Passion for Paraguay

This morning I read this article entitled, "Why You Should Not Buy Your Child an IPad" and the author mentioned that it's more productive to have a child go outside and play basketball or build a fort.  Although the author of the articple mentioned that the IPad has e-book and read-aloud capabiltities, he's never seen a child reading an e-book while using it.  The cool apps just "suck a child in" and affect a child's desire to go out and make friends and be active.  Why am I mentioning this, as I'm a missionary writing about events in Paraguay? Because it affects me.  Yesterday, while eating with some dear friends at their home in the capital, we were introduced to their new daughter-in-law.  She's smart, beautiful, in her mid-twenties and she couldn't look us in the eyes because they were glued to her smartphone.  I couldn't believe how addicted she was to hearing the "beep" of a new text message.  She couldn't even c...

The first time our neighbor Roberto brought over some food, I looked into the pan and thought I was going to vomit.  It was a cow's hoof.  All I could think of was the amount of manure that was under that toenail and after saying a prayer to God for strength, I just barely get it down. That was nine years ago and he still continues to bring us over food about once a month and while I still don't like cow's hoof, the level of Paraguayan hospitality is the best we've ever encountered.  This family doesn't even have electricity, (no fridge or stove) yet they want to share with us what they have. This past week, when Roberto handed over some warm tortillas (like a salty pancake) to Norberto he whispered.... don't return the dish empty .  A little confused, Norberto asked for clarification. Roberto chuckled and said that true Paraguayan culture requires that when a neighbor brings you food, you, in turn, should fill it with something you've made to share ...

In the midst of a jam packed weekend with the Explorer's campout, hosting a group of Volleyball players from Florida, speaking at a women's breakfast and preparing to teach children's church at night, the unexpected happened. We got a call.  It was another one of those dreaded calls.  The family that asked us for help two weeks ago with the birth of their teenage daughter's baby named Abagail called again to tell us that the baby had died. I had so much to do, but I knew I needed to ask God for strength and drop everything and go to be with the family. I got there and saw their 18 year old daughter, still recuperating after her emergency c-section two weeks before.  It seems like just yesterday we helped sponsor her q uinceaños party.  She was sitting outside staring at the wind.  She looked too young and innocent to have just lost a child. I went to her and touched her shoulder.  She grabbed me and started to heave as she clung to me.  "Why...

We do too! So, if you help us we'll help you win a prize too.  Let's explain...Remember last year how we were really trying to feed our addiction to books hankering to win a kindle in the missionary blog contest ? Well, some dude from Togo, Africa won it. This year, Missionary-Blogs is hosting the contest again and we thinks that the prize needs to go to some folks in Paraguay (wink, wink). Here's why we think we should win the kindle: 1.  shipping books to Paraguay is super expensive and takes months. 2.  we don't have any more room on the bookshelves 3.  we want to help save the planet and trees 4.  we want to actually have a gadget that came out later than the 90s. (yes we still use a VCR and analog tv) Here’s what you need to do to help us win: Leave a comment on a missionary blogger’s blog (ahem, that would be Passion for Paraguay ).  The comment must be relevant… not just Hi I love your blog .  Comment on what the post is about...

We were in bed when we heard the clap at the gate.  This has happened before and it's never good.  We've experienced nights when someone clapped after dark to tell of an accident, domestic violence, and even a suicide.  So, last night when the clap came late, we peeked out the window and saw who it was. That's when we made the decision. It was the family who we've helped many times.  Their teenage daughter got pregnant and was due this week.  They were hoping that she wouldn't need a C-section, because the local health center charges for the surgery.  We've been telling them for the past seven months that they need to save for the unexpected and prepare for the birth. A pregnancy is not an emergency crisis.  It is a planned expense.   So, when the clap came late it was because they needed money for her C-section.  It wasn't easy to ignore the claps and the cell phone calls, but there are times when we have to choose not to help, ...

This is part two of our trip to Ñeembucú .  Since we are fascinated by history (Norberto's masters is in History and Intercultural studies) we took the opportunity to visit four different museums in this historical part of the country, where the bulk of the Triple Alliance War was fought and where Jesuit ruins are preserved. These are the Humait á ruins.  This Catholic church was bombed for six months during the Triple Alliance War because it was thought to have held Paraguay's weapons. From inside the ruins you can see the beautiful Paraguay river.   This is in front of the museum of Isla Umbu , where General Lopez had his military base.  A new monument is being inaugurated for Paraguay's bicentennial on May 14-15 in Paso de Patria .  Along with the battle scene of the Triple Alliance War are General Mariscal Fransisco Lopez's famous words "Defeat or Die"  This is at the war museum of Paso de Patria.  We spent two hours in this tiny museu...

