1/24/2011 and pictures

Hola Familia,
This week was definatly a week of adventures! Braiden's game sounds sick! That is so cool, dang Braiden is going to rock me when I get back. Hey if you can send some pictures of Braiden's ball games, or actually just any pictures at all.! I am learning some prety sick moves with the foot fairy sport, granted I cant do them ,but a Peruvian taught me some sweet moves. Sounds like everything is going really well. Good luck with Junior Miss mom and Dad I hope your back feels better. On my mission thus far I have really gained a testimony of tithing, and never in my life have I seen such humble people here than those that are active in the church that are paying their tithing with nothing! I thought it would be a big problem but they are so willing.
Go Nate Berg that is so awesome about Japan mission call? 
Hey when you take the money out of my account to send a package, doesnt have to be soon just some time, could you buy batteries 4 triple A and 4 double , also a rechargeable battery thing that plugs in cause the baterries here are so expensive so if I could just get a rechargable thing it would be so helpful and a couple micro sd memory cards for my camera. Oh and hey guess what we weighed myself at a pharmacy and I weighed 197 last monday but wait, I weighed myself this morning and I now weigh 178.... don't know what I weight! This last week was amazing, we had our first interviews with President Callan. Just walking in to the presnece of that man is so spiritual! He is amazing! and He challenged every companionship to set 10 fechas (baptismal dates) a week.... we tried and it is so hard, we didn't quite make it but we made the lessons goal for the week. We had a little stumble one day cause we got a call from rama 1 and they said there is a North American at the border stuck cause he doesnt have papers so we were going to translate for him. Turns out he is Lithuanian that spoke very little English and he told us that he was in jail in Brazil for the last ten years, has no family in South America, and is trying to get back to his country but can't get into Argentina (our area cover the border to argentina), we think that he is an escaped convict by the way he told us. The worst part, he didnt have anything, no money, clothes, food, so we gave him some money and left, because we couldn't help him. Then it started to rain harder then I have ever seen in my life. The roads were rivers and we couldn't make it home so we got stuck in this taxi shack were the taxi drivers sit waiting, and taught 4 taxi drivers the first lesson with pouring rain outside. Ha the Lord gets his gospel to the people that need it one way or another! Also one time this week we were going to set fecha with a women whose husband was a member and we walked by their house and heard crying and we saw her hit her husband and they were fighting really bad, so we walked past thinking it was a bad time if they were hitting each other, we got about 3 minutes away when we got such a strong impression to turn around and share with them. We went back and clapped the house and I guess she yelled at us in Guarani to come in. We asked to share with them and they said oaky and I read my favorite scripture in the bible. Deuteronomy 4: 28-30 and gave my testimony about families and my companion taked after me and the spirit was so strong. She was bawling. There was the biggest switch from tension and conflict to just peace, the spirit was strong so quickly after she read that. we didn't commint her to baptism there but we will this week, and I'll tell you how it goes! One of our investigators that was going to get baptized on the 12 of February just told us yesterday that her dad won't let her and we don't know what to do, we pray to soften his heart but we dont know whats going to happen.
As for the language... all I want is to understand people doubts and talk freely but, Guaraní is so hard to tell the difference, like when people are speaking Spanish and then switch over I can never tell. Usually I know exactly what's going on but I don't catch details or jokes I just know the subject. My companion says it takes about 6 months to become fluent. but I really have been blessed with the language and I'm so thankful but I still need to be more patient cause I haven't even been here a month yet! I love learning languages, I wouldn't mind learning another later on in life!
And two funny stories, one we are teaching a pregnant 16 year old who has some troubles but has a good heart and wants to follow Christ. We clapped her house and we walked to the front door and she came out and she looked bad and she sat down and was telling us how she wasn't feeling well this morning and then her face distorted a little bit, and she threw up on my companions shoes hahaha! I couldnt help but think of Tiffany! I hope you are doing well Tiffany!
The other is in church a kid was saying the opening prayer and he was really quite and nobody could hear him, so we were just waiting and I guess my companion thought he said Amen so he like yelled amen, and the kid looked up in the middle of his prayer and just looked around like... what do I do now, he just cut me short. It was so awkward for like 10 seconds, ha it was so funny.
But I hope you are all doing well family, I love you so much. The church is true, never neglet any prompting from the spirit! Remember to read the Book of Mormon it's amazing! Braiden and Caleb, read the Book of Mormon! I promise it will help if you. Read to study not read to read! Christ Lives. Peace
Elder Shaw