Passion for Paraguay

Nicole and I made our first batch of soap last month. It was something we have talked about and finally got around  One thing I enjoy is creating things. The idea of entrepreneurial ideas fascinates me. I have tried to share this passion with my kids.  The ingredients for soap are basic and very affordable.  Used oil from the kitchen and sodium hydroxide. This is all you need. There are plenty tutorials showing how to mix both and mature them into bars of soap. 

As a father, I struggled when Carlos - we call him Carlitos, came to us and asked if he could go out with Nicole - just as friends he said, nothing serious - just getting to know each other. yeah right I thought to myself - just friends !! At the time Nicole was fifteen.  I came into Nicoles life only five years before. We had just celebrated Nicole's 15th birthday, she was excited about getting a horse, playing the harp and just plain enjoying high school. Suddenly Carlitos came into the picture. I knew it would not take long for Nicole to get a date and be seeing by the guys - but so fast? I was taken by surprise.  She is cute, good looking, smart and has all the traits for being an incredible spouse. She will do well and be a great christian leader, wife, and mother. But I was not ready!! Fast forward- Nicole turned 20 this year. Carlitos popped the question six months ago, and gave Nicole a beautiful ring, Nicole said yes, and here we are, only 10 days before they tie the knot

In 2020 we launched a project - denominated Bread . The motivation and vision of this project came from seeing struggling pastors not making it month to month. God will never abandon us - we know that. But churches often treat their pastors poorly. Much is expected but often very little is given back in return.  Over the past twenty years, we have seen wonderful ministries go south because churches and leaders were not able to make ends meet. Churches could not pay their bills, and emotionally exhausted clergy, just quit. One recent couple whom we blessed with a free weekend at a nice hotel, said with tears in their eyes, we have not taken a vacation in five years. Thanks to your donors kindness we experienced God's love thru rest.  What they were also saying, we did not have an extra $300 to get away, rest and have some fun. These testimonies are real and daily.  That's how projects bread and rest have been birthed.  Project Rest is an effort to give a pastoral family in minis

We traveled to Asuncion for other reasons. But we decided to watch Paraguay play soccer against Colombia.  It was one of worst profesional soccer games I have seen. Besides a few seconds of hope, Paraguay was beaten and played with by a very ágil Colombian soccer experts.  It felt like a David and Goliath encounter, but this time, David did not have the God superpower to overcome the 90 min of Colombian torture.  Having said all this, I got to spent time with my oldest son Marcos and that was a win, a big win. Time with family is always a good investment.  We also spend some last minute time with Nicole. She is getting married in two weeks-probably out last trip with Nicole as a single woman. 

In the month of October we traveled to San Gregorio del Polanco, a city of about 3500 in rural central Uruguay. It was here where the Church of God in the country got started some 40 years ago. Since the city sits by a beautiful river and lake, the summers are busy with tourists coming to get away from the big cities.  The city boasts to be the first open museum city in latin america. It all began in 1993, when house and buildings - some 70 - offered their walls for a mural. Now you can find a painting of some sort in almost every city block.  The occasion for this meeting was el Foro de Obreros del Cono Sur (South American Forum of Ministry Workers). This is an initiative that began with missionaries David’s and Barbara Miller.  According to David, the idea of a forum was conceived in 2005. The vision for the Foro or ministers and leaders forum is to come together to be equipped  and deepen scripture knowledge for kingdom work.  The Uruguay Foro brought together nine South American na