BUSY finishing 2013

I was going to post November 23rd, when my son Timothy would have turned 8, but somehow I could not do it. Some days I grieve, while other days I celebrate life with my daughter Anahi. More days than not I am doing ok.

Service at Obligado Chuch of God

Its been busy as I transition out of my current position as interim pastor of the Obligado Church. Back in mid 2011 Julie and I had accepted an interim-part time position to help this local church. After nine months of serving the Obligado church we had our terrible accident.

The church has embraced me and became my extended family over this past year. I have come to love these people and feel that God has placed them in my life for such a time as this. I am wrapping up my work in the Obligado Church, to continue with my other responsibilities as missionary and pastor.

Dancing to one of her little toy songs

Making sure her parrot is ok

Anahi is growing up and giving back so much. I celebrated her third birthday in September. She is becoming very communicative and shares her wants and dislikes very clearly. I am trying to balance love and discipline. Some days her charm override and break down my wanting to be tough. I love her so much. I believe she is chosen for some specific purpose which I am excited to be a part of.

Baking with aunt Nila

My sister Nila has been an incredible help during this season and I cannot thank her enough for her commitment to Anahi and me. She has set aside many of her personal dreams and plans to be with us for almost two years. She will be moving out this coming March 2014 to work and study in Brazil. Please keep her in your prayers.

I thank each one of you for keeping us in your prayers. Thanks for your love and support.

Happy 2014 - NEW YEAR

Norberto and Anahi (and aunt Nila)

Keeping life interesting

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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

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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