For the First Time...

For the first time ever COICOM is being held in Paraguay! I love how this little nation is finally coming onto the radar!

What is COICOM? It stands for La Confederacion Iberomericana de Comunicadores, Pastores, Lideres y Medios Masivos Cristianos. (The Iberamerican Confederation of Communicators, Pastors, Leaders and Christian Mass Media. It began in 1992.

It is a movement which serves to train, motivate and mobilize the Church for the evangelism of Hispanics across the globe. Think of it as a Catalyst conference in Spanish. Every year, the best Latin American leaders are present as speakers in the sessions and services until Saturday night. This year singer Steve Green, who was raised in South America, is closing out the program with a special concert.

Norberto is at the opening session right now with four youth from the radio and ICCI! Stay tuned for more on this big event.

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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

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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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