I was just thinking about it this morning. I've officially been in Paraguay 11 months. Time flies by. I still feel like I just got here, and now my year mark's just around the corner...... I feel old...... I don't like feeling old........ I remember looking at all the return missionaries and saying wow those guys are so fetchin old........... and now I'm almost one of them.......... ouch! But that's ok.

So the splits with the DL were great. I learned a little better my responsibilities. I think my big freak out was just because I don't know the area, I don't know many people and we started with next to no investigators. But little by little as I get to know the area I am becoming more comfortable, so I think everything will turn out great. Yeah the mantle of Senior Companion, it's settling. I thought the settling of mantles was super easy like just a piece of clothing. Little did I know that it was a solid chunk of iron that you need to warm up and then force to settle on your shoulders. But I guess when it settles it will make a nice piece of armor. A nice protective cushion. But now I'm scared...... 24 new missionaries are coming next month....... and 19 the month after. I'm afraid President is gonna make me a trainer....... so not ready for that. It's like "alright Elder Brown it looks like that lump of iron is starting to mold around your shoulders, let's throw a hunk of pure steel and a big old anvil on there and see if we can't fuse iron and steel. And if it doesn't start fusing quick enough we will just throw you in the oven to heat things up a little more!" haha no just kidding. but yeah I like the analogy.

They have a milk mixed with sugar concoction here that's called mate dulce. It's super good. They normally put it in something called a guampa filled with coconut shavings, stick a straw thing called a bombilla in it (it doesn't let the coconut go up the straw) and poor hot mate dulce in it. It's awesome.

I miss ya tons. I love ya like none other and think about you often. I hope everything goes well there. I love hearing from ya and I look forward to next week.

Love
Elder Brown

Questions of the week:
1. What kind of things are you drawing on p-day? What have you learned about drawing?
Qualquier cosa. My companion is teaching me little by little how to draw people, so that's what I'm working on.

2. How's the teaching pool?
Alright, we are getting there, we found one investigator who was a reference of the bishop. he will get baptized im sure of it.

3. Have you experience any unique Paraguayan Holidays?
Well the 15th of this month was independence day. there was a parade. but yeah thats about as unique as it gets.

Where does time go? It still feels like I just got to Paraguay and it's been 10 months. It's a little crazy like that. And about the whole senior companion thing........ yeah ............ we´re gettin there. It's weird. I really don't even know what my duties are, what I'm supposed to do. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, but the district leader said he was going to do divisions with us and help me learn my duties, so that will be good. It's funny how when we just start to get comfortable the Lord throws something new at us to tell us we don't know as much as we think we know.

The dollar is still really low here. Normally it's 5 mil Guaranis, but right now it's a little less than 4. And I know how you feel about putting the important stuff first. Sometimes the world finds a way to get in the way, but as you said we are here to progress. That's what Christ died for, to give us the chance to change.

Everything is going wellish here. We still are unable to find new people to teach. The men don't get home till 6 and then they go play soccer. So it's women alone in house all day everyday. But we will find people to teach I am sure of that. In the Parable of the Vineyard in Jacob there is a part where the servant of the Lord asks "Why did you plant this tree here. It is a sterile piece of ground" but the Lord says "don't counsel me, I know what I'm doing. Go and water the trees over there", and it turned out that "the tree put forth much fruit." So yeah moral of the story.... lots of baptisms can be had everywhere. So we've just got to find them.

Well that really is just about all that's going on here. I love ya tons and I look forward to hearing from you next week. So I'm super grateful to hear from you and the advice you always give me. I love ya tons and I look forward to hearing from you next week.

Love, Elder Brown

Questions for the week:
1. What kinds of things do kids play with there?
Football (but not football football (soccer))
2. Do they have toys or do they make their own?
They have them.
3. What do they like to do in their spare time?
Play football.
4. Do most children go to school? Do they wear uniforms to school?
Yeah pretty much all of them, and yeah they do.
5. How are the ward members? Ward leaders?
They are great. Our Bishop is the best I've had yet.

All is well here in the city. So what happened Saturday that cut off our Skype session was actually that the power for the entire block got cut. I waited for about 10 minutes to see if it would come back but it didn't so I paid the lady and off we went to get home just in time for curfew. It was great to talk to you for that long though. And I recorded something for you. I hope you can open it. I know you'll love it.

I'm excited to have a Latin speaking comp. All of my other comps have been from Utah so this is new for me. I'm excited to work with him. I know it's going to help my language skills. Yeah and we are gonna work hard here. Baptize a ton! It's gonna be awesome. I'm really going to try my best to be the best senior comp ever. I hope I do a good job and don't let President down. So I'll let you know what's going on.

Yeah Sunday was good. I spoke in church and it went well so really not much more to talk about. Things are just about the same as every other area. I'll let you know more when I get to know the place. I love you tons, and I look forward to hearing from you next week. It was super good to talk to you guys.

Love ya tons,
Elder Brown

Questions of the week:

1. Tell us about your first week at church. Do they love you yet?
Yeah I gave a talk in church and it went well. They were all talking about it. Every class they alluded to my talk.

2. What do you have available in your area? Do you have restaurants, if so what kind, close grocery stores?
Pretty much everything but a place to develop photos.

3. What types of restaurants do they have there (besides McDonald's)? What kinds of foods do they serve in the restaurants.
A bunch of local restaurants nothing like in the states.

4. What is there to do there on P-day?
Learn to draw haha. My new comp is a really good artist.

5. Are you the only missionaries serving in your ward?
Yeah but our church building is with 3 wards.

Transfers. I´m close to Asuncion again. I'm with Elder Henriquez, yay for first comp not from Utah, he's from Chile. I'm senior comp (so not ready for that.) We have no one with fecha. We have very few investigators. I don't remember their names. when I met them it had been 36 hours since I'd last slept. Yay for traveling from Ciudad del Este to Asuncion!