Hey all!Well, this time I do have news! Big time! I got transferred to Encarnación, 5th Branch to be with Elder López, who has a little bit less time than I do in the mission. It’s beautiful here, like almost every part of Paraguay. It never fails to amaze me how green this place can be. I got welcomed my first night with a big thunderstorm, wind, and some hail too. Well, the Branch President’s wife told us there was hail. The work here is really moving along! We have a lot of help from the members and if I thought everyone was friendly before, man the people here are so much more!! The dirt here is like Utah... really red! The parts of the branch I’ve been to so far are actually pretty nice - it’s not too much out in the middle of nowhere. Almost all the roads are either paved (not too common) or roughly laid with rocks, which is common here in Paraguay. It’s located to the southeast of the city of Encarnación itself. I think it is the closest I will ever be to the other Elder Watson while here in the mission. Our pension is located right outside of a local zoo, and Elder Lopez has told me that they let us in sometimes to help feed the crocodiles. Considering that there were some pet monkeys in my past area, I think that Paraguay is a little bit like a zoo itself. The animals wander around anyway... cows, chickens, ducks, geese, monkeys, snakes, ostriches, scorpions, dogs, cats... hahaha! But it is so awesome! :D. Anyway, Encarnación is a pretty good sized city, one of the biggest outside of Asunción, and I think it is a little smaller than Ciudad del Este. The members are extremely friendly and are pretty awesome. It was hard to say goodbye to my old area, especially to some of the families and to those I helped to be baptized. That is probably the toughest part of the mission, getting to love and care about the people only to leave.
Elder Lopez is from El Salvador, and has been out for 5 months. This is his first area and I am his 3rd companion. He played soccer, almost professionally, before coming out for the mission and is thinking about going to the States to play after. He teaches really well and knows how to help the people. He has a great desire to work and be obedient, and to qualify for the Holy Ghost so that he can be an instrument in the Lord’s hands. He’s 19 also, has 3 brothers and a sister, the oldest served his mission in Guatemala, and his brother is preparing to serve a mission too. I am really looking forward to working with him and learning from him, especially here in Encarnación.
Wow! General Conference! It was AMAZING! I missed the first session, but I had to opportunity to see the rest. The part I remember the best is Presidente Uchtdorf’s message about... in English... Beware of Pride and President Monson’s message about gratitude- Also Elder Kearson’s message about listening to the prophet, Elder Scott’s message, and Elder Eyring’s message. I don’t have my notes and am still a little tired from the long bus ride (7 hours!), so I can’t exactly remember what they were about. However, I loved listening and learning from servants of the Lord. They inspire me to do my best to become the missionary who the Lord wants me to be and to become more like my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Like I said before, being here in Paraguay is 100% amazing. Impressing. Awesome. I love learning from the scriptures and by a living prophet. I know with all of my heart that this is the work of the Lord and it is such a blessing to serve here and teach the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ, or His inspired teachings and lessons that help us to return to live with our Father in Heaven. I am running out of time, so I’ll end this. Thank you SO MUCH for all of your love and support! Take care of yourselves! Chaucito!
Con muchismo cariño,
Elder David Edward Watson
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