A Season in Paraguay

A Feast of Trumpets

2009-09-29T15:21:00.001-04:00

The last 8 days have been like a whirlwind. Last Friday I sent out an email to the majority of you sharing about my awesome experience at the youth camp as well as the subsequent theft of my duffle bag, Donald’s backpack and my trumpet from our car.

We have been so blessed by the outpouring of prayers and encouragement that we have received from both people who are close to us as well as those we have never met. God has and is working in an amazing way through this incident. He has taken what the enemy intended for evil and is using it for His good. In ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him!

Last Tuesday as I was waiting for the window to be replaced in our car I had a lot of time to pray and work on my Bible study (we are currently doing the Experiencing God Bible study in Spanish). One passage that stood out to me in particular was Matthew 6:19-21.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

After reading that, I felt God say to me, “Trust that I will provide. It’s not your trumpet that was special, but the gift I have given you to play it for me.” He knows how special that particular trumpet was to me. After all, I had had it for almost 20 years and had learned to play praise music on it.

When I returned home there was an email from my mother saying she had found me a brand new trumpet for less than a used one. There is also a missionary from our team in the States right now who will be able to bring it to me tomorrow.

However, this is not the best of the news. Around the same time, I also received several other emails from people who would like to send me trumpets!

My trumpet was stolen after sundown on September 18^th. I did not realize the significance of the date until someone pointed it out to me. That is when Rosh Hoshana was observed this year. Another name for this holiday is the Feast of Trumpets. For this feast God commanded the Israelites to have a day of rest and a memorial of blowing of trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6).

I believe God wants to redeem this situation and provide instruments for others to learn to praise Him on. The school I'm working with (New Horizon School) is in the process of building a new Sports and Music Center and is in need of musical instruments. Hardly anyone can afford them and band instruments like trumpets are practically nonexistent.

If we receive more trumpets, I can start teaching a group of students when the new school year begins in February. What better way to thwart the enemy and bless a community than by having our very own feast of trumpets!

If you would like to donate a trumpet (or any other instrument), please see the information below for shipping information. There is a US military shipment coming to Asuncion in the next few months. If the instruments arrive to the Minnesota warehouse by OCTOBER 21^st, they will get to the school without any further charges to you or us. The school received items in this shipment last year without problems. It is safe and secure!

Blessings to you all,

Carol

Special Shipment to Paraguay Instruction Sheet

This is being made possible through the Denton Project- a US military transport plane that transports items to non-profit organizations in third world countries.

For our school, other schools we are assisting, and for other ministry needs, Please follow these instructions to donate items to be shipped to Paraguay:

The items that we can accept need to be in excellent condition, arrive by OCTOBER 21st and include the following:

All items must have a packing slip with an inventory of the contents plus a copy of the packing slip needs to be emailed to: Sheri Bitzan and to Carol Paige.

The packing slip must be marked: Donation to Sue Givens-Horizon School.

All items with shipping paid should be sent to:

Budde Trucking

Attention: Sheri Bitzan PPP

34082 Char Avenue

Avon Minnesota 56310

Once they ship the box/s they should notify Sheri at sbitzan@albanytel.com to alert her that there has been something shipped to the warehouse at Budde Trucking. If the donor could give Sheri an estimated time of arrival for the shipment, that would be super.

All Communications must be done only by email.

Our First 6 months in Paraguay

2009-09-24T22:11:00.002-04:00

We made this video presentation of our work in Paraguay about 9 months ago. I had forgotten that I had uploaded it to the shwup site. After posting it to facebook yesterday I realized that many had not seen it. We are so blessed to be serving God in Paraguay!

Blessings and Attack

2009-09-19T01:15:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing to you full of the joy of the Lord for an awesome victory and righteous anger toward the enemy. As many of you know I was at a camp the last 2 days with the 7th and 8th graders from our school. I have been doing a Bible study with the 8th grade girls for the last 6 months, and they invited me to come. I also brought my trumpet in order to join in with the worship team. While at the camp several of the staff members and I felt a burden to press in and pray against a complacent spirit among the youth and for a real desire to have a relationship with God. During the last chapel time the Holy Spirit ministered to those children in an amazing way. One 7th grade boy got up during the talk, took a teacher aside and asked her to pray for him to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. After the talk, the teacher shared what had happened with the other students. It was like a floodgate was opened, the youth started spontaneously coming forward to be prayed for. Tears of brokenness and new found joy were mingled together as they prayed to receive Christ and to renew their walk with Him. The youth were also praying for each other and asking for forgiveness when needed. Even as we left the building for lunch, groups of twos and threes could be seen scattered around the campground holding each other and ministering to each others' needs.

I had the privilege to pray with several youth during this time. They approached me as I was sitting in the back of the chapel. Three received Christ. One of those was a girl from my Bible study who attends a Mormon church. I had been praying for her for 6 months. Glory be to God!

Donald picked me up today after the camp and we had to go straight to a friend's house for a dinner. While we were in the home somebody broke the back window out of our car and stole my TRUMPET as well as my duffel bag with all my clothes, shoes and supplies. I was struck with a mixture of grief and anger. Besides being one of the most valuable things I own in a material sense, my trumpet had a lot of sentimental value (I had had it since high school). Most importantly, though, it was a very important part of my ministry here. I use it every week as part of the praise ministry in the church and to teach a young man how to play. It is hard to describe how God has used my trumpet to open doors with people and as a special way for me to give praise to Him. I know He used it at the camp.

I feel that this robbery was a direct attack from the enemy. He took something from me that was very special and had been dedicated to Kingdom work. However, he cannot rob the joy of the victory that was won today in the name of Jesus Christ! Please pray for the 7th and 8th graders from the school, that they will continue on their new found journey with the kind of faith that continues to trust in the Lord in the face of adversity. Also please pray that a way will be made to replace my trumpet since they are not available in Paraguay.

Peace and Blessings,

Carol

August 2009 Update

2009-09-08T21:34:00.008-04:00

It’s Been Awhile

It is hard to believe that it has been 4 months since our last update. We apologize for not keeping everyone up-to-date. Life got very busy for us, then, on top of it all we had about 4 weeks of
house guests. It was great, but it is nice to finally start getting back to a routine of sorts (whatever that is for a missionary!).

Ok, so what have we been up to? Actually, God has been leading and equipping us in some amazing ways. We have been led to do several things where He has definitely been “our strength
where we are weak.”

Donald did not study Spanish before we went to Costa Rica. He has improved a lot, but still struggles with the language. However, God has been using him to evangelize to his silversmith friends as well as the people we see daily on the streets. He has also helped translate for short-term teams and has been asked 3 times to preach at one of the churches.

