Passion for Paraguay

This week we have some of the greatest folks on earth visiting us.  They have two things in common...they love Jesus and they love to ride.  Yes, our long-awaited CMA team has arrived.  They arrived 9 hours late due to their flight being cancelled and having to take a 6 hour bus ride instead.  However, they still got to dedicate the motorcycle that is destined to the Bible translation project for the Ache people. Then they headed down south to help us with painting the radio station. As you can see, the radio desperately needed some paint.  The "after" results are amazing!    We had a really nice time of food and fellowship with the CMA Paraguay chapter, which invited several interested people to attend.   They showed pictures of their bikes and made jokes about each other's motorcycle model, all in good fun of course.   They even fixed a motorcycle owned by the radio that was broken!  I guess we shouldn't be surprised by the man...

For the first time ever COICOM is being held in Paraguay!  I love how this little nation is finally coming onto the radar! What is COICOM?  It stands for La Confederacion Iberomericana de Comunicadores, Pastores, Lideres y Medios Masivos Cristianos.   (The Iberamerican Confederation of Communicators, Pastors, Leaders and Christian Mass Media.   It began in 1992.  It is a movement which serves to train, motivate and mobilize the Church for the evangelism of Hispanics across the globe.  Think of it as a Catalyst conference in Spanish. Every year, the best Latin American leaders are present as speakers in the sessions and services until Saturday night.  This year singer Steve Green, who was raised in South America, is closing out the program with a special concert. Norberto is at the opening session right now with four youth from the radio and ICCI !  Stay tuned for more on this big event.

Today is Norberto's last morning show at Radio Alternativa.  After five years of conducting his radio show 7:00 a.m. daily, it's time for a shift in focus.   While his upbeat, informative mix of local news and music was very popular, it was getting routine.  As we like to say, "We've shot our best bullets" and we're loading our gun for the explosion of the leadership institute.  He's not saying goodbye to radio forever...  He's even contemplating a weekly talk show with the students second semester.     We're looking forward to exciting, new endeavors in 2011.  We're thankful for what God taught us in 2010 and ready to conquer new terrain in the coming months. Have you realized, like us, that you can't do it all?  Do you have any shift in focus this year, anything that you need to let go in order to embrace something else?  Happy New Year!!

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...

We apologize that we've been MIÄ lately.  We got back from Peru only to find out that the radio station had been struck by lightning and the majority of all its equipment was destroyed.  We lost all but 1 computer (6 burned), both sound boards, televisions, 3 kw of the transmitter (2 are remaining), monitors, our phone system, the electrical part of the generator, radios and much, much more.  We are still tabulating the full extent of the damage, but it nears $75,000. We have not had internet since the storm, due to the fact that the radio housed the third party internet service for all three communities here and all their equipment (more than $15,000) was burned as well.  We just got our phone service back today and hopefully, will regain internet access this weekend. In the meantime, we appreciate your prayers for the radio ministry. We trust God to bring glory out of this situation and our hearts are calm, despite the circumstances.

We've been on the road for the last five days, so here's what we've been up to: The Association of Christian Communicators in Paraguay had their annual retreat in Tres Palmas and we had a great time of fellowship, networking and recreation with the other legal Christian radios and TV stations in the nation, 150 total participants! Here's a picture of some of the terrific staff at Alternativa: We got there and realized we forgot our tent poles, so here's what our improvised tent looked like; we were the brunt of many jokes. Thankfully it didn't rain! We also had the privilege of finishing the distribution of the funds for 9 motorcycles and getting to know ministries all over the country, so in the next month, we'll be highlighting different motorcycle recipients and their work. We got our license plate for our new car, which amazingly only took a month; last time it took us almost three years! We have decided to name our car: the White Fish , that's T...

WOOHOO! We are so thrilled to share with you that YOU helped us raise $469 for the generator with your incredible bids on Paraguayan goods. You may have noticed that we have already updated the thermometer (on the right hand side of the blog). Thank you so much for helping us get that much closer to reaching our goal. We have contacted the winning bidders and we look forward to hand-delivering these beautiful gifts to you, our faithful friends. Just a friendly reminder that you can still place an order for delicious Brazilian coffee at the winning bid price of $20/17.6 oz bag. Please contact us by Wed. morning with your order. We will have room to take many bags, so don't be afraid to request some, you won't regret it!

