Last letter of 2010

Dear Family,

It was great to hear you all for Christmas! Thanks for all the love from all of you. It's been wonderful to be able to feel that love all the time and to be able to receive blessings from your prayers. Thankyou.

Service?... The biggest service that we do is invite others to come unto Christ! And after that we do a little bit of everything, from painting, to moving, to eating food for people. =)

Needs?... Brown sugar... With clothing, um well I'll take a look at everything and let you know.
Experiences teaching the gospel. Well clapping doors, we try not to, our president wants us to work with the members rather then clap. He'd rather have us helping the members to become a strong support system for the new converts. With that we teach and teach and the lessons are always getting better and better. Especially if there is a member there to share their testimony and offer to look for them on Sunday. Then the people feel really really comfortable with us and in the church.

To tell you the truth it's been awhile since I've clapped a house. Instead we talk to about a million people in the street every day, and that's a lot of fun! We love working with the people here in Paraguay. They are a wonderful loving people and are willing and ready to hear the gospel.

Elder McShinsky

P.S. Thank you so much for the package!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think the happiest missionary in the whole world is right here writing to you!!!!!!!!!! It was wonderful!
Love you much

Feliz Navidad! Navidad Blanco?

Dear Family,

Have a Merry Merry Christmas! 

About the phone call:


1.  We have permission to use Skype.

2.  I will be waiting for your appearance on Skype at 3:00 my time (I think that is 11:00 you time, but it would be a good idea to double check that.)

3.  We have 40 miniutes to talk (So come ready with questions)


4.  If you can´t get a hold of me, we should be at the house of Hno Irala, In case of an imergency, you can call his house phone is ...

5.  Love you.

Happy Birthday George (P.S. You not aloud to be 4 yet!  Not till I get back home!)

Wow, I think this is about the fastest Christmas season that I've ever lived through!  Time just flies by without stopping for even a moment.  But it's wonderful the blessings that we receive during that time as well.  Right now we just started working with a new family here in Presidente Franco.  They are Merciales and Cintia.  They are such a strong testimony to me that the Lord in preparing people all the time to come into his fold and partake of his goodness.  Her family is all members, and in his he will be the first.  The missionaries passed by their house before, but they just weren't quite ready so they stopped.  But from that experience, and those seeds planted, we can come and reap in the Lord's vineyard.  And thats really how it is.  The Lord is always preparing people for us and our job is to find them and guide them in their jouney to the kingdom of god.  I thank you all for your love and prayers.  Keep it up.  We love the success that comes to us from God on behalf of your prayers. 

Elder McShinsky

Merry CHRISTmas

Dear Family,

Oh ya, I almost forgot that you are in winter vacation.  Here school's out, and everyone is enjoying their summer vacation.  Elder McShinsky is still waiting for Santa to come by with his box.  The problem is that Santa only comes out to deliver gifts during zone conference and changes.  Other than that he leaves his gifts in the office.  Maybe he's got mine there...  I don't know, Good thing you can call Santa.... ;)

Shoo hoo!!! Elder McShinsky Wins ¨McShinsky idol¨!  I´d like to thank my family for all the help that they've given me in my quest to win McShinsky idol, especially my little brother Bob.  Thankyou.

Wow 40 below!  If it got that cold here,... idk I think we would all be really cold.  The funny thing about Paraguay is when they predict rain in Argentina the Paraguayans already feel the cold :)  It´s great, cuz they're all cold, and that means that they're all in their houses ready to be found and taught the gospel ;)

Merry CHRISTmas

Elder McShinsky

Serve More This Season! Christmas Message From Pres. Monson

Dear Family,

First: ¿Have you talked to Lee Wakefield about coming back to BYU in a year from now for Winter Semester?

 

Second:  I love you

Third:  Paraguay is wonderful, But really hot :) 

Forth:  Still Love You

Firth:  Merry Christmas!!!!

Sixth:  This week was a good one.  We worked hard and we've been able to see the hand of the Lord everywhere.  Right now we just started working with a kid named Francisco.  He's great, and he's progressing all the time.  The gospel is true, the gospel changes lives.  It doesn't matter who we are, the Lord loves us all and shows us what we need to know right when we need it.

Elder McShinsky                                             

So It's Really Cold Up There... ???