Carol has never taught the trumpet or been involved in youth ministry. Now she is giving trumpet lessons twice a week and doing a Bible study with the 8th grade girls. Both are going great. She has even been requested by the girls to come to their school camp and stay in their cabin. They also want to learn more about evangelizing to their friends!

Carol’s Spanish ability has also been stretched as she has found herself counseling and praying with more and more students and parents. There are so many difficult situations and very little
community or government resources. Where can they turn for help?

“I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1-2

Our Paraguayita

Cora is doing great in school and adapting well to Paraguayan culture. Her favorite foods are chipa and beef empanadas, and she likes to drink terere. She has developed a fondness for grilled chicken hearts as well, something we refuse to make. She also loves to do the traditional dances. She is very proud of the new outfit we bought her for her class’s “cultural day.” She danced with her friends and ate mbeju (a pancake-type food).

We are also blessed and humbled by Cora’s heart for God and those around her. Her Jardin class “adopted” a class at a nearby public school and made special boxes for each child. Cora was very excited about giving gifts to her amigita (friend). She also gives her own money and candy to children she sees on the street. At home her
favorite DVDs are by Hillsong Kids. She watches them over and over with her arms lifted high,
praising God!

On the Horizon

• Filigree School: Donald is still waiting to learn the Paraguayan art of silver filigree. Classes are waiting for government funding to begin. Until then, one of his friends has begun teaching him. Here is an example of what he will be learning:

• New Horizons Registration: The deadline is fast approaching and Carol will soon be visiting at least 100 homes to help with the selection process.

The Miracles on Caballero Street

2009-07-02T21:27:00.002-04:00

We experienced a miracle (actually several) last Thursday that we need to share. We had many people praying both here in Paraguay and in the States about a situation we ran into with Donald’s residency application.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Immigrations to check on the status of our temporary residency cards. We were told that the cards for me (Carol) and Cora would be ready in another week or so. However, there was a question about Donald’s application. We were directed to another office where we could get it straightened out. When we got to that office, we were advised that Donald’s file could not be found and that they could not help us until it was located. Needless to say, they were in no hurry to look for it and said it was our problem and not theirs. Talking to them was like hitting our heads against a brick wall; a very frustrating experience. We did eventually get the cell phone number of one of the office staff, so that we did not have to personally go downtown every day just to see if they found the document.

Well, we started sharing our situation with friends and family, and the prayers started going out. In addition, I started calling the man’s cell phone every day asking about my husband’s “lost” file. (It does not hurt to be a squeaky wheel once in awhile.) Finally, the man asked us to come back to the office and said he would personally look for the file while we were there. I bet he was secretly wishing he had never given those “gringos” his number.

We had some of the school staff pray with us before heading back to Immigrations. The main prayer that was lifted up was for favor in the eyes of man and that somebody there would want to help us. That’s when the miracle began! As soon as we got up to the office, the same man I had been bugging all week greeted us and kept telling us that he really wanted to help us. (Miracle #1) We sat down at his desk and spoke to him for awhile, and then he began looking around the office. It is important to note that there was absolutely nothing on top of his desk at that time.

After looking in his office, he had us wait in the waiting area while he looked in a couple of other offices, including that of the director. He came out frustrated and empty-handed, and asked us back into his office again. As we walked in, we noticed a folder sitting on his desk. He picked it up, and lo and behold, it was Donald’s. He asked the other 3 people who were there, but nobody seemed to know how it got there (remember there was nothing on his desk before! Miracle #2)

Now, with the folder in hand, we were able to explain the document that they had questions about to begin with. He listened to us and seemed to understand everything. (Miracle #3) However, he informed us that he was just a researcher and could not make a decision. We needed to talk to the lawyer.

Fortunately the lawyer was sitting at a desk in the same room and we had the first number to meet with him. When our friend (he was definitely a friend by now) told him about us, the lawyer just waved him away and said that he was too busy and that we needed to come back the next day. Then, in all of his business he proceeded to call the people who had the second number.

Our friend found that to be unacceptable and approached the lawyer again about meeting with us first. His persistence paid off as the lawyer reluctantly grabbed Donald’s folder from him and began to read the document. (Miracle #4) We explained it to him, but we were not sure if he understood us. He then got up and asked us to wait in the waiting area while he talked to the director.

As we waited in the crowded room I felt a sudden urge to pray again. I grabbed Donald’s hand and we prayed out loud in English, heads bowed and eyes closed. As soon as we said amen, the lawyer came walking out of the director’s office with a smile on his face. (Miracle #5) He said that after our explanation they now understood the document and would pass Donald’s file back into the residency process. We watched him put his signature on it!

Oh yeah, we asked our friend how long he had been working in that office. He told us he had been there just a little over a month.

How great is our God and how marvelous are His works!

March and April Update

2009-05-11T21:28:00.004-04:00

The following is the update that we just emailed out today. If you would like to be on our email list, let us know.

Automobile and Residency

We have 2 awesome praise reports that we need to share. First, shortly after writing our last update in March, we were able to get all our paperwork turned in for our residency. As missionaries we have been approved for temporary residency, which is 1 year. In a year we will then apply for permanent residency which will be good for 10 years. Of course, we will have to get some documents updated. The good news, however, is there will be less paperwork to complete the second time around.
Second, we will be getting our new car tomorrow! All the funds came in for us to purchase a 2005 Suzuki Vitara. We got it for a great price and will be saving money in gas and repair costs.

Thank you for all the prayers and financial gifts.

Donald Update

Donald continues to spend time with the silversmiths on a weekly basis. Right now he is observing their work and helping out while conversing with them. The conversations often lead to spiritual matters. He is finding that there are a lot of varied needs ranging from drug addiction to religious legalism. One of his goals is to eventually start an Alpha course for them. Donald will also soon have the opportunity to learn how to do filigree, a traditional Paraguayan art of intricate silver wire designs.

Donald continues to be involved with Alpha and helps with a course once a week. He has also begun visiting the men’s prison once a month with a group of missionaries and pastors in order to encourage and pray with the inmates.

Carol Update

Carol loves being a part of the New Horizons School. Every day she witnesses the positive impacts that God has made on the community through the school. The school has never had a social worker, so one of Carol’s tasks is to help define that role. She has also been given the opportunity to supervise a Paraguayan social work student. Perla, one of the school’s secretaries, is studying social work in the evenings at a local Evangelical Christian university. As part of their studies, the students are required to do field placements with qualified social workers. Since the university is evangelical, public agencies have turned their students away, not wanting their “Christian influence.”

Carol received an official letter from the university requesting that she consider supervising students. Sue Givens, the school director was excited about the opportunity. It adds yet another dynamic to New Horizon’s vision of training and preparing a new generation of Paraguayan leaders who are guided by Biblical principles and the Holy Spirit.

