Passion for Paraguay

 These past two weeks the students have been working hard to fill an order for 220 lbs of shelled peanuts for our large cooperative.  The extra value of a shelled peanut is worth twice as much as an unshelled nut.  At Easter time, people make a sugary peanut mix and fill eggs with it.  (I will try and get a picture of them for you).  So, this is definitely the time to sell peanuts! Here is one of the students carrying a 40 lb bag of peanuts from dry storage to the nut sheller.  The students are grinding the peanuts in our Universal Nut Sheller. Here they are separating the peanuts from their shells. This is another way of separating the fine shell from the peanuts, with a fan!  This is a very exciting and busy time for our students.  It is giving them a real glimpse at running a micro-enterprise and it is giving them a challenge to reach.  We are grateful for everyone who helped us purchase the nut sheller. Once we get the peanuts shell...

First the personal one:  We would ask you to pray for our daughter's papers.  Since there was a strike in the judicial system last month, all documents have been delayed for weeks.  Our family Christmas is in Argentina this year and if Anahi's birth certificate does not arrive, we will not be able to celebrate with our family. This certificate is necessary for us to get her passport, which we need for travel for our furlough next summer. We know that prayers can change this situation and we thank you in advance for praying. Second, this request is for our ministry.   This year-end we have an immediate need.   ICCI (Instituto Cristiano de Capacitacion Integral) will need to pay $4,000 (for various documents and to help pay an intermediary) to become a legal tertiary institution recognized by the MEC (department of education) Paraguayan government.   Unfortunately, this important expense will really knock off of our budget for next year.   I...

This week the dynamic duo, Michael, (the expert bee guy) and Alfredo, (the Bible student) put the UNS nut sheller together!! Here they are reading the bi-lingual manual.  For more pictures of the machine and its results, look here .  This machine will help us shell our 1000 + lb peanut inventory in no time at all (It shells 50 kilos an hour)!!   Thanks again to our friends who helped us purchase the machine and our buddies from Butler, PA that brought it here!!  We are so incredibly thankful for everyone's help.

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.

There is NO WAY on earth this could have been done without you. Thank you friends for your help with the Matching Grant Challenge for the ICCI Leadership Institute!  We received word that we arrived  $10,041on December 30.  Any gift that came in Dec 31 or after has not yet counted toward our total goal.  We will keep you posted as we hear more information on the final total. We are jumping up and down and are so thankful for your prayers and participation to help us reach this HUGE landmark!

 Only 4 Days Left... The December 31st deadline is fast approaching!  There's still a wee bit of time to help us meet the $5,000 Matching Grant Challenge for the ICCI Leadership Institute .  This exciting endeavor will train up young Paraguayans in a marketable trade and help them become leaders in the church and community. We need your help! You can donate now by clicking HERE .  Preference your donation for special project:  "Paraguay Bible School" Thank you so much for helping us reach our goal!

The Paraguayan news (and international press) has been buzzing with the latest scandal. Our president, Fernando Lugo, who is the first ex-Catholic bishop to become a nation's president, is a father. Actually, he has children! He fathered these children while still a bishop and has not officially recognized them until a court ordered DNA testing to be done. He has not only broken the moral code of Catholicism, he has been an absent father who doesn't pay child support for the children he has brought into this world. This news has not only paralyzed our government, it has made Paraguay the brunt of jokes, criticisms and only works to support Paraguay as a corrupt country. There are shirts being sold in the streets, "I'm not Lugo's child" and the opposition is ridiculing the president by calling him the "father of all Paraguayans". While jokes are flying, the issue is very serious. The opposition is asking him to step down, (which is unlikely), but...