Motorcycle Trip and a Giveaway!

No, we are not giving away a trip! But we are giving away a cool prize, which I'll explain in just a sec.

About the trip....Norberto is heading out to the CMA international rally in Hatfield, Arkansas on Monday with the Paraguay CMA Chapter President, Roland (pictured right).

Here is Roland inducting a new member of CMA Paraguay at the ceremony last week.

Roland is terrified of flying. He told us a few years ago that he would NEVER step foot on an airplane. Never say never. Roland is flying to the rally, folks! The only reason he agreed to the trip is that he believes that God has told him he needs to be there. Please pray for Roland as he is taking a ~~leap~~ flight of faith.

Norberto is representing Missionary Ventures at the 35th anniversary of CMA changing of the Colors and will be sharing about how the gift of motorcycles to indigenous pastors has had such a profound effect on the spreading of God's word here. If you are going to be around Ouachita Mountain from Oct 19-30 Norberto would love to see you!

Now for the giveaway!

We are giving away something authentically Paraguayan. The prize is a beautiful piece of handmade Nanduti lace. This is perfect for a table centerpiece! Here is an example of this intricate handiwork. The winner will have his/her choice of several colors.

There are three ways to enter the giveaway (each one counts as a separate entry):

1. Subscribe to our blog and leave a comment saying you did so. (Look for this symbol on the right hand side of the blog):

Or leave a comment telling us that you already subscribe. Thank you so much to our loyal readers!

2. Pray for Roland's tranquility as he conquers his fear of flying in a few days and leave a comment saying you did so.

3. Go here and tell them your fave Passion for Paraguay post to enter us to win a Kindle (and win a prize there too) and leave a comment saying you did so.

This giveaway is valid to all our friends worldwide and will end on Oct. 17 at midnight.

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

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