In addition to the school, Carol continues to teach trumpet lessons twice a week. She and Donald have also begun teaching English to our original Alpha group on Saturday mornings and at one of our churches on Saturday evenings as an outreach to the community.

Cora Update

Cora continues to love school. She is learning new skills very quickly and fits in well with her peers. This week all the girls in her class will be doing a traditional dance for the parents. She is very excited about dressing up in her borrowed Paraguayan outfit and is practicing every day at home. Of course, her proud parents will be there with the video camera.

Churches

In our last update we had mentioned the new church start in San Carlos. We have been supporting them more. Donald even preached there (his 1st time ever) a couple of weeks ago in Spanish. The church membership is very small, but they have a desire to reach out to their neighbors. They are currently organizing a children’s program that will be held on Saturdays.

Many of you probably remember when Donald was helping with the construction of the Cristo Viviente church. Well, about a month ago a huge storm passed through the area, ripping up about one third of the new roof. Instead of becoming discouraged, the church members rallied together and began praying, fasting and holding fund raisers. The money was raised, the roof was repaired and even more construction progress is being made. What an awesome testimony of God’s provision!

Praises

• Residency – Our documents were accepted and we were granted temporary residency
• Automobile – All of our funds came in right on time!
• Cristo Viviente – The roof was repaired and construction continues
• God’s Protection – Donald was hit by a bus last week while riding a motorcycle. Miraculously he was unharmed. The same week a little boy in one of our churches fell from the 2nd floor of a building. He had no injuries as well.

Prayer Requests

• Spiritual Protection – we have experienced some amazing blessings over the past couple months. This past week we have also had some significant spiritual attacks. Please pray that we will continue to stand strong against the enemy’s attempts to rob us of our blessings.
• Barrio San Carlos – that spiritual revival will overtake the area
• The Silversmiths – that God will continue to open doors for Donald as he pursues a relationship with them and for wisdom
• Our Witness – that we will be faithful and bold witnesses for Jesus Christ everywhere that we go!

Link to March Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19120&id=1332236838&l=9b597161dc

Link to April Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22043&id=1332236838&l=5f24103163

Accents

2009-05-10T18:57:00.001-04:00

As many of you know, both Donald and I come from military families. Growing up, I moved every 2 years and lived in at least 10 different places. One thing that came natural to me was mimicking the accents of the people where I lived. It was not easy to tell where I was “from” by just listening to me speak. In Paraguay, however, it’s a completely different story. My Spanish accent is definitely North American, and there is no way around it. Sometimes this can be very frustrating, especially as I have been spending more time with Paraguayans that are not used to my special accent. I think most can understand me, but I’ve had my share of people staring at me as if I was from another planet. There are also those few that in some way find my pronunciation amusing. At those times I find myself wishing I could discover the key to talking Paraguayan that would allow me to blend in, that I could somehow become part of them, blue eyes and all.

The other day as I was reading in Matthew, I was shown a new perspective on my accent. Matthew 26:72-74 states:

“And again he denied it and disowned Him with an oath, saying, I do not know the Man! After a little while, the bystanders came up and said to Peter, You certainly are one of them too, for even your accent betrays you. Then Peter began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not even know the Man! And at that moment a rooster crowed.”

Sometimes, those of us who are Christians find ourselves feeling the same way. It is easy to follow Christ and share freely about His love when we are surrounded by others of like mind. However, as we step out our front doors into a world that is increasingly hostile and unreceptive to the ideas and values we hold, we can lose our confidence and find that it is easier to just “blend in.” We try to hide the special “accent” God has put on our lives.

Following Christ is costly, but what is the cost of denying the One who freely sacrificed everything for us? When Peter realized what he had done, “he went outside and wept bitterly.” (v. 75b)

Let us learn from Peter and boldly display our accent without shame. Then we can say as Paul did, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16).

A Birthday Gift for Poppy

2009-04-10T13:43:00.002-04:00

View Project at Shutterfly

We made this gift for my dad's 60th Birthday and sent it to him!

And They'll Know We Are Christians By Our...

2009-03-24T17:30:00.007-04:00

Last Monday was a long day for me. When Cora got out of school I was hot and tired and more than ready to go home and take a nap. As I started to back the car up to leave, however, I felt a slight bump and heard the sound of something falling to the ground. I jumped out of the car to discover that a motorcycle had been parked directly behind me and that it was now laying on its side leaking fuel or something. A couple of women witnessed the incident and helped me to upright the bike. I asked them if they knew who the owner was. They did not know and actually encouraged me to hurry and leave before he came back. That would not be an uncommon thing to do in Paraguay, and I was actually tempted for a second. However, much to their surprise, I decided to continue to look for the owner. After a few minutes he came out of the school. I explained to him what happened, but he seemed not to be phased by it. In the presence of the women I told him that if he discovered a problem that he could find me at the school most days. Unconcerned, he rode off while the women continued to stare at me in disbelief.

When I finally got back in the car, I noticed that I did not have enough gas (actually, diesel) to make it home. So, I stopped by the closest service station to fill up. The total came to 340,000 guaranis, which is the equivalent of $68. That is a lot of money, especially here. I handed the attendant my credit card to pay the bill. He came back and told me that the credit card machine was down. I hardly ever carry that much cash on me, so that put me in a bit of a bind. I then spotted an ATM down the street and asked if I could go get the money from there. This was agreed to as long as the attendant could ride with me. He hopped in and I drove down a block to the ATM. I could not believe it, however when the screen announced that the machine was Fuera de Linea (off line).

The attendant and I drove back to the station to discuss the problem with his boss. I told him that I passed by the station every day on my way to work at a Christian school and that he could trust me to come back to pay. Of course he was reluctant to trust me and explained that he needed to have all money accounted for by the end of the day. I sympathized with his situation and continued to think of a solution. It then occurred to me to call Emily, a short-term missionary working at the school. She lives in the apartment over the school, thus was nearby. I called her and asked if she had the money. Fortunately she just happened to have 400,000 that I could borrow. I reported this to the boss and told him I could go right over there and get the money. He thought that was a great idea, but again insisted that another attendant ride with me.

On the 5 minute ride to the school I had the opportunity to talk with the young man and share Christ with him. He seemed surprised that as a "Cristiana" that I was not condemning him for his Catholicism. I mostly shared the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He was also surprised that when we pulled up to the apartment, that Emily actually gave me the 400,000 without question and trusted me to pay it back to her.

As Christians it is not so much what we say that affects people as what we do. It is my hope that even though I was hot, tired and frustrated, that a little of God's grace was able to show through me that day.

As the song proclaims, "And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, They will know we are Christians by our love."

