Those Paraguayans ROCK!

Occasionally we have the opportunity to actually take a missionary home when they have completely their mission.  Hermana Baez served half her mission here with us and has done an awesome job!  We got here after she had fought a battle of cancer which she got when she was on the first half of her mission in Mexico.  Such a happy ready to do anything Hermana that really made a difference here especially with her Guarani that she speaks fluently. Now we return her home to her family where she can share her same light with her non member mother and her less active brothers.  Thank you Hermana Baez!

Sharing a tradition

We had the opportunity to have a few of the missionaries here at the house to eat lunch in between sessions.  In between conference sessions on Saturday, we got to share an American tradition that we always do for Easter.  Coloring Easter eggs has always been a fun thing for our family but when you share it with missionaries you get some great creations.  

Wow! References!

This group of handsome young Elders should have an award!  They approached a school asking if they could teach a little about our church.  They were turned down but the school asked if they would be willing to teach about morals.  How perfect!  Of course they snatched the opportunity and taught how morals blessed their lives and why they did what they did.  This gradually brought about conversation about the church and in the end of the day they had 115 referrals from students in the high school very interested in living a better life.  Way to go Elders Bush, Castro, Aguilar, and Rafailano!  Who says teenagers aren`t looking for something to grab that is good in their lives?

Visiting Luque Sur 2

I am horrible about remembering to take pictures of everything that we do but one time I did remember this month... I guess in March.  We got to visit the District meeting of Luque Sur.  It is Travis`Semana Santa break from school so he got to go with us.  This was a great meeting lead by district leader Elder Rocha.  We also have been trading out our heavy blankets this month for clean ones.  This is in hopes that we will have the need for these at some time in the next few months. 

Visiting Zones..... Capitia today

I got to sit in on the Zone Conference for the Capitia Zone today.  It was really wonderful to be with these good missionaries!

Sometimes they can get a little goofy though.

Bragging

It is not often that I post something about our immediate family.  When we came to the mission we brought our then 15 year old son Travis with us.  It was hard.  Everything he had ever known and loved was now many thousands of miles away.  There was no other American kids his age in the school and he had to learn a new language.  Now a year and a half later he is doing so well!  He has been very blessed to be a part of many things in the school and in the mission.
This last week was a very big event at the school for sports and art.  He was able to sing the American National Anthem and play the Paraguayan National Anthem on his violin.  It is such a blessing to see how the Lord has taken care of everything for us. 

Goodbyes.....

Elder Villecreses and Parents de Ecuador

It seems like they just come and then they are gone!  It is such an amazing thing to watch these missionaries grow from teenagers to good and wonderful, full of potential adults. Even though we are sad to see them leave, especially because many of them are leaders in our mission, we are excited for the futures that they can have.    

Elder Zambrano se fue por Ecuador

Elder Campo la Casa es en Guatemala

Elder Vega de Uruguay 

Hermana Slade on the last day and the first day, from Utah.

Hermana Tandiman with a year and a half of good works, from Utah.

Hermana Andrande came with Hermana Silva de Brasil

Hermana Silva leaving for Brasil 

Time passes so quickly!