Encarnacion 15

15 February 2016
Semana 45

What piece of news definitely has the spotlight right now is this ZIKA world epidemic thing...I dont know any of the details besides what people slip me through the grapevine, which is something along the lines of: people shouldn't get pregnant and everyone should be wearing repellent.

Here in my area, we have DENGUE: the missionaries worst nightmare. Since I dont know the scientific name for each the three types, we`re going to use: baby dengue, mama dengue, and big papa dengue.

baby dengue gives you a fever, body pain of someone that got hit by a bus, and sleeping habits of a new born

mama dengue gives you the fever, the pain, and spots (the spots resemble you bleeding internally or something super terrible like that)

and big papa dengue is fever, pain, and bleeding outwardly from your pores. how delightful is that.

Positiva Dengue ! Ugh, the worst is yet to come

well...now that I`m all better, I guess it`s safe to mention that last Saturday I started to feel sick...and then worse on Sunday, and then Monday Hermana Albach said I had to go to the doctor. I SWORE I would NEVER go to the doctor here, but I do approve of the clinica TAJY; its almost American. When the lady took my blood it didnt ever hurt, which is even hard to manage when getting blood drawn in the states. Anywho...so yeah, my results came back POSITIVE with DENGUE :O And that little annoying peice of news led to a long really really long week incarcerated in the pension. I have never slept so much in my entire life. I have never felt so weak in my entire life. picture this: the battery life of a really old iPhone; you charge it for 2 hours and then it runs for about...10 minutes until its time to plug it back in. I would sleep for 2 or 3 hours, get up to go to the bathroom, drink some water, and....then be completely exhausted and ready to go back to sleep. haha so pathetic. Hermana Santana was a trooper and stayed by my side (not that she had a choice) the whole time :) On the plus side, I only had baby dengue. The other types keep you in the pension for 2-3 weeks, so I feel super blessed to have been healed after just one.

Something funny though is that, as I had mentioned, I received all of those church movies last week, so.....8 movies later...it was basically like I had a church Netflix marathon for the week haha and a week was definitely enough. What`s a bummer is that I`m still really tired, but that`s the mission :)

Being in the pension all week makes you crazy and really gets you thinking about home. like home, in Utah, with snow, and my mommy, who could be taking care of meeeeeeeee....mehhhh just loads of self pity haha I think the hardest day of my mission was Saturday. It was the first day that I could go back to work, and I was honestly scared because I was nervous I would not have the strength or the energy to make it all day. When 6pm hit I was struggling pretty hard, but not wanting to quit. So we went a little longer and a little longer...and we made it until the end of the day. I know Christ walked with me all day long, helping me to keep going.  I know he is always walking with us, but if we ask, he will willingly help us to carry our burdens. I know it was because of him that I found the strength to continue. It is because of him that I find the strength EVERYDAY to do this work. Sometimes it is so hard, and it is so unbearably hot, and the people seem unbearably mean, but none of it matters, because he is here with us. And for each moment that its hard, if we can just get past this part of the climb, Heavenly Father will always make the view at the top breathtaking.

happy and now also healthy :)

have a good week

love love love you all

hermana cannon

Encarnacion 14

8 February 2016
Semana 44

holaaa! I got 2 packages loaded up with movies and candy annndddd my birthday cards haha...I crossed over into Argentina to accompany hermana to the doctor. We stopped at the office first so I got loaded up with mail!!! It wasnt until we got to the clinic that I opened up my Doc McStuffins singalong card...haha I got quite a few looks.

RIght. So last week I left off with Jeni and our awesome part-member family!

