Passion for Paraguay

If you missed the speech, president Zelenski spoke to the US congress this past week. He has become a héroe for many, and I am sure a foe to others. When I saw his speech, only a day  and hours before our Christmas holidays, I was moved, and I have to admit, teary eye. Thus writing this short article became important. The meaning of Christmas, is very conflicting to me during wartimes. The idea of not having electricity in the winter, let alone in a modern 2022 world, is also very primitive and middle age. And here someone is using the winter to cause harm on purpose to innocent civilians.  Zelenski said: We are constantly being attacked by missiles. When we hear the sirens, we get into our basements to save our life's from the Russian strikes. They  are attempting to shut Ukraine down, by destroying our cities and electric power plants. He paused for a moment and added: But there is one thing they will never shut out. That is the light within us,...

For the past weeks, Anahi in her evening prayers has been asking for the sun to come out the next day. Almost every prayer in the evening ends with this personal request to God. Last night while it was raining and I could hear the winds outside, she asked me this question: Daddy, do you want sun or rain tomorrow?. I am not sure I replied, to which she insisted that I be honest and pick one option. Ok, I would prefer sunshine tomorrow. So she prayed, God, I ask that tomorrow you bring a beautiful sunshine over our city, in the name of Jesus amen. I kissed her goodnight and walked out of her bedroom. I could not stop thinking about her request and how naturally she talked to God.  She honestly believes God will change the weather with he r request.  I was astonished and somewhat ashamed of my grown up lack of faith.. . . so while the winds were raging and the rain was pouring out, I went to bed thinking about my daughter’s prayer. I woke up got ready for the day...

After having our power off Thursday, Friday, part of Saturday and part of this morning, we have had a VERY quiet Holy Week!! Here are some pics we took right before the service...thanks to our wonderful photographer Nila.  There were many people at church last night and we believe the Holy Spirit was stirring hearts. It rained again this morning and after the rain let up, we were able to hide some Easter eggs for the children this afternoon to enjoy an American tradition.   The eggs are typically Paraguayan and they are beautiful.  You use a real egg shell and splatter paint it.  Then hollow it out and put in a sugary peanut mixture.  After it's full, cut out a piece of tissue paper and adhere it to the egg using egg white as a glue.      The eggs and family time are fun, but we are grateful that we celebrate the true significance of Easter, RISEN KING today and on every day of the year!

While we were traveling last week I got a text message from another Paraguayan missionary sending condolences for my loss. I had no idea what that message referred to, so I told my husband I better find a place where we could check our email. Sure enough, we had gotten several messages from family informing us that grandpa Beam had passed away and his funeral had occurred that morning.  Even though Grandpa's health was declining for a few years now, I was so sad that I was unreachable and felt such guilt that I wasn't there. These are the times when the call to serve the Lord overseas gets tough. I knew that when I signed on to be a missionary this would be part of the package.  I count myself extremely fortunate that after almost 10 years on the field, this is the first family member I've lost. Still, I felt so helpless, so hurt. I didn't get to say goodbye. I also missed the celebration of his life; I wanted to laugh and cry with family as they shared funny stor...

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day weeping.  One of our most loved supporters died on Christmas day and we just got the news.  She had been battling cancer for over ten years.   She came to visit us for the first time in 2007 on a CMA trip and we became instant friends after that.  She would write us on a weekly basis with an encouraging word.  She would send us 3-4 care packs a year, she would mail cards on our birthdays.  She would pray for us consistently.  She arranged for us to have a vehicle while we were on our last furlough and drove it from Perry, GA to Orlando, FL to deliver it to us.  Seriously, who does that?  There are very few people like Anita in our lives.  Although we rejoice that she is no longer suffering, we mourn this great loss and wonder, "Who will fill the void that she left?"  She not only was our cheerleader, she sent packages overseas to our soldiers (she served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 ...

  "Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me! Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. © 1923. Ren. 1951 Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188 www.hopepublishing.com

OVERFLOWING with thankfulness for all that God has done for us this year!  Our hope is that you too are giving thanks to our Father for His many blessings on your lives today.