Dear Family,

I feel like I just wrote you yesterday.  Wow time passes really fast.  I have found that the harder I work the faster and faster time seams to pass.  Before you can do anything the day is already over and your dead tired and ready for that bed.  Dead tired but content.  And that's what God really wants of us.  He wants us to be dead tired but content. Or in other words he wants us to be at peace. 


To be at peace we have to have two things in our lives, and we have to be doing them better all the time.  Those two things are both related to faith and require much faith to do them.  They are Obedience and Knowledge.  We receive the peace in this world when we are the very most obedient to the knowledge that we have of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In so doing show our faith in God.


So many times we hear the question ¿Why are their so many bad things in the world? ¿Where is the peace? ¿If God loves us so why is everyone fighting all the time? The answer and solution to these and all the other questions that we face in this life all come back to the question ¿Am I being obedient to the knowledge that God has given me about the gospel?  If so, and if all of us could complete with our personal duty to God relating to this subject, then we would all come to find the peace in this life and the life to come, World peace, Eternal Peace.


That is the reason that it is so important to search for a testimony about every aspect of the gospel around us so that we can then act according to that God given Knowledge.

Sounds like your using your summer vacation good. Keep it up!

Elder McShinsky

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Family,

This week has been a good one.  It was the first week of Elder Singson here in Paraguay.  And truth is that every day I'm a little more amazed.  He has come to the mission ready to work and that's exactly what we're doing.  His Spanish is great and I'm excited to keep working a full.
 
Today we had a Thanksgiving Dinner and Turkey Bowl activity (Yes we actually found a real football to play with.)  It was really great.  We spent 20 minutes expressing what we we are thankful for.  (With thankful pills) It was a really great expiriencia to see the testimonies of the elders in our district as they shared what has affected their lives, and really how thankful all of us were for our families.  The family is the most basic part of the plan of God and is the part that helps us more then any other part to follow the rest of God's plan.  Happy Thanksgiving! 

Elder McShinsky

Ya And I'm Making Myself Apple Pear Pie

Dear Family,

Wow, that's great that everyone is working so hard on dancing!  Keep up all the hard work.  What position did Mike make in Amateur Latin?  And who else made the final?  That's great that Casey is getting
ready for a mission.  Now I can start praying really hard for him to come here so that I can train him... :)

Happy Birthday Annie! (But you not allowed to grow up until I get back!)  Here in Paraguay we just had changes.  Because of that I'm writing today.  Yesterday, I went to Asuncion to pick up my new companion fresh from the MTC.  He's Elder Singson from Lindon, Utah.  He´s a great missionary and is ready and excited to serve the Lord.  Here in Paraguay we feel the Lord's blessings everyday.  I hope and pray that you feel them raining down on you as well!

Elder McShinsky

Raining Today, Snowing Tomorrow

Dear Family,

Wow, it's great to hear about how everything is going in the dance world, and that the dance floor is going in good.  Does it have mirrors yet as well?  For me it's kind of funny to hear about all the little things that your all doing over time as you move into the house.  It's also kinda funny as well when I realize that sometimes I'm doing the same kind of stuff because our apartment is a new one in the mission, and there's a lot of stuff that we´re doing to try to make it better and better all the time.

Today as a district we went to ITAIPU, the worlds largest hydro electric dam.  A member works there and he got us set up with a special tour that is reserved only for graduating engineers.  The normal tour only goes around in a bus, but ours we got off the bus and visited all of the parts inside.  All the way to the point in which we went about a meter from one of the huge spinning turbines!  (I thought I'd tell you all that so that I could make Dawn jealous...) 


My camera died, so I'll send you pictures next week.

Oh no, I didn´t recognize Lily :( She´s so much bigger!


Right now we're working with an investigator named Luis, The other night we taught him all about the Plan of Salvation.  It was great to see him open his eyes and start to truly understand the plan of our Heavenly Father, and what love that Father has for him.  That is so important in our lives.  We need to always be trying to expand our vision, in everything that pertains to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  If we do, we will find treasures, even hidden treasures.  Our mind will be enlightend, and we will find the strength to live the gospel.

With love,

Elder McShinsky

I LOVE CHEAP FRUIT!!! We bought a bunch today...

Dear Family,

Happy Halloween!
 
Ask them what part of Argentina, my companion wants to know, ... and I do too.

This week we started working really hard with the old investigators here in Presidente Franco, and it is really amazing to me how when we pass by their house, how willing they are to listen to us again.  How so many times they had stopped investigating the church because they simply didn't understand something.  We are going to their houses and just clearing up the details that they don't understand and they are willing and ready to start coming back to church again and progressing hast bautismo.

