Paraguayan Orchids in Pirapo

Every end of winter, the primarily Japanese community of Pirapo, (est. 1960) located 30 minutes north of us, has their annual orchid festival. Here are some pictures of the showcased orchid species from Brazil, Japan and Hawaii, yet all seem to grow well here in the sub-tropical climate:












Did you know that there are more than 25,000 types of orchids! We serve a very creative God!















































This is the Japanese community center where the public could purchase orchids from Paraguayan growers. That is a sumo ring in the middle of the picture. Adjacent to the center is a baseball diamond, the only ones in our state are located in this city!

Since maintaining some of their culture elements (food, language, arts) is very important to this Japanese-Paraguayan community, their grocery store sells all kinds of Japanese imports, like seaweed, rice, packaged fish and seafood and even desserts! We always love going to Japanese restaurant in town because the food is excellent and authentic. There are five Japanese communities in Paraguay and many specialize in agriculture (soybeans and strawberries in our area). Here is a link and another with more on the history of Japanese emigration to Paraguay in 1936. We are thankful to live in a culture of cultures!

Adopted for Life

We're reading this incredible book right now. It has been such an eye-opener for us to understand why adoption should be a priority for the Church and for Christian families. It's not only very well-written, it's a story from Russell Moore's own heart, as the father of two adopted sons from Russia. The book is "a stirring call to Christian families and churches to be a people who care for orphans, not just in word, but in deed.

The gospel of Jesus Christ-the good news that through Jesus we have been adopted as sons and daughters into God's family-means that Christians ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans in North America and around the world.

Moore does not shy away from this call in Adopted for Life, a popular-level, practical manifesto for Christians to adopt children and to help equip other Christian families to do the same. He shows that adoption is not just about couples who want children-or who want more children. It is about an entire culture within Christianity, a culture that sees adoption as part of the Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself."

We are praying about how we can better care for the orphans around us, a recurring theme that God has been showing us for months, and we would ask you to join us in prayer. We'll be keeping you posted as to how this will play out in our lives, but in the meantime, read the book. It's a life changer.

We Made it!

We both were teary-eyed this morning as we hugged each other back on our front porch. The emotions we felt upon our arrival were so strong, it reminded me of the day we drove across the border into Asuncion after our 70 day road trip to reach the heart of South America in 2002.

Our last two weeks in the States we were chomping at the bit to come back to South America. We love this country so much, that Paraguay is now home. Even though we pulled in well after dark last night, we had three visitors that came to call on us at our home early in the morning. It's so nice to feel welcomed, even if it was before 8:00 a.m.!

It has been an unseasonably cold winter here. It frosted six times, which is unheard of in these parts. We saw evidence of the harsh weather in the palm and banana trees in the area. Truth be told, we're glad we could skip the winter for once. We don't have heating in our home, so the wet, winter months really chill one to the bone and we usually have to bundle up with several layers and lots of blankets.

This month we look forward to starting up the chicken project to help the poor in our neighborhood, purchasing and distributing 9 motorcycles to pastors and the most exciting project is...beginning to plan strategically for the leadership training center. We'll write more on that later.

Just wanted to check in and let you all know that we're back in our beloved Paraguay. We are so, so grateful for your prayers and for the hospitality and generosity of so many of our friends, family and supporting churches while we were in the United States. We could not be here without YOU all, our team!

Paraguay Here We Come!

"Elated", "excited", down right "giddy." Those words describe how we feel about going home. We had a WONDERFUL time in the United States- connecting with our sponsor churches and friends, speaking and participating in conferences and even finding some time for quiet rest and reflection (although not as much as we would have liked). We are pretty refreshed and ready to get home and get dirty! Thanks for praying for us as we re-enter Paraguay. We're pretty sure there's a pile of projects and "stuff" for us to deal with. Yet, we know that God will equip us for whatever situations we might face.

Thank you God for protecting us over the thousands of miles that we drove in the States. We are grateful for this fantastic time as a family and we are privileged to be able to serve you in the heart of South America. We love you and we dedicate our lives and this next season of ministry to you. Amen.

Happily Ever After

Nine years ago we were joined as one flesh, under God. We committed to love and care for each other faithfully for our entire lives. We don't plan on straying from that holy pact. Each passing year together seems to sharpen us and make us a little less selfish. Oh, there are always some wrinkles to iron out, but our love is richer today than that 90 degree morning we took our vows. God's hand has guided us and our prayer is that we can forge new territories together, create a future generation of God-fearing children together and seek the Lord first in our family. Marriage truly is the greatest thing that has happened to both of us and we believe this is only the beginning.

Wrapping Things Up

We are back in Florida and getting our bags packed to head back to our beloved red clay. We've had an incredible furlough and we'll be sure to recap our highlights in a future post. We just wanted to post some pics of our recent events and ask that you'd pray for us as we get ready to re-enter our host culture and jump in with both feet as many ministry issues are sure to be awaiting us.

This was our chalet at our retreat here

Hanging out with cool friends in Nashville and Indy

Putting together an impromptu display at our last church visit last weekend in Perry, GA.