Passion for Paraguay

The Candle in the Corner Event is going on RIGHT NOW! To participate, donate $5.00= one entry $20= 5 entries to win fabulous cultural items (like the ones below). By clicking on the "chip in" button above you will be supporting missions somewhere in the world.  With just a $5.00 donation you have the opportunity to win beautiful cultural items like: this rooster and table runner from Portugal or this model drying house from Spain. Aren't you curious as to what Paraguay's prize is????   Keep coming back to find out!  Every day there are new prizes to win!  Go HERE to find out all the nitty gritty.

It was just one of those days yesterday.  Norberto was in Argentina teaching in the Bible school and our "trusty" old Suburban wouldn't start.  Ugh...  What to do? Bible study starts in 25 minutes on the other side of town and my only alternative is... well, something I haven't ridden in about a year- the bike. Did I mention I have to bring a laptop, my Bible and study materials, tons of photocopies and my son, who's almost four....on a bike that has low air in one tire! I'm only slightly hyperventilating as I'm thinking to myself: "I can't do this.  What if I fall?  What if my tire goes flat?  Wait, don't panic" "Pray." "Father, help me to get to the study on time, no just help me get there without falling down!  Amen." I said a "quicky prayer," the kind you pray when you're in desperate situations...when you don't have time or energy to elaborate.  Thankfully Father God knows what you'...

We've got to admit that most days we just keep persevering without seeing the fruit of our labor. However, every once in a while we get the amazing blessing of seeing someone's spiritual light turn on or get to walk with someone in their next step in the faith journey. This weekend was was one of those times that makes ministry all worth the effort and sacrifice. Nidia and Liliana are two girls from our Bible study. They have been faithful despite family objections to the evangelical faith. They are both hungry to grow and ask great questions about God and life. They definitely have matured in their spiritual walk and both decided that it was time to go to the next level....both were baptized this weekend! Thank you Father for the glimpse of seeing you at work in lives around us. Thanks for the passion and insight of these precious young believers. Please give them strength to continue the journey one day at a time. Help us to guide them and love them, to laugh and...

I want to tell you about something exciting that's up and coming! The Candle in the Corner event is one of those opportunities... for YOU to win some awesome items from around the world! Missionaries serving around the world have donated cultural items to give away (including us) and you will have your chance to win them! I don't know about you, but we'd love to have something handmade from Paraguay (wink wink) or an Indian batik or a South African candle in our home! (The actual items are a surprise and will be revealed during the giveaway, but as you can see, this is a very unique opportunity!) By participating in the Candle in the Corner event you could win a cultural item from one of the following countries while supporting missionaries and their work in taking the light of Jesus Christ to their corners of the world: - Spain - Portugal - Indonesia - Botswana - South Africa - Honduras - Russia - Paraguay (yours truly!) - Brazil - Argentina - Uganda - U...

Remember Mrs. Rivero? We gave her a blanket a few months ago from our Christmas Projects. This sweet lady is seventy seven years old and still doesn't have any documentation to prove that she's a Paraguayan. She told me that she feels like a "nobody" because she doesn't have her cedula de identidad (identity card). She is basically a shut-in and it seems like the world has forgotten about this woman. But there is someone who hasn't forgotten....Isn't it amazing that God searches us out and shows his love for us as if we were the only one walking the earth. He knows us more intimately than anyone else and He cares for every aspect of our lives, our existence. Yesterday we took her to get her Paraguayan document. It took 2.5 hours and she'll get her card in about three months, just in time for her 78th birthday! Here she is walking into the office with her daughter and granddaughter. All she needed was someone to give her a little help... I told...

This week was a child-focused week for us. We had the honor of a special guest, Paul, who directs the children's ministry we work with here. It's a child sponsorship program that helps little ones in our area get an education, have solid nutrition, shoes and proper clothing and gives them spiritual mentoring all for $25 a month. The ministry started here in 2004 and we now have 46 children. Two things stuck out to the director of Children of Promise when he came to evaluate the program, review our accounting and interview all of the children: First, there were three children who said they wanted to be missionaries and four that wanted to be pastors! Second, one of the kids tithes on his sponsorship. Of the 3,700 children sponsored in 23 countries, this is the first child to do something of this nature. Awesome! One of the joys of the visit was the opportunity to distribute mosquito nets to all the kids. Only one of the 46 children actually owed one before this week! Th...

I remember my very first church womens' meeting in Paraguay the ladies each had to help sew costumes for the Christmas program. I wanted to crawl into the floorboards and hide. Unfortunately, I don't know how to sew. Sewing's a dying art where I'm from, but I have learned since living in Paraguay how important sewing is for many women in this culture. It's a fantastic way for women to provide income for their family while staying at home. Rosi is a young talented woman in our church. Even though her mom died when she was an adolescent, she taught Rosi how to sew. Now, Rosi is newly married and she works full time; at night she attends seamstress school. She told me earlier this year that her dream was to own her own sewing machine, so she doesn't have to borrow a machine from someone who lives 2 miles away. Her idea is to open her own shop at home, so she can make better money. Right now she works six days a week as a nanny and maid and only makes $80 a ...