Sorry I don't have a lot of time, I spent it all sending pictures...


Love ya'll!

Elder McShinsky

And I Took Such Good Care Of That Car... ...

Dear Family,

Hi Grandpa, Hi Grandma!


That's too bad that you had to go back a little on the dance room. You should send miy pictures... :)
Happy birthday STAN!  On this special day you officially have permission from Paraguay to have fun.
 To tell you the truth if you could send a Reeses peanut butter cup for Christmas, I might just love it.  That and if you could send maple syrup extract as well, that would be really cool.

About my shoes... Well I kinda wore them to death, and I don´t think it's possible to fix them anymore, so I just bought some new ones.
 
This week we went to the Temple again in Asuncion!  Wow, The temple is wonderful.  We spent 12 hours travelling there and back, but that was the smallest sacrifice we could make.  The temple is the House of God.  It is the place where heaven and earth truly meet.  In the mission they tell us that our apartments should be an extension to the church.  We should walk, talk, and act in our apartments as we would do in the church.  The truth is that we should really raise the bar in our houses.  Our houses should become an extension of the temple.  A place where we can fully enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit of the Lord.

Love ya´ll, Keep te faith

Elder McShinsky

It is Absolutely Beautiful Warm Weather as Well...But it Will Change.... A Lot Hotter...

Dear Family

Keep working on scouting.  There you learn a ton of skills that you never dreamed that you would need!  It really is amazing how you now at this time have the opportunity to experiment in more different kinds of activities than possibly anywhere else.  Keep it up!

Lately I've been thinking a lot about our district goal here in Ciudad del Este, which is, "Using the tools we've been given".  As missionaries we have a ton of wonderful tools that come directly from the Lord and are here to bless our lives as missionaries and to help us have the most success possible.  As well in the lives we lead God has given us all the tools that we need to have success.  A lot of the times we, as people and individuals, think that we have some great idea or that we don´t need to use something God has given us.  Maybe we think we've passed that stage in life already.  BUT that in not the way of the Lord.  In using what He´s given us we now can work in a way mucho mas exitoso.  We begin to drop out of our time the things that take second most importance in our lives because we become so excited to serve the Lord in his way in every moment. 

Elder McShinsky

It's going to rain today!

Hola familia,

Hey, so this week we had changes and now I'm not in Sajonia anymore.  I just crossed the country and I'm here in Presidente Franco in Ciudad Del Este.  My comanion is Elder Villalba from Jejui Argentina.  (Thats the same place as my trainer Elder Berimendi is from.)  He has been here a month and a half in Paraguay and excited to be here.  I got here yesterday and found out that they just split the zone and called my old district leader from asuncion is to be the new zone leader and 2 new district leaders as well.  I'm serving as one of them.  I was the only one transferred into the district.  We're both really excited to get to work.  One funny thing about being here is that I went from having one of the biggest rivers in Paraguay by my area to now having the other one right next to me.

That's great that you're all still working on the house, and speaking of mudding, last night it rained a ton and while we were sleeping our house flooded!  That was a big supprise to wake up to!  But now we have about half an inch of mud all through the house.  I guess its a good thing that it's P-day so that we can do a big clean up job.  But just so you know Dad I'm doing my share of the mudding as well...

As well we just had the Conference, and wow I don't know how to express how wonderfully the messages were directed to us here in this time.  Thomas s. Monson IS a prophet of God and we are eternally blessed to be able to hear God's voice and receive his guidance through His prophet Thomas S. Monson.

Elder McShinsky

Its getting warmer... :)

Dear Famlia,

Right now I think the Lords trying to teach me a leccion about the importance of the temple.  Before coming here going to the temple was about one of the easiest things to do at home.  Jump in the car and 5 min. later ya esta.  But even with such a big blessing, I really didnit make the effort to go that I should have.

Now as a missionary I would love to go every P-day possible and the temple is still only 5 min from where I´m at.  But as a mission we only go every 6 months.  And on top of that we had our date to go to the temple moved back to October instead of September.  The temple is the house of the Lord!  We have an incredible privilege to have them so close to us.  I thank the Lord for helping me see a little better the importance and the urgency of going to the temple. Take care of all the opportunities that you have to go to that holy house.

(And think of a poor temple deprived Elder while your at it.  Who is also very excited to go next month!!!)

Have a good one!