Sorry, that title is so infomercialish. Just a friendly reminder that bids will close on Sat at noon EST! We will email the winners and give payment instructions on May 10. The winning bidder will receive tax credit for their donation! We will either hand deliver or ship (if you live somewhere we won't be visiting) this item to you when we head to the U.S. on May 14. Please note: We will give an opportunity for anyone to purchase coffee at the winning bid price, so be ready to make your order before we leave. These are the current bids: Macá Rainbow purse $32 Macá Blue/White purse $40 Orange Ñanduti Doily $22 Antique White Ñanduti doily $25 Leather Thermos $200 Brazilian Coffee (17.6 oz ground) $20.00/each. Hurry and email us your bids! All proceeds will go to help us raise money for our much needed generator at the radio station! Your bids are helping us spread the word of God.

We are getting close to the end of the auctions to help us buy a desperately needed generator for the radio station. We have received no new donations for our generator project this year. We know that times are difficult all over the globe, but we believe that God's work must continue regardless of the economy! Your bids are helping us spread God's word 24 hours a day! Auctions will end on Saturday, May 9 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Winners will be announced on May 10. The winning bidder will receive tax credit for their donation! We will either hand deliver or ship (if you live somewhere we won't be visiting) this item to you when we head to the U.S. in just a few short weeks, on May 15. These are the latest bids: Macá Rainbow purse $32 Macá Blue/White purse $40 Orange Ñanduti Doily $22 Antique White Ñanduti doily $25 Leather Thermos $200 Brazilian Coffee (17.6 oz ground) $20.00/each. Hurry and email us your bids! All proceeds will go to help us raise money for our muc...

As you are probably aware, we are fundraising for our generator project . Here are the current EVER-CHANGING bids. Just for fun, we're going to add another item into the mix: Brazilian coffee! 500 grams of rich ground South American goodness! Doesn't that make you want to grab a cup of joe right now! I can get these in large quantities, so let me know how many you want. Bidding starts at only $0.99! If you're new to auctions, you can go here to check out the other beautiful items we're auctioning off. Here are the latest bids: Macá Indian rainbow purse: $30 Macá Blue/white purse: $25 Leather thermos set: $200 Ñanduti handwoven lace doilies: $20 each Thanks everyone so much for your bids! Bidding will continue until May 9 at 12:00 p.m. We will announce all the winners on May 10. The winning bidder will receive tax credit for their donation. We will either hand deliver or ship (if you live somewhere we won't be visiting) this item to you when we hea...

If you're new to this, you can go here to check out the beautiful items we're auctioning off. Here are the latest bids: Macá Indian purses: $25/each Leather thermos set: $50 Ñanduti handwoven lace doilies: $10 each Thanks everyone so much for your bids! Bidding will continue until May 9 at 12:00 p.m. We will announce all the winners on May 10. The winning bidder will receive tax credit for their donation. We will either hand deliver or ship (if you live somewhere we won't be visiting) this item to you when we head to the U.S. on May 15. All proceeds will go to help us raise money for our much needed generator at the radio station! You can see that we still have a ways to go to reach our goal.

We are fundraising for our generator project . Here are the current bids. We'd love to see them double or triple! Current bid on the Paraguayan purses made by the Maca Indians: $15.00 each Ñanduti lace. It measures 12 inches in diameter; is beige and is hand-woven. This elegant lace makes a perfect centerpiece or can be framed! Current bid: $0.99 This one is vibrant orange (2 tones). It is the same size as the beige, but with a different lace design. Current bid: $10.00 A close up of the delicate handiwork. This is an authentic Paraguayan tereré set. See this post for a better explanation of this traditional Paraguayan pasttime. This is a genuine 100% leather thermos with matching guampa (cup). It includes a bombilla (straw) as well. You can see that it is very well made with extra strong stitching. These incredibly talented artisans are Christians and are friends of ours. This hand-painted, matching set says Jesús and is brand new. Current Bid: $25 Please c...