Jeni isn`t too interested now, but her mom IS, so we`ll continue to pass for them :)

and our part-member family is STILL AWESOME!!! Cesar (MA) Fransisca (I) Ruth (I) Emanuel (I) Nihara (10 months old)

We had 3 solid lessons with them and set fecha bautismal for the 27th of february!!!!! They commited to coming to Church and 15 minutes into Sacrament meeting they still weren`t there :,( I couldn`t help but let the negative feelings come in...why do people lie...if you aren`t going to come, just tell me to my face...and they walked in!!!!!!!!!! HOPE IN HUMANITY RESTORED! The kids loved primary, Hna Fransisca shared in Relief society that at the moment the greatest blessing in her life was to be there at church and to have met the missionaries. aweee, just melting my heart :,)

I`m pretty sure that we`ll be living four in the pension for the rest of the transfer. Everything that we`ve found so far isn`t available, isn`t completed, or is just really sospetchoso (sketchy, questionable)

I adoreeee my compañera :) shes just the best

there`s a saying in Portugès:

para recebermos bencaos è necessario

TRABALHO è OBEDIENCIA

mas se voce quer ver milagres è necessario

SACRIFICIO

if we want to see miracles we have to show Heavenly Father that we really are willing to give whatever it takes to see them. I know He has big things in store for us here in Rama 3.

 9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:

10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

...a year and six months, nothing less...

nos vemos en Augusto :)

chau chau

rohayhu

hermana cannon

Emcarnacion 13

1 February 2016
Semana 43

What a week! The first part of the week was spent enjoying the final days of our happy little foursome, looking for pensions, furniture, packing, etc. and well...we still haven't found a pension :( boooooo...which means that we are still 4 hermanas in one apartment, which is...an experience...

Transfers were a bit loco but such a good time because I got to be reunited with a bunch of my faves, who crossed over into Paraguay. Perks of guarding the passports. Unfortunately some of the missionaries escaped with their passports to their new areas, which is so uncool, because that makes things more complicated, but it`s okay because I bought myself some brazilian cookies, and now I feel better. Brazilian stuff is top notch. Just like my new companion...

So, I LOVE MY NEW COMPANION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was super excited to pick up Hermana Santana from the terminal and today is day 4 and we are just having an amazing time. We are scary alike...super similar in personality, which has been nothing but good so far. She is super loving and an amazing teacher. Even though she only has 5 months in the mission, I know she has loads to teach me; including Portugües.

We cracked open "O Livro de Mormòn" Saturday night while we were waiting for some calls to come through and well...It is so not "basically spanish". haha but Hermana said that shes totally willing to teach me because my pronounciation is actually decent and therefore will have more patience to teach me haha. Apart from some words that look similar the sounds are super abstract BUT I found a secret...if I mentally cue a southern accent, I can get the words to come out correctly haha

Everything is going good though; already so different. With interviews that we had 2 weeks ago, closing the transfer, they came at a perfect time to really evaluate and set solid goals for this next transfer and more the rest of my mission. After my meeting with pte. and the world mission conference that we watched, I`ve really been focusing on repentance and the Atonement in my studies.  I do testify that the repentance process is real and is given to us to use everyday! and not just for the big things, but every little thing as well. Everything that keeps us from perfection can and will be corrected through the power of the Atonement. And just as preach my gospel says, the more we come to understand the Atonement, the greater our desire will be to share the gospel.

There`s still so much to do, with so little time :)

Love Hermana Santana !

I can say I wasted time on the mission being unhappy, wondering why I wasnt having success, why I wasnt seeing miracles on the daily, but what I have come to learn is that to see miracles, you have to LOOK for them! Look for them in EVERYTHING!!! In the lady that rejected the message with a smile, the colectivo driver that stopped when he saw us running to catch the bus, the vendor with the hot and fresh chipa...haha when we can begin to search and seek his hand in all things, we will see that his tender mercies are constantly enveloping our lives :)

And then all of those little miracles lead to bigger ones, like finding an awesome investigator named Jeni and a part-member family with tons of potential. More on them next time ;)

sending big hugs from this side of the equator
rohayhu
hermana cannon

Encarnacion 12

25 January 2016
Semana 42

HAPPY TRANSFERS!!!!!!!!! I`ll be staying here in Rama 3 for the next 6 weeks! Hna. Aquino is headed to San Vincente Iguazu and is doing a WHITE WASH!!! What a boss, I`m so proud of the girl...this transfer, we`ve been able to grow so much closer and I really am sad that she`s leaving...and so far away too.

