Paraguay!

Holy cow, Mom. As much as I loved the MTC and all the advice everyone has given me over the last couple of months, NOTHING could have prepared me for life in Paraguay! I don't even know where to begin!

Ok, let's start with my trainer. Hna. Gonzalez is from Panama and is 20 years old. That's right, I am being trained by a native Spanish-speaker who knows about as much English as I know Spanish! A times there is quite a language barrier, but she is very patient with me and I know will help me learn Spanish even faster. She herself has only been in the mission for 3 months and just finished her own training. I'm her second companion! Apparently that's becoming more and more typical in every mission field. In short, I have a fantastic companion and I know that I will learn a lot from her.

Our area I THINK is kind of a suburb of Asunciòn called Ytororo. A lot of the names of places here are guarani. "Y" is more of a "uh" sound with your teeth closed..... I'm getting off track. The area is.... very humble. There are some nicer houses, but a lot of the homes are very tiny and pieced together. Most are maybe the size of our family room. Also, as it turns out, we only clap doors here! Standing outside the gate, we clap a couple of times and wait for someone to tell us to come in. It helps that everyone is always outside their houses.

The people are incredibly friendly. I wish I could understand what they are saying and talk to them more. I'm pretty sure that the whole country is conspiring to make me fat, though, including my companion. During our lunch appointments they keep giving me more and more food and I have to somehow find room in my stomach! While Hna Gonzalez says it's rude to decline food, I kind of wonder if she made it up to make me eat more. She always saying I need to get fatter.

At the same time, I need the food. I've never walked so much before in my life. If I don't have the most killer legs in the world after this year and a half I will be SHOCKED. It's exhausting! But I know it will be easier with time and I will get stronger. Right now I'm just focusing on keeping up with my speedy companion.

Paraguay is wonderful. I'm meeting amazing people and I feel so blessed. I wish I had time to write you more. Maybe I'll find time to write a more detailed letter and send it to you.

I love you so much, Mom. Thanks for all of your support. Please tell everyone how much I love them. AAAAaaaahh, I just can't contain the love!!!

Your misioñara,
Hna Jeppesen

The mission home!