Conference Weekend after a Whirlwind Week

Easter was a quiet day of worship. This is another one of those motocycles with a built in cart that is a way one brother in our ward makes it comfortable for people to get to church. That is one of the endearing traits of the people of Paraguay, they give all they have to help others and they make things work with what they have.

Monday was a paperwork day and holiday in Argentina so we didn't have much we could move ahead. We did get our haircuts in the afternoon.

This is our lunch group that we eat with when we are in the office. We share different flavors with each other. 

Tuesday Chris brought Coconut Black Bean Soup, which is a keeper. Thanks to Theresa ONeil, Chris's friend since first grade for the recipe.

Wednesday we were able to get a big project that our supervisor looked at last week approved and now we are still waiting for the official legal agreement with the Church and the Ministry of Health to be signed so we can have our buyer begin purchasing the equipment. Also we had our project with an afterschool program that helps special needs students with remediation. It is a small project but we feel it will have a big pay off in helping children who don't get extra help through the education system. Our project with the local Centro de Salud across the street is approved as well so Ken downloaded a CAD program so he can figure out the best configuration for playground equipement and a few 20ft.furnished containers at the Centro.

Wednesday was also temple night full of personal revelation and so much strength and power to move us on and be more Christlike. We are so grateful to all the help Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ want to bless us all with as we turn to them to receive it.

Thursday the Welfare Services/Selfreliance manager,Juan, his wife, Gladys, the two interns, Ben and Noah and us piled into the van and headed to the Museo de Futobol de South America and had our picture taken with the GOATS, Messi, Pele, and Maradona.

On our way to San Bernardino and Lago Ypacaraí we followed a truck of gravel that we are hoping was going to the Puesto Salud and Dra. Natalia for their parking area that is riddled with big puddles. We couldn't follow it all the way there but we are 80% sure that was were it was going!

It was pouring but Ben was gracious enough to venture out for a photo.

Juan's great grandfather was the one who founded and organized the town of San Bernardino. It is quite a tourist attraction in Paraguay's winter months which is like our summer only hotter. Below are the euphoniums we saw in the museum so we thought of Carter and Chloe.

Noah told us about bollos, something like a filled donut hole only much bigger, popular in the San Bernardino area of Paraguay. Lunch at Grimms.

Downtown San Bernardino.

After the rain storm a tree went down.

The second largest lake, Lago Ypacaraí. We drove the circle around it as we visited different places but here are a few of the shots we got of the Lake off in the distance.

The last stop out of the car was at the Basilica of Caacupé. The story is of a statue of the virgin that was miraculously saved in a flood. It is a beautiful building and this one was built in the 1980's to house the statue and the crowds.  On March 8 pilgrims from all over Paraguay walk to Caacupé to pay honor to the Virgin.

This is a stainglass of the virgin statue being saved.

The statue is just below Christ on the cross

Ben and Chris walked to the bottom of the dome and saw the view from the top and also from the balcony.

Last thing to do for the day was to cross the new bridge that just opened up at the beginning of March.

One more shout out to my kids. They have a Colegio Parroquial John F Kennedy in Paraguay in Caacupé. 

Friday morning dawned early for us so we could catch up with our Humanitarian friends from the MTC. These people teach us so much each time we visit. They are assigned to tougher and more dangerous places without open temples and they are still working hard and doing what they can. We are always grateful for so many things after talking, laughing and praying together.

We also were able to work at solving a problem with equipment for one hospital. Before the morning was over we also had a meeting with our Humanitarian specialist in SLC. What a wonderful and uplifting call. Anita really buoyed us up, listened and heard what we were saying and helped us see we were understanding the purposes of the projects we are doing. It was so affirming, something we have been missing since the MTC.

Friday afternoon we bid farewell to our interns with an ice cream cake. Yum!

Friday night and Saturday morning Chris spent making our conference feast and cinnamon rolls with the Sisters. Ken made his famous jalapeño poppers dip. It was great to share the spiritual feast and the food. 

Hope you are enjoying the wonderful words of the prophets and apostles at General Conference. Our spiritual thought could not be better than just listening to them.