A Paraguayan Hospital Visit

2009-03-18T16:00:00.001-04:00

Last week Donald and I went to visit a church member who has been in the hospital for several days. His name is Domingo, or "Mingo" for short. He is 19 years old. He went in the hospital for a surgery and while there developed pneumonia. He is also in need of a kidney transplant.

The hospital that we use here is a private Baptist hospital. It is not quite the same as the ones in the States, but very close. We pay more than the public hospitals, but receive care in a clean environment with qualified physicians. In the 8 months that we have been here, we had never visited a public hospital. We knew they were much poorer, but did not know quite what to expect.

The hospital is called "Hospital de Clinicas" and is connected to the university where doctors are trained. From the outside it did not look too bad. Upon entering, however, I came face to face with the realities of health care in the 3rd world.

Since Cora was not allowed in, Donald volunteered to stay with her 1st while another church member and I went in to look for Mingo. She was unable to reach his mother's cell phone, so we started wandering around looking for him. There was no central place to ask, so we just started by questioning "official" looking people as they passed by. The hospital is not a single building. Instead it is sort of a campus of connected buildings. We wandered freely from building to building through rooms looking for him. We went through several rooms that were filled with half-clothed patients laying in thin metal rollaway beds. There was no sense of privacy or sanitary precautions. We also passed by people who evidently were waiting for beds. They were laying on the floors and benches both in the hallways and outside on the ground.

After what seemed like an eternity we were finally able to contact Mingo's mother and found out where he was. His room was no different from the others. It contained about 20 men lined up in beds against 2 of the walls. There was also a metal cabinet next to Mingo's bed that had cockroaches climbing in and out of it.

I found the following picture on the Internet. It shows the inside of the hospital. I did not notice any privacy curtains while I was there!

We prayed with Mingo, then I went outside with Cora to give Donald a turn. While waiting, I noticed a plaque that showed that the hospital had been built in 1894. It is almost 115 years old! That explains part of its condition, but not quite.

As I pondered what it would take to change the medical care of Paraguay, Cora pointed out something to me. Patients were actually being pushed to another building in their rollaway beds down a car filled street while passersby gawked and laughed. It will take much more than modern equipment to bring about change, a whole new mindset will need to come about. That will require education and a lot of prayer!

Residency Documents Turned In!

2009-03-17T10:01:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to let you guys know that we finally got all our documents turned in to immigrations for our residency process! It is a relief to have that behind us.

As missionaries we have been approved for temporary residency, which is 1 year. In a year we will then apply for permanent residency which will be good for 10 years. Of course, we will have to get some documents updated. The good news, however, is there will be less paperwork to complete the second time around.

Thank you for all the prayers!

March Update

2009-03-09T21:14:00.003-04:00

I was holding off on writing this update in the hope that we would be able to share that all our residency paperwork had been turned in. Well, we are very close, but still not quite there. We praise God that our FBI reports did arrive safely and we were able to get them to the immigration office via the US embassy without a problem (thank you for the prayers). After that, however we have spent the last two weeks running around the city of Asunción collecting all the other required documents. It has been a challenge because all the government offices are only open in the mornings and none of them are close by each other. It also seems like every time we go someplace and think we have everything they could possibly need to give us a document, we are usually missing just one more thing. It has been quite a frustrating process to say the least, especially since everything has to be done in Spanish. It also does not help that every day it has been in the 100s and the air conditioning went out in the car we are borrowing.

Needless to say, last week as I was sitting in the middle of the downtown traffic with sweat streaming down my face, trying to locate a building in a city with few street signs and even fewer building numbers, trying not to listen to the protests of my beautiful but tired, hungry and hot child in the back seat, hoping that we would arrive before closing…I was not feeling very “missionary-like.” It was right at that exact moment, however that God spoke. His words flowed through me as a beautiful and encouraging thought; “Aren’t you thankful that you didn’t have to go through all this for your salvation?”
He’s right! Through His amazing grace He welcomed me into His kingdom with open arms. I did not have to jump through hoops or complete just “one more” requirement. Jesus Christ paid the price for me through His shed blood. All I had to do was believe in Him and come before God with a repentful heart. That is good news (the best news) to those in this world who are weary and heavy laden.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

This is the message we are to bring to the people of Paraguay and the message that all Christians are to share with those around them.

Donald Update

Donald is continuing to build relationships with local silversmiths. At first he thought that there were maybe 20 of them, but has since discovered that there are well over 100. He has also discovered that each one is working for themselves even though they may work in the same place. They make their own items then go from shop to shop selling them. The good news is that Donald has been invited to work with a couple of them and they plan to take him out next week to price equipment. The challenge will be affording the tools and what to do with the pieces that he makes. He does not want to be in competition with the other silversmiths. He is currently seeking God’s wisdom in this situation and asks that you add your prayers to his.
Another area where Donald has been working is Alpha. As many of you know, we had helped with an Alpha course in one of the churches. Because of its success, Donald had been talking with the church president about starting courses in the 2 churches we have been involved with. In the beginning of February we found out that the president decided to take that idea a step further. Donald along with another missionary couple has been put in charge of starting Alpha and training leaders in ALL of the Methodist churches. Another cool thing was that our home church, New Town UMC, had just sent us all the materials needed (in Spanish) to start a course. Praise God!

Carol Update

The new school year started in the beginning of February and Carol has been busy helping at New Horizons. There are about 525 students in the school this year from preschool through 8th grade. Carol and Emily (a new short-term missionary) took all their pictures and helped to prepare letters from each child to be sent to their sponsors in the States. Carol was taken away from her school duties for a couple of weeks in order to work on residency stuff. Eventually, however, she will begin to work more with the families through visiting homes, praying with them and helping to find solutions to specific needs.
Carol has also continued to play her trumpet in both churches and with the Methodist choral group. In addition, next week she will begin giving trumpet lessons to the son of one of the Brazilian missionaries. Over the past few months many people have expressed an interest in learning to play. However, trumpets are expensive and hard to come by here. Trumpet books are also all but impossible to find in Spanish or English. Actually, this is the case for all wind instruments. Carol has begun to pray about this as a possible ministry area.

Cora Update

Cora started school in the Jardín class on February 16th. She absolutely loves her teachers and is making a lot of new friends. Several of our Paraguayan friends have also commented on how much her Spanish has improved during the past 3 weeks. At home she keeps herself busy playing with her new puppy named Lucy (yes we have a new family member) and riding her bicycle. A couple of weeks ago she learned how to ride without training wheels. It is the stopping that she still needs to work on.

