Elder Spiro's First Baptism

Hi Mom,

Here is my update for the week, thanks for sending me a pillowcase and other things and the music, for now I'm ok with the scripture case I have, because I'm trying to find a really cool one while I'm in Paraguay. Everything has been great, the work is draining, but very rewarding. Lots and lots of walking but I don't mind, and I had my first baptism last week! It was such a cool experience, it was so fast though! I'm excited for the guy I baptized though (his name is Buenaventura) because he wants to serve a mission too! So we are going to help him start preparing for that, and we are going to have him come and teach lessons with us too. We did a lot of preparing this week for the baptism, we made a special presentation for him with all of his pictures from his childhood with music in the background, and we sung a special musical number for him. It was a really cool experience, his mom came to see the baptism and she was crying when the presentation was showing, the spirit was definitely there. And she is Catholic, so it was the first time she has been inside a Mormon church.

Baptism of Buenaventura Lopez

We have also been working hard with another family, and they are going to get baptized next week, so I should have some more pictures next Monday of that. They live super far away though, so we take a bus to their house (they call them collectivos here) and then to get back to Paraguari, we have to walk 2 hours because there is no collectivos going back. But they are an awesome family and the mom has been searching for the truth her whole life, and she told us she is very grateful that she found it and her kids can also be a part of it. Her husband unfortunately died, so she has been very interested in the temple and doing baptisms for the dead.

Elder Spiro's district

In Asuncion with some toucans

I haven't had any crazy experiences unfortunately, we were walking past this house and this huge rotweiller (I'm not sure how to spell it) came running up to us but luckily there was a gate in between us, nothing much crazy other than that.

After a long day's work, muddy but happy

Thanks for sending me pictures mom, I really enjoy them and all of your updates about the family. I'm glad your lesson went well, I agree about the New Testament, I have been trying to read all the way through the Bible and there are a lot of cool stories in the New Testament, and I'm glad your primary kids are great too. I don't need anything else for now but thanks for asking, I can't wait to hear from you soon and I love you and keep you in my prayers every morning and night.

Love you to the moon and back,

Elder Spiro