Pensamientos de Paraguay: Our First Week in Paradise! also known as Paraguay

Before we flew out we stayed the night in Salt Lake City. Just a plug for the Comfort Inns and Suites near the airport. It is modern and clean and they were timely with their shuttle to pick us up at 3:30 am to get to the Airport. Much better than leaving at 2:30 from the Mission Training Center.

Our good friends Chris and Steve Muller were kind enough to meet up with us and take us out for dinner. Carter was kind enough to drive us up and as a bonus pick up some things he had left at Chris and Steve's when he served in their town of Evanston on his mission.

Being with friends and family sure helped to push away the anxiety that was building as we set off on our adventure.

All went well with our flights and luggage. We were able to check our carryons all the way through on our first flight which was such a help. We made it to Panama City, Panama and needed something to eat. As we were landing, I told Ken I didn't want anything heavy but maybe soup. Well, our choices were a hotdog stand, Wentzel's Pretzels or Olive Garden. Here is Ken tossing the salad.

Our last flight left Panama at 9:30 pm. It was packed and uncomfortable, one might say miserable. Good thing we could watch movies because the sleep things wasn't happening. Thank goodness lack of sleep can be remedied and that it was the only awful thing to happen. We landed in Paraguay and went to pay for our visas, if you don't pay for your visa first you have to leave the country. To pay for your visa you need crisp pristine bills, not marked, folded, torn, worn or crinkled in any way. Thanks to Jeff and Kim Hayes our bills passed and we made it through customs to the loving arms of our trainers, Elder Alyn and Sister Brenda McClure. They took us to breakfast at their hotel and then brought us to our apartment to shower and rest for a few hours.

Although we haven't spent much time in our apartment we can't believe how beautiful it is. Welcome to our little bit of paradise, one and a half blocks from the temple and our office.

Umm, we even have a kitchen aid mixer in the cupboard! The only reason I will be leaving Paraguay is for family!

Enough about how we are spoiled let's get to the reason we are here in the first place. After a short nap and shower we went to see and understand the wheelchair program in Paraguay. It is amazing how much these wheelchairs mean to those who receive them and their families. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints provides six different types of wheelchairs to people all over the world and our friend who runs the program here in Paraguay is so dedicated and knowledgable. We were able to see a young girl fitted for a wheelchair. Seeing her smile was wonderful but hearing her mother say it will change their lives made me a bit emotional.

This is us having dinner that first night with our trainers the McClures. They are hard to keep up with. They introduced us to everyone at the office and helped us get our money exchanged to guarani. We had a wonderful dinner with lots of beef which Paraguay is know for. Because we ate during "happy hour" (4-6)we got 30% off.

We finally stopped working around 7 and went to bed but headed in to the office by 8:30 am Wednesday so we could go to a meeting at the Ministry of Education. We are hoping to help with school kitchen projects. In Paraguay they are just beginning to extend their school day to 8 hours instead of four. School kitchens will help to keep students in school and help with nutrition. It was heartwarming to hear one of the gentlemen say after we introduced ourselves that he was also a follower of Christ.

We had a few minutes between meetings and were able to go to the botanical gardens where President Ezra Taft Benson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated the Land of Paraguay for the preaching of the gospel in 1979. I think even if you don't know too much Spanish you can get the gist of his prayer written on the plaque if you enlarge the pictures along the bottom. As missionaries it is humbling to stand there. Dan Hammond we'd love to take you there for a picture.

On Thursday we were able to meet the Minister of Health and stop by the United Nations Building in Paraguay to meet with the team at Unicef Paraguay. Never would I have thought we would be speaking with such influential people on our mission. There are a lot of people who love helping others and it is exciting to be working with them.

That same day we visited a hospital where the humanitarian donations furnished an emergency room and oxygen plant. The new director, who grew up in the neighborhood and was able to go to school and become a doctor and then give back was so touched by the generosity of the church that he asked the Lord to bless us and our future generations because of the difference the church donations have made in his community.

This is humbling and beautiful. Paradise!

Friday morning we were walking to the office by 6:30 am to make a meeting by 7:30 am with the Minister of Health. Yes, it is unbelievable that we have met two presidential ministers in our first week. No pressure to do great things but the scripture "unto whom much is given, much is required,"(Luke 12:48) continues to ring in my ears. We worked in the office until 9 pm squeaking out the last bit of information from the McClures.

An ad at the bus stop right in front of the temple on finding your ancestors on FamilySearch.org.

Did we remind you this is our paradise? Here is the view from our office. Yes, we will be fighting over which one of us gets to sit there. Just in case you can't see, the temple is across the street.

We met many wonderful people at the MTC who are serving just like us around the world so I keep their times along with those of family on my world clock. Even if your specific place isn't mentioned your time zone is. Plan accordingly.

We didn't have much of a preparation day on Saturday. Preparation day is when you shop, do laundry and relax from working 12 hour days. Today we were able to go to a public hospital where there are possibilities to help and the church has already donated a generator. In the last year that generator has helped numerous times to keep patients, especially babies safe while the power was out for 2 or 3 days.

It was sad to see our trainers off at the airport to return to their mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina but we are so grateful for them and all they taught us. We hope to make them proud by continuing the work here in Paraguay.

Well after dropping the McClures at the airport we drove ourselves to the super market and bought groceries, went to the mall to get some of the things we couldn't get at the supermarket and then after unloading, dropped the car off at the office. (we don't have a car but their is a fleet at the office we can use when we need one.) As we entered the elevator we said, "Lets go to the roof and see what is up there." Well, for some reason the video won't load on the blog but there is a view of the whole city and a pool.(Check it out on my facebook page) Paradise!

Next week we will begin for real on our own projects and reaching out to other people and organizations to help the people of Paraguay. Ken's Spanish is sharpening and Chris can catch and understand a few things. We "can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." (Philippians 4:13)

This morning after church we went to the temple for pictures. It was already very hot (in the triple digits) so we couldn't stay but look forward to attending when it reopens in November.