Churches

In addition to the 2 churches we are involved in, we began helping with another church start. A Paraguayan couple from the Pozo Azul church has gone out as missionaries to start a new church in San Carlos, an extremely poor area of Luque (the town we live in). People have moved there in the hopes of receiving a government home. Hundreds of families are living in shacks constructed out of cardboard and plastic trash bags. Most of them are 8 x 10 feet with maybe 1 or 2 rooms. The area is not only physically poor, but spiritually poor as well. During our time there we have seen several people staggering around drunk. There is also a lot of witchcraft. One of the pastors pointed out a witch's home just around the corner from where the church meets.

An evangelistic campaign was held there every night for 2 weeks straight. Many people came up for prayer for healing and accepted the Lord as their Savior. A group of us are continuing to fast and pray for a spiritual revival in that area.

Praises

•Alpha Material – We praise God that the Alpha material sent to us will be used in a bigger way than we imagined
•FBI Reports – Immigrations accepted them straight through the US embassy without first going through the consulate in the States!
•Barrio San Carlos – The good work that was started in this poor area.
•Cora’s School Adjustment – Cora loves school and has made new friends

Prayer Requests

•New Horizons School – that there will be a good start to the new year and that every child will have a sponsor
•Barrio San Carlos – that spiritual revival will overtake that
•The Silversmiths – that God will continue to open doors for Donald as he pursues a relationship with them and for wisdom
•Our Witness – that we will be faithful and bold witnesses for Jesus Christ everywhere that we go!
•Residency Status – that all our paperwork will be accepted and turned in by the end of the week
•An Automobile – In order to reach all the places we are doing ministry, we need to be able to buy a car. We only have $6,851 more to raise. Tax deductible donations can be made on The Mission Society website - https://www.themissionsociety.org/people/paige. Please designate it for our car fund.

Link to February Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=17293&id=1332236838&l=888bb

Also, in case you’re interested, a link to some Lucy the puppy pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14462&id=1332236838&l=1334b

Because of the slowness of our internet connection, we are now using Skype instead of our previous internet phone service. We still have a Virginia number and voice mail. It is (757) 637-6655.

A DVD presentation of our first 6 months in Paraguay was sent to several of our supporting churches. If you are interested in viewing it, please contact us.

In addition, Carol made a New Year’s Resolution to post more stories on our blog. Check it out and become a follower: http://www.seasoninparaguay.blogspot.com

Love and Blessings,

Donald, Carol, Cora and Lucy

I Found God Mommy!

2009-02-16T17:09:00.004-03:00

Cora starts school on Wednesday and is very excited. She will be in the morning 4-year-old class at New Horizons. Last week there was an open house for the children and parents to get to know the teachers and classroom. She would not take off her uniform or backpack for the whole rest of the day!

Going to school has also seemed to spur a whole new interest in learning new things as well as speaking more Spanish. Last week she learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. (Of course, stopping is a whole other thing entirely!) She also wants me to read more of her Spanish books to her. There is one in particular that she has memorized.

Last night I was reading to her from a book called Here Comes Heaven!, a child's version of Bill Johnson's book entitled When Heaven Invades Earth. At one point she asked me to point out the word "God" to her. I showed her and continued reading. She turned the page and immediately pointed to the book and exclaimed "I found God, mommy!" She then proceeded to point out where God was in the entire chapter. She was so excited that she even had to run to the living room and show her daddy where God was.

The first written word Cora has learned to recognize is "God." How cool is that?

Praising God with Toads and Bugs

2009-02-09T20:26:00.008-03:00

Last Thursday night an Evangelistic Campaign was started at one of the new Methodist churches in Luque. It is not exactly a church, but an annex to one of the churches we have been attending. It is located in an extremely poor area where people have moved in waiting for government homes. Hundreds of families are living in shacks constructed out of cardboard and plastic trash bags. Most of them are 8 x 10 feet with maybe 1 or 2 rooms. They usually cook outside on small charcoal grills in one pot and wash their clothes in buckets and then drape their clothes to dry over the barbwire they have surrounding their lots to keep the cows and horses out.

The area is not only physically poor, but spiritually poor as well. During our time there we have seen several people staggering around drunk. There is also a lot of witchcraft. One of the pastors pointed out a witch's home just around the corner from where the church meets.

Every night people have been coming up for prayer for healing and accepting the Lord as their Savior. It has been awesome! The campaign was supposed to end Saturday night, but everyone felt that it needs to continue. So, it will continue through next week. Everyone involved has been asked to fast and pray for a spiritual breakthrough in the area.

As all of this has been going on, I must admit I have also been a bit stretched out of my comfort zone! Nope, its not the healing or praying in tongues or pentecostal preaching style that is stretching me (I love to see the way God is moving!). Its the bugs and toads. I'm not talking about cute little bugs or tiny leaping frogs. There were literally millions of HUGE flying bugs and GIANT hopping toads. I was okay while sitting back in one of the chairs, but as soon as I stepped into the light to play my trumpet, they were surrounding me. As I was playing, I could feel them landing on me and some even going down my shirt. The toads, some literally the size of small cats (only a little exaggeration) were happily jumping around my feet and eating them. I tried to take it all in stride, but I'm not sure how well I did!

All I know is that God helped me through it and it did not take away from the awesomeness of the demonstration of His power that night.

We Got Our Drivers Licenses!

2009-02-09T11:13:00.001-03:00

For 7 months we went around to the magistrates in different cities trying to get our driver's licenses. All of them told us that we needed to have our residency card before we could get a license. Well, as many of you know, our residency process is taking a LONG time without a resolution in the near future. So, what have we been doing?...

...Driving Anyway! Where we live is at least a 30 minute drive to many of the places we need to go and even longer by bus. In Costa Rica the buses were a great option for us, but here they are a lot more dangerous. There are robberies and injuries reported every day. The bus drivers do not drive well at all and some barely stop to let you off.

The downside of driving without a license is that if stopped by the police, a big fine is paid and they may even ask for a bribe. We have been blessed to have never been stopped, which is pretty unusual.

Anyway, as a last ditch effort and with a lot of prayer we went with a Paraguayan friend to yet another magistrate to apply for licenses last Wednesday. To our delight they told us it would not be a problem. We gave the main secretary copies of our passports and the results of our blood type, hearing and vision tests. Our hearing test had been pretty sophisticated; the doctor put his wrist watch up to each ear and asked if we could hear it ticking!

After we gave the secretary all the paperwork, we had to do a written test. Our friend, Angelica told them we didn't speak much Spanish and was allowed to interpret for us. We went to a room with 2 guys and her. They handed us a piece of paper with 10 multiple choice questions about road signs. We were allowed to miss 3 and I missed 1. Donald, on the other hand took advantage of all the help he could. In the end all 4 of us in the room were helping him with the questions. He did not miss any questions! They were pretty impressed.

After the test we were told to come back on Friday. The computers were down from a storm and they could not enter our information. On Friday we came back and did a lot of waiting while the paperwork was processed. It was kind of interesting to sit and watch the goings on in the building as we waited. We definitely knew we were not in the States!

