We Made it Home to Paraguay

Saturday, January 28 we travelled from Asunción to Resistencia, Argentina, The Siesta in Resistencia is real. Things shut down for lunch and don't open up until 4 or 5 and most people don't eat dinner until 9 pm. That is when we are ready to go to bed. When we woke up at 3 am to use the bathroom there were still people out partying in the streets. Chris was happy for her earplugs.

Sunday we ate breakfast at the hotel. They serve croissants with a glaze on them. Argentine answer to Krispy Kremes. We went to church in Resistencia at the chapel where some of our English Connect 2 students go to church. It was great to meet them in person and the ward was warm and friendly. After church we waited patiently for our friends, Elder and Hermana Cheatham from the Mission Training Center who are now serving as Member and Leader Support in Mercedes, Argentina. It took us 5 hours to arrive in Resistencia and it actually took them a little over 3 to get there. It was a joyous reunion and so fun to learn about all they are doing to help the people of Argentina. We laughed and hugged and wish we could spend more time with them.What a bright spot to lift and help us all continue forward.

On Monday we were able to enjoy our first Entrega ceremony where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints officially hands over the donated equipment. The specialty clinic was over the river from Resistencia in Corrientes, Argentina. 

Corrientes was build in the 1500´s and has taken very good care of it´s older buildings. 

At our entrega ceremony they were able to have a Viceminister of Health there, the Stake President, some members and the president, past and present of the association that helps this speciality clinic. It was wonderful to see so many people smiling and being helped. The director showed us the before pictures and it has been quite a transformation. This is a project that we really had nothing to do with and had been all but done by the time we arrived.

After our Entrega we headed over to visit with another Vice Minister of Health and talk about how we can help and be in line with the Ministy of Health´s priorities. It as a good meeting. He was able to give us more contacts for the hospital we visited on Tuesday too. 

After the meeting we were treated to a Parilla, all you can eat meat buffet. Absolutely fabulous and we were so full we didn´t even eat dinner. Chris tried Argentine bread pudding with cream and dulce de leche for dessert, yum!

Tuesday we got up and checked out of our hotel then visited the Pediatric Hospital in Resistencia. They really hadn´t asked for much and we wanted to see if there was more we could do. We found out from our meeting on Monday that having a battery operated dermatomes for burn victims would be extremely helpful as burn victims are high in Resistencia. We will be waiting for a new list from them so we can help them out a bit more.

Our drivers picked us up and away we went. This time we crossed the border by ferry. All went well and we made it home. Poor Ken caught a cold and downed three small packages of cough drops on the way. 

Wednesday we worked from home, partly because Chris got the day mixed up that the missionaries were coming for breakfast the other because Ken was sick. Transfers are this week and Hermana Gray is leaving us and we had to get together and have one last game of Qwirkle. These young adults are giving their all for the Lord and it is good to spoil them with some of the things they miss or don´t have time to fix as missionaries.

Thursday morning was when the missionaries actually came for breakfast and then we headed in to the office. We were excited to be getting pictures from our first project we will complete from start to finish. You can tell by the smile on her face how exited the Doctora is about having the things she needs; this note came and it warmed our soul.

Estamos acomodando.... no sabes lo feliz que estamos cosas únicas, cuando decidi abandonar ese lugar aparecieron sentia que lo que hacia no daba buenos frutos hasta que una señora me dijo vendran cosas unicas y seras participe, ahi entendi que el tiempo de Dios es perfecto. los dueños que fallecieron estarian felices de ver esto en vida, que esta funcionando. Las heladeras ya colocamos dejamos funcionando 24hs para luego ya darles uso.

Tranlation: We are making it work... you don't know how happy we are. Unique things, when I decided to leave that place, they appeared, I felt that what I was doing was not bearing good fruit until a lady told me unique things would come and I would be involved, then I understood that God's time is perfect. The owners who died (donated the building) would be happy to see this in life, that it is working. We already placed the refrigerators and left them running for 24 hours and then used them.

 We also finally received our paperwork so we can now drive the church car over the border. This will be a great help in accomplishing our work in all our areas. 

 On Friday we went out to try and find ceiling fan switches and stopped at a mall food court to eat. It was a Chinese buffet and there were bottles of what we thought were all juices. Chris chose one that looked like it might have ginger in it. We had had some pineapple ginger juice at PFJ that was so delicious she thought she'd give what she thought was ginger a try. We have no idea if the cashier was a member of our church or not but she knew enough to let Chris know that it was tea in her bottle and maybe Chris would rather have juice. Even in a different country where we don't understand each other, people are watching us and watching out for us because of the badge. 

Just a few random pictures. Our drivers, the Domingezes. Some smoked mayonaisse potato chips we weren't brave enough to try, but we did pick up some ham serrano flavored Lay's that were not impressive.

We saw at least 3 of these horse carts that people in Resistencia use for transportation. We haven't seen many of these in Asuncion.

And a few sights that remind us of home

Spiritual Thought: Choose life! The tree of life, the love of God. In Corinthians we learn we are nothing without it, charity, the love of God, regardless of all the spiritual things we can do. The tree of life never fails and as we read in 2 Nephi 4:21 it will fill us(make us whole, complete, perfect) unto the consuming of our flesh, or every fiber of our being will feel the love of God and want to share the love of God. That is what helped Christ make it through His mission on earth and it will also help us get through ours. Choose life and love not separation (death) and misery.