Pensamientos de Paraguay: Look for Miracles in Your LIfe

Last week we were on the green trip. This week we went south on the red to Pilar. On our trip back from the Chaco (green) we made it home safely but we didn't realize that at some point we picked up a thorn in the sidewall and while the car rested over night,the front driver's tire lost all its air. Of all the places we had been and all the places we could have been stranded we will take the office parking lot. (Miracle). For a scale of reference, Paraguay is smaller than California but larger than Montana.

The next miracle we recognized this week was the report from our Mission Training Center trainers that this week a record number of 18 couples are joining the ranks of Humanitarian missionaries. Wow! We entered the MTC the Monday after Elder Rasband's call for more senior couples and they are coming. When we entered the MTC, our group of 8 couples was the record. Can you recognize the miracle in more than doubling that number in 5 months? Heavenly Father is so good at multiplying things.

Something else that is less of a miracle but something we never thought would happen to us was we were on Paraguay TV twice this week. One was with the Ministra de Salud of Paraguay (like a US cabinet member) and the ambassador from Taiwan.

The other cameo was with the Governor and First Lady of Ñeembucú. Yes little old us from the hayseed midwest. #BecauseoftheNameontheBadge

Other miracles. this week were the hope of a project that we thought was unapprovable has been revived and the donation from the church can help more people to have improved vision through another Foundation for Opthomology. Wasn't it Marjorie Hinckley that said "never suppress a generous thought." Someone didn't and that is how we were able to revive this! (Miracle)

On our trip South to Pilar we saw a drastic change from last weeks drought. We followed the Paraguay River all the way to Pilar. On both sides of the road it was boggy, in fact we learned that rice is grown in this region of Paraguay. Chris also had a thought as she saw the cows grazing on all the green grass, "you don't know how lucky you are to be living on this end of Paraguay."

Rice fields

Pilar is the "cuña de basquetbol."(not a miracle but a surprise) They have a municipal gym where kids of all ages comes after school each hour, youngest to oldest and learn skills, get exercise and stay out of trouble. It was an amazing sight to watch one coach with about 20 kids running the drills and personally helping each to improve. All the kids wanted to shake our hands, as if we were some celebrity. A few of the braver ones tried their English skills.

The last night we were there we were watching a few championship games. During the boys game it started to rain so hard that it was misting in through the vents on the side of the building and the main doors had to be shut to keep more rain from coming in. The game was postponed due to the court getting wet and players falling. For a country whose main sport is futbol, there are some amazingly tough basquetbol players in Pilar.

Also not a miracle but a surprise was that we found out that ADM has a port, a parking lot for the grain trucks and an industrial site in Paraguay. (Not sure what industrial site means) Always fun to see things like that to remind us we aren't too far from home.

Not sure where this would be classified but when we planned the trip we didn't want to put 50% down on a room (mistake) and thought a town of 33,000 wouldn't be too busy in the middle of Holy Week (another mistake.) There was a huge fishing tournament in Pilar with fisherman from all over the South America. We are very grateful for the Santacruz family who found a hotel with a room for us on Wednesday. It was clean and we are grateful we had a place to stay but Chris made Ken take a shower first. Something about electrical wires hooked to the shower head made Chris a bit nervous. We paid about $25 for 2 nights with breakfast, When the Santacruzes asked us if it was OK Ken said, "if the AC works it will be fine." And it was! We were on the first floor (the ground floor doesn't count in Paraguay, so the first floor is what we'd call second floor). The main street was right outside and there were vehicles, horns, and people talking and laughing most of the night. We were so tired both nights that we didn't even notice.

Our hosts, the Familia Santacruz, introduced us to Mburucujá, a fruit in Paraguay that they have in ice cream and make juice from. Naturally made juice is what you drink at restaurants here as much as pop. We enjoyed our Mburucujá juice and Naranja with some homemade VoriVori, the national soup (caldo not sopa, that is cornbread here). They also own a pizzaria. One night we got to try it and it was great, it was even better than the Pizza Hut we had a month ago.

Most of Thursday was spent trying to keep up with the governor's wife. She is so full of energy and passion to help the people of her departmento (state). We first saw her at a wheelchair entrega, then we spoke with her briefly to learn what her vision was for her term. She said she didn't know why God put her in this position (First Lady) so she'd better do something with the opportunity at hand. Such faith, determination, and attitude! Then she was off to donate tool kits so 15 men could work and feed their families.(This is where we were requested to join in by the Governor himself, so we ended up on TV and the funny thing was that people from the small branch saw it and were happy). We then visited a hospital, childcare center, mobile dentist and ob/gyn clinic and a hopeful medical facility for indigenous people.

On Thursday we were grateful for siesta before we made our host go North American and eat dinner @ 6 before heading off to the basquetbol game. The custom here is to eat a huge meal between 8:00 and 11:00 pm. No way we could sleep if we did that. So we insisted they adopt our customs. Nice thought but the restaurants don't even open until 7:00 or later...We didn't get pictures but one of the sets of younger missionaries was walking by and we bought them dinner to go.

Miracles on the way home

1. We found out a small school project that had been waiting for a year for a response (so before we got here) and then once we got on it is was two month to get approved and it had been almost another two months waiting to be ordered. (we don't have control over approval time or purchasing time especially when it is a project in Argentina) ITEMS HAVE BEEN ORDERED!!!!!!

2. A new tank was brought to Mistolar to replace the broken one so they can have a better chance at saving water when it rains and a better way to use the water from the taquemar or holding pond. We are not sure who initiated this or paid for it but we are just happy it happened and that the wonderful District President shared photos with us. Prayers help move the work along.

Saturday was filled with Chris teaching the sister missionaries how to make cinnamon rolls, making sauce and meatballs for tomorrow's lunch and catching up on organizing photos while Ken finished the expense reports for our travels.

Spiritual thought for the week as we celebrate the Resurrection during this Easter season comes from something that was pointed out to us. In John 11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life . . ." The resurrection is not only an occurance, but Jesus says the resurrection is who He is. Ponder on that thought a minute. How important it is then for us to be linked/yoked to Him through covenant promises and always striving to keep them? We are so grateful for the Resurrection, because He is the only way to Eternal Life. Without him there would be no Creation, no baptism, no repentance, no light, no life and no hope. With Him and only with Him can we have all that the Father wants to bless us with.