Primera semana en el mision! (First week in the mission!)

Hola!!!! Wow, what a week it has been! I love it here in Paraguay! My companions name is Hermana Cheney, and she is great! I'm the first missionary she's trained, and actually it's the first time she's even been a senior companion. It's good because it's really made us work together on a lot of things, and I'm learning so fast! Honestly,we don't have a lot in common, but she's a HARD WORKER which is perfect for me, 'cause all I want to do is work! She's great, and she's teaching me so much.

I love our area too. We are in the campo, which basically means poverty, but the people are so amazing. We actually had 5 confirmations yesterday of a family that was baptized the week before I got here. They're little kids! The name of the family is Flor, and they are awesome! They have seven kids in their family, and they live in two shacks basically the size of the parent trap house. My eyes have been opened at how blessed we truly are to live in the US. These people have literally nothing. It's so sad. We are working with the parents and the older kids now to be baptized, and they are trying. The dad has some problems with the word of wisdom, but Hermana Cheney says he's changed so much since they first found him. We taught him for the first time when he wasn't drunk the other day, and even though I couldn't understand everything he was saying, I could tell he wants the gospel in his life! It's literally amazing how much the gospel can help people. We were teaching him yesterday, and he asked about tithing. Hermana Cheney explained it a little bit timidly, worried that he wouldnt want to be baptized because of that. He told us he wants to pay his tithing and recieve the blessings that come from it. CRAZY! Tithing's something I have a hard time with! But he wants to pay it, and he has nothing. If Brother Flor can pay his tithing, and he hasn't even been baptized yet, I can for sure pay my tithing. (Haha) Anyways, this family is amazing.

I also wanted to tell you a little bit about a recent convert I met on my first day. This woman left her husband to join the church, and she's literally amazing. Her name's Sister Lurdes, and she has 4 kids, probably under the age of 9. (with a set of twins at the end) Every time we visit them I have flashbacks of when the twins were younger! They're probably about 18 months old, maybe two years, a boy and a girl, and that's not even the craziest part. She is pregnant with another set of twins! (due in november I think) She is my hero. They live in this little 10 ft by 10 ft room and have hardly nothing, but she knows the gospel is true. All I want to do is help them, but we dont have the time. It's really sad actually. We try to stop and visit all that we can, but we are SO busy! Nonstop all day long teaching investigators. My feet have never been so tired, and I have never been so happy, en serio!  

I've found its really easy for me to love the people here, which is great, because it makes it so much easier to work. These people need the gospel and we HAVE to bring it to them! I'm so thankful my companion is already a really hard worker, because there's so much that needs to be done here! I know there are people we need to find to be baptized!

Anyways that's not all that's happened, but I dont have time to tell you all all of it. I love you guys! Be thankful for what you have, because I promise, you all are so blessed! I love it here! And please, if you all could pray for Hna Lurdes...  She needs all the prayers she can get right now. And pray for the Flor family as well cause they need it! Paraguay is great, and I'm doing awesome!  

PS my Spanish is horrible, in case you were wondering, BUT I am learning SO FAST!!!!!! I can speak a lot more than I thought I could. The gift of tongues is REAL, EN SERIO!!!!!!  

Love,

Hermana Austin