Here comes the sun, doo doo, doo doo! Week 10
1/9/2023
Here comes the sun, doo doo, doo doo!
-The Beatles
Week 10 comes to a close and as predicted this week was considerably more interesting than last week!
The week started out with exchanges with Elder Delfino of Uruguay! It was an adventure. Our area used to be his area so it was an easy day where all the members were super stoked to see Elder Delfino again. I didn't have to do much talking. It was good because the lessons I did were not planned and not too sharp... BUT! I did witness the gift of the interpretation of tongues and it is always a positive experience when I'm understood here, haha!
There were a lot of cool experiences with the wildlife of Paraguay this week. On Tuesday I found a huge toad! It was massive and he was not having it when I picked him up. Eventually he chilled and I named him Toad (yes, my creativity continues to thrive here in paraguay)! Sadly, elder Alcivar wouldn't let me take Toad home. Then a couple days later we had a dog on the street follow us for 30 minutes. It was great! We tried to lose it several times but nonetheless it kept following us! We would let him run ahead and then we would run as fast as we could the other way and around a corner, hoping we would lose him. But everytime the dog, who we named Dante, came bolting around the corner and would always find us. It was a fun little moment. Two months or so before the mission I started a bug collection (ethically caught and sanitarily handled) so the bugs here have been duper cool! Yesterday I found a giant moth. It had recently died and was the biggest bug i have ever seen! I picked kt up and it was really beautiful. I wanted to take it home but i dont have anywhere i can safely store it so no cool moth for me!
We had a CRAZY rainstorm this week. On Thursday it looked a little cloudy. By 9Am it was absolutely hammering! We all thought it would last a few hours, yet when we went out after 3 hours of personal study the rain continued with the same force as when it started. At first I was excited to break out the rain gear, then when we got on the streets, the rain gear only kept the covered parts dry. The streets had rivers flowing down them on each side. Whenever a car drove past it would send a tsunami of water crashing onto the sidewalk. I had a long rain jacket so I was safe, Elder Alcivar just had my umbrella. In the first 15 minutes Elder Alcivar learned about the tsunami and was soaked pretty quickly by a passing bus. It was a super fun day. Fun because it was Interesting and a totally new experience. This city was not built for people friendly drainage. Nowhere near the busy roads was safe for walkers. I would like to personally thank my mother for her wonderful shopping that kept me dry from the thighs up (the shoes were waterproof till we had to walk through two inch rivers on the road)!
The work was a rollercoaster on the other hand. I bore my testimony in Spanish about my mum's garden, and that went okay. We had a family we planned on extending a baptismal invitation to, the day we went to do it we found out the dad disappeared after new years eve and the wife believed him to be with his ex girlfriend. We later found out that he got kicked out for wanting to put his brother in rehab for drugs. Turns out his brother sells drugs and it almost single-handedly supports the family. Now he is committed to uncovering the drug world of paraguay and we haven't seen him since. We probably won't be able to extend an invitation now... A couple days later we met a guy who asked to be baptized on our first meeting. Me and Elder Alcivar sang praises to God on our way home.
The mission is showing us the good and the ugly. Everyday we see all kinds of people. Amambay has the richest of Paraguay and some of the poorest. It's humbling to see both sides of the spectrum decide to use the gospel to brighten their lives. Whether or not you believe in God, the principles of this gospel stand as a way we can and will feel more peace, joy, and strength in ourselves and our families. I'm so grateful to be here to spread the good news of the gospel. I'm grateful for the good and the bad. I'm grateful for all you guys who got me here! Thanks for all the love and support!
The week started out with exchanges with Elder Delfino of Uruguay! It was an adventure. Our area used to be his area so it was an easy day where all the members were super stoked to see Elder Delfino again. I didn't have to do much talking. It was good because the lessons I did were not planned and not too sharp... BUT! I did witness the gift of the interpretation of tongues and it is always a positive experience when I'm understood here, haha!
There were a lot of cool experiences with the wildlife of Paraguay this week. On Tuesday I found a huge toad! It was massive and he was not having it when I picked him up. Eventually he chilled and I named him Toad (yes, my creativity continues to thrive here in paraguay)! Sadly, elder Alcivar wouldn't let me take Toad home. Then a couple days later we had a dog on the street follow us for 30 minutes. It was great! We tried to lose it several times but nonetheless it kept following us! We would let him run ahead and then we would run as fast as we could the other way and around a corner, hoping we would lose him. But everytime the dog, who we named Dante, came bolting around the corner and would always find us. It was a fun little moment. Two months or so before the mission I started a bug collection (ethically caught and sanitarily handled) so the bugs here have been duper cool! Yesterday I found a giant moth. It had recently died and was the biggest bug i have ever seen! I picked kt up and it was really beautiful. I wanted to take it home but i dont have anywhere i can safely store it so no cool moth for me!
We had a CRAZY rainstorm this week. On Thursday it looked a little cloudy. By 9Am it was absolutely hammering! We all thought it would last a few hours, yet when we went out after 3 hours of personal study the rain continued with the same force as when it started. At first I was excited to break out the rain gear, then when we got on the streets, the rain gear only kept the covered parts dry. The streets had rivers flowing down them on each side. Whenever a car drove past it would send a tsunami of water crashing onto the sidewalk. I had a long rain jacket so I was safe, Elder Alcivar just had my umbrella. In the first 15 minutes Elder Alcivar learned about the tsunami and was soaked pretty quickly by a passing bus. It was a super fun day. Fun because it was Interesting and a totally new experience. This city was not built for people friendly drainage. Nowhere near the busy roads was safe for walkers. I would like to personally thank my mother for her wonderful shopping that kept me dry from the thighs up (the shoes were waterproof till we had to walk through two inch rivers on the road)!
The work was a rollercoaster on the other hand. I bore my testimony in Spanish about my mum's garden, and that went okay. We had a family we planned on extending a baptismal invitation to, the day we went to do it we found out the dad disappeared after new years eve and the wife believed him to be with his ex girlfriend. We later found out that he got kicked out for wanting to put his brother in rehab for drugs. Turns out his brother sells drugs and it almost single-handedly supports the family. Now he is committed to uncovering the drug world of paraguay and we haven't seen him since. We probably won't be able to extend an invitation now... A couple days later we met a guy who asked to be baptized on our first meeting. Me and Elder Alcivar sang praises to God on our way home.
The mission is showing us the good and the ugly. Everyday we see all kinds of people. Amambay has the richest of Paraguay and some of the poorest. It's humbling to see both sides of the spectrum decide to use the gospel to brighten their lives. Whether or not you believe in God, the principles of this gospel stand as a way we can and will feel more peace, joy, and strength in ourselves and our families. I'm so grateful to be here to spread the good news of the gospel. I'm grateful for the good and the bad. I'm grateful for all you guys who got me here! Thanks for all the love and support!
Continue to be fuego and may the force be with!
The missionary who would name your kid Toad,
-Elder James Tanner
Emotional Fortitude O'Meter
Don't call it a comeback, I been here for years - 7/10 Eight Balls
🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱
1. TOAD
2. The homies with Dante the Dog (PSA: My eyes are in fact not blue, but happen to look blue in this photo)
3. The rainstorm flooded the streets with Inches of running water
4. Me and Elder Alcivar vibing in the rain
4. Massive moth
5. Highlight of my life; finding my son Toad
6. Elder Delfino and I with the Patriarch of Ascunsion (PSA 2: Patriarch is absolutely goated)
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