Passion for Paraguay

I thought it was time to get a few new pics up of the kids.... They are bonding so well and really love each other.  Timmy was just pushing Anahi in the swing Norb rigged up in the living room.  Getting ready to go on a home visit...  Trying to beat the heat, it's SOOOO hot right now.  Our princess eating a little snack. Our geothermal continues to slowly progress.  Norberto is working with some young boys from the area to do the hard digging that's required.  Hopefully our home (currently 85 degrees inside) will cool down soon!!

This week we had some missionary friends visiting from near Asuncion.  It's always fun to have friends come over.  We went to the new beach in Bella Vista and had a summer cookout.  We purchased our tickets for our furlough this summer!!  We'll be traveling through and spending time in Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and possibly Colorado and a few other stops.  Phew.  Looking so, so, SO forward to being with family and friends.  If we're heading your way and you'd like us to visit, give us a holler! Norberto is attending the annual youth camp in Santa Rita.  There are 250 youth present from Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Please pray for the youth and their passion for God. My mom is here visiting us and we will be privileged that she is staying two months to spend time with the kids and help with several projects. We saw a toucan in our avocado tree twice this week.  Hopef...

Usually we shy away from those things that look a little too self-serving. For this reason, we don’t often talk of finances or of needs, especially the physical ones. However, recent events in the financial climate as well as our first-hand knowledge of how these events are dramatically affecting ministries operating here, have necessitated my writing this informative piece. Many times we Americans don’t know a whole lot about how the world functions outside of our borders. Even if we are seasoned business travelers or vacationers we only experience the other countries we visit from the small window of opportunity those things offer. Today, I wanted to take the time to tell you a little about exchange rates. Many of you may support ministries outside of the United States and if so I want to share a little bit of how those financial blessings operate once they leave the good ole U.S. of A.  While there are several countries outside the USA that use the U.S. dollar for...

The flowers are blooming!  (magnolias) (yucca flower) The garden is growing... The orchids are flowering...  This delicate orchid in our yard is called a "micro orchid" as the flowers that are blooming are best seen under a microscope. The puppies are playing... (.thank God that they all sold, but they're so cute who couldn't resist!) and her clothes are hanging!!.. in the anticipated arrival of our daughter.  We are expecting to be able to bring her home in the next 2-3 weeks. We rejoice at the signs of spring in our home and family.  God is so good!!  He makes all things beautiful in His time.  What are some signs of spring in your life right now?

Our lab pups are almost 45 days old; aren't they adorable!  We have eight pure bred pups and we will be selling them to help pay our attorney fees for the adoption.  This extra income (pray that they sell) could not have come at a better time because our budget could not handle the added expense of the attorney/court fees for the adoption.  Three weeks ago we had no idea that a precious little girl would be added to our family soon, so we didn't have time to save up.  Not to mention that the dollar is so low here, it really makes prayer an integral part of our existence! So, if you know of anyone living in Paraguay that wants the best all-around dog that's fantastic with kids, send 'em our way! 

I know I'm a little behind on posting, but I have an excuse, which I'll tell you about soon.  But first, you can't live in Paraguay and not have a party spirit!  Here's our celebration for Norberto's 40th birthday last week.  We made his favorite food, which is gnocchi's (noquis in Spanish) for lunch.  It's an Italian potato pasta, and while it's a little laborious, it's so worth the effort.  Here Timmy's using the special wooden gnocchi maker, but you can get the same look using a fork. We planned a backyard BBQ with friends, but since the forecast called for freezing weather and storms, we had our little shindig at the local restaurant.  Since it was so stormy, we had the whole place to ourselves!  We had some games, led by Norberto's brother Marcos, followed by some entertainment.    The Kurrle Quartet made their appearance with some great songs, including one humorous song dedicated especially to Norberto.  This is one of the...

