June 13,2011

mbae te copio familiakuera

What a week for the good for the bad and for stinking crazy! First off to address what’s going on there, Congratulations Nicole with the baby being a boy! You should name it Mymbysantiagope (my name in Guarani). And ya surely I am not fat but I have to suck in to look as great as I did before! Thanks for the letters. This week was crazy. First off we received transfers a little early to let us know if we need to buy a little or a lot of food today. And the changes are.... my little short Ecuadorian buddy is leaving and I am staying in this area I still don’t know who my companion is but I will find out tomorrow morning. I am super happy to be staying I would have given my left arm to stay here. I love this area.

I guess will start by talking about the beginning of last week, Monday we had 5 baptisms planned for Saturday, 2 families and a brother of a member, now that familia that I told you about they are named Diego and Erica. So we were visiting them everyday answering question and helping them prepare for their baptisms on Saturday, then Thursday it all crashed!!!! We had a great lesson but when we were about to leave the mother of the family came out screaming in Guarani! Yelling your not getting baptized, I love you, the strangers are fooling you, and a lot of other stuff i didn’t understand very well. It was really bad, and then she stopped talking and my companion just to ease the pressure and to help us get out of the home said, “alright so we are going to come by at another time that may be better.” And the mom flipped and was screaming that it was her house you are never coming back and then she ran at me and hit me in the back of the head a couple times with her palm and pushed us down. And then the brother in law came out (they live there with the mom and another couple) and tried to punch Diego. Then the wives started to yell and pull the brother in law off of Diego. All in all a long story and we aren’t allowed back in that house, and my head really hurt. It was crazy, my companion got shoved to the floor and I got hit a couple times, but there is good news. The next day was Diego birthday and we called him and said happy birthday and then he told us he is moving out of that house so he can continue with our church lessons with his wife. Then he said he couldn’t get baptized on Saturday with everything that happened. So they didn’t get baptized but they will in the near future. He is the most intelligent investigator. He has a really strong testimony and will be a leader in the church one day. He didn’t come church and his phone doesn’t work and we aren’t allowed at his house so we praying to figure this one out. Really it’s amazing what someone will do for the truth. When people find the truth and they know they have found the truth they will to do anything. Really Mormon’s are fanatics! I am a fanatic!!! I want to think that I would do what some of my investigators do for the truth!! Now for the great side to this week! I was a wedding planner this week. We baptized a couple this last Saturday! Dia and Lidia got married at 6:30 and then baptized at 7:30! I will put photos on, it was so cool! They are awesome, Lidia walked up to me Sunday after their confirmation and said, “who do I give my money to for tithing!!!!” That was the coolest feeling ever!! She is 17 years old and he is 19, they have a kid together that is one year old so we had to get permission from the parents to get married but they were so happy. The people here are so much more mature earlier then in the states! Really I am so happy they got baptized! If everything goes well we should have another baptism this week. She pretty much gave her testimony at the baptism and it was so strong, really the spirit is amazing it can do miracles! I know that when we are worthy that we will see the blessings. The church is true no doubt. I am learning a lot about the scriptures lately, elder Arias taught me how to really study. Braiden read your scriptures and study

I don’t have all the time to write every thing that happened cause a lot happened this week. We want to find Diego during our lunch break at his work but I love you familia and thank for your letters!

Elder Shaw