Hna. Hurtado is headed up to Cuidad del Este barrio 2!!! THE DREAM!!!! someday...someday...

Hna Quispe, thankfully, will be staying in Encarn, so I`ll still be able to see her for meetings and on pdays.

As for me and Rama 3, HERMANA SANTANA is my new companion!!!!! She is super awesome and was in my my zone when I was in Garupà!

It gets better...SHE`S BRAZILIAN!!!!!!!! eu falo portugues haha

ehhhhh I dont have any time but...WE HAD THE BAPTISMS OF THE MAGIS on Saturday! Everything was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. Magi.2 had to get dunked twice because they called her name wrong, but otherwise everything was so special. The Rama has been so supportive bringing in these two new special members, and it has been such a privilege to see all of their progress. haha the only challenge was filling up the pila bautismal was a bit of a challenge, because of the lack of water pressure, but we easily solved that problem by filling up large garbage cans in the sinks and tossing the water over the railing. yes.

Right...oh so other big news is that they opened Rama 3.2! Yeah, more hermanas are coming!!! It truly is an answer to our prayers. The people here are amazing and they deserve the help and support. I`m really happy that I still get to be here helping out the office and with passports, but not being able to give the people our 100% was a big point of frustration.

now we just have to find them a place to live...ughhh apartment hunting is THE WORST...

Even though I`ve eaten more pan dulce this week than I ate all Christmas, I still dropped a kilo. wooooo

sorry yeah, I`m out of time, and I`m way too distracted by cackling hermanas to write anything else.

Happy 11 meses :)

rohayhu (i love you in guarani)

chau

hermana cannon

PS.  I also...today I had to pick out the transfer ties for the office elders...we got a deal if we bought 10. How perfect: they needed eight, and the other two...for the office hermanas (aka yours truly)

Encarnacion 11 - 128.51 Miles

18 January 2016
Semana 41

okay.....

I open my email and the first thing I see: University Communications...BYU making sure I actually want to come back...do I??? haha just kidding...they needed an actualized ecclisiastical endorsement and naturally I forgot my BYUpassword sooooo that has taken up most of my time today haha

but just a quick recap of whats been going down, here in Encarnaciòn Rama 3:

Obligado was awesome!!!!!!!!! and the ruins were so cool. I couldnt help but think of Mom, the random historical sites in the middle of no where in places we have been; you wouldve loved it. the pension of the hermanas had SO MANY COCKROACHES...

but the kiosko had JIFF PEANUT BUTTER, so that made me feel better :)

Thursday planning: My focus was to be love and patience

Thursday night we get a call from the hermanas in Pillar...because of the amount of flooding, they would be closing the area and coming to stay with us...till the end of transfers...

4 hermanas, one bathroom...

actually not as bad as I thought it would be...

The crypt .... yikes !

There have been enough testimonies given that proove that I am a...Latina...

and with my latin comps both being from Argentina giving me my Porteño (shhh) accent, it was decided that I`m from Neuquen. cool.

A month ago Hna Aquino and I were in Hush Puppies getting her some new shoes and after talking to the shopping clerk we found that he lived IN OUR AREA!!!! But...in a really sketchy area and he said we could only pass at night...

Yesterday, when we were out contacting, I got the impression that we should go look for him. We did, we found him (miracle), and had an awesome first lesson. Super awesome guy that wants to serve God and feel closer to him. 24 years old (FUTURE MISSIONARY!!!) He`s the oldest of 4 boys (LOTS OF FUTURE MISSIONARIES!!! haha) Seriously, all was going spendidly until...