Someone in our home had a milestone birthday this week.  He's entering a new decade and we're pretty excited here to celebrate his life and all that God has done to bless him.  More pics to come. While we didn't win the Kindle contest a while back, some friends are sending us one they don't use.  Isn't that fantastic! Last night was the first frost of the season and a cold front is blowing in.  I am reminded how seasons in our lives are so important.  There is beauty in each season and there are challenges that come as well.    Here's a pic of Timmy and Norb early this morning using spatulas to scrape the car window so Timmy could get to school! Last night we gave thanks to God for a roof over our heads, a warm fireplace and food.  We prayed for Paraguayans that live in poverty without the basics to stay healthy.  What are you thankful for right now?  What season are you in? 

This is a three year old fruit tree in our back yard.  At the top of this tree you can see the first tangerines it has ever produced.  You can imagine how excited we were after watching that tree grow for three years to finally try those juicy, little treats!  However, while we were waiting for the tangerines to fully ripen, we had some people stay in our home while we were gone and they ate ALL our fruits and we didn't even get to enjoy them.  After getting over our initial frustration, we realized that there seems to be a lesson in this somewhere.  We decided we had "unwillingly" given our first fruits offering!  We gave of the best that we had. Proverbs 3 says it like this, "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine." The neat thing about first fruits is that you know that there is more to come.   You give up somethi...

Welcome to 2011!!!   In case you missed out, here are the top five most read posts in descending order on Passion for Paraguay during 2010.   5.  Terere-More than Just a Drink -  Here we talk about the importance of the cold version of mate tea as an essential cultural element.  4.  How to Use a Washboard Sink -  This is a how-to video I made for a children's Bible school program.  I never thought it would become so popular!  This is one of those many things I'd never thought I'd do on the mission field!  3. My God Delivered Me -  This tells the story of the assault that occurred at our house on October 23.  I've been able to share with countless people about God's faithfulness in protecting me and our son during a very scary attack.  Since then, we've put bars on our windows and heightened security, thanks to help from our friends. 2.  Christmas in Paraguay -  These are a  few of the tradit...

We're getting back to normal after recent events in our home.  We're sure thankful for all your prayers and we took extra time this week to really savor our family.. Together again and celebrating the simple things in life... Timmy wrestles every night with his Papi. When they aren't wresting, they're creating something interesting.  Here they made a new lego invention... Sandy wants to see too!   One of six lab puppies, isn't he adorable?  We'll be so sad to see them go! Tomorrow we're continuing our recruiting schedule in the city of Naranjal.  Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the simple things too!

As director of a children's ministry called Children of Promise every month, I purchase, deliver, package and distribute food for 52 children.  It is a huge undertaking and thankfully, I don't do it alone.    It takes 4-5 hours to complete the process from start to finish.  We buy the items i.e.:  flour, soap, toothpaste, fruits, vegetables, milk and rice for the families that are involved in the ministry. Here are some of my faithful helpers at work: We still have some children who are waiting for a sponsor, like Hector V.  He's 7 and loves animals.  He likes to play soccer, help his mom watch his little brother and go to Sunday School.  If you are interested in helping a child get healthy food, receive an education and learn more about God, please contact Children of Promise .

Here are the random things that are happening in our household.... We're not a cat family! Our cat ran away two weeks ago and we (the parentals) haven't missed him.  Did I mention that the mice are all gone? We were broken into on Sunday.  We only realized it when we went to the safe yesterday and found that the key was broken and on the ground.  You may be asking why our safe key was in the safe.  Well, the safe can only be opened with the key AND the combination code.  Thankfully, the thief could not open the safe or take it away, since it takes about 3 people to lift it. As far as we know, he took nothing. The thief came in through the floor boards of our ceiling.  We are getting to know our thief rather well.  He only comes in during the day and he only wants money.  He leaves subtle clues that's he's been here...Just wish we could know his first name!  We're now shopping around for a security camera.  We thank God for our protecti...

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.

