We Will Not Shrink but Think Celestial and Stretch

 Hope everyone got a chance to enjoy conference. It was wonderful to be uplifted and receive personal revelation on what we can do to be more like the Savior on our walk here on earth.
After a hectic weekend with many trips to the office and the grocery store for conference goodies, on

Monday evening Chris realized she had lost her keys. Ken walked back to the office to check in the
conference room and office and we checked all our bags and pockets and coats and couldn’t find them.

She thought that it was possible that the keys had fallen out of her unzipped bag. She prayed

earnestly that somehow they would be found.

On Tuesday morning we had an early Teams (Zoom) meeting so Chris told Ken she was staying home

to join it and she was going to clean the bathrooms and then head to the office. She had been putting

off the task and just felt like she should stay home. Dressed up, she donned her apron and set to work after the meeting. After deep cleaning the bathrooms, kitchen floor, the dryer/washer lint, the office floor, the shoe marks on the wall she sat down to rest a minute before ironing a blouse. Only when she sat down did she feel the keys in her apron pocket from when she went to let the sisters out of the apartment on Saturday. This isn’t a dramatic miracle but it is her miracle of following the direction of the Spirit. It isn’t miraculous that she found her keys but it was timely and guided. She never would have looked in her apron pocket and if she hadn’t sat down to rest. She would have just hung up her apron without feeling it. God can only bless us when we listen.

We found out that Vicente Romero, the older gentleman helping with the ribbon pull who was the founder and donator of this Puesto de Salud passed away on Sunday. We are so very grateful he was able to see the Puesto fully functioning before his death.

One of our projects was to help funish burial equipment to a funeral home that donates time and resources to those who can't afford it. The name of this non profit is Fundación Ebenezer (In Hebrew, Ebenezer means “stone of help” (eben = stone; ezer = help) and comes from 1 Samuel 7:12 
"Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."

This picture is of a grandmother receiving a small coffin for her grandchild. Her daughter was still recovering from the birth in the hospital. They were from the interior of the country about 4 hours away. As most of you know we lost our Sarah at age one and were blessed with a funeral director that only charged us at cost for her funeral. We know this isn't our money that bought this for this family but it was nice to be part of the giving if only in a small way.

Wednesday was a slow day. We had meetings, went to the bank, visited about the containers at Centro Salud #10 and went to the temple. It was great to be at the temple doing sealings with those we love. Good thing we had the support, strength and perspective for Thursday.

Storm clouds over Asunción Thursday. You can hardly see the city. This was the general feeling of Thursday. It was border crossing day. Before 90 days are up we have to go out of the country because of our tourist visa (or so we thought). By the end of the crossing we wanted to shrink but instead pressed on and stretched ourselves. At the beginning all was going so well. The new bridge made the trip to the border only about 1/2 an hour and we were able to drive right up to immigration. We got in line for Paraguay and they said we needed to show our card. So we showed them the only card we had, our ministeral one. (So glad we listened in the MTC and always keep them with us.) They seemed satisfied and Argentina migration didn't even ask for them. We also have to prove that we weren't going to sell the church car and that we had permission to bring it over the border. It took a 1/2 hour but was not intimidating. We spent about an hour in the border town and then began to cross back. Again, no trouble with Argentina migration but after a few minutes with the Paraguayan migration they have us pull over to the side. The boss comes out and says we are abusing the system by just going out and then back in to Paraguay and we need to get temporary residency within 15 days. He went back in to the office and when the worker returned with our passports he said we had 90 days. So this is what we get when we try and follow our leaders. NOT. We decided we would not being heading over to Argentina again until all of this is resolved. 

Ken talked to the travel guy at the office and he said they were just blowing smoke and we shouldn't have any problem. NOT. Chris called Salt Lake and found out that although we were to come into the country with a tourist visa, once in the country, the missionary department sent all those documents we had gathered to the office we work in here in Paraguay (not to us, but the travel people) and they were supposed to get us a temporary resident card, yes, the card the first migration worker was looking for. UGH! Tune in to see what happens. Did they every get the papers? Are they out of date now as some like the FBI check and fingerprints and apostiles were time sensitive? and expensive!

We just have a feeling that all the conference counsel on connecting to the Savior and Heavenly Father through covenants, prayer and scriptures study to make it through the trials of this life gives us eyes to see and perspective that help propel us forward regardless of the disappointments and unfairness that happens in this life. Without Their eyes and perspective we experience hard hearts of pride, unforgiveness and blame.

Friday we visited a center for special needs kids. They need some updated equipment for their physical therapy room. This organization/school was started around 30 years ago by mothers of special needs children who felt the need and moved forward to help their children.

Two of the mamas on the left still supporting the organization and school

It feels so awkward when they give us gifts but that is the Paraguayan way so we try and graciously accept. These were made by the special needs children that we visited.

On the way home we drove by Puesto de Salud Juan Bautista Morel and found this pile of gravel and a man with a rake. 

By the afternoon we had the second picture of the parking lot completed and craters filled.

Saturday we spent time at the Albergue for kidney dialysis patients near the National Hospital. It was a wonderful morning. We were able to talk about the church with Gustavo Martinez before everyone else came and see all our friends at the Albergue. The first three are the official pictures and the latter are those who we serve with delight.

This weekend is stake conference and then we are half way through April.

Spiritual thought for the week: Abinadi quotes Isaiah, "Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" Consider how often arm of the Lord is used in scriptures and it's meaning of power. Have you seen God's power in your life this week? Were you looking in the right place?

Remember the story of the Brother of Jared and how he saw the finger of God? Arm or finger same principle of faith and power.

We are praying to see miracles (God's power). We know God is in the work and He is always performing miracles, we are praying we will see and recognize them so we can continue with hope and joy.

Yummy Apple Pie

There is a bird on Angel Moroni's hand.

We love you. Have a great week!