Keeping the Passion Hot

This weekend was the closing ceremony for the Fire Proof Love Dare (Prueba de Fuego) study that has been going on for the past seven weeks in our church.  They asked us to share with all the couples (five of the six are not from our church) a message about commitment in marriage. We mentioned the importance of forgiveness and viewing marriage as a covenant, not a contract as a few of the most important components to an enduring relationship.

After we spoke, the couples were given an opportunity to renew their vows publicly.  Some couples even bought rings to symbolize this new stage. As couples recommitted to each other, some got very emotional.  One couple is trying to survive marital infidelity, another couple is facing the challenges of the empty nest and a few more the stress of having very young children to attend.  We celebrate with them this new chapter and pray God's blessings and strength on them.

After the ceremony, we had a lovely dinner (tables for two) with a romantic love videos playing in the background.

Still in love after all these years...

We are grateful to God for His faithfulness to restore and renew marriages on the verge of separation.  We are well aware that it takes intentional effort to keep the marriage flames burning.   In the midst of ministry, we continually ask the Lord to keep our own passion hot, our laughter plentiful and that we always learn and grow together in this wonderful adventure we share called life. 

Check-Up Time!

We have been with the wonderful people of Children of Promise this week as they check on all the kiddos in the program.  This year, they brought Dr. Bob, who gave a health check-up to every child (and a few more) being served by the ministry.  He discovered the severe state of oral hygiene among the Paraguayan children.  The great majority have cavities and since cavities in Paraguay are not filled, dentists just typically pull teeth.  So, there is a great need for dental work.  He also mentioned how important it is that we are providing fluoride for the children, since it is not present in our water.  Since he also specializes in tropical diseases, he is giving us information on the best deworming meds to administer on the kids.

Sandra, the new director, is doing such a great job with the children (now 80 are in the program)!   Sandra's goal is to continue growing.  We are grateful for all the sponsors, for the staff at Children of Promise and for the love that you show to the beautiful little ones here in Paraguay.   Please pray for the increased health of the children and their families. 

Sometimes You Just Have to Get Away

This past weekend I (Julie) went to a retreat for missionary women, called Women of the Harvest.  The retreat is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm so grateful that I was able to participate. 

 

 We were spoken to as real women without any expectations or pressures put upon us.  We were pampered with sweet gifts (like chocolate chips, candy and maple extract) and we were able to share in small groups (this was my wonderful group) about the issues we face and receive encouragement and prayer.  We worshiped in English and heard powerful reminders that who we are in Christ is not determined by our roles or relationships. 

Each day we were allowed to choose different pampering sessions.  I got a pedicure to get all the red dirt off my feet.  I told them these are probably the dirtiest feet they've ever worked on.  They said they've seen everything, but she was scrubbing my toes for an entire hour!!!

I got a hair cut and makeover done and saw what I looked like with makeup on!  I hardly recognized myself.

I came home refreshed and renewed with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.  I am so thankful for this retreat, for the opportunity to laugh and cry with other missionaries (especially my friends serving with me in Paraguay) and I feel ready to tackle the rest of the year with new energy!  Sometimes, it's just good to get away and breathe new air.  If you have a missionary friend, definitely recommend one of these retreats to her.  She won't be the same!

For the First Time...

For the first time ever COICOM is being held in Paraguay!  I love how this little nation is finally coming onto the radar!

What is COICOM?  It stands for La Confederacion Iberomericana de Comunicadores, Pastores, Lideres y Medios Masivos Cristianos.  (The Iberamerican Confederation of Communicators, Pastors, Leaders and Christian Mass Media.   It began in 1992. 

It is a movement which serves to train, motivate and mobilize the Church for the evangelism of Hispanics across the globe.  Think of it as a Catalyst conference in Spanish. Every year, the best Latin American leaders are present as speakers in the sessions and services until Saturday night.  This year singer Steve Green, who was raised in South America, is closing out the program with a special concert.

Norberto is at the opening session right now with four youth from the radio and ICCI!  Stay tuned for more on this big event.

