Meeting our Little Girl for the First Time

Yesterday was one of the best days of our lives. It all still feels surreal and while we don't have time to tell the whole story right now (we're running around town doing paperwork), we'll tell you that she is God's gift to our family.

We met our little girl yesterday morning and she is beautiful. Shé s 10 months old today (Sept. 21, 2010). She's got big brown eyes, is very happy and active and crawling a LOT. She has two little teeth on the bottom and what was the biggest surprise is that she's blond! Even the social worker says that doesn't happen in Paraguay. She immediately opened her arms to Norberto and gave him a kiss, as if she knew she was in her daddy's arms.

We can't take her home until we do paperwork and the judge signs her over to us. That's why we didn't write earlier, we've been all over Asuncion trying to get everything done. We hired a lawyer and are hoping that we can get her w/i the month, but it could take longer. Please pray that the judge signs the papers ASAP.

We see God's hand in this step of faith at every single turn. God has worked so many amazing, tiny details out. Our daughter's name is Anahi (Anna EE), which is a Guarani name for a flower. We can't change her name, but we can add to it if we want. We love her so much already and are so grateful for God's perfect timing.

Sweet friends, we can't post pictures here or on FB until she's officially ours, but if you're curious, email us and we'll send you a pic when we get home. Thanks so much for your prayers, God is answering in mighty ways.

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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