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...

We never thought we'd have to put bars on our windows, but after our recent robbery and assault , we've decided that it's an important security measure.  Thanks to the help of some supporters in Michigan, tonight we can sleep with our windows open. Needing bars on our windows is a result of living in a fallen world.  I'm looking forward to a time when locks on doors, guard dogs and alarm systems aren't necessary.  Aren't you?  Guess that will only come in heaven.

This is the "special of the day" in our supermarket.  Should I take an order for anyone?

Saturday was a day I’d never like to repeat.  I woke up at 6:11 a.m. and I unlocked my bedroom door and went to the kitchen to unlock the front door.  As I was unlocking the door I felt someone behind me.  I turned and there was a man in our living room with a steak spear in his hand and he grabbed me.  I screamed and started yelling for our dog, for our neighbor, for anyone.  He was big, almost 200 lbs, and wore a white motorcycle helmet on his head.  I kicked and screamed and knocked down chairs.  I then realized after wrestling with him to escape for almost 10 minutes that I should ask him what he wants.  He said, “Quiero plata”  (I want money). I told him to let me go so I could get my purse. I desperately did not want him to go into my bedroom, where my four year old was sleeping. He did not let me go, instead he dragged me by the hair and took me to my room, where Timmy was sleeping and where my purse was.  I opened my wallet an...

Plucking the last of our chicken for the season. 

Remember how we mentioned we were dealing with a few plagues?   Well, there is good news to share! The sand fleas are in hibernation due to the rain and freezing temps we've been having lately.  We haven't had to dig into our feet for over two weeks! We never thought we'd own a cat.  I hate cats.  However, extreme situations call for extreme measures.  We killed over 40 mice and rats and we still couldn't get a handle on the problem. Silver is here and the rats are on the run!  This little guy is only 2 months old, but he doesn't mess around.  He is a great hunter and he's very friendly too.  So, now we have a dog, a cat (his brother is arriving on Sat), six chicken and we'll be getting two turkeys this week sometime, so we can have turkey on Thanksgiving! It's raining animals at our house and we're almost becoming a farm.  But the pests are on the way out the door and that, friends, is a VERY good thing.

Yesterday I had just taken Timmy to preschool and I look up and the sky was full of black smoke.  I told my sister-in-law as we were driving home that the smoke looked like it was really close to our house.  As we approached our road my heart started to beat really fast....the smoke seemed like it was in our back yard!  Our neighbor's field was on fire!   I pulled in the drive to find Norberto and our international guest were in the front yard and going next door to check it out.  On the way, he called the firemen to alert them of the situation.  Thankfully, they were already on the scene. Here are the firefighters in action.  At one point in the video, Norberto is telling them where to go to get more water because they ran out!   Also, look closely at the hose; this is Paraguay people!  Remind me to lend them some duct tape. I stayed at home and watered our straw hut because the roaring sound of the fire was getting awfully close....

1.  Kill the chicken by either snapping its neck or chopping its head off.  We've found that the former method is less messy, but the chopping block is faster.  Let the blood drain into a bucket. 2. Plunge the chicken in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen the skin to facilitate the plucking process. 3.  Hang the chicken by its legs and pluck all the feathers 4. Singe the chicken over a fire to get rid of any remaining feather stubs. 5.  Take out the gizzards, wash them and preserve in another container for giblet dressing. The results:  The best ever Thanksgiving dinner under our hut!

The last time we were in the States we bought a hair trimmer. We have long since paid for the machine and now we've opened up our own barber shop. The neighborhood kids have been asking us to cut their hair because a haircut costs $2.50 and they just don't have that kind of extra money. So, we've been perfecting our hair cutting abilities and we take turns cutting hair during siesta! Paraguayans have very thick hair and it takes twice as long for us to cut their hair as it does our own. While we won't quit our day job to become stylists, we are booming with business!

My first time washing clothes by hand was a complete disaster. We were on our Pan American excursion. We were in Peru and we had no clean clothes left. We stopped at a rustic hotel in the middle of the desert and to my utter surprise, there was no washing machine to be found (how naive). I stared at the washboard sink for about 10 minutes completely clueless as to how to begin washing clothes. I fumbled my way through the process never dreaming that I would one day become a washboard whiz! Here's me staring at the sink: While my supportive husband was doing this Three hours later (I'm not kidding), I managed to kinda wash all our clothes Now, I wash clothes by hand five days a week. We get really dirty with the red dirt here, so while we own a standard washing machine, it doesn't leave our clothes clean. Upon request of a children's ministry in the States, I made a "how to" video on washing on a washboard sink. It's what works for me. I now ...