Elder McShinsky

I Can't Wait To Go To The Temple

Dear Family,

This week was interesting for me.  We have been trying to teach more lessons, teach better, and really find God's chosen children.  But Last Monday we spent our entire P-day helping our bishop paint his house.  For me it was an incredible experience. We began painting with the intention in the morning to help him out just a little.  But as the morning passed we both had found a great desire and felt like we should just keep painting.  We spent all the time we could at his house before our lessons that night.  By the time we got home we were quite tired, but as part of our planning we decided to call the Bishop again and ask if we could come over the next day to keep helping him and his family prepare their house.

So we went the next day and kept helping them in any way we could.  Once again we went home tired but full of an energy at the same time.  I really learned this week about how really when we are in the service of our fellow men, we truly are in the service of our God.  I know it, and I know that God knew it.  Maybe that's why even with taking so much time away from actual proselyting we still past our goals for the week, and as a companionship taught more lessons together then we have in any other week together here in Sajonia.  We did our part and God blessed us.

If you got 80 pictures, maybe you could send me some...

Elder McShinsky

P.s. Speaking of Jessie, tell here I still haven't got the cookies she said she was going to send... Oh and tell her Hi.

P.s.s.  You just kind of made me wonder who's dancing with who now a days.  That would be kind of nice to know.
P.s.s.s.  Love you.

Welcome To Fall

Dear Family,

Wow that's a lot of apples.  Sorry I don't have a lot of time today to write because we spent the whole day painting a members house.  I´ll send you pictures of it next week.

I hope your all doing really great!  We´re all working hard down here.

Lots of L.O.V.E.

Elder McShinsky

P.S. Sorry for the short letter, but we´re really busy and have to go. (I´ll write a longer one next week.) (With pictures.)

¿Stuffed piraña? Not yet, i still haven´t goon fishing for them... :(

Dear Family,

Sounds like the progression on the whole house thing has come a long way.  (I still think that you should build the dance floor downstairs in Grandpa's little shop place at the end of the little sidewalk.)  That's great that you are all feeling such great blessings from the Lord in los asuntos temporales.  The truth is that he has promised us everyone of those blessing if we just keep the commandments.  But too many times we think it really doesn't matter to God or that it is something we can do on our own.  But if we let God take over even in the little things, we are then also giving him the permission to help us in the desperate moments of our lives when we cry out for his love.

Message to all McShinsky dancers.  Make good use of your time!

That's a lot of Honey.  Wow. Just to let Stan know, I finished your honey, and ever since, I've been buying honey trying to find more like yours.  I still cant find it.  Hasta ahora su miel esta ganando todo la miel de Paraguay.  ¡Bien Hecho!

This week we found a new investigator. His name is Carlos.  While we were teaching one of his friends, he happened to pass by.  We invited him into the lesson and he quickly responded that he really wanted us to visit him more.  We went to his house the next day and began teaching him and his mom.  Very quickly we came to find out that he has more addictions then I knew one person could have.  The next day we took him to church, and for me it is amazing how fast the gospel of Jesus Christ can help every one of us.  From when he met with us on Sunday for the rest of the night he didn't smoke a single cigarette, joint of marijuana, or other drug, and promised us that he´s going to fix it all as soon as possible.

When he understood the concept of bautizmo, He immediately tried to convince us to do it that day.  As well as all the other topics that we taught to him.  The gospel of Christ is AMAZING!  And now a question, I think I remember the Brother M knew a lot about how to help people get over addictions.  If you could maybe ask him a little about ideas he has to help people get over their problems, that would be greatly appreciated. (So he knows, Carlos is addicted to about everything I can think of.  From crack to prescription drugs, to alcohol, pornography, to breaking the law of chastity, to pretty much everythin' else as well.) (And he has connections to the Paraguayan mafia) (Your prayers in his behalf would be greatly appriciated!) 

With Love,

Elder McShinsky

P.S.  Birthdays in the mission are awesome!  Eat cake with companion, Eat cake with member family, Eat cake at a surprise missionary birthday party, Eat cake with investigator family (And invite all of their friends over to eat cake as well, then while eating cake sharing the gospel.) (That was a great!), Then a week later have a family home evening with member family and eat more birthday cake! (That part is tonight...)

It's Getting Warmer

Dear Family,

Thank you for all that you do.

¡Congradulatios Richard! Eagle scout.  Please take pictures.  Down here they have scouts as well.  One of the members is really big into it.  They had a little parade thing to celebrate the scouts the other day.

