Empowering the Next Generation

Did you grow up participating in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts? We were all about that in my family. I remember the Pinewood Derby races each year, the campouts and the thin mints. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a box of those right now...sigh. Those were great memories in my childhood and I'm so thankful for the adults that invested in us. I still remember my troop leader; she was kind, impartial, creative and she had a contagious positive attitude.

One of the couples that came to know the Lord through the radio station has taken the initiative to bring that kind of experience to boys and girls in our town. For the last year our church has organized a troop of Royal Rangers, (Exploradores del Rey) very similar to Boy Scouts, but with a Christian emphasis.

Last week, we participated in a special training near the capital to learn how to be commanders (troop leaders). We had to go through the same rigors that the rangers go through and even Timmy got involved!

Currently, there are over 50 regular Rangers (aged 4-17) in our program and we are gearing up for our first campout next weekend.

Most of the children and youth in the program come from broken homes. Having a loving adult figure in their lives to guide, instruct, correct, laugh with and love them will impact them for the rest of their days.

We're looking forward to building great relationships with young people, helping shape future leaders and pointing the way to Christ. Thanks for praying for our troop and our church as we pray the ministry will impact even more young people.

Comments

Christmas in Paraguay!

If you're wondering what Paraguayans do at Christmastime, they have some great traditions , including the " noche buena " meal on Christmas Eve at midnight. They eat lots chipa guasu (a type of corn casserole, stay tuned for a recipe), asado or grilled meat (some eat it cold), salads, especially fruit salad, watermelon and drink mucho terere . Families travel from all over the country, many even return from working in other countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Spain, to celebrate with loved ones. This is us at last year's Kurrle celebration in Asuncion. Festivities are anything but a silent night with fireworks, loud music and drinking cidra (hard cider). Most Paraguayans do not decorate Christmas trees (we decorate ours in shorts!) or emphasize Santa Claus. Instead, they put beautiful nativities " pesebres " in their yards and in store fronts. Kind of novel to focus on Christ at Christmas, isn't it! To beat the heat, many Paraguayans g...

Paraguayan Weddings

On Valentine’s Day, we had the joy of attending the wedding of Sandra and Anastacio, young leaders in the church. Sandra is my assistant with Children of Promise and Anastacio, apart from his carpentry job, has a popular youth-focused radio program every night at 8:00 on our station. We’ve been to quite a few weddings, and these are some of the uniquenesses of southern Paraguayan wedding celebrations from our North American culture: 1. Nothing is fancy. Emphasis is placed on the act of marriage and not on the decorations or food. 2. It is not an expectation that parents help pay for expenses. Most families just make it each month with regular expenses and cannot afford to pay for eleborate feasts. Most couples have to spend months saving for their own wedding. 3. Borrow as much as possible. Many times wedding dresses are borrowed 5-10 times, because few women can afford their own. Flowers, decorations, shoes and ties (Norb loans out his ties often...since he never wears them!...

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

Search This Blog