Email 03/02/09

I got transferred this week. Now I am in an area called Ca´a Guazú (pronounced Ko (o like top) Wo (same o) soo. I am way out in the backwoods. The town is a lot like Eagar. The area were we work is outside of the town and is REALLY in the country. We walk A LOT. I don´t know why but we don´t live in our area. We live in town, about a 20 minute walk from our area. My new companion is Elder Perez. He´s from El Salvador. Real cool guy, really easy, and a REALLY good teacher. It´s awesome. He has about 5 months left in the mission. The crazy thing about here is that everybody speaks Guaraní, and so I´m picking that up. I love it. There are some really good people here. It is SO beautiful here. One thing that´s funny about this area is that we live right next door to another companionship, Elder King from Utah and Elder Castro from Columbia. Castro started his mission this transfer. It´s really awesome to have another companionship close. It´s a branch. Really small. This Sunday was District Conference and the whole district here in Ca´a Guazú that is active is about 200 people.

The news of Republicano. I know it was my time to go but I was pretty heartbroken to find out I was being transfered. This is what we had planned for March. Do you remember Ramón and Mabel Cuyo? They were baptized Saturday, two days ago. Yes, I had already left. Alberto´s wife and two oldest kids will be baptized this Saturday, Maria and her daughters plus a friend of Eduardo named Rodrigo will be baptized on the 14th and Liliane, the wife of the Aguilar who is in jail right now will be baptized on the 21st because he get´s out of jail this week. And on the 28th this couple Jorge and Mariana will be baptized. Jorge´s mom has been a member for years and he has been keeping the word of wisdom, paying tithing, everything for all this time but he has been scared to make a covenant with the Lord. He´s amazing. We worked our legs off in Republicano. President told me that in January and February of this year we´ve already had more baptisms than Republicano had all of last year. I was pretty sad to say goodbye. Ramón laughed when I told him. "You have been working with me for your entire time in Paraguay and when I finally stopped being stupid they move you. You have to admit that there´s a whole lot of irony in that." The most sad was the Aguilar´s. We went to their house my last night and everybody was there except for Hector´s family. I told the news and EVERYBODY started sniffling a bit, especially me. The little girl Pricilla goes "Wills why are you crying? We´ll see each other in heaven right?" Think Angie but a little taller, a whole lot darker and curly hair. After a bit Hector comes in and we tell him. Hector is a pretty tough guy but he started bawling. I don´t really know why but he calls by Russo (Russian, I think it´s because he thinks I look like the Russian from Rocky 4). "Russo, thank you so much, for everything. Please keep in touch and don´t worry, we won´t stop being faithful again. I talked to the bishop and I will be able to baptize Lilian." I am so excited for this area and everything that will happen but I will NEVER forget Republicano.

Medical here, stinks. There is an ER but the one close to Republicano is a bit discriminatory against the people who only speak Guaraní. There is an X ray but you have to pay big and wait a long time. Medical only runs smooth if you have the cash to pay up front and you speak Spanish.

Thanks so much for everything and I love you all so much.