La Gran Fiesta (The Big Event!)

The celebration service was a fantastic 3 hour tribute to the goodness of our Lord. This is the highlight for all those who have helped serve in any way to make the dream of a new church building become a reality. Many of the contractors from the job site came to the inauguration. There were 300 chairs set up and filled, but I counted 200 more people outside on benches and sitting on the retaining wall, since the church was totally packed-for a grand total of 500! There were governmental officials, business owners and neighbors present. Many were curious as to how the church could have been built so quickly, since this same project would have taken at least 6-8 months in Paraguayan time. We hope that many will return to future Saturday night services at our church. Ten minutes to church time, the building was full, which is a small miracle because Paraguayans are usually never on time! Each individual from St. Joe received a special plaque from the Obligado church

Matt played with the worship band!

Pastor David preached a challenging message on hope and many people received the commitment to renew their hope and reactivate themselves to seeking God first.

The icing on the cake last night was that a shipment of Welch's juice products arrived from the United States. One of the group members arranged for the shipment to arrive two weeks ago, but due to Paraguayan red tape, it had been stuck in customs. However, the timing of that truck pulling in could not have been more perfect...it arrived at 10:00 p.m.- just before the service ended. There would not have been enough food for all 500 folks, so we were able to give each person a bottle of juice they've never tried before! It was like a miracle...Jesus turning the water into grape juice for our fiesta!!!

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Christmas in Paraguay!

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How to make Rosella (Roselle) Juice and Tea

This is rosella (not to be confused with grosella, which is gooseberry). Rosella is from the hibiscus family. It's harvest time here, and we use the rosella to make juice and tea. It's properties are absolutely tremendous. It helps sooth colds, coughs, helps digestion, promotes healthy kidney function, is a treatment for cancer, and reduces a fever and that's just a few of its benefits! To make rosella juice, first de-pit the fruit and wash the skin thoroughly. Put the fruit into boiling water until the water is bright red (about 15 minutes). The color is so vibrant, Roselle is sold to make dyes. Strain the fruit (which can be used to make a delicious jam) and refrigerate the juice. Add a few squirts of Stevia for a healthy drink. The finished product looks exactly like red Kool-aid, but is entirely full of nutrients. We can't get enough of it. We dehydrated the petals for hot tea. All you need is two dried flowers to infus...

Passion for Paraguay

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