The first thing we noticed was the huge dog sleeping on the floor. When we asked about him, we were told that he was the boss' dog and that he came to work every day. It was also funny to see a man come in selling a stack of bootlegged DVDs in front of the police officers. He might have even been selling them to the police officers.

After it took about an hour to process our licenses we went to another place in the building to wait for a judge. Evidently she needed to look over our paperwork to make sure we did not pay more money than we should have. We didn't, and that was good. When we left, however, I was wondering if she even thought about the legality of our whole license process.

Regardless we are now legal to drive both cars and motorcycles and no longer need to worry about being pulled over for a year.

The next big hurdle is our residency process!

February Update

2009-02-08T16:38:00.002-03:00

As we were looking back through our updates, we realized that it has been a very long time since we filled you in on our latest happenings. November 5th was the date of our last emailing, and as you can imagine, much has happened since then.

November 2008

We were blessed to share Thanksgiving with a group of missionaries and their children. Some improvisions were made in traditional dishes with local ingredients, but the hosts were able to find an imported turkey. The oven had been moved outside in order to not heat up the house. The children also played in the swimming pool.

Another big event was the seminary graduation. Four Paraguayans graduated and will be sent out to pastor churches. Our friend, German, was one of them. He came to Christ a couple of years ago when a church was doing door-to-door evangelism. Since that time God has given him a passion for the lost. He will be a great pastor!

During the month of November, we established more of a routine. Donald helped with the church construction and I worked at the school during the day. Most evenings were filled with church activities, visiting with friends or Donald’s Spanish classes.

Link to November's Pictures

December 2008

Our new routine was quickly broken in December as summer approached. The church construction was put on hold due to a lack of money and school let out for summer break. Remember, in South America our seasons are opposite. School lets out in December and does not start again until February.

Because of the extreme heat, the “Christmas season” felt a little strange to us. The only decorations we had were a miniature tree that Carol bought for a dollar at one of the churches’ rummage sales and a stocking for Cora. We did make sugar cookies and ate our traditional Christmas morning “creamed egg on toast.” On Christmas day Cora opened a few presents from grandparents then we went over to another missionary family’s home for dinner and swimming in their pool.

The cool thing about it not “feeling” like Christmas is that we were not distracted by the whole commercialized hype that goes with it. It was easier to stay focused on Jesus. There was also the constant reminder of Him as we passed by hundreds of manger scenes every day, even in government buildings.

Carol had the opportunity to play her trumpet with a choir that was composed of people from all of the Methodist churches. They practiced for weeks to put together a Christmas presentation. A special program was done for all the churches. The group also sold hamburgers to earn enough money to make the 5 hour trip to Ciudad del Este. It was a good time of fellowship and ministering in a church there. The final performance was done at a nursing home for men. We sang a few songs, and then took some time to pray with them. Of course, Donald and Cora participated in everything that we did.

A little later in December we made another trip to Ciudad del Este with all of the school staff from New Horizons and their families. We got to see a hydroelectric dam (considered one of the modern 7 wonders of the world), waterfalls, and a zoo and camped out at a wildlife preserve. It was very hot, but a great opportunity to form closer relationships with the staff.

The highlight of our December was Baptisms! Over 30 people were baptized in the pool at the Methodist campground. Four of them were people from our Alpha group. Three of them were guys that Donald had been doing construction with. It was awesome to be able to share with them during this important step of their faith journey.

December Photo Album Part I
December Photo Album Part II

January 2009

We flew from Paraguay to Costa Rica on New Year’s Eve. The first week we attended a regional gathering for all Mission Society missionaries serving in Latin America. About 80 people were there including family members. The Costa Rican mountains were very cold compared to the Paraguayan heat. We had a great time though, seeing old faces and making new friends. We also had a lot of good teaching from the Word as well as on the problem of dependency in missions.

Since we were already in Costa Rica, we decided to take 2 more weeks for a vacation. It was the first vacation that we had had in almost 2 years! We rented a car and traveled to the beaches and mountains. We visited missionary friends serving in Costa Rica as well as national friends that we had made during our time in language school. We also had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the country.

Costa Rica Regional Gathering
Costa Rica Vacation Part I
Costa Rica Vacation Part II

What’s Next?

Since our return from Costa Rica we have been busy trying to get back into the swing of things here in Paraguay. Cora will be starting Jardín (4-year-old preschool) at the New Horizons School next week. She is very excited to have a uniform that matches her mommy’s and a new backpack full of supplies. Carol will be helping in the school while Cora is in class.

Our street guard introduced Donald to one of his silversmith friends a couple of weeks before our Costa Rica trip. Donald went to visit him and started making friends with other silversmiths as well. He has started hanging out with them a few days a week. Yesterday they told him that they were going to get a desk for him in their shop. He is excited about the opportunity that God is opening with them.

Praises

• Baby Antonella – The baby of 2 New Horizons staff members with spina bifida. She just had her surgery in Florida and everything went fine. The neurosurgeons and hospital donated their services and their plane passage was completely paid by donations from churches!
• Drivers Licenses – We finally got our Paraguayan licenses yesterday after 7 months of being told “no” everywhere we went! We can now drive without worries of being pulled over by the police and paying high fines.
• Flooded House – Our bedrooms were flooded during a big storm last Sunday. We praise God for our safety and that of our possessions. Only 2 books were ruined.
• Car Donations – So far we have $3,149 in our car fund. Only $6, 851 more to go!

Prayer Requests

• New Horizons School – that there will be a good start to the new year and that every child will have a sponsor
• Our Churches – that the leadership will continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all decisions that are made
• The Silversmiths – that God will continue to open doors for Donald as he pursues a relationship with them
• Our Witness – that we will be faithful and bold witnesses for Jesus Christ everywhere that we go!
• Residency Status – that our FBI reports will arrive here quickly and the process will go smoothly after that
• An Automobile – In order to reach all the places we are doing ministry, we need to be able to buy a car. We only have $6,851 more to raise.
Tax deductible donations can be made on The Mission Society website - https://www.themissionsociety.org/people/paige. Please designate it for our car fund.

Unexpected Opportunities

2008-11-17T16:53:00.006-03:00

Last week both Donald and I had opportunities placed before us that were totally unexpected. The first one was an email from a woman in the States. She had found our website through a goggle search and decided to write to us. She was an exchange student in Paraguay in the late 70s and continues to have a close relationship with her Paraguayan host sister. Her host sister is a cancer survivor and is currently struggling with depression. She gave us her phone number and asked if we would visit and pray with her. The most interesting thing about the request was that the women herself has had some traumatic life events, seems to dislike Christians and is angry with God.

