The Adventure Continues . . .

Monday, November 9

Early Afternoon.
Other missionaries: "Hermana Watts, you have ​trámites! Be in the terminal at 9:30 tonight!"
Me: "Okay, great, where am I going?"
Them: "Asunción!"
Me: "Oh cool, last time I went to Asunción, we were only there one day. I don't need to bring anything!"

9:30 p.m.
We arrive in the terminal. Hermana Gavilán, Hermana Santos, and Hermana Martinez go home to the area where they will be staying until their companions return. Hermana Woodwell, Hermana Hartley, and I get cozy while we wait for the elders to buy our tickets.
Me: "Hermana Hartley, why do you have a suitcase? Why did you bring so much stuff?"
Hna. Hartley: "They told me that after Asunción I would go directly to Posadas for consejo."
Me: "Wait, you and Hermana Woodwell are both HLCs! What am I going to do? I don't have anyone to travel back to my area with me!"
Elders: "We're just going to go to Asunción and they'll tell us what to do from there."

11:30 p.m.
The bus leaves Ciudad del Este for Asunción.

Tuesday, November 10

5:30 a.m.
We arrive in Asunción and meet up with the missionaries who travelled from Encarnación, including the Secretary of Trámites, Elder Quesada.
Me: "Elder Quesada, what am I going to do after tramites? Hermana Woodwell and Hermana Hartley are going to Posadas for Consejo."
Elder Quesada: "Sorry Hermana Watts, I forgot about you. You'll just have to stay in Encarnación."

6:00 a.m.
We board the combi and go to the government building where we sign papers and stuff.

Me and Hermana Hartley, with Hermana Woodwell in the background

10:00 a.m.

We finish tramites and go to the temple.  Elder Quesada disappears on some official errand and doesn't come back until 3 hours later, so we take advantage of the time to snap pictures, buy stuff in the distribution center across the street, and nap.

1:00 p.m.

Elder Quesada reappears and we eat lunch.

4:00 p.m.

We board the bus for Encarnación.

9:30 p.m.

We arrive (exhausted) in Encarnación.  I get to stay the night with Hermana Albach and Hermana Lopez, who are wonderful.  It would have been a lot more fun if I had thought to bring a change of clothes, or at least a toothbrush.  But what can you do?

Wednesday, November 11

Late Afternoon.

After spending the day with Hermana Albach and Hermana Lopez, we return to the terminal in Encarnación to wait as missionaries begin crossing over from Consejo.  I start talking to my zone leader, Elder Graves.

Me: "What time does the bus leave for Ciudad del Este?"

Elder Graves: (eyes widen) "Oh no!  The hermanas aren't crossing over till tomorrow!  They have trámites in Posadas!  They forgot about you again!"

Me: "Hahaha good one!  But seriously, when does the bus leave?"

E' Graves: "No, I'm being serious!"

Me: "Very funny."

E' Graves: *pulls out cell phone and calls mission office*

Me: "Wait, you're actually serious?!"

A moment of horror passes, and then we realize that Hermana Barragan is in the terminal and also needs to travel to CdE.  I can travel with her and our companions can come when they are done with trámites.  

Late Evening.

While waiting for the bus, I seize the opportunity to go out to dinner with my friends Ariel y Liz (from Rama 3) and Hermana Barragan.

Reunited with Liz!

Thursday, November 12

12:30 a.m.

The bus for CdE leaves Encarnación.

5:30 a.m.

We arrive in our pension and go to sleep.

11:00 a.m.

And...back to work!

Jaha ñamba'apo!

Love,

Hermana Watts

Bonus Fotos

Branch Conference Choir!

Me and my companion, Hermana Gavilán

Pics from last week

Saying goodbye to...

Maria Correa (Sweet evangelical-turned-Mormon)

Vanessa Benitez (RS President)

Marcos Lopez (Investigator)

my district

and my companion

Also, look who I found in the terminal!

Ariel, a member from my first area

Jaha Ñamba'apo!

So this morning I was sitting with my companion waiting for the bus...when suddenly a fancy car pulls up and two young men start talking to us.  I couldn't hear them very well and thought they were asking for directions.  But then they looked right at me and said, "Can I have your number?"

...awkward.

Fortunately my companion jumped in and saved me.  "We don't have a cell phone!" (which is true, it got pick-pocketed a week ago.)  And the two creepy guys drove away.

Yep, I'm back in Paraguay.

Q&A from my mother:

1. How has your week been?  Lots of traveling?  Don't you have to cross into Paraguay through Posadas and Encarnación?  So you had to go the long way around to get to your area which was really just across the river!

Umm, yes? I think you answered your own question...

2. On my weather app, it looked like Paraguay was a little hotter than Argentina.  Is it?

Yes.  There aren't as many trees here, so we spend a lot of time directly under the sun.  My skin is now a lovely shade of red...I think I might need to invest in a sombrero.

