but I'm glad they're only making us go on one bus ride. The ride to and from Asuncion to pick up Hna. Goimarac wasn't too bad, but there were some truly awful movies playing during the drive. We all did our best to read the scriptures in English and turn off our Spanish ears and avoid looking at the screens. It was more or less effective. Next time, if that happens, we may just have to bribe the driver to put in the Restoration DVD or something. :)
Thank you Hna. Stagg, Grandma Springer, Goompa, Dad, Bro. Dorny and Teresa for your e-mails this week! I hope you all have an awesome Monday! Until next week, take care!
---Hna. Springer
1- Hna. Tua'one with an adorable Paraguayito signing her "goodbye shirt"
2- Our old zone being silly
3- Our old zone being silly
4- Me with my new companion, Hna. Goimarac
---Carly
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