There was no mud slide.  We just had plans that day to use a members fishing gear so that we could go piraña fishing in front of his house...  but he forgot all about it, so we decided to help him fix up his banana plantation instead for our P-Day.  We had fun. :)

Wow, it sound so strange to say that there is a new home waiting for me in Utah.  Well, I guess the truth is that it's always the same home, just a new house to put it in.

I love you all very much, and I wish you all a wonderful day.

Elder McShinsky

 

P.S.  If mike owes ice-cream, please send me about 40 cents so that I can buy a great big giant ice-cream cone... :)  (Ice-cream is super cheap here, ¡ITS GREAT!)

Happy Birthday To Me!!

Dear Family,

Thank you for the birthday wishes.  It's amazing to me how fast time passes and without realizing it how much we have done in that time.  About a Package, if you would like to send one, it would be received by a very happy Elder.  If not, please send your love instead.  Either one sounds wonderful to me. I love you all very much.

I`m glad you liked the picture.  We just happened to be there at just the right time to take it.  I count it as one of the hundreds of blessings that the Lord sends us every day.  The truth is that the Lord puts us just exactly where we need to be at just the right moment.  As missionaries, to talk to the right people, to teach the right families, and some times just to stop and smell the roses and wonder at what a wonderful world the Lord has given us.  I`m so grateful for the opportunity and gift that I have personally to see so much of this wonderful world.  I thank God for that.

Speaking of dogs... How's Cocoa doing?  Could you send me a picture of her so that I can show people my dog?

Bob: Just keep kicking, and pull your knees up!

This week we found a fantastic family here in Sajonia!  They are Nestor and Norma lopez, with their 4 kids Nestor, Alexis. Macarena. And Joseph Smith (Ya thats really his name!).  About 2 years ago the missionaries went to their house and taught them and began to bring the gospel into their family, Then the missionaries decided that the family wasn't quite ready yet and stopped visiting them.  But in the past 2 years they have been getting ready to hear the gospel again.  So that during those 2 years, their youngest son was born and they decided to name him after the modern day prophet Joseph Smith.  We found them and they are progressing incredibly!  The truth is that when we´re doing the Lords work, the people prepared of god literally come searching the truth.  All we need to do is open our mouths so that they can recognize it and come unto it.

Elder McShinsky

Have Fun!

Dear Family,

Wow, sounds like your getting closer and closer to selling the house.  I was thinking that on the way home from the airport we could pass by there first, (my house), then to the new house... :)

Our new missionary program is all set up to help us invite, feel, and understand the spirit better.  For example some of the subjects that we´re studying right now are how to receive personal revelation using the Book of Mormon, how to receive personal revelation in sacrament meeting, how to receive personal revelation and answers to prayers, and how to help others learn how to receive personal revelation.  But right now that is what we´re all doing as missionaries.  Speaking of which that's great that your going to the temple.  It's a wonderful place to receive personal revelation!

Dear Richard, elcome to how the rest of the world dances... (Don´t worry I don´t exactly understand it either.)

Elder McShinsky

Ballroom Season Has Started Again... Keep me Updated :)

Dear Family,

This week we had the baptism of Alberto.  And the truth is I wish we could all be as humble and willing to follow the Lord as he is.  In every moment he wants to find new ways to please God.  The truth is that we should all think a little more like that.  Every time we try a little harder to go one step farther, we learn about how to deal with everything in our lives a little better.  It follows the same idea of greater light, greater condensation.  As we learn more we have the opportunity to use the light that we have, and thus winning an opportunity to have a little more.

This last week we had a Zone Conference here in Asunciòn.  And I don´t know if you know about the changes in the worldwide missionary program, but we started to implement them in our Zone Conference.  It's amazing how inspired the presidency of the church is.  Completing with the new programs brings forth a mountain of blessings.  We should always obey the counsel of our inspired leaders because it will always lead to more blessing then we can imagine. 

Elder McShinsky

The Temple

Dear Family,

That's great that you could go to the temple with Bob.  Bob, the temple is truly the house of the Lord, you should cherish every moment that you can be anywhere near a place that sacred.  Here in Paraguay as missionaries we have the opportunity to go the the temple every 6 months.  That does´t sound like all that much, but with the incredible blessings and promises that we recive inside that building should make us want to live there.  The truth is if I had the choice we would go there every p-day :)  But remember as well that everything inside the temple is eternally sealed by the authority of the priesthood; an authority you hold as a worthy son of the almighty god.