I called the host sister and she invited us to her home last Saturday. She welcomed us with open arms and was excited to have us pray for her. She told us that she did not think that it was a coincidence that her friend found our website. The prayer time was wonderful and we could tell that the Holy Spirit was working in her. We are going to continue to keep in contact with her and her family!

The other unexpected opportunity came when Donald went to the video store to rent some DVDs. He has been speaking with the owner of the store off and on. He knows a little English and enjoys practicing with Donald. Anyway, as Donald was checking out, the owner asked him if he believed in demons. Donald told him that he did. The man then started to share how he believed that there was a demon in his home. This opened the door for Donald to speak to him more about spiritual warfare and living a Christian life. A few days later the pastor of one of our churches and his wife went to the man's home to pray over it. Donald was unable to go at that time, but has been following up with him.

As Christians, we should always be ready for the unexpected opportunity to be used by God.

A Small Miracle

2008-11-10T20:15:00.002-03:00

Whenever God does something in our lives, it is important to share it. Not only does it encourage and build faith in others, it testifies to the power of God. Our God is all powerful and there is nothing, I repeat, nothing impossible for Him!

Two weeks ago Cora fell at a friend's home and hit her mouth. After that, one of her front teeth was loose. We took her to a dentist, but she said that it was not loose enough to worry about.

Well, last Wednesday we had gone to Burger King (yes they have them here!) and Cora was playing on the playground. We were just getting ready to leave when Cora came running up to us crying. Her mouth was bleeding and her tooth had been knocked way back. It was not a pretty sight!

At that moment I got angry. It was a righteous anger against the enemy that welled up in me. Since we have been here, it seems like something different has happened to Cora every week. Either it is coincidence, or the enemy has been attacking in his subtle way. Regardless, Donald and I prayed for Cora and the bleeding stopped immediately.

Since it was evening, we could not take her to the dentist until the next day. That night we laid our hands on Cora's mouth and prayed for her tooth again. The next morning when I checked her tooth, it was back to where it had been before the accident! There was no need to call the dentist.

Miracle or Coincidence? Just ask Cora. She will tell you that Jesus healed her tooth.

October Update

2008-11-04T16:30:00.002-03:00

Dearest Friends and Family,

It is springtime in Paraguay , which means longer and hotter days. It also means that our time has “sprung forward” an hour while those of you in the States have “fallen back” an hour. That now puts us 2 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Good thing to know for all those who want to call us!

The changes in the weather also brought on a nasty respiratory virus that made its way through all 3 of us. After the fevers and coughing, it took about 2 weeks for us to recover. We apologize for a lack of communication during that time. We are told that most new missionaries here get this thing and it usually lasts for more than a month. Thank you to all those who were praying for us.

Happy Birthday Cora

Cora celebrated her 4th birthday with a small group of missionary friends on October 10th. However, since birthdays are so important here, we also wanted to celebrate with the children from both churches. A woman in one of our churches made 2 cakes for us to share. Everyone had a good time. It is good to see Cora adapting and making friends. It took her awhile to start separating from us and going with the kids to children’s church. Now, however, it is hard to get her to leave. She is also speaking more and more Spanish every day.

New Horizons School

I am continuing to help out in the school with the selection of the new students for the upcoming school year to start in February (remember our seasons are opposite…summer break is in December and January). Over the next few weeks I have 68 homes to visit. I am visiting with the families and doing a social history interview for each child. One of the school’s secretaries, Perla, is currently studying social work at a local university in the evenings. She has accompanied me on several of the visits. She is only 19 years old, but remarkably mature and has a strong relationship with the Lord. I think I am learning as much from her as she is from me.

One of the questions that I have been asking as part of the interview is if the family attends church. This has opened the door to some good conversations with the parents. It has also shown me that many do not know Jesus Christ. For many of the children, the New Horizons School will be the only exposure they have to the Word. It is a tremendous privilege and responsibility.

Since the school is primarily for the poorest children in its surrounding neighborhood, many are able to pay no more than $10 a month for the education. That means that each child needs a sponsor to help with the tuition. 30 children this year are still in need of sponsors, and 54 more will be added for next year. In addition to the tuition that we will be paying for Cora, Donald and I will be sponsoring a child next year. If you feel God calling you in that direction, check out the school’s website at www.paraguayschools.org

Cristo Viviente Church

In our last update we mentioned that construction was started for a new church building. Steady progress is being made every day. The next stage is to add a roof. Donald has been helping out during the week. When I am working at the school, Cora goes with him. She loves hanging out at the pastor’s home. They have taken her in as another daughter.

Pozo Azul Church

On October 18th the church had an evangelistic campaign. Church members went door to door in the neighborhood during the day and there was a special service that evening. Cora and I were sick, but Donald participated. He said it went very well. Several people came to the service, with the majority being children. Donald also met a couple who had lived in the United States . The husband is Paraguayan and the wife is German. They asked if Donald and I would come back to their home to share some more.

Our Residency Status

Since we will be in Paraguay for at least 3 years, we need to apply for residency here. It is a long and expensive process that has many different steps. We are blessed to have someone who is helping us through each step. Before leaving the States we gathered all the required documents and had them legalized at the Paraguayan embassy in DC. Unfortunately, the Paraguayan government decided to change part of the requirements last month. That means that our Virginia State Police background checks are no longer satisfactory. We now need background checks from the FBI.

This seemingly small change has completely stalled our residency process for at least 3 months. We went to Interpol last Friday to get fingerprinted. We then mailed a background check request and the fingerprints to the FBI in West Virginia . It will probably take 2 weeks for that to reach them, then 4 weeks for processing. After that, they will send the reports to my father in Oklahoma (our address in the States). He in turn will send the reports to the Paraguayan embassy in DC to be legalized. After that is done, they will be sent back to my father who will then mail them to us here.

Of course, all this will only happen if the fingerprints were done correctly. We did not have a lot of confidence in the guys who did them at Interpol. We do have confidence in God, however. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and the fingerprints are accepted.

Prayer Requests

In addition, please pray for:

* Language Acquisition – We are all improving in our Spanish! Donald has continued with the tutor and is making good progress.

* Cristo Viviente – that the church will continue to be filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit and for the construction.

* Pozo Azul (our other church) – the pastor is open to us doing an Alpha course with the youth in the beginning of the New Year. Pray that the youth will also be open and that they will bring their unchurched friends.

* New Horizons School – wisdom and discernment as new students are selected for the school and that the school will continue to be a beacon of light within its dark surroundings. Also that more people will feel called to be sponsors.

* Our Witness – that we will be faithful and bold witnesses for Jesus Christ everywhere that we go!

* An Automobile – In order to reach all the places we are doing ministry, we need to be able to buy a car. Tax deductable donations can be made on The Mission Society website - https://www.themissionsociety.org/people/paige Please designate it for our car fund.