Last night we had the group Judá (Judah) from Asuncion present for our big 10th anniversary fiesta concert series. Opening groups included "One to One" and Alas de fuego (Wings of Fire) from Argentina. Norberto discovered a new talent as our emcee. He gave away fun prizes and his lighthearted spirit warmed up the crowd. I worked at the Christian bookstore and counseling at the end of the concert. We showed powerful video clips during the concert Two people came forward and since this young girl, Lilianna became a Christian we gave her a Bible (from the Bible project!), her first. We thank God for bringing people to Him and using different musicians and styles to reach folks. Since most of the musicians have never been to our area, Norberto is taking them on a tour of the Jesuit ruins , the best preserved in the country and tomorrow we're going to the Paraná river for a cookout! We're so grateful for all the volunteers and the Alternativa team and especially ...

We love to explore and this weekend we had the opportunity to discover new places in the department (state) of Caaguazu, Paraguay. We were invited to participate in the 10th anniversary program of our sister radio station, Mensajero (The Messenger) 100.9 FM in Tres Palmas, Caaguazu. It was a five hour drive; the last hour we were eating dust constantly and dodging enormous potholes on the 40 km dirt road stretch. There were so many turns and no signs, so we had to stop and ask directions nine times! This rural colony, along with Bergthal, and Sommerfeld, were founded by Mennonite farmers. There are approximately 28,000 Mennonites living in Paraguay today. This radio is managed by the EMC (Evangelical Mennonite Convention). Here is a picture of Norberto in front of the station. The celebration was a testament to God's guidance and provision for this outreach ministry. We were so honored to be special guests and we are grateful that the hope of Jesus Christ is broadcasted in ...

Our generator project, you can read about it here, called "Generating Hope" is burning in our hearts right now. It is our prayer that we can purchase this needed tool before we go to the States in May. We are auctioning off beautiful Paraguayan artisan goods to raise money for the generator. All items were purchased from locals at a fair price and all proceeds will go toward the generator. We still need $5,500. We have raised $2,500 to date. You can see the thermometer on the right hand side of the webpage. Here are two lovely purses, perfect for your daughter, granddaughter or wife. They are made by the Macá Indians and are 6.5 inches tall. You may bid on one or both. Just specify the color you like best. Bidding starts at $0.99. This is beautiful ñanduti. Ñanduti is constructed using needles on wooden frames and is Paraguay's most typical artwork. It measures 12 inches in diameter; is beige and is hand-woven. This elegant lace makes a perfect centerpiece o...

As part of our 10th anniversary festivities, Radio Alternativa is organizing a series of concerts this year. On Saturday night we held an evangelistic concert in the plaza of Bella Vista. We had a choreograph team, a rapper from Encarnacion who shared his powerful testimony and a worship team from Villarrica. We counted around 350 people who attended, the weather was absolutely beautiful and the mayor was so happy that we're trying to reach youth. He told us, "The plaza's yours anytime you want it!" and he made sure the grass was cut and the grounds were immaculate before the concert. Here Norberto is giving the invitation to come to our next concert in Hohenau, on April 3. Thanks for your prayers for our outreach events and for Paraguayan youth who need to hear the message of HOPE.

This week we were visited by some of our listeners in Hipolito Irigoyen, a small village in Misiones, Argentina, about a two hour bus ride east of the radio station. A total of 17 youth crossed over the bridge for the first time to visit Paraguay, tour the radio and hang out with the youth from our church. We took them to the ruins, had picnics and laughed together and yesterday, we dropped them off in the pouring rain to the Bella Vista port to catch a boat across the river. Even though they were able to do a little tourism, they came primarily to thank Radio Alternativa 92.7 for their ministry to youth. One young man began a relationship with the Lord through our radio and now has his own Christian radio program on a secular station in his town! These young people use the Christian songs we play and make choreographs out of them to show in town squares and in churches. Many of the youth shared some of their testimonies on air and all the radio staff were touched, even to tears, t...