Another week gone by

Hey fam! LOve you all! I went with this subject this week because with Dia De Gracias this week it is important to continually ponder what it is that you are grateful for! I know that will be on my mind a lot this week. But i won´t really be able to celebrate it.. Not a holiday here, might have to buy some chicken or something.. But some things i am grateful for..

1. A loving Heavenly Father=he wants the best for us.. But yes he gives us trials to learn and grow. He wants to see if we will put our faith in him.. And turn to him and love him... but if we turn to Him, we will be able to feel that love from him and our Savior Jesus Christ.. They love us so much.. I know he is patient with us..

2. My family! I miss you all so much! You all are the best. Thank you so much for the support you have been giving me these first 3 months of my mission. Not a day that goes by where i don´t think about ya! And glance at the family pics! haha. Much love much love much love! 

3. A great place in and home which we live in. Some of these homes or shacks here i cannot even comprehend living in.. A family of 3, their house was big enough for 2 beds, and a dresser. There was about 4 ft of room from the end of the beds to the front door. Stone floor, bathroom is like homemade outside... Ya.. So we need to be grateful for the conditions in which we live.. I have a greater appreciation for what the Lord has blessed us with.

4. To be a MISSIONARY! Though at times it is hard cause i can´t share and understand and say what i want to say.. I just need to trust in the Lord! But being a missionary is great! I love it! ALways hungry, tired, in the heat! haha But i can see the Lords love in my life and the lives of others. LEarning so much i am constantly studying the principles of the Gospel. But it is GREAT! Can´t wait for doug to be called to the Gran Mision Paraguay! haha

Well those are some things i am grateful for! Now this week was great! Had my first Zone Conference! Good to see PRes. Callan and HNA Callan again.. 

Some new things i haven´t seen before.. We were at someone house teaching, and they have this dog that was all happy when we got there. So were teaching and the dog wanders off, comes back and just starts spazzing! Like falling over, and can´t stand straight. JUst totally struggle fest.. The grandma starts freaking out, get leche get leche Or milk... haha I guess the dog had eaten poison or something, and they shoved milk down the dogs throat.. haha. Took like 10 minutes and the dog was back to waggin its tail.. 

While talking about dogs, I don´t think I like them anymore... haha They bark all night long and are so disguesting... Most of em are afraid of you though.. 

Another new thing.. Got my first paraguayan haircut! haha. That was pretty nice.. Sending a pic, probably can´t tell. But just sending another pic home, of me not in my church clothes in the apartment.. ANother new thing i don´t think we have in the U.S is mandioka.. It is like a potatoe but like sweeter. LAst night i  had mandioka french fries... Which were really good... 

I can´t pray in ingles anymore.. We were visiting a less active member.. And they asked me to say a prayer in english.. And it was soo hard.. haha I cannot believe how hard it was for me.. Just cause i am always saying my prayers in spanish..

Another new, heard celine dions my heart will go on... haha. Weird when i hear songs in english..

But this week has been good. Flew by already.. Yesterday i had my first talk in church.. I spoke about the Book of Mormon and the importancia of the book of mormon.. I hope everyone could understand me and all.. CAuse i just had an outline, lots of scriptures and went.. It wasn´t a printed talk.. But ya, it went well.. 

Nothin really new about our investigators.. Slowly progressing, we have a couple with a baptismal date, but they work so much it is hard to find time to teach them.. We should have a baptism by the end of next month.. The mother that is pregnant who i have talked about, will be baptized after she has her baby.. But yes, things are good, just difficult to understand everything.. BUt things are good, there were a lot of hot days this week, but today we had our down pour of rain! 

Thanks for the love and prayers! Unitl next week!

Con Amor

Elder Van Leeuwen

Another week in Paraguay

Here is another letter! Sorry I forgot to update last week! 

Hey family! Friends! Hopeall is going well in the states! Hope you enjoy the cooler weather while it begins to get hotter and hotter. I love when it rains.. kind of. Why i say that, yesterday it rained from 630 when i got up till 4 in the afternoon. Didn´t stop, and our numbers at chruch went from 40 the week before to 18 yesterday.. Love what the rain will do. Nobody opened their doors all day.. You can imagine it was pretty long.. haha.  Another thing about paraguay everyone loves mayonaise.. they put it on hot dogs their empanadas.. everything.. It is crazy.. 

Tuesday, things were busy.. 

so today i did another intercambio with an elder from panama. He speaks less english than the last elder.. so it was pretty difficult. But we had a really good lunch apt that day. Ate some green noodles and some yummy chicken! And they always serve bread with everything. Don´t konw if i have mentioned that yet. But we walked alot that day, he was trying to find a lot of less actives in the ward. But i had my first paraguayan icecream as well.. it is all right.. Still not as good. But it was a great day.

Wednesday, Elder made me pancakes! They were some of the best pancakes i have ever had! No syrup down here. So i put his comps peanut butter and jam on them! Wow that was way good! hahaha. i want to do that more often! Then my comp came and we went and bought some of the roticerry chickens of the street. that was way good! to be honest i have been pretty impressed with the food here. 

i have a new investigator i love! and he has quite a story.. Might take some time to baptize him.. Also my favorite is when i get to share about the restoration, and joseph smith, being able to recite the words that joseph said about his experience! ahhh it is aesome! that day we taught some cousins, and they were intently listening the whole first lesson.. Accepted to be baptized if they received an answer.. Haven´t been able to go back and teach.. 

