Cambios.....

...are this week!! How fast that went by! We won't know until tomorrow what's gonna happen, so I`ll let you know next week. Maybe I stay, maybe I go, maybe yo entreno (train)... haha we`ll see what happens.

Alright, so I don`t have much time this week but I'll give you some random highleightes:

We had divisions with the Sister Trainer leaders Wednesday! fun, learned a lot. They are adorable and super great missionaries.
Also, we have a rat in our apartment. I saw it last night. we're gonna but a rat trap today if we can find one and trap it. Its name is Gustavo. (oh did I tell you about the 2 spiders that are always in the corner on the ceiling in the shower-- the bigger one is Alberto and the smaller one is Freddy :)  ) and that scream that the women always make in the movies when they see a rat. I always thought "wow that scream is so fake, no one actually mkes that noise".... well yesterday I made that noise. It`s apparently the "rat scream" haha

We had an investigator in church yesterday!!!! yay!!

Anyway, no tengo mas tiempo...

love you!!

Hermana Urie

Almost End of the Cambio

Alright, sorry there wasn't actually a letter last week. an hour is not enough time to write everyone that I want to write and I decided to write mom and dad first. but the rest of you know that I still love you all TONS!!

Alright, so I cant believe we`re already almost to the end of the cambio!! 1 more week. and Hna. Lossa si or si is going to leave, because this area is way too small to be here for more than 3 cambios.

So these last couple weeks have been a little hard, because everyone is always leaving on vacation and no one is here during the summer. ¡que dificil! haha but we`ve been finding lots of new people that aren`t leaving on vacation, so thats good.

Alright, so I don't really have anything else to say... every week is basically the same... but this last week the other hermanas in our ward had a baptism!!!! so exciting!!!!

love you all tons!!!

Hermana Urie

No Crosswalks

Our Christmas with a sister in the ward.

Me standing in the middle of the road.... haha in the median in the road between our area and our apartment. They don't really have crosswalks here, so you just kinda go for it, and sometimes we`re waiting on the median for a couple minutes before we can cross. Its great fun. Mom would probably freak out. Don't worry its fairly safe! haha :)

Don't have time for more. love you all!!

¡el tiempo esta volando!

Dear familia,

Time is seriously flyin by out here!! This cambio is already half way over! And I have a feeling that after this cambio I might train... we`ll see. But I`ll almost definitely get a new companion because this area is super small so no one is ever here for more than 3 cambios. Hna Lossa has already contacted practically every house, multiple times in her time here and already knows basically the whole neighborhood. We`ll be passing a house and she`s like "we taught the lady that lives in this house like 2 times but shes super catholic and doesn't want to give up the virgen. Her name is Estella and she has 3 kids and works..." okay so not always that detailed, but I`m really not exaggerating that much. So yeah, we think shes gonna be transferred this next change.

and... oh yeah!! Feliz Año Nuevo!!! The new year here is basically bigger than Christmas. There were firework ALL NIGHT LONG and nobody was in the streets January 1. Lots of people were traveling. So this week was pretty bad for lessons, but hey, that's okay, and this week we`re gonna teach "a full"!! (don't ask me, its a phrase all the missionaries use here to say "a lot")

¡¡¡¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS SCOTT!!!! hope its a good one. Oh and funny story, everyone here opens their Christmas presents on January 6... I dunno.. something about kings??

And spiritual-ish thought for the week. Yesterday was fast Sunday right. so people were bearing their testimonies and at the end the bishop stood up and bore his testimony and gave goals or something for the ward- like we`re gonna start on time, participate more in activities, fulfill callings, get temple recommends and go to the temple more this year.. etc, etc. buenas cosas. and he also said something I really liked. He said (more or less) "we all say how the gospel brings us happiness. so this year, let`s make a goal to be happy. let`s ...esforzarnos..(I dunno in English, like put forth the effort, strive, something like that) to be happy this year, no matter what problems or trials we have. We have the gospel and help from Christ, so everything will be fine." and that`s my challenge for all of you!! Life is always going to be full of trials. that`s the point, so we can learn and improve. but the point is also "for men to have joy" (2 Nefi 2:25). So we need to be happy even when we have trials because we`re always gonna have trials, so if we wait until we don't have trials we`ll never be happy. and it actually is a lot in your attitude. just.. ¡sea feliz, no mas!

So yeah, that's it for this week. love you!!! See you in 1 year and 1 month!!

Hermana Urie

my last district in Reducto (the second cambio)

me holding a bird

me holding another bird and yes it is biting me in this picture. the other one bit me too, but not hard so its fine.

me, hna. espinoza, and an investigator

same thing.... she is golden, probably got baptized last week or will this week!! but I don't know yet, because we don't have contact with our previous areas.. :(

same thing.. she`s probably already baptized now too, but again, don't know yet, I`ll keep you updated when I hear more!

La Floresta

Alright, so as I told you on Christmas, I am now in my second area! La Floresta. It`s a lot more city than Reducto, but so far I like it. The ward is bit bigger, but most of them are in the area of the other hermanas, so we only have like 3 families and 2 hermanas in our area! So I don't really know most of the ward yet, but it`s coming along.

And I`m done with training!! por fin!! and I have a new companion. She is latina again!! yay!!! I`m gonna learn so much Spanish!! Her name is Hermana Lossa, she is from Colombia, and she joined the church 3 years ago, and she`s been in the mission for 1 year (i am so glad that i`m not training yet. so not ready! but hermana Thacker- my companion from the MTC- and 3 other hermanas that came in our group are training now!!! crazy!!!). And Hna. Lossa is awesome! I`ve already learned a ton from her. And she`s very talkative and speaks hardly any English, so that`s really good for my Spanish!
So La Floresta.. We have a lot of great investigators that we are working with and that are progressing, so we`re hoping to have some baptisms in January and February!! Our 2 biggest problems right are are getting people to come to church, and there are a lot youth that want to be baptized but their parents won't give them permission. but lots of progressing and eventually our investigators will come to church. We have faith!!

Christmas!!
We had dinner with a member family and I talked to you guys, and the rest of the time was the regular teaching and contacting in the streets of Paraguay. In the heat. It`s weird for me to be sweating in the sun on Christmas instead of freezing, wrapped up in a blanket with hot chocolate and snow outside. but great experiences. and Friday we had a mission activity. Hiked a hill (probably the only significantly sized hill in Paraguay-haha but seriously), played games, had a white elephant present thing (mine and Hermana Lossa`s presents were hilarous!!), and got really, really sunburned. I don`t know how hot it was, but definitely over 100 (there was a sign with the temperature, but i think it was lying because it said anywhere from 48-56 degrees Celsius, which is about 120-134 degrees Fahrenheit. And I don't think it was quite that hot)

What else happened... oh I hand washed some of my clothes for the first time, I`m super blonde because of the sun, and super tan, we have random sudden rain storms- and these are like seriously rain storms, less than 10 seconds and you are completely drenched-, I am loving the mission, and I got to talk with my wonderful family on Christmas!!!!  I actually did not cry after talking with you guys like I thought I was going to, so yay, blessings..

and that`s it. love you!! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and happy new year!!!!!

Love,
Hermana Urie

p.s. oh yeah, all of Tuesday and Wednesday there were basically constant fireworks, but luckily I can sleep through anything!!