Passion for Paraguay

Thank you God for your faithfulness! We are getting ready for another year of seeing God at work, are you? Make a Smilebox slideshow

We are so thankful for what God has done this past year! We were able to buy the generator for the radio (it has already broadcasted during 76 hours of power outtages) 1016 Bibles have been distributed along with tools, blankets, 48 children are being lifted out of the cycle of poverty through Children of Promise. Jorge hears again, students are being  trained for ministry and women and children are being discipled. We had a fantastic 90 day U.S. trek visiting our loved ones and those who care so deeply about Paraguay. We have officially handed the self-supporting radio ministry to national leaders to run and we could not have done any of these things without our wonderful team! "You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." -Amy Carmichael, missionary to India We owe you our most sincere gratitude for the LOVE you have poured out this year to us. As we look forward with anticipation to 2010, can you ask you one thing? Please keep fervently pr

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

This Saturday was our second annual Children of Promise Christmas party and wow was it ever a PAR-TAY!  You can read about our first fiesta here .  Let me show you how you helped knock the Christmas socks off these little ones to give them a celebration they would have never been able to experience... We started off the day by playing a bunch of ice breaker games.  This particular game challenged the kids to fit as many on their team as possible on a square that kept getting smaller.  The littlest kids won and were delighted to beat the bigger children! Then Tia Tabita told a beautiful Christmas story about a Christmas doll and challenged us to give our best to someone in need We recognized and prayed for the committee that makes the ministry happen!  I couldn't do anything without these incredible folks. The children, including these beautiful girls, Yanina, Laura and Yanina, were so happy to receive their pan dulce (fruit cake), a traditional Christmas gift.   Th

Here's a recap of this week's highlights: This past weekend was the Exploradores campout!  The kids had to make their own campsite, food, group name and song.  They had such a great time they can't stop talking about it.  Tonight is the award's ceremony at church. Norberto was in charge of the campfire; it was just a little one, not anything that would singe our avocado tree or anything.    The troop    Commander Hugo loves the kids!   Norberto's family from Asuncion came to visit so Timmy got to play with his cousin Mateo.   The newest Kurrle cousin, isn't she so sweet!    David (our intern) putting the finishing touches on our portable chicken coop.  The only problem is that our lone chicken is so social he prefers sleeping with us and tries hard to get into our house whenever the front door is open!  He was last spotted under the kitchen sink.    Making yummy sugar cookies with Erin, who is visiting for 2 weeks   Decorating our Christma

1.  Kill the chicken by either snapping its neck or chopping its head off.  We've found that the former method is less messy, but the chopping block is faster.  Let the blood drain into a bucket. 2. Plunge the chicken in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen the skin to facilitate the plucking process. 3.  Hang the chicken by its legs and pluck all the feathers 4. Singe the chicken over a fire to get rid of any remaining feather stubs. 5.  Take out the gizzards, wash them and preserve in another container for giblet dressing. The results:  The best ever Thanksgiving dinner under our hut!