3. And did you have a time change or not?

Yes, but not in the sense you're thinking.  My area is somewhat dangerous at night, so I have a different schedule than other missionaries.  We work during daylight hours and return to the pension around 7 for planning and studies.  But Paraguay is on the same time as Argentina now.

4. Tell us about your area?  Is it part of Ciudad del Este, or is it a separate town?  Are there elders there, or just another set of sisters?  Do you live with the other sisters?

I didn't realize how much I missed this country until I came back!  I am very happy with my area.  I live in Minga Guazú which is just west of Ciudad del Este.  It is its own city but there's not much distinction between the two - like Reno and Sparks.  There are only sisters in Minga, which is super fun!  The other companionship consists of Hermana Dempsey, my former companion, and Hermana Runnells, who was in the MTC with Hermana Dempsey and in my zone in Eldorado.  We don't live together, but they live only a block away from us and we see each other all the time.  The four of us are having a blast!

5. Tell us about your new companion.  Where in Paraguay is she from?  Does she speak Guarani?  How old is she?  What does she like to do?  Is she a convert?

My new companion is Hermana Gavilán from Concepción, Paraguay (north of Asunción).  She speaks fluent Guaraní and is teaching me a ton!  For the first time I have a companion who is younger than me, though not by much since she turned 20 in September.  She likes to do everything (her words).  Her family joined the church when she was a year old.  She's a sweetheart!

Jaha ñamba'apo! My new favorite phrase in Guaraní.  It means, "let's get to work!"  President Ezra Taft Benson taught: "I have often said that one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work!"  The Kingdom of God isn't going to build itself.  So let's get to work!  

Jaha ñamba'apo!

Love,

Hermana Watts

Those were the questions I sent her yesterday.  (She had mentioned last week that she was being transferred to Minga Guazú and that her new companion would be from Paraguay, but didn't give any details).  Here's a few more questions from today:

1.  Any pictures this week?

My companion took some pictures, but I'm afraid to take my camera out of the pension because of pick-pocketers...

2. Are both sets of sisters in the same branch or are there two branches in Minga Guazú?

We are in the same branch.  OH!  And I forgot to mention they are building a new chapel right across the street from our pension (or rebuilding) so we are meeting in Barrio 2 de CdE (about 30 minutes away by bus).  We have our meetings at 1 in the afternoon.  The new building should be completed by the end of the year, so I might be here when it is finished!

3. What time do you leave your apartment in the morning?

We have an hour of personal studies in the morning from 8:30-9:30 and leave between 9:30 and 10:00.

4.  You said you didn't realize how much you missed Paraguay until you came back.  Do you like it better than Argentina, or will you feel the same way if you go back to Argentina after several months.  What are some of the differences between serving in the two countries?

The food, for one thing.  There are different flavors in Paraguay that they don't have in Argentina, so the first time I had lunch with the members it was like coming home.  The accent, too, is just ever-so-slightly different.  Somehow I just feel more comfortable here, maybe because Paraguay is my "birthplace." (meaning her first area)

5. Have you heard some Portuguese?

Yep, a little. There are a few members who are from brazil and speak Portuguese.  But it's mostly Spanish and Guaraní.

6. What's different about Minga Guazú in comparison to Encarnacion?

Minga Guazú is a lot bigger. There's a lot more movement because it's just outside Ciudad and Brazil's right there.  There's a lot more Guaraní.  It's fun!

Power in Prayer

​This week I had the opportunity to visit Puerto Rico. You might say, "But Hermana Watts, you are in Argentina!" Well, you are right. Puerto Rico is a cute little town between Eldorado and Posadas. I had the opportunity to do divisions there with Hermana Cárdenas, from Mexico.

While with Hermana Cárdenas, we taught a very brief lesson to an investigator about prayer. We asked how she was doing in her prayers, and she told us about her cousin who had a stroke and was in a coma. The doctors didn't think she would come out of the coma. Our investigator told us how she prayed fervently for her cousin. "Yesterday my cousin woke up," she said. Prayer works!

I cannot count the number of times my prayers have been answered over the years. I can't express what it means to me to know that the Creator of the Universe, with all His worlds and peoples, is mindful of me. He knows each one of us personally and loves us individually. What a blessing to be able to communicate with Him through prayer!

Love,
Hermana Watts

p.s. My companion decorated the pension for Halloween while I was taking a shower...this is what I saw when I came out of the bathroom. She joked that the whole world was celebrating for my birthday (you know, since I'm a witch jaja).