Okay i want to talk about our new investigator..  So my comp and the other elder met him on the intercambio.. Lives in a little shack back in the woods.. They met him and he said he wanted to quit smoking and drinking. But they told me he was crying the whole time that they were talking to him..  So but he loved what they taught accepted to be baptized. My comp and i go back the next day, first time i meet him.. Nicest man, can´t understand him half the  time but it is okay. We teach about the word of wisdom and he says he will stop.. But it is gonna be hard. He crys throughout the lesson again.. this man is my favorite! So he is progressing, he went from 20 cigarrettes the day we taught word of wisdom, to 2 the next time we taught. Then the next day only 1..  So he is accepting everything..  I love the man! I got complete faith in him, and hope.I know the gospel changes lives as it is changing his now! 

It got really really hot firday, walking up the hill i had sweat pouring down my face! ahhh. haha The rain yesterday though cooled everything down. O ya, and cause the rain we pretty much just held sacrament meeting.. haha. More dealing with drunks on saturday night. I hate that smell on people when you know they have been drinking.. No fun! at all! But things are well, still learning, trying to be patient and with the language. I just want to understand soo badly! 

Thanks for the support!

Travis!! TD TD TD!!!! YEA BUDDY!!! sooo awesome! Keep doing work! I am stoked for you! Now do the same against idaho! Dad hope you have a good time!

Well everyone thanks for the love support and emails! The gospel is true!

Sweet is the work!

Con amor

Elder Van Leeuwen

Another week

Here is another update! Enjoy!

Hola familia! ¿Como Estan? 

Things here in paraguay are great! It is an adventure every day! New Experiences, sights, and everything.. haha.Still lots of cows, dogs, flip flops, dirty feet,  stinky garbage, and great people! I love the branch i am in, even though half the time i don´t know what people are saying to me.. Although it is getting a little bit better! Another thing i forgot to mention last week, is crazy drivers! And lots of motorcycles! I thgouht high school students were bad drivers, but on the other hand paraguay drivers are worse and crazy! Especially the people that drvie scooters and motorcycles! they be weevin in and out of cars! haha it is scary. And they don´t move out of the way when you have to walk on the side of the road.. ya.. Scary! 

O yes, and happy Halloween!! Just another normal day here in Paraguay! 

Okay so last monday after email, we went and ate at the market with all the other elders in the district. Everything I have eaten here has been good, and hasn´t been fatal to my stomach.. So that is good. Many empanadas and other good things. Then we bought our food for the week, and i got stuff to make Steak and Ramen!! haha With what we had in our apartment..O yes, and the oj they have here is way better than in the states! There´s these cookies too that we buy at the market and i am like addicted to them.. haha sooo goood!

Okay also monday i experienced my first paraguayan rain storm! HOly cow! and it was a big one! I have never seen it rain so hard in my life. and thunger and lightning like every second! haha. It was crazy! WE were sittin g under this roof and all these bugs were flying onto the wall, and then all these lizards came out, and started eating the bugs! Made me think of rhett trav and annie! :)

Alright tuesday, I made my steak and ramen, without a wok, and without broccoli. They don´t have broccoli. Comp said he has only seen it once, and it is r eally expensive. Tasted like ramen noodles with steak and carrots thrown into it.. haha. Not as good as yours mom and dad! Miss it, this week I have been craving some of your homemade meals! :) 

So the temperatrue has cooled down a lot, because of the rain, which has made it a lot nicer to do our work.. But come december and enero we will be expecting hot hot hot.. 100 maybe.. We shall see. We are teaching a family, Fam chaparro, all are members but the mom. She is pregnant. WE invited  her to be baptized, and she said yes. but after she has her baby.. So were excited..

WEdnesday! So for you trav, i have learned there are 2 big soccer teams here in paraguay! Olimpia, and Cerro Porteño! You like one or the other, best to not chose in my case.. They don´t like each other. When one team plays everyone goes to the food markets on the road, and eats and drinks beer and watches the game. Impossible to contact when the game is going, and everyone goes crazy if their team scores. TOday i had my first meal at a members home.. Rice and beans! It was good! And we drink soda with everything so that will be hard to work off in 2 years. But ya, tasted different, but was really good. O and we eat rolls or bread with everything too.. The old man, with the tarp wall, said he would get baptized! His first language is guarani. He learned spanish so, it is hard for him to understand me.. I will ask him a question and sometiomes he just stares.. haha BUt sometimes it is hard to sleep, and hear people as well, everyone blasts their music here! In their cars, at their homes! It is crazy!

Thursday we had our planning for the week. that is long, 3 hrs.. We went to the Branch Pres home and painted their little market shop. His wife gave us what they call ensalada de fruta.. Fruit salad, it is soo  good! I will make when i get home.. Lots of fruit cut up and mixed together, it is like a drink kind of... That night we taught another  part member family.. They are so nice, watched the special witnesses of christ with them.. Made us popcorn, and drank fanta.. haha. 

Okay so there is this guy- His laugh sounds just like pappaps! Everytime he laughs it makes me grin,, cause it makes me think of pappap. It is also hard for everyone to say my name. SO lots of people call me Elder Van (Ban) is what it sounds like.

Friday was good. We taught this family, husband has been baptized, but is less active, and we invited the wife to be baptized and she said yes! Also recited the first vison too them durin gthe lesson. It was cool. Ya, new sights and adverntures in paraguay! haha  

Friday, lots of teaching, more guarani! haha. Gotta learn my spanish first! That night, kind of funny, we taught a family, and they all wanted me to try to roll my double r´s.. I can´t they all thought it was soo funny.. it was fun. And saturday we had a lot of teaching and stuff... USed the pedometer thing.. Took 19642 steps on friday.. 

Yesterday, my highlight was teaching this family. SHared the scripture alma 37:6.. Small and simple things... Likened that to my spanish and how we can do anything in the strength of the lord! It was great, they were like you can learn! We got faith in you! SMall and simple, great things are come to pass.. I know that is true!

Okay, gotta run! thanks for the support love you all!!!!

Elder Van