Greetings!

I am here in my ever-so-special land! Elder Colligan and I came back up here today to attend the District Meetings of a few of the Elders in our Zone. I am here for tonight and for tomorrow to do a division, and I am so excited. I have already ran into a few people I had taught and we were all excited to see each other. We even got to play a soccer game with all the Elders today, and it was great. It feels great to be back!

We had a great week, especially in finding new investigators. We have been working a lot with our Recent Converts and trying to find through referrals from them. We were in a lesson out in a really poor part of our area when some lady out of nowhere came over to listen during the middle of a lesson with her neighbor. We ended up setting a return visit to meet her specific family in her house. We went there on Saturday and they are a golden couple! Right of the bat they asked 2 great questions: 1. When is church? We want to go. 2. How does one prepare to be baptized in your church? Then Sunday morning came along and we a recent convert to walk with them to church in the blazing heat and they walked all the way there (about 40 minute walk) carrying 2 of their 3 kids! It was a testimony builder for me that not only does the Lord prepare his children to receive the gospel, but he even blesses them with the strength to do it! They are preparing for baptism for the 13th of October.

I did a division this week with a really great young missionary in a little tiny farming town. The church is very small there, they have meetings in the house of the missionaries, and have basically no members. It was interesting being again around the language of Portuguese. It was a great division. He taught me how to make french toast, and so we have been cooking it a ton here, especially with the maple extract the ward sent me last Christmas.

Yesterday was a really special day, because we had a special district conference, broad casted from Salt Lake! Elder Walter Gonzalez, Elder Neal L. Anderson, and President Thomas S. Monson all gave talks inspired for only Paraguay and Uruguay. I really loved the topics they talked about: Rescuing the less active members, tithing, convert baptisms, prospective elders, temple work...ALL big problems here in Paraguay that urgently need to be fixed. I was very edified, and the investigators all were excited when we explained that they had heard a message from Gods living Prophet.

Elder Colligan and I are having the time of our lives, we are seeing miracle after miracle.  We have been genuinely trying to love everyone, and it has made all the difference in the work here. We feed well off each other when we teach, we enjoy the work we are doing, and we are seeing so many small successes that have been adding up to miracles. I am thankful that the Lord placed us together at this time of our missions.

Love you all! Keep us in your prayers.

Until next week,

Elder Babcock