The Beauty of Harvest

Sometimes life gets so crazy that we have little time to talk in adult language.  So, almost every day sometime before dusk (about 30 minutes before classes begin) we stroll through the wheat fields and let the boy and the dogs prance like dear in the wheat while we push the stroller, wax philosophic all while drinking our yerba mate tea.  This is what keeps me sane some days.   

This is the picture we took from our window this week.  I will miss the golden wheat fields that greet me every morning, but there is something so beautiful in watching the harvest.  It's the same joy I get when I see that one of my orchids finally has a bloom and the anticipation of waiting for it to open.  It's the growth process that builds my excitement in both cases.  We've been watching the wheat grow for months and the harvest represents that the time is come for the wheat to be used.  The harvest is a celebration of hard work and of the time that is needed for growth.

It's like the joy of watching people growing in Christ and becoming who God intended them to be.  It takes hard work and patience but seeing them being used by God is an indescribable joy.  In the next few weeks we'll be sharing with you some stories of people who have been growing and are now ready to serve!

Just Like Him...

Timmy came out of our room with his "papi's" commander shirt on.  He asked if he could put on his hat and belt too.  We started to laugh at him giving orders like Norberto does every Saturday in the Explorer's Club.  Then Timmy said,


"I want to be a Commander when I grow up, just like Papi." 

Timmy loves his dad and he copies everything he does.

He walks like him.
Talks like him.
He eats the same foods (especially too much dulce de leche on his bread)
He wants to help him with every project.
He even pees outside on the trees, just like dad. (I'm not saying I like it though).

and he told us just yesterday that he was Papi's best son and he showed me his little thumb that matches His Papi's unique thumb.  Yes, Timmy.  You are your Papi's best son.   

So, Timmy made me think....

"I wonder how I'm doing at copying everything my heavenly "Papi" does?" 

Do I walk like He does?
Do I talk like He does?
Do I want to serve others like He did?
Is there any question whose child I am when I look at my thumbprint?


Sometimes I wonder if I do as good a job imitating my Father as a five year old does.

Results are In...

We shared here about the surprising news that our daughter may have Down Syndrome.  Well, we got a call back this week saying the results are negative!  Thanks so much for your prayers; we are thrilled with this news.

Stay tuned as we will share more about what's happening in our ministry in the next few days.

Thirteen dollars for Rita’s 13th birthday

Our neighbor and friend came to me last week asking if I could spare 13 dollars for Rita, on his daughter 13^th birthday. It was 9:00 am. He wanted to do something special for lunch.  I gave him the money, (which he promised to return) and he went rejoicing, bought some sausages which he grilled and celebrated Ritas birthday. 

I don’t know about your idea of a birthday celebration. But this is the reality for the Campanas family. Their daily wages are only enough for putting food on the table. They wake up thinking about getting enough for the next meal. With longing they remember when times were better while working with the construction of the power plant, 10 years ago. We were able to afford meat, Mr Campanas remembers.  

This is what ABC, the economic section our national paper published last Sunday: “from every 100 people that live in Paraguay, 35 are in a situation of poverty. From a population of 6.300.000, inhabitants, 2.200.000 are poor, and 1.230.000 is extremely poor. The gap between rich and poor continues to be a challenge for the government and the non-for profit agencies.

When I read these statistics, I thought of Mr Campanas and his dauthers birthday. Although these statistics are nothing new, they do reflect the ongoing struggle of nations that even with established democracies and great natural resources, can’t manage to help an important segment of their population live with more dignity.

These numbers sadden me, but at the same time make me very thankful everyday for the chance to serve in this country with so much potential. But there is another reality in the spiritual economy, not so distant in numbers. Paraguay continues to be a country with a small percentage of born again Christians.

From my local (district) point of view, I can say this for a fact about our spiritual reality. In an area with a population of almost 50,000, there are approximately, 25 churches (evangelical and catholic combined). Maybe one or two have more than 100 people in their gatherings.  The largest Catholic Church maybe gathers 80 people during a regular service. On any weekend, no more than 1,000 people will make their way to one of these churches. That’s, 2% of our community.

Our Wednesday night prayer group began intentionally praying for this community. Join us in prayer to narrow the gap of spiritual poverty and plead God for it to affect the economic reality somehow as well. Pray for a deep hunger and thirst of God’s presence in Colonias Unidas (our region) and the country Paraguay.