And here's a short video clip (Hermana Watts wasn't sure it was blog-worthy, but I thought it was cute):

Ironing Out the Soul

Hermana Castillo and I had a pretty fun week.  After visiting the Cataratas de Iguazú last Monday, we had the opportunity to do divisions with the lovely hermanas of Iguazú, Hermana Marvian (Las Vegas, NV) and Hermana Gonzalez (Chiapas, MEX). Hermana Castillo stayed in Iguazú with Hermana Marvian, and Hermana Gonzalez accompanied me back to Eldorado. We had fun searching for a less-active member who was baptized three years ago. Cool story about him: a while back, our friend Mirta, a recently returned missionary, accompanied us. We taught a young man who said ​"Oh yeah, one of my friends is Mormon. His name is Emmanuel." Mirta recognized the name and later commented to me, "I was thinking about Emmanuel recently. I remember accompanying the missionaries to his lessons before he was baptized, and they were always really spiritual. I wonder what happened to him." That night as we rode the bus back to the pension (still with Mirta), who should happen to board the bus? None other than Emmanuel - surely inspired timing! For various reasons, we hadn't been able to find him until this last week, but we found him and visited with him and his mother and they are wonderful people. Pray that he will come back to church and that she will get baptized!

As a spiritual thought today, I would like to share a quote from one of my biggest heroes:

"I feel like the temple helps me iron out my soul, helps all the angst of life, all the conflictive emotions, settle down a bit." -Karl Watts

After divisions, Hermana Castillo and I had the opportunity to do some service for a friendly woman we met. She had a pile of laundry that needed to be ironed and folded before her son came to visit from college the next day, so we stopped by and spent about two hours ironing and folding clothes and chatting with our new friend. I thought about what my dad had shared with me. It's been a long time since I have had the opportunity to go to the temple, and I expect to have a long time remaining before I can return, but I have found various substitutes for the peace the temple brings. Principle among them are paryer and service. So as I ironed clothes, in some degree I was working to iron out my soul, to smooth out the wrinkles of sin and weakness and pain and frustration.

This gospel has the cure for every heartache, every illness, every illness, that is part of this mortal journey. May we all feel of the peace that comes from abiding by its principles!

Love,
Hermana Watts

A Wonder of the World

​Not much time this week, so . . . pictures!! Guess where we spent our p-day :)

GORGEOUS!!!  They say the Lord's voice is like the "rushing of many waters" - you can definitely sense the majesty and wonder of that description at the falls.

(This is Iguazú Falls - one of the world’s seven natural wonders)

One more story . . .

(This last video was intended for me, but it was so cute, I thought I'd share. ~ Krista)

In Tune

One day this week, when we left the pension, I had a headache.  It was just a dull ache, easy to ignore, but I was not excited about having to walk around in the hot sun.

Our plan was to find a family that had been taught by the missionaries some two years ago.  We found their teaching record in our Area Book: three boys, ages 19, 15, and 14 (at that time), who had been ready for baptism.  The last entry in the teaching record describes how the missionaries went to give them the baptism interview, but the mother didn't want her sons to get baptized in this church.  Beyond that, we didn't have much information.  The only address written was "Two blocks past the Crizantes family," with the name of the street.  (Although I suppose that's a step up from "around the corner by the mango tree.")

With my head aching, we boarded the bus.  When we got off, I got confused and went down the wrong street, and we ended up several blocks past the street we needed to get to.

Then it began to rain.

The rain caught us completely by surprise.  We had nothing - no raincoats, umbrellas, nothing!  We walked down one muddy street after another, trying to make our way back to the correct street.  Every house we passed looked uninviting; there was nowhere to take shelter from the storm.

I paused to rest under a tree, which offered some protection from the downpour.  I said to my companion, "I don't know what we should do.  We don't know where this family lives or how we are going to find them.  Even if we do find them, we don't know if they will lest us in."  A little rain, and I was ready to give up.  

My wonderful companion, ever in tune with the Spirit, would not surrender so easily.  "I think that's just Satan trying to keep us from finding this family."

Something in her words convinced me.  "All right," I said.  "Let's go."  Words from the scriptures echoed in my head: Yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions...and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. (Alma 17:11)  If ever I needed patience in afflictions, it was now!

We braved the rain and mud and eventually found the street.  As we walked, the rain began to gradually let up, and our clothes began to dry.  We found the home of the Crizantes family and began counting the blocks - but it wasn't very clear where "two blocks" started or ended.  Our plan was just to ask around, see if someone knew the family.

My companion nudged me.  "That house."  I had been eyeing it too, as it was the only house with the door open.  It seemed humble but inviting, as good a place as any to begin our search.

We asked for the family name.  A woman came out.  "Sí, somos nosotros. (Yes, that's us)."  I asked for the name of one of the boys.  "Mi hijo. (My son)," she said.

My heart sank.  This was the mother who had been less than enthusiastic about the baptism of her sons!  But as we kept talking, she turned out to be not nearly as terrible as I had first thought.  In fact, although her sons weren't home at the moment, she invited us to return, saying, "There was a difference in my sons when the missionaries were teaching them."

I am grateful for a companion who is in tune with the Spirit and for the opportunity I have, as her companion, to witness many miracles.

Love,

Hermana Watts