Week 65 It's Freezing....All that is missing is snow!

Well that week has come and gone.. We worked our tails off this week! And we´re seeing tons of blessings! I love this new area! HEY!! Guess who wrote me an email... BEKO!!!! My address is the same, everything goes to the mission office, then they send it to us wherever we are. I was so excited to hear from him!
Beko- I miss you too man! I think about the times we had running track and hanging out! You´re awesome! You need to go to Idaho and visit when I get back.. You´re the man! Hey, write me a letter!

QUESTIONS:

1. Did you get your debit card okay? I just wanted to make sure an specifically ask that question to make sure we are both clear.
Yeah, I got it safe and sound!

2. How is your new place where you live?
It´s SWEET! It has a big fence and everything.. Its super secure. It´s probably the nicest house on our street..

3. How is your Military investigator? Has the Paraguayian uprising in their Presidency caused any rules to be changed for the missionaries? Do you have to be in earlier in the evening? Do you feel safe? Can you feel military presence in the streets?
We haven´t been able to get back over there.. He did tell us that if we keep coming back, the only book we´ll be using is the Bible.. Yeah right! I love mondern-day revelation :P
It´s really chill here, there hasnt been any uprises or anything. I feel safe, nothings gonna happen to us! We´re protected by angels.

4. Question about your church building....is your church building a converted garage? If it is that is the same area that Elder Cleverly served in and he loved it! Just curious and so is Sister Cleverly?
No thats the 3rd Branch´s building.. I´m in the old local, it was like an old office building or something.

5. How many are in your branch? Did you have to speak in church?
2 weeks ago we had 32, yesterday we had 12.. Usually its around 30 I guess.

6. Do you have someone do your laundry in this area?
Yeah, our next door neighbor/landlord! Its awesome!

7. What has been your most favorite experience this past week?
Probably taking a hot shower.. That was a nice change!

8. What has been your most trying experience this past week?
The cold weather. I don´t know if thats the reason people don´t let us in, or if its because they think we´re spies and they´re scared of us.. Seriously, we talk to so many people who think we´re spies! WHAT IS THERE TO SPY ON IN THIS COUNTRY?! People here watch too many movies.. They think all Americans are rich and live in mansions. They don´t believe it when we tell them that there´s poverty in our country too.. But yeah, I think just being turned away. We´re going to change that though. We´re going to get into every house this week!

9. What is something you learned and grew from this past week?
I love getting to know people.. Before, I was just kind of a people-watcher, I loved watching people and how they hold themselves.. But I love getting to know people because you learn things about them that you never would have guessed. Then you teach them the Gospel! Seriously, the Gospel is for everyone.. It doesn´t matter who you are, where you´re from, or what you do.. You can benefit from living the Gospel.

10. Are you keeping warm in your area?
Yeah.. Its FREEZING in the morning though! And in the night. I think the only thing missing is snow.. So yeah, I think the cold finally hit. Burr!

So yeah there´s the week! I´m proud of my shoes (Hush Puppies).. They´re holding up like champs! So I always make it known that these shoes are awesome. So the other night, Elder Whaley and I were walking, and I had the walking farts.. You know, they just keep coming out, there´s no stopping it.. And Elder Whaley says to me, "Those Hush Puppies aren´t very quiet..." Hahahaha.. It was a funny joke, Good one Elder :)

We have our new mission president, President Agazzani! He seems like a really awesome guy! I haven´t met him yet, but we just got his first weekly letter and he just sounds like a stud! He and his family are way excited to be here, I know all the Elders and Hermanas are excited too!

I love being a missionary, I´ve learned a TON! I don´t have any regrets.
I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner

Week 64~~ 4th of July Week!

Whats up!! I loved reading everyone´s emails! Thank you! I know you´re all going to have a great time together.. I´m not going to lie, last year it made me really trunky knowing everyone was together without me, but I´m so excited to hear from you all! Thank you for all your love and support. Those quick little emails help a lot! More than you know. Walking down the street after someone rejects you pretty harshly, then to think of a small sentence a aunt or uncle or cousin or sibling wrote.. So thank you! I´m glad to hear everyone is doing well.

Questions!

1. How has week two gone in your new area. Fill us all in on the details. You have tons of Aunts and Uncles and cousins that absolutely love your detailed letters!
Its been great! I love this area soo much! The members here are strong, its like a big family. Our branch president is excited to help us whenever we can! The District Presidency snagged him from one of the other branches, he´s a convert of 3 years, he was studying to be a high priest in the Catholic church, then heard the message of the Restoration.. The guys a stud.

2. How are you getting along with Elder Whaley? Tell us more about him. Siblings, parents...Where in CO is he from? There are terrible fires burning by Colorado Springs. Over 30,000 people had to be evacuated last week. I read a blurb on Yahoo saying the CO fire was half contained!
He told me he´s from Colorado Springs, he´s got 2 brothers and 2 sisters, he´s the second oldest. He´s a great guy! I´m learning a ton from here, I love being his comp because all he wants to do is work! I feel like I don´t know much about him because all we do is talk about our investigators and what our plans are for the day. He´s awesome!

3. What was your most favorite experience this past week?
I got to do something I´ve never done before.. I was a really cool experience! Yesterday in church.. I gave a baby a name. How is that in English? Name the baby.. The baby blessing in front of everyone.. Yeah, that. So that was a way cool experience! Now I´ll know what to do when I have my own kids!
Also, we found a new house.. We´re moving today! We´re really excited!
Oh yeah, we found a guy and his family that lived in Texas for 3 years.. He´s the top guy of the Paraguay military. Like, top of the top. He´s a really smart guy, which might be a problem.. Meaning, he´ll probably try to figure out an answer logically, rather than through prayer and feeling the Spirit. But that was cool! He has the biggest Pitbull I´ve ever seen in my life! He brought it back from the States.