Nine years ago today we pulled into Paraguay.  This is what we (and our poor truck) looked like the day before arriving to the Paraguayan border.  After being on the Pan American highway for over 70 days (we left Anderson, Indiana on Sept. 6) we were so elated (and exhausted) when we finally arrived that we both wept when we saw the " Bienvenidos a Paraguay " sign. As we reflect back on these past nine years in South America, they've been some of the best and yet toughest years of our lives.  I look at myself then and I see myself as a kid, a whipper snapper of sixteen years or so (I was much older than that!).  I feel like I've matured decades since arriving here; the Paraguayans are so gracious and have taught me so much.  Yet, I still feel in a way like a kid cross-culturally.  I'm still making language blunders and I'm still missing social cues and I definitely still (and perhaps always will) feel like an outsider.  I can't imagine what I woul...

Since today is Orphan Sunday , we thought we'd post a new picture of our little princess.  She is such a happy, delightful baby and we thank God every day for her!  It's hard to believe she's only been home a little over two months.  She is fitting in so well...sleeping and eating well and she just loves people.  Two and a half years ago Norberto joined me in the call to adopt at the Expolit radio conference in Miami when he saw a session called, "The Miracle of Adoption" with Rebeca and Brian Knowles . The speakers at that session dispelled the myths that many people have regarding the adoption process.  Norberto broke down at that conference and knew that God was telling Him he needed to take a step of faith.  When we returned home from our furlough we immediately started the adoption process.  Now, two weeks ago at the COICOM conference in Asuncion, the same speakers were present and he was able to share as a testimony how God used them to touc...

This weekend was the closing ceremony for the Fire Proof Love Dare (Prueba de Fuego) study that has been going on for the past seven weeks in our church.  They asked us to share with all the couples (five of the six are not from our church) a message about commitment in marriage. We mentioned the importance of forgiveness and viewing marriage as a covenant, not a contract as a few of the most important components to an enduring relationship. After we spoke, the couples were given an opportunity to renew their vows publicly.  Some couples even bought rings to symbolize this new stage. As couples recommitted to each other, some got very emotional.  One couple is trying to survive marital infidelity, another couple is facing the challenges of the empty nest and a few more the stress of having very young children to attend.  We celebrate with them this new chapter and pray God's blessings and strength on them. After the ceremony, we had a lovely dinner (tables for t...

Timmy came out of our room with his "papi's" commander shirt on.  He asked if he could put on his hat and belt too.  We started to laugh at him giving orders like Norberto does every Saturday in the Explorer's Club.  Then Timmy said, "I want to be a Commander when I grow up, just like Papi."   Timmy loves his dad and he copies everything he does. He walks like him. Talks like him. He eats the same foods (especially too much dulce de leche on his bread) He wants to help him with every project. He even pees outside on the trees, just like dad. (I'm not saying I like it though). and he told us just yesterday that he was Papi's best son and he showed me his little thumb that matches His Papi's unique thumb.  Yes, Timmy.  You are your Papi's best son.    So, Timmy made me think.... "I wonder how I'm doing at copying everything my heavenly "Papi" does?"  Do I walk like He does? Do I talk like He does? ...

When we walked into the judge's office yesterday the judge had a look on her face that could kill.  She did not greet us or smile.  She simply told us to have a seat.  I gulped and said a quick "Oh Lord, help us" type of prayer.  This was the judge that everyone warned us about.  The one that throws young children out of her courtroom.  We had been praying for weeks that we would be salt and light to this woman and when we walked into our office I knew we would need a miracle. She started asking the normal questions...our age, our nationality...  Then she asked why we wanted to adopt.  We explained that we had always wanted a big family, but due to infertility problems, things hadn't gone as planned.  We told her that we have been praying for a child for years and that we truly believed that Anahi is the answer to our prayer. In that moment, something happened to the judge's face. She smiled, then she looked down and started to weep....