Speaking of swim tests... I found out this week a little about piranhas and crocodiles... They don´t live together, because the crocodiles eat the piranhas.  So basically if theres crocodiles, there is not piranhas, and vise versa. Either way if you do your swim check down here you`ll have to learn to swim kinda fast... :)  I also found out that they sell them both in the market to eat, and we should be eating crocodile tonight with a member. :)
¿Dawn? ¿Dog? ¿What happend to the cat?

Elder McShinsky

It's Cold

Dear Family,

Ya we´re here in Sajonia and ya its COLD.  For the past 3 days it's been raining and overcast, and it's cold when the water fills up your shoes.  But its all good we have fun working in whatever the lord gives us.  And for that as well I bought a coat... and golves... and a scarf... and a umbrella... and ya, I was really cold, but not any more. ;) 

But this week I learned a good lesson.  We went to the church to work with the baptizmal font, and we went in for 15 minutes and I left my umbrella in the hall way.  In that 15 minutes someone came in and stole my umbrella but left my companions umbrella untouched.  Then when we went to leave they had left a little broken red umbrella at the door.. And it was still raining, so I got wet ;) Moral of the story. Dont leave anything anywhere, not even in the church.

Have fun in Oregon, Take lots of pictures, Send them all to me... 

Elder McShinsky

Middle of July

Dear Family,

This week again is cambios.  Elder Monterrosa left, and yesterday Elder Swink started here in Sajonia.  We're really excited to start working hard.

Story of the week: This week we've been working really with one of our investigators named Alberto.  He is really really humble, and wants to follow the Lord in every footstep.  He likes to tell us that he wants to consecrate himself to the Lord and learn in every footstep.  For me it's really amazing how much we can lean from him.

The truth is that if we were all as humble as he is we will have much less problems in our lives, families, schools, and really in everything we do.  The truth is that like Christ said, the humble and meek have some of the biggest blessings in heaven.  And I think that they're are some of the happiest people in the earth as well.  He is getting ready to be baptized this Saturday!  Please pray for him and his family.

Happy birthday Bob!!!  Happy birthday Rich!!!

Elder McShinsky

Happy 4th of July

Dear Family,

Thank you for the information about Uncle Joe and Grandpa.  To the both of them I send my love and thanks for the example they have been in my life.  They are both in my prayers.  Espero que todos nosotros podemos usar esta expiriencia para llegar mas cerca a nuestra padre celestial y sentir su amor in nuestras vidas.


Today I can't think of anything else to write, so I´ll just try to send you all some photos.  (A photo's worth a thousand words...)

Elder McShinsky

Ya I´m cold

Dear Family,

The story about my Ankle..  Well it goes something like this...  A long time ago in a place not so far away (About 2 weeks ago in the church), a great leader of the Army of God (Zone leader) set forth a way to discover the strength of the mighty army under his command.  The way... Football (Soccer)... The valiant warriors (Missionaries) all agreed to this proposition and set forth from their domains (Houses, which are all nice and clean as well...) early one morning to enter this great competition.


Arriving at the field of battle they set themselves in order.  Companion against companion, and district against district.  Hence began the battle.  And then in the heat of the battle one strong, valiant, Kight of God (and handsome.. Elder McShinsky) set forth to destroy the enemy's defense with his incredible skills...  And in this attempt found much success when his weapon (Soccer ball) met its target.  But in an unforgettable sacrifice, he gave himself over to the enemy to defeat them in the end. And thus fell, and twisted his ankle.
 
That's the basics of what happened with my ankle.  But its doing good.  All the color is gone now and most of the swelling as well.  What I´m doing right now is exercising it to get its' strength back.

Soccer isn´t just the big talk down here, it's life!  When Paraguay is playing, the streets are completely dead.  No people, no cars, no buses, not even dogs.  The entire country is watching the TV.  And we hear it all as well, because its blaring out all the windows of their houses :) Its a lot of fun.


Oh and now I have a little bit of bad news... One day in Paraguay a pair of missionaries (my companion and I) were walking around in their area, when the sky got mad and tuned BLACK, and then decided to drop buckets of water on this poor companionship.  They quickly hurried to the nearest shelter, but found out that it was too late... They were totally soaked, as well as their bags and to a very sad Elder, his camera.  After an extensive surgery, the camera gave up the ghost and died.

The End

By Elder McShinsky