Fernando - "So can you all do other things too, or do you only work"?

me - "Like what"

Fernando - "like go for a walk or...go out to dinner..." (snakey look)

me - "we buy groceries and talk to our families on Mondays and we`ll see you on tuesday!! BYE!"

and then we purposefully sped walked out of their home...

missionaries dont go on dates.

Oh oh oh and LAST NIGHT! the Magis had their baptismal interviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BAPTISMS THIS SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I am so happy.

Even though it`s hard, I love it. I love the area and the people a little more each day :)

Cambios next week...I really hope I`ll be staying...GIVE ME ONE MORE TRANSFER HERE!!!!

so much more happened, but I know that no one really cares, and that people really just want to make sure I`m alive...we`ll the sun and the heat is doing a pretty good job of BBQing me alive, but we`re still going strong down here.

love you all

have a good week!

hermana cannon

The ruins in Obligado, Paraguay

Encarnacion 10 - 74.77 Miles

11 Janaury 2016
Semana 40

Heyyyy happy Monday from here in Encarnaciòn! The sun is shining, humidity giving me a second shower, and this morning a found a lizard next to my toothbrush.

this is the life!

happy in Encarnacion !

this past week...

ahhhh why can`t I ever remember anything...I`m going to have to start taking notes again...Well, why my brain tries to process in this heat...today we`ll be taking a little ROAD TRIP!!! to see the ruins, and then we`ll be staying in Obligado until Thursday. 

I`m super pumped to do divisions out there because Hna. Simmons served out there for 3 transfers and LOVED it! The people, the food, the countryside...so ill be sure to take lots of pictures. Also, the area is HUGE!!!! so I`ll be getting in lots of mileage on my grandma shoes :)  just a sidenote...if I could go back to those days when I was preparing for the mission and I was too stubborn to purchase the very ugly, but obviously very most comfortable footwear, I would smack myself right in the face because being a fashionable sister missionary just is NOT a priority...when you`re walking 10 miles everyday, comfort is the priority...#rockinmykeens

On Saturday we had the pleasure of having HnaLP (presidents wife) on divisions with us, which was TOP NOTCH! At first I was sooooo nervous because President and Hna are our mission parents, so we want to impress them, make them proud of us, and have flawless lessons. Well...it wasn't a flawless day, but woahhh so cool. I had to teach the law of Chastity to a 9 year-old and completely froze...I realized that I had only ever taught it to men and women 50 years and older...I definitely didn`t know what the law of Chastity was when I was 9...

Last week we were looking through the carpeta de area and found the registro of Roque Ortiz. We managed to find his house (miracle), and set an appt for Saturday. When we went that night with HnaLP, woahhhhh this guy is so prepared...he had a baptismal date, was keeping commitments, and going to church, but then fell off the face of the earth when the adversary started scaring him off. But he is SUPER PREPARED and we`ll be going back this week to begin the discussions again!

10 months ago, I chopped 13 inches of my hair, and have been rather disappointed by the lack of growth....  There's this one I LOVE LUCY episode, "Ricky thinks he`s going bald", where Ricky...thinks he`s going bald and starts trying out all of these ridiculous concoctions and treatments to promote hair growth...

well...last week I bought anticonceptivos (birth control) and almond oil to put in my shampoo... supposedly its super to help my hair grow lol I`ll keep you updated on how THAT goes !.