4. What was your most humorous experience?
We went to a members house the other night to eat dinner (empanadas:) and he told us how he wants to get his patriarchal blessing so he can find out his lineage.. He said, "I want to be from the tribe of Solomon, or David!", "haha... Why?", "So I can have hundreds of beautiful women to be my wives!" He was joking, obviously.. But it was hilarious!

5. How does this area compare to your last area? What is the town like size wise? Is it more rural or jungley then Col. Bogado?
Its for sure more jungley.. Its a lot dirtier and hotter, but the people are 100x nicer, so I love it!

6. Any investigators? How many are in your ward/branch? Do you go to church in the converted garage?
We have a few really cool investigators.. We´re still trying to figure out how we can get them to church. We´re teaching a couple young families, so I´ll have to write more when they start rolling!

7. Did you get your package yet?
I got it!! Thank you soo much! It was perfect! It got here safe and sound. I think someone stole the money out of it......
Just kidding :D Everything sent was there. Thanks for the peanut butter!

So yeah, we had a pretty awesome week! We worked our tails off! When I get home at night, after we plan and everything, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I havent had that happen since I was training in Santa Rita! I love it. It was a good week this week. The questions you gave today were great! That´s pretty much my week all summed up!

Me encantan las escrituras! Yo siento mejor cuando las leo, me dan mucha fortaleza espiritual. Me encanta estar acá en Paraguay, siento que ya es mi hogar, quizás me mude aquí después de la misión por un tiempito.. Pero de verdad he visto y sentido mucho crecimiento durante mi tiempo acá en la misión. Ésta es la mejor cosa que he hecho en toda mi vida, tal vez será la mejor cosa en mi vida entera... Sé que Jesucristo vive- Él es nuestro Salvador y Redentor. Por favor, den oidos a las palabras de nuestro profeta y hagan lo que él nos pide. No son sus palabras propias, sino son las de nuestro Padre Celestial.
Estoy animado verles a ustedes en nueve meses! Tal vez mi hermana mayor tendrá otro bebe por ahí.. ;D Les amo tanto y oro por ustedes varias veces durante el día. Ojalá que todo esté bien con ustedes. Vou estudiar Português também despos de meu tempo acá e no Paraguay. Cómo tá meu Português Lance? Você tem que ayudarme aprender... Até logo!

Chau!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner

Week 63 Transferred to Coronel......

Oviedo! I got moved to Coronel Oviedo.. I´m right next to Caaguazú,
where I started so I´m in the same zone. My new companion is Elder
Whaley from Colorado- he´s a stud! We´ve been staying pretty busy this
week. We have a goal that we want to baptize every Saturday, and if
not, we have the plan to help 7 people get baptized this change.
Things ended well in Coronel Bogado, I feel like I left a part of me
behind there despite of how hard it was. I met a lot of great people
there. My new area is great! I love it so far here, people are A LOT
nicer and a lot more open. I´m excited to work and be here, the
members are great too. We have to move out of our house because one of
the neighbors came over with a machete and cut all the pipes for our
water.. I´ve been having to shower out of a kitchen pot with a sponge.
It´s been weird. Also, I don´t know if anyone´s heard, but Paraguay
just threw their president out of power this last week.. I don´t know
if anyone here cares or not, it´s been pretty chill lately.

I can´t help but to think about the Read family right now. That kills
me to hear the news about Shaun.. I remember him in high school and he
was always nice to me, he´s a great guy and comes from a great family.
My thoughts are drawn to the Plan of Salvation, the plan that our
Heavenly Father has created for us. I know that Shaun is in a good
place right now, a place that is much better than this world. He is
surrounded by his ancestors and other loved ones that are on the other
side. I know that in times like these, we can be comforted by our
Heavenly Father. He lives and loves us. He wants us to be happy and
wants to comfort us in our times of need. All we have to do is trust
in Him and His power. It´s hard to do at times, it´s hard to believe
in what we cannot see, but He is very real and He is ALWAYS there for
us. We can come closer to Him through prayer. I know that families can
be together forever, that´s part of the plan. God´s not going to give
us our families, then take them away from us at death. The passing on
of a loved one is just another step of this life. We existed long
before we came to this world, and there´s a lot after. We can live
with our families forever in the presence of God. We can be sealed
together forever with our families. I hope everyone can go to the
Temple someday to take part of this special blessing. What is sealed
here on earth, will be sealed in heaven. I will keep the Read´s in my
thoughts and prayers. Tell them I love them and give them a hug for
me.

I´m happy to be a missionary, I know what I teach is true.. I asked
God. And I felt the influence of the Holy Ghost. I know the Book of
Mormon is the word of God, it testifies of the truthfulness of the
Bible. They work hand-in-hand so we can have the fulness of the
teachings of Jesus Christ, so we can learn and live the Plan of
Salvation and be blessed in our families. I know the Gospel brings
true happiness, I´ve tried both.. Happiness of the world, and the
happiness that comes from living the Gospel. This happiness lasts,
that of the world does not. I know God has a prophet in the world
today to lead and guide us. God talks to him, then he talks to us..
It´s that easy. I don´t have a single doubt that Christ restored His
church. I´m blessed to be a member and representative of it. I love
the Gospel, I love Christ. He lives. God, our Heavenly Father lives.
They love us.

I hope everyone has a great week! I love you ALL!!!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner

**Side Note:  This past week in Paraguay the President was ousted out and the Vice President has taken over.  A lot of Political Unrest in Paraguay.  Google Paraguay to read more about it and pray for extra protection for our missionaries there.