1st Week in Paraguay

Here is Elder V's first letter from Paraguay! Enjoy :)

HOla familia! How is everyhting going in provo? Spring time here in Paraguay and it is already really really hot... It is killing me, but you know I got my sunscreen so I am surviving. .

Here is a recap... WEll first about paraguay comp, companion. Then i will recap.

>First off be ever so grateful for what we have.. Because these people have nothing. Like i am shocked, we have so much compared to what they have.. I mean, ya i can´t really talk about it.. Paraguay, few words to describe, hot, sunny, cows, wild pigs, billions of dogs, flip flops, dirty feet, lots of trash on the ground, filtered water,derere which is a drink with herbs and water they drink out of a big metal straw.. 

Okay so my companion is from Chile. When i saw that pres. callan put me with a native i was excited and scared.. I don´t speak spanish.. haha. But my companion speaks pretty good english so it has been a good deal.. MAKing it.. Surviving getting used to a new and only one companion, but it is well.

>Apartment... haha O my. Okay so I walk in WEdnesday afternoon and am like o no.. haha. ITs okay now compared to what other living conditions i have seen some of the paraguayans in.  So kitchen is very compact, not clean, haha. Not much food in the fridge, thank goodness were going to the grocoery store. NOne of the water is clean, unless bought from the store, and it is sealed. I use my filter water bottle for everythign, brush my teeth, drink etc. I included a picture of a lovely cockroach that made its way into the kitchen one morning. >freaked my out! really disguesting! haha THen the bathroom, open, against the wall is the sink, then the toilet, with a string above your head you pull to flush.. and then there is the bodet.. like we had in our house.. Don´t ever use it. And the cold electric shower, with no curtain.. haha. WE do have 

AC but only where our room is.. but its okay.. haha RECAP

<monday and tuesday, was our long travel. WE flew to dallas, and then got stared at by everyone. It is good, all part of the process. ATE McDonalds for the last time.. CAlled the fam, let me tell ya it was way good to talk to everyone! Then we got on the flight to Sao Paulo.. 12 hours or so. It was really long.. haha. I sat next to a lady from there, and we talked for awhile, she was really nice. Knew about motab and loves them. çknew about our temples and what not. Talked about why  i am serving and why i chose paraguay. explained how i didn´t choose. It was good. She gave me her email and a nice note.. Offered to give me brazilian money, but said i was fine.

So we get to paraguay, flying in there are a lot of shacks... I will talk about it more.. BUt we get thereget through customs and in walks Pres. Callan, big smile. Doing well, happy gives us a hug. Nicest people ever! Go back to the mission home, eat, orientation, go to bed all that good stuff.

WEdnesday: Get up that moring and study for awhile. THen we went, he paired us up with the companoins, and took some pictures and off we went.. OFf the the bus station, and trainer bought me some food, empanada, and some sandwhich pretty good. THen a 2 hr bus ride to Coronel Oviedo. Slept most of the ride, but as we got close i woke up and asked him what all the dirt mounds were in the cow fields, Ant Hills... haha MAssive like 2 feet tall.. NASty! THen changed out of my suit and we went and tracted.. Thursday through saturday kind of a blurr. lots of tracting and teaching.. I will talk about it.

Okay so we went over into the really poor parts.. really poor. We went and taught this man...He lives in a little wood shack, one of his walls is a tarp, i am guessing his shack is smailler than the size of rhetts room. So it is tiny, a lot of the men, don´t wear shirts. Sit in the shade and drink derere. He only has one chair, my comp sits on the grass, grabs me a stump to sit on with ants crawling out of it.. ahhh and ants in the drit. O yes, most of the roads are dirt.. I am just praying that the ants don´t go in my pants! haha. SO i can´t understand anything.. I just smile, all the  paraguayans want me to pray.. So i am always saying the prayers.. I teach little bits.. BUt ya, people don´t have anything here.

We taught english classes. That is funny trying to hear peple speak. Guess it is the same way with my spanish..

Thursday i met a member,  he speaks english! HALLELIJAHUAjadsfkdf.. ha. can´t speel that .. I am good friends with him.. Everyone asks to see my pictures, so i started carrying those in my backpacks.

Sunday:  church started at 8. First priestood, the lesson taught, was everyone took turns reading a paragraph out of an article by pres. Monson. O ya our little branch, it like a garage thing. Cement floor, fans in the cieling.. just different. Then combined sunday school. And sacrament. I had to get up and introduce myself share my testimony.. went good i think. O ne of the branch presidency members who is 20, came and said good job.. I think.. haha Then more lessons and contacting that day. Haven´t had any appointments so no strange food yet.. >But ya, gotta wrap up.