At the beginning of the transfer I made the goal to read Preach my Gospel tapa to tapa in 6 weeks, and I finished today ahead of schedule.Woo go me. Anywho, I hadn't realized how long it had been since I really studied it...it reminded me of all those times when I was super confused in Chem 105, and it was because I never took the time to crack open the giant textbook lol. All the answers of how to be a successful, effective, obedient missionary really are in there. Can`t wait to start reading it again haha. No really though, after focusing so intently on the ways of a Preach My Gospel missionary, I feel much more centered on my purpose, more excited to talk to everyone, and less afraid to SHOUT REPENTANCE from the rooftops :)

Also, my Bible reading just got a lot more interesting, because I found an Old Testament seminary guide workbook, that actually explains what the heck is going on...yeahhhh!!!!

ermmm I dont have anymore time, so I hope there wasn't anything important I was supposed to say...

next week I`ll take notes haha

love love love youuuu

shout out to all my favorite people that still write me, you`re receiving blessings

Love Hna. Aquino !

chauchau

hermana cannon 

Encarnacion 9

4 January 2016
Semana 39

S/O to Brandon and Maggie for making my email time interesting with the news of your ENGAGEMENT!!!!!! Woahhhhh

anyways, where to start...

setting: New Year`s Day.

tone: not a care in the world because it`s 2016 and we have PDAY TOTAL (pday all day long)

After staying up past our bedtime watching fireworks and getting in our morning studies we followed with the next planned activity for the day: SIESTA! haha but, within 5 minutes of getting settled in under the covers, the phone rings. typical. PRESIDENT LAPIERRE WILL BE AT THE PENSION IN 5! 

Nothing gets missionaries more organized and tidy like surprised company jaja. Pte and Hna didnt end up coming up to the apartment, but were just stopping by to deliver...CHRISTMAS PACKAGES!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO

sidenote: for family that, just a week ago, were telling me to tone it down on the empanadas, you sure did send me a lot of FOOD...thank you for that... ahhhhh I LOVED EVERY SINGLE THING!!!!!! Especially the brown sugar!!! 

When I saw the box of plain noodles, I did have to question: wow ?.... they really think I cant buy food here...haha a few hours later I realized that noodles actually did sound really good and decided to open up the box. PLOT TWIST! There was a Ziploc baggy with enough noodle for one portion and in the rest of the space was filled with PRESENTS!!!! what a sneaky mom I have...while waiting for the noodles to cook, I thought: huh, I got that box of cake mix in the other package....yep! 

NO CAKE MIX :( BUT CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS to go along with our little tree. jaja so NOW we are all decorated for Christmas.

We spent the rest of the day in centro and at the beach riding those four person bikes, playing volei, and UNO and I`m pretty sure it was the best New Year`s I`ve ever had.

ehmmm the rest of the week is kind of a blur...we have our two progressing investigators, Magali and Magali (have I mentioned them before, not sure) they are doing awesome, such a joy to teach! There baptisms are scheduled for the 16th of January so we are super excited for that! WE HAVE TO FIND HIS PEOPLE! If we want to have a baptism for February we have to find them, like now...and we are struggling to find new investigators that we feel could progress. This past week didnt allow us too much time to work in the area, which was hard, but we are working our best with the time we have. BUT I know there`s more to give. So we`ll just keep going...

Do I really have 10 months in the mission??...

I can`t help but feel stressed and overwhelmed right now.  It`s all going so fast and I just want to make sure and feel confident that I am doing my best, giving ALL of me to this work, and not wasting any time. The time feels so unreal.  I`m happy, having fun, learning so much from the people here. Everyday Heavenly Father has something new to show me, teach me, and I know it`s helping me to become the teacher and disciple that he needs here to labor among the people of Encarnaciòn.  I spent close to all of 2015 in the mission, but if I look back to 2014, I`m blown away by the difference. So much has changed. All good. And I`m so blessed and grateful to be here, to have this time away, focused on centering myself so fully on the work and Gospel of Jesus Christ;  I want Him to carve out the masterpiece that I know He can make out of me. I pray everyday that I`m giving enough. I pray everyday that I can give a little more.  I know that through the Atonement we can all become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is perfect.  I`m grateful for everyday that I can see his tender mercies in my life and in the lives of the amazing and humble people here.

Happy 2016 !, focus on the goals, and how you're going to ACCOMPLISH them. He wants nothing but our success.

love you

thinking of you

hermana cannon