CAMBIOS Y NEULAND

Mon., 1/15/2018 (Neuland)

Well it has been a really busy week. Monday night we had to leave Neuland to Asuncion for changes, but guess what? After having used up all my money for food on 2 tickets to Asuncion, they called us 45 MINUTES AFTER WE GOT IN THE COLECTIVO and told us to just get off in Filadelfia. Elder Ruiz's area is Abundancia, so he'll be staying close. Well I wish they would have told us a bit earlier to get a little work done hahaha but it was nice having a relaxing day of service projects in Filadelfia. We helped a family move and I actually got a slight sunburn on my neck! First time in a year or 2. That night we got to meet my new companion, Elder McEwan from Oceanside, California (basically San Diego). He is starting his fourth change in Paraguay, so this is his second area. He is really excited to be here. Lets just say it has been a great week since then. We've done service almost every day, cleaned the chapel without help, and put in work. Elder McEwan and I get along really well. It's cool because we cook shop clean work live, and really do everything together. It's been an answer to recent prayers. He is also my first American companion in more than a year! We have been working more with all the different parts of our area, so our numbers have gone way down in terms of new investigators and such, but that doesn't mean we aren't working. Most of Neuland is VERY strong in their religions or has heard a lot of lies about us missionaries (for example that we don't believe in Christ, even though we are the only people around that have name  tags that say Jesucristo, Jesu Christi, or Hesukristo on them). It has been fun and really is great when your companion is on the same page with the work and obedience and cooking good food (looooooooots of noodles and no rice! I really needed a small break from rice). We have been eating really healthy. It's really been a great change so far. This upcoming week we will be going to Paraiso (maybe), Asuncion, and some time in Filadelfia, so we won't have too much time to be in Neuland. It's really crazy here but we love it. I love my area and my new companion! So much to tell y'all about but not much time!

Pictures:

1 Getting rid of some weeds

2 Our chapel (supposedly work starts this week to fix the roof?)

3 "kitchen creations" feat. not a lot of time and no a lot of money

4 Good ole windows updates

5 The chapel door fell on Elder McEwan!

6 Chapel cleaning

7 Welcome to Neuland

8 Kitchen creations(we drink a lot of bananas con leche)

[Elder Olson sent the following written by his new companion Elder McEwan:]
HI EVERYONE!
We had changes.... Guess where I am..... THE CHACO! I am so stoked! There are only 8 Chaco Elders in the mission and I get to be one! We are the only 8 missionaries with bikes and we are the the only missionaries in the state of Boquerón. My new comp is Elder Olson (20 years old from North Carolina) and we have two areas: Neuland and Paraiso. Neuland is a German Mennonite colony with about 2000 to 2500 Germans (Mennonites), 2500 Nivacle Indians (Indigenous/Lamanites), and 800 Paraguayans. Missionaries in Neuland have only ever baptized Nivacles, so my comp and I are going to break the curse. We already set one baptismal date with a Paraguayan, and we are going to start working with the Germans more. It´s kinda funny that I was called to serve a mission in Spanish, but they mainly speak German and Nivacle here. Luckily my comp knows some German and now I am starting to study it too. We have pamphlets and Books of Mormon and everything in German. It´s pretty sweet. If anyone has experience with converting Germans, please give us some tips. All the Mennonites are super active in their church and if they leave, they get shunned by the whole community, so that makes it extra hard. Neuland is the furthest area where missionaries live in the entire country. However, there are still further areas we have in the Chaco. Our district leader and his comp get to go to Mistolar and Campampu. We get to go to Paraiso. Paraiso is 70km further from out in the Chaco. If you look up stuff on the internet, I think you can find stuff about Neuland, but you won´t find anything about Paraiso. It is a place in the middle of nowhere with only Nivacle Indians. We still haven´t gone there yet, but we will travel there this week. I will send pics next week. Elder Olson and I are having an awesome time, and he is a great cook. I am behind on my emails, so I am gonna cut this one off here so I have time to read all of them. Love you guys! The Chaco is awesome!!!! Also our door in our chapel fell off and fell on me. I put the pic below...
Love,
Elder McEwan