The last three days have been some of the most difficult and exhilirating of my entire adult life.  They were full of joy, fear, sadness, doubt to name just a few of the emotions that gripped my heart while I was with our daughter in Asuncion. I took an overnight bus to be with her when she got up in the morning.  In order to see her beautiful morning smile I needed to face my fears of walking in the same terminal where I was assaulted in 2008- my purse knifed by three thugs.  I arrived safely and I walked into her foster caregivers home at 6:00 a.m. and saw her there sleeping and in perfect peace.  Thank you God for this amazing gift!  I spent the next days learning about our daughter's daily life and routine with the family that so graciously cared for her  and helped her to understand the love of a family, a real home.  I was so humbled by their hospitality.  They are a modest family yet they gave me their bed, and their bedroom while the c...

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?

Today is a wonderful day in Paraguay.  It is " Dia de la Amistad " or Friendship Day.  Everyone greets each other in a warm and special way.  People exchange small gifts, have parties and send each other lots of text messages to express how much they appreciate each other. Here are the flower arrangements that we made for our friends with a special verse:  "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves"  Romans 12:10 While we can't send you flowers today, we want to tell you how much you mean to us.  Your friendship has strengthened and encouraged us.  You sharpen us and make us more loving, more giving, more trusting and better listeners.  As Emily Dickinson said, "My friends are my estate."  You are a rich inheritance and we don't want to ever take you for granted.  We love you, dear friends and thank God that He's placed you in our lives!!

This last week has been a whirlwind of activity.  We turned in our paperwork to the adoption agency and lawyer on Tuesday and now we do what we have learned to do well in Paraguay.  We wait. There is a chance that we could be named Anahi's guardians before the adoption is complete.  Please pray for the Lord's will to be done.  Now that we know our sweet girl, we can't stand living without her.  She is a precious gift from the Lord. I was looking back in my journal last night to see if I had written anything on the day of her birth. ( I only write about once a week or so.)  But indeed, I did write something... September 21, 2010 "Is anything too hard for the Lord?  That's the verse I studied today in my Patriarch's lesson.  No, Lord nothing is too difficult for you!  I believe in your divine power and your ways.  I am praying for my miracle and entrusting the details to you, sweet Jesus."   I got teary-eyed as I read what I ...

Yesterday was one of the best days of our lives.  It all still feels surreal and while we don't have time to tell the whole story right now (we're running around town doing paperwork), we'll tell you that she is God's gift to our family. We met our little girl yesterday morning and she is beautiful.  Shé s 10 months old today (Sept. 21, 2010).  She's got big brown eyes, is very happy and active and crawling a LOT.  She has two little teeth on the bottom and what was the biggest surprise is that she's blond!  Even the social worker says that doesn't happen in Paraguay.   She immediately opened her arms to Norberto and gave him a kiss, as if she knew she was in her daddy's arms. We can't take her home until we do paperwork and the judge signs her over to us. That's why we didn't write earlier, we've been all over Asuncion trying to get everything done.  We hired a lawyer and are hoping that we can get her w/i the month, but it ...

Friends, after almost giving up hope on hearing from the adoption agency (you may recall that we've been waiting to adopt a Paraguayan orphan since Nov 09), they called last week and told us that of 90 families on the waiting list, they've narrowed it down to 29.  They said that we would most likely be parents to another child by the end of 2011. Then, they called us back today......and our hearts almost stopped.  We are to report in Asuncion at the adoption agency on Wed. at 9:00 to meet our little girl !!!  We don't know any other details at this time, but will certainly keep you posted.   We are excited beyond belief.  God has answered our prayers.  We will post (hopefully with pics) after we meet our sweet princess.

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...

I've been reflecting this week on the recent robbery I faced and I wanted to share a few more interesting details: I didn't have my cell phone with me when I went to bed the night before the attack.  My phone was charging in the kitchen, but I got a late night call from a friend and brought my phone to my nightstand, just close enough to reach when I was bound and gagged. My sister-in-law had her cell phone on silence when I made the phone call to her at 6:25 a.m.  However, at 6:22 she had to go to the restroom and when she came back to her bed she saw the flashing light on her cell phone with a new message. I was extremely calm and at peace during the entire ordeal. Our little guy remained asleep during shouting and more yelling (I'm still hoarse) and the dog barking and the crashing of chairs...you get the idea.  He still has no clue that a bad man was a few feet from him and did him no harm. He sensed something happened since we didn't sleep at home at night, b...