Things are well. Miss ya alll sooo much! Give my love to everyone! Thanks for the support, keep praying.. ANd for strength.. 

Con Amor Fam keep busy love hearing from ya! 

Elder Van Leeuwen

Last Letter Til Paraguay

Sorry for the delay in posting this letter :\ Life has increased in busyness lately. But Elder Van Leeuwen is now in Paraguay. He wrote us all this week a brief message to let us know that he had arrived safely. We are still waiting for our official email from him to see how his first week was. But, here is his last letter that he sent from the MTC. Enjoy :)

Here is my last email! Crazy! haha. Busy week. Will get more crazier with infield orientatoin all day tomorrow packing today and what not.

Last Friday! Such and awesome day! It was our last TRC! And as youve seen in past letters TRC is like the highlight of every week. WE were fortunate enough to be able to teach Natives again. They were all from Peru. Very soft spoken. haha Small people. But We taught a couple and just another sis. that was there. Our leccion was on prayer. They shared so many experiences, and I shared my experience about my sophomore year about whether to play ball or clear up time to go to the temple and work and what not. It was cool. The couple spoke a lot the whole leccion and and we did. But the mid twenty year old was like quiet the whole time. So near the end of the leccion after we had all shared our testimonies, the spirit was strong, it was awesome. Right before we asked if we could end with a  prayer. The Sis. Said, ¨¨Would it be all right if I shared my testimony..¨¨ It was soo awesome to hear her open up. Shared a personal story, I didn´´t undersstand it that well..  haha But I could feel it! Then we talked to teh Aragons who we had taught the 2 weeks previous. His wife started to cry talking aobout how she loved the spirit we had when we taught. He got our names down and siad he would write us! Love Latino People! Love everyone! That is my next theme.

It is sooo important to have a love for everyone around you! WE need to have that Love of the Savior just shining in our countenance. you know we need to Love like our Savior. Love as he would. Love everyone!  We need to have that good  influence in the Lives of whoever we are around. Love everyone your around. ¨¨What would Jesus Do..¨¨

Now a funny thing. I can still jump. haha. And I survived the MTC without injuring myself like all the other missionaries.. haha.Dunked in gym several times. Caught an alley ooop from elder call and threw it down 1 handed. O and I commited some people to some sunday dinners when they get home... Hope thats okay... hahah

Tuesdya we had our last devotional. Sis. Beck Relief Soc. PRes came and spoke about the importance of temples and ordenanzas. It was sooo good! Monday, we host the new SR. Missionary couples. haha. They are getting sent like all over the world. Greece, S. Africa, S america! Its crazy.They all have different personalities. haha. It is pretty funny.

Love ya´ll! Till Paraguay!

Con Amor

Elder Van Leeuwen

Great to hear from Elder V

Hey Family Friends loved ones everyone.

Everything in the MTC is well!

Sunday we had fast sunday so we had our 2 hr mission conference in the morning. That was a good meeting. Then we went back to class and studied mas. Pres. Bullock in the branch presidency had each companionship teach him the first lesson.The Joseph Smith first vision part. The spirit will never miss that opportunity to bear witness of Joseph Smith, and that he truly did see God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ. I know he did. There is so much power when you say Joseph's words. "Este es mi hijo, Amado, Escuchalo!" Thats the end. Then we had sacrament. Another good testimony meeting. Sunday night we got to hear Stephen B. ALlen speak. Head of Missionary Dept. in SLC. Something I liked he said, serve with all your might, that when your mission is over, you can have the spirit and Lord testify saying to you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant.." I hope I will serve in that way and fulfull the Lords will for me.

Friday was the TRC. Probably my favorite when we teach the volunteer member. The 2 we taught were natives from Mexico again. A lot it is hard to understand. But the spirit is there. One of the guys we taught was a stake pres. in Mexico. Such a strong spirit.

Tuesday, we had devotional. Elder Don Clarke from the seventy. He expressed about having a love for the people. After each devotional there is a branch testimony and review. I talked about how lucky we are to be albe to see how well have a front row seat to seeing how the gospel changes lives! Love the people! I am sooo excited! Get my travel plans in like a week from today.! Stoked! Stoked for Confereence!

Wednesday, we had class all day! 6 hrs of class back to back. But it was good! Enjoyed it! Love it! MTC is awesome! Can't wait to tget to the great land of Paraguay and have people speaking Jopara! The mix of spanish and Gurani.

 Again love to hear how things are going! Thanks for all you do and the support you all give me everyday! In the strength of the Lord I can do all things! Your prayers are always appreciated and your all in mine as well!! Gracias

Buenas Suertes en todo cosas! Get my travel plans in a week. I'll give you details when I get em>! Thanks

Con AMor

Elder Van Leeuwen