Monday, November 16, 2009

"teaching, contacting...and walking!!"

-"Week 2 completed here in the field. It has been better. It went by fast!! I think I just need to realize and accept the fact that the mission is always going to up's and down's."

-"Spanish continues to be a struggle, and def a humbling experience...just as I think I am progressing and doing better I go into an appointment and can't understand a word. It's quite frustrating and annoying!" "...but I am practicing, studying and often make mistakes! I'm hoping with some 'paciancea y fe' it'll come...eventually!"

-"This weeks been full of teaching, contacting...and walking!! Highlight of the week: one lady, Estella, who just turned 30 yesterday, committed last night to be baptized on dec 11th. Very exciting! She is great!"

- "I do help with the teaching..hermana casteneda is good about letting me help even though she does most of it. I can teach the doctrines very simply. It's hard cuz I always want to refer to scripture stories and such but I have no words in Spanish to say them! Thank goodness for study time! One of my most favorite parts of a lesson is when we sing a hymn! Whether it's with a member or investigator...they are words that I know the meaning of and it's awesome sitting in a small house or out on the patio singing together! Def invites the spirit!!"

-Okay, the dogs here are NAST and all over! Usually they just lay there or are roaming the streets and don´t bother me. Thank goodness!"

-"I had my first south american bus experience last tuesday when we went about 20 mins away to my district meeting. CRAZYNESS!! I don´t think the bus every came to a complete stop. People just hop on and off. It's seriously a different world down here!"

-"The people here are seriously GREAT!! They are what keeps me going! And the kids are adorable. I give them stickers (thanks to the ones shay and tyson gave me!) and they think it's the absolute best thing in the world. They´ll always come up to me and hug me and say Hermana Sargenta! I love it. But really, even though I can´t communicate well with the people here I already love them. I am amazed with their generosity. They have nothing and yet, they give so much. They´ll send their kids to the store across the street to buy us a little piece of chocolate or watermelon. They are so giving towards us missionaries. Yesterday at church we were helping some new members pay their tithing....most were paying what would be equivalent to $4. And that is a lot to them. They really are very humble, giving people!"

-"So, I have read over my setting apart notes severeal times this week. So many of the things President Thomas said I needed to hear. In my blessing he said there will be times of discouragement and loneliness where I´ll need to rely on the Lord. This past week I really have been relying on Him..and will be throughout my mission! People here may not be able to understand me for now, but the Lord does. I know that He is the one comforting me when I feel like I can´t go on. He really does hear our prayers."

-"Oh! so funny thing. There is a new member in our ward that knows about twenty words in English. So, whenever he sees me he wants to practice. So, we were going over words and I realized that whenever he´d say the English word back to me he sounded like a valley girl! Ahh!! I decided from then on that I better use my most womanly voice when teaching people English so there aren´t a bunch of Paraguayans speaking valley girl English!! :)"



View from our balcony on a rainy morning!


Shauna and Laura Caballero
"Their house is seriously 'la jungla'!"


"Love Sandia! (watermelon) This is how everyone eats it here!"
Shauna and Hermana Casteneda



Shauna, Hermana Romero (from the ward), Hermana Casteneda.
"I'm a giant :)"

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for posting these! I love hearing from Shauna. It makes me miss her a lot, but she sounds so happy and I can tell how much she's grown already!
    Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    ReplyDelete