BROWNIES...CHRISTMAS DAY TO THEM!!

Hola to everyone! How are you all? Right now I´m at an internet place in downtown. We had a district activity this morning....studied together, the elders played soccer and Hna Cozzens and I shopped for an hour (got some awesome souvenirs!), met back up at 11:30 and we went to this RITZY restaurant called "negrita" where the owner is a member from the downtown branch and invited us all to join him. It was awesome! We had fun. Now we´re all emailing in this like mall place. It's like a legit mall. Def nicer than like the Idaho Falls mall...haha! I so don´t even feel like i´m in Paraguay. It's crazy.

Okay anyways, August has started off great. This past week was just good. Let's see...where to start!

We had zone conference all day on Friday. Basically...amazing. Took so many notes I wish I could just share all of them with you! We focused a lot on teaching with the Spirit, asking inspired questions to allow investigators to open up. Really, I´ve seen it over and over again how the Spirit it the key to success. We really have to pray for it, be worthy of it and have the faith to rely on it and follow the promptings we receive. I think my fave part of ZC was the almost 2 hour discussion we had with President Callan on "the dilemma"...which is how we are all sinners and nothing unclean can enter into the Celestial Kingdom. The solution to this dilemma....repentance through the atonement of Christ. I enjoy so much to dig deep into the doctrine. I def learned so much that I can apply in my own life and to help the investigators understand the need for repentance and baptism.

So Amambay is great. Totally loving it here. I was telling Hna Cozzens the other day how I´m suprised I´m not like way homesick for Leopardi. Of course I love love those people there, but it's like transfers and boom---focused on and have an instant love for a new group of people. It's amazing how the Lord helps us and knows where we need to be. We really have some awesome investigators who we are really working with. First off, Renato. He wasn´t baptized this past weekend :( his new goal is for this Thursday. He´s had his interview and everything now so we´ll see. The challenge with him is that he has absolutely NO family support. It's sad. His mom and 2 siblings are members too. We were visiting with his mom last week, who is the RS president, to try to talk to her and help out with the whole situation and I asked her if she was excited about Renatos decision to be baptized. she looked at us and said..."mmm...no." I´m pretty sure my mouth just like dropped. I was just like whatt?? This is your son and his salvation! She told us that she doubts he´ll stay active because his older brother is inactive now. The thing is, to make a long story short, theie family is just so dysfunctional. They don´t talk, encourage or honestly have anything to do with each other. I feel like I´ve learned a ton about family relationships this past week. And how BG I am for all of you! It really just makes me feel so sad for Renato. Here he is, and 18 year old who wants do what is right, has a desire but I think since he doesnt have the family support it makes him feel uneasy about it all. It's just weird. I can´t even explain it. But ya, we are praying for him and trying to help him out a lot!

Also, we have a couple families who we are teaching. I love it. One of the dads, Pascual, has major doubts about the Book of Mormon. The thing is, he wants to know if it's true or not...a sincere desire. We are reading with him, praying with and helping him get to that moment of conversion.

Okay, I´m super excited because they announced at zone conf that we´ll be going to the temple on September 8!! soon!! Yayyyy!

This is kinda random, but this past week Hna and I made brownies and took them to a few families. When we gave them to them the little kids faces just lit up when they saw chocolate! Seriously, it was so cute. Presh. Like, I´m in a nice area but there are still lots of pockets of poverty. Real poverty. These people don´t have much and a little bag of brownies is like Christmas day to them!

Well fam, everything is great here. Loving it. I hope all is well up there in the states. Sounds like all is pretty tranquilo! I hope everyone has had a good first day of being back in school! Know that I love you lots and pray for you all daily. Thank you for your prayers and support.

The gospel is true!!