Diez

 Sunday, January 10, 2021

Bienvenidos. The word welcomes us from the wall behind the pulpit. We’re sitting in church in Florido (Campo Nueve) waiting for the members meeting to begin. We travelled here this morning and it is now 1400 and raining and nearly everyone has arrived. The children have all gone to the small house next door with Rachelle. I sit on a hard, straight backed wood bench with the 3 other youth girls. We sing a song, and proceed with the service. The head of the meeting speaks English and consults with Eric and Karlin thru out the meeting in words I can understand. I am amazed how much of the rest of the service I can understand. Two of the three men that speak, I can tell what they are saying. Anyways, that’s more interesting to me then it is to you. One of my favorite songs, Savior Breath an Evening Blessing, is sung and by 1500 both our service and the rain are over. The youth file out to stand under the tree with the motos. The leaves of this particular tree are of such variety that if you rip along 2 certain veins, a heart forms and this became our topic of conversation. Well that and what to do with the rest of our afternoon. Someone suggests volley. Another one asks me if we play volley on Sunday in Canada and I tell them no. So we discuss that for awhile. Eventually we move to sit by the volley ball court with our terere and keep talking. The volley topic comes up every little bit and they discuss if they should or shouldn’t play because its Sunday. Until now they always have so I’m not quite sure what brought this up. Some people have no use for the discussion and start setting up the net and the boundaries and soon the call for the ball comes. Where did they put it last time they played? Oh yes, in the bathroom! After this there is no more discussion and since there are only about 10 of use there who can play we divide into 2 teams and start playing. The group today is the youth who are members and 2 or 3 others who are very regular attenders. 

‘How can I get your diaries? ‘ ‘Are you going to send letters?’ ‘Will we hear from you?’ These are the kind of questions I heard when I told people I was going to Paraguay. I couldn’t figure it out for awhile. I didn’t know why they’d want letters from me. Sure, I was going to teach for my cousins in Paraguay but I didn’t count myself a missionary teacher. (Still don’t by the way. Not sure if it’s pride or the whole not-wanting-to-be-like-everyone-else thing or what.) Missionary teachers are those heroes who leave their families to go live with another family and learn all their quirks and habits while teaching their kids. (If you go live with your cousins it doesn’t count.) Missionary teachers are those people who leave for 2 years and come back with super long dresses and styles of yesteryear. I’m learning tho, that even if I don’t count myself as a missionary teacher, others do. 

The other way I’m not a good missionary teacher is this. Invariably, about every second or third letter (remember, they only come once a month if you are lucky) about ¾ of the way down the second page there’s a sentence that reads something like the following. ‘There’s so many more wonderful, heartwarming experiences I could write about but I don’t want this letter to get too long and boring.’ And after one or 2 more sentences they close off for the month. Granted, they have 2 whole years to write about and they don’t go rambling on about not feeling like they’re living up to missionary teacher standards or even about their letters, but I feel like they’re using it as an excuse. (You missionary teachers out there, please don’t get offended at my words. I admire you a lot for committing for two years and I’m trying to make myself look better I guess.) Maybe I’ll start doing that too. Maybe it would make me feel like a real missionary teacher then. I only have about 1/2 of a page to go for that.  

Here’s the thing of it. I like writing this. I like reading over it a few weeks later too. I’m just kinda tired of writing every single day every single week. I get lots of inspiration, usually when I should be sleeping, but those thoughts never come out onto the page in the forum they’re supposed to. Somewhere between my brain and my fingers some of them get separated from the rest and take a wrong turn and become lost forever in my toes or something. 

We played a few games, one of the girls hurt her ankle, the sky kept threatening to rain. During the 5th or so game a clap of thunder deafened us and our game was suddenly over. This time everybody knew it was going to rain soon and they all had to walk or drive moto home yet. The game promptly stopped, within 2 minutes everybody except the few from next door and the 2 of us who were going there were gone. The rain came before we reached the house. We sat on the porch and ate Flan and played Dos and got a little wet. Soon the van arrived to pick me up and I walked happily out into the pouring rain much to the astonishment of the rest. Paraguayans try to stay out of the rain if possible. I live rain.   

 

Monday, January 11, 2021 

One doesn’t realize that one actually has decent reflexes until one is climbing around on slippery rocks.  We left Karlins after a delicious breakfast of a sort of a coconut monkey bread. Muy muy rico. Anyways, we distributed ourselves between the 2 vehicles and most of the kids and Shayla and I clung to our seats with a prayer always on our tongues as Rachelle tried to keep the big 16 or so passenger Hyundai van up to the speed of Karlin who was at the helm of their manual Chevy truck. Actually just kidding. I just have to bug the people who I live with and who also read my letters. Our stop was a beautiful water fall/ tall rapids halfway between the 2 mission houses. So we climbed all over the rocks and sat under falls and ate our lunch of hotdogs and had a lot of fun. Later we went home and I don’t know what else happened.   I have more I could write about, but this diary is getting long enough so I’ll skip these days that didn’t have much happening. 

 

  Thursday, January 14, 2021

 It’s one thing to be a beginner in decorating cakes. It’s another thing to take the second cake you decorated and place it beside the cake of someone who’s done it many times. Today is Christina’s 10th birthday. Yesterday one of her friends turned 10 and we were invited to her place to celebrate. We were at David and Erna’s one Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago when they’re youth children were at youth so I had only met some of them. They have 3 girls almost exactly Christina and Ellie and Aubrey’s ages and then a girl and 3 boys between the ages of maybe 16 and 22ish. The youngest, who is 5, had cancer and I think she is now in the last stages of chemo. Anyways. Supper was at 1830. Rachelle and I worked on the cake after lunch and left early as there were a few places to stop at on the way. We got to David’s early and sat and talked for awhile. Eventually the kompst borscht and pizza rollups were ready and the table set for 6. Time to call the girls who sit down and chow down. Within 10 or so minutes they’ve all finished eating and are back outside. Now the question remains if we should wash their dishes or just use them dirty. Apparently David doesn’t like eating from someone else’s bowl so we clear and wash the dishes, reset the table and call the men. Bow our heads for silent prayer and dig in. Reach and stab, stand and grab. No ‘please pass the water’ or ‘excuse me.’ Everything is fend for yourself and you’ve got to eat fast because otherwise everyone will be finished and you’ll still be sitting there with a plate full of food.  That last paragraph has very little oomph to it. I think I’m getting writers block.  

 

Friday, January 15, 2021 

The game ‘Uno’ can be a very good go between. A lot of people know the game. You don’t have to know the same language to play together. Sit around a stool, in hammocks, on couches, chairs that sink into the dirt, whatever is available. Play a few rounds and soon you’ll know how to say the four different colors in the other person’s language. Soon you’ll be able to tell them that it’s their turn. You won’t necessarily be able to ask about the rest of their lives but at least you can be with them and connect with them just a little bit.   

 

Saturday, January 16, 2021 

At home my dad clears the snow from the church yard so the many vehicles can park there. Here we rake the church yard and the only vehicle that comes finds somewhere to park right by the fence. Sweeping the church takes about 5 minutes.  Cleaned church and I cleaned my house and we went to Bible Study at Don Juan’s. Ordered pizza for supper. Heart eyes. It hasn’t come yet tho.   

Don't take it personally, you missionary teachers. (Assuming you kept reading that is.) I’m actually getting tired of writing every week.   

Enough sarcasm,

  Addie