We are winding down the chicken project for the winter season.  It is too hard to keep the chicken warm and they don't grow as fast during the cold months of the year, so we're slaughtering what's left of the batch and will pick up again in the spring.  Here's us transporting one of the chicken coops.  Notice the Paraguayan flag in the background?  People are hanging flags from their businesses, from their cars and even wearing them as capes as World Cup fever has struck Paraguay...more on that in a future post (game 2 is this Sunday). Zach and Erin have been busy preparing a great lawn game called cornhole , (if you are from the midwest, you know that this is a serious sport!) for our family day at church.  Zach made the wood board and Erin sewed the bean bags.  Now, Zach is painting the boards and getting them ready for a tournament. Here we are peeling mandioca in preparation for company.  It has several names including: yuca, manioc, cassava...

Wow, we've been really inconsistent here lately.  It's amazing how we've come to depend upon technology and how frustrated we get when it's not available.  I'm thankful for access to the world wide web today. Here's the random trail mix in our lives: This week, Norberto's brother, Marcos called to tell us his new computer store in the capital had been robbed.  His clerk, a youth in the church, was held at gunpoint, his hands were tied, his mouth was taped and the thief locked him in the bathroom while he stole between $2-3,000 worth of merchandise.  We pray that the acts of violence, stealing and corruption would end. Our tribe is recovering.  Norberto had pneumonia, and Timmy is back in school today (after a case of bronchitis). Chicken slaughter is tomorrow.  We have designated titles (head hunter, pluckers, dipper, cleaners).  Care for pictures? Julie's preaching this weekend on John 7:37-38, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me an...

It’s been a month of downs and more downs for us here.  We had a close call with a neighbor’s brush fire that got out of hand. Today we got word that the church was robbed while we are still rallying from the catastrophe of the radio unfortunate lightning strike that caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to the equipment.  Since that incident (on April 25), we’ve had no internet or telephone.  Not to mention, we can’t get rid of the fleas that are plaguing our feet (and our dog) every single day. We recognize that these situations are no coincidence.  Before Jesus sent out his twelve disciples he told them, “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.” Matt 10:16 (the Message) It seems that God is wanting to teach us the importance of being content in all circumstances. That’s what kept Paul going wh...

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....

Timmy's corn is starting to come up (photo credit:  Timmy) We fixed up our chicken house (thank you David!) and just got a new batch of chicks!  Timmy is the best caretaker and even asked us if he could sleep in there to keep the chicks safe. Norberto's sister, Nila, is teaching us how to make our own organic peanut butter using a meat grinder!  We hope to incorporate peanuts in one of our micro enterprise products. We continue to work on our geo-thermal heating/cooling system.  This will allow us to dramatically reduce our heating bill this fast-approaching winter and conserve the environment as well!  We are having a huge problem with pests these days.  If it's not rats, it's ants.  Then there's the fleas and the piques (sand fleas) which are our mortal enemy!  We've been fumigating and trying every remedy possible against these ugly nuisances.  Every night we have to check our feet for the little critters.  They burrow their...

I just love how God's creativity and humor is revealed in nature.  I was doing my morning devotional and I saw the scene of a mother dove feeding her young with flair!

Just a few random things going on in our household this very warm week: Construction: We are working on two more rooms of our home, so there is dust everywhere!  That is the price we pay for moving into an unfinished home.  However, we've saved 9 months of rent already, which goes into our construction fund!  We've been building since 2007, so we are learning patience and how to diy (do-it-yourself), but it is so great to be making progress, little by little! This is our geothermal system that Norberto is installing. The children's park: Eight of us worked on the children's playground again this weekend.  It is really coming along!  The Explorers will help finish the project next month. The early bird: This red-crested finch wakes us up every morning around 5:30.  Either He wants to come in or he just wants to greet us, but he doesn't miss a beat (not even on Saturdays).  He's a rare rain forest bird and if you're jealous of our unique ala...