Monday, July 4, 2016

Hermanas in Distress

¡Hola familia y amigos!

We've had another less-than tranquilo week here in Salado. I'm starting to expect and anticipate random things coming up through out the week.

Tuesday we were pioneers. After lunch on our way to an appointment we contacted two women, Paula and Miguela, cutting wood with machetes and helped them put it in their metal cart. Our appointment wasn't home, so we decided to help them push their cart about a half-mile to their house. I'm very grateful I only had to push a cart that far...

On Wednesday we had divisions with the Hermana Leaders and I got to go back to Asuncion for the day in Campo Grande and work with Hermana Jara. It was fun and I learned how to make the Peruvian dish Carne Saltado.

By Friday we were well into preparing the baptism of Adrianna, our 9 year old investigator- younger sister of RM Esteban. After the baptism of Yanina we had unloaded the baptismal font (we use a combination of the slow drainer and manual-bucket labor) and were expecting to be able to come Friday morning, spend a half-hour cleaning out whatever dirt and then do our weekly planning as the font filled up. However, as soon as we opened up the font door a swarm of mosquitoes started flying out. Turns out someone had opened the window that sits on the side of the font and turned on the water a little bit so that the font had been filling up all week. Foul play- idk. Maybe by Satan.

Either way we had no idea what to do and our risk of getting dengue went up by 75% if we were to clean the font in our short sleeves and exercise shorts. We prayed, brain-stormed and then were given the inspiration to go get these bug-repellent coils that you have to light on fire and then the smoke clears out the bugs at a near by dispensa. We started fumigating the font and the connecting girls bathroom and began to plan. About 2 1/2 hours later most of the mosquitoes had gone and we were ready to drain the font again. We walked out into the hallway, heading towards the bathroom and buckets, when I saw a bird hop and then fly around in the corner at the end of the hall! We felt responsible because the front door to the chapel had blown open and we hadn't noticed while we'd been planning- so we grabbed the broom and the squeegee and started chasing it down. We finally got it cornered into the primary room and- slamming the door closed- we successfully got it to fly out a window. We celebrated for half a minute until we turned to leave and realized that the door-handle was gone. My companion found it on the floor a little ways from the door, but despite our wiggling, pushing, nothing took hold and we were trapped. (Keep in mind that the churches here have bars on the windows and there was no other way out).

My companion began to go all McGyver and started using everything and anything to try to get the door open while I began trying to flag down people from the street by yelling and waving the broom out the window. Even if we had been able to get someone in the street to come, we'd locked the outer gate so that not just anyone would walk in as we were cleaning/planning. After about a 1/2 hour we began to lose hope. My companion took a nap on the chairs and I swept the primary room- not a spider web will be found there. About an hour later, 1 1/2 hours since being trapped, it hit me that we had not tried clapping to see if the neighbors to the capilla would come out. Using my well-developed loud-clapping talents we got the neighbor to come out and another hour and a half later the bishops wife came running with the Elders in tow. So embarrassing.

Despite the unexpected setback, we got the font clean and Adrianna was baptized along with the Portillo twins Saturday. Sunday they were all confirmed as members and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Saturday morning we got to meet our new mission president, President Evans, his wife and their son Travis. We miss the McMullins, but are excited to work with the Evans.

Mosiah 24:15-16. The promises in the scriptures are real. Happy Independence Day!

With love sent from Paraguay,

Hermana Carr