Pictures for the months of September and October can be seen by clicking on these links:

September - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=5479&l=8c20a&id=1332236838

October - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7876&l=14e51&id=1332236838

Peace and Blessings,

Donald, Carol and Cora

August and 1/2 September Update

2008-09-15T22:03:00.000-04:00

Saludos en el Nombre de Jesucristo (Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ),

A month and a half has passed since our last update and we are happy to report that God is moving in Paraguay!

One thing that we have to adjust to here is the weather. Last Wednesday the temperature reached 100 degrees. We were dressed in shorts and deciding whether or not to use the air conditioning unit in our bedroom. Two days later there was a high of 55 degrees and the three of us were huddled together in our bed trying to stay warm. We have been told by several people that we will be wishing for these cold days when the summer comes and it is just HOT all the time. December and January are usually the hottest months here.

Here is a bit of what has been going on in our corner of Paraguay:

Mobile Medical Team

A short-term medical mission team from New York came for 2 weeks in August. We were asked to help them during this time with translating. The first week the team set up the mobile medical clinic at one of our churches. I translated for one of the doctors and Donald helped check people in. It was awesome to see the church transformed into a hospital. The dentist and optometrist used the 2 rooms in the clinic. The doctors were set up in the pastor’s home and office. The Sunday school room became the pharmacy. One of the team members did crafts with the children. The pastor and other church members set up a prayer station for the patients. Hundreds of people were seen over the 4 days. Most importantly, however, around 100 also accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!

Alpha

Last Thursday was the last day of the Alpha course. It was a great opportunity to witness the growth of brand new believers and form relationships with them. During the Holy Spirit retreat we prayed with one of the young women. I prayed with her in Spanish, but when Donald prayed for her in English, she said that she could feel the warmth and peace of the Holy Spirit. Ever since that day she has had a glow and peace about her that is being noticed by all her friends and prompting them to ask questions.

Most of the people have decided to continue as a group. Next week we will be starting a Bible study with them that will help them continue in their growth as new believers.

Cristo Viviente

Cristo Viviente is the church that we attend on Sunday evenings. It is a vibrant and growing church that is full of life. After the visit from the medical team, the church members started visiting and discipling the people who had accepted Christ. Many new people are coming to the services and receiving prayer for healing and deliverance. Donald and I have been learning a lot from the pastor and his wife. I have also really enjoyed playing my trumpet with the praise band.

I think I had mentioned in our last update that Cristo Viviente only consists of 2 walls and a roof. Well, after much prayer and fasting the church has finally raised enough money to begin building! Last Thursday the walls started going up with the help of another short-term mission team. Donald has been helping as well. He said that it is a blessing to see Christian brothers and sisters from vastly different backgrounds working and worshiping together in one Spirit. During the service last night, there was much praise, thanksgiving and tears as testimonies were given by both Americans and Paraguayans. I even had the chance to translate in front of the church for the first time!

The New Horizons School

The past 2 weeks I have started helping at the New Horizons School that we wrote about in our last update. I have been busy going through the applications of children who wish to enter the school. There are 54 slots open for the preschool program and about 100 who want to enter. There are also several applicants hoping that there will be spaces opening up in the other grade levels.

The school is so popular because it provides low income children access to a good, solid education. The public school system in Paraguay is very poor and corrupt. Instead of using the money intended for education to buy books or improve schools, officials in the government have been lining their pockets with it. Teachers are paid very little in the city and even less in the interior. They have to teach in deteriorating buildings without proper supplies. All families that can afford it send their children to private schools. Unfortunately, the majority cannot afford that.

The New Horizons School is open to children who live in the neighborhood where it is located. Priority is given to the poorest families. There are sponsors in the States that help pay for each child, but every family is also required to pay a nominal amount per month.

I can already tell that I am going to enjoy working at the school. It is very evident that God is doing a mighty work in that place. Every morning the staff gathers for devotions and it is common to see them praying with teachers and students in the halls.

Cora Update

A couple of weeks ago we had to put down the 2 dogs that were living here with us. They had an incurable mosquito born virus that could have been spread to us. It was sad for all of us, but especially Cora. Despite that, however, we praise God that she continues to be a happy and active little girl. She has made several friends and already has a list of who she wants to invite to her birthday party next month. Actually, all the children at the churches love her. When the medical team was here, she had several of the children seated in a row and was pretending to check their throats and ears with an old flashlight tube she had found. Of course, that was the only time I did not have my camera!

Care Packages

Donald’s mother sent us some packages and they all arrived here without problems. If you would like to send us a package, it is best to not make it much larger than a shoebox size. I will post on our Blog a list of items that we would enjoy receiving.

Also, we want to thank everyone who has sent us snail mail, email, messages on facebook or given us a call on our internet phone. It is your encouragement and prayers that helps keep this ministry going!

On that note, please pray for:

* Language Acquisition – we are getting more comfortable, but still struggle with the Paraguayan accent. We are also currently doing an intensive 5 weeks of private Spanish lessons.

* Cristo Viviente – that the church will continue to be filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit and for the evangelistic campaign on October 4th

* Pozo Azul (our other church) – this church is struggling with leadership and discipleship issues. Please pray for wisdom on how we can best serve the pastor and that the congregation will be open to change. Also for the evangelistic campaign the church will have on October 18th.

* New Horizons School – wisdom and discernment as new students are selected for the school and that the school will continue to be a beacon of light within its dark surroundings.

* Baby Antonella – she is the daughter of 2 of the staff members at New Horizons. She was born with Spina bifida. We recently found out that a hospital in Florida has agreed to do the surgery for free and the neurosurgeons and anesthesiologists are donating their services. Pray that they will get the money for Visas and airfare and for peace for the family

* Our Witness – that we will be faithful and bold witnesses for Jesus Christ everywhere that we go

* An Automobile – We need to start raising funds in order to be able to buy a car by next year. A used SUV here will cost around $18,000

Pictures from the month of August can be seen by clicking on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3691&l=cc44d&id=1332236838

We love you all and give thanks to God for you!

Fuerza y Paz (Strength and Peace),

Donald, Carol and Cora

Making Disciples

2008-08-24T15:00:00.001-04:00

We had an amazing time with the mobile medical team that was here. They saw hundreds of people over the 4 days that they were at our church. Our pastor also reported that 100 people gave their lives to Christ! This Saturday the congregation is going out to visit and pray with them. After all, it is not the number of conversions that count. What counts is that the people are discipled afterward and brought into a deeper relationship with God. This is made clear in Matthew 28:18-20 when Jesus says:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Please pray that as we visit the people that they will be open to the instruction of the Word and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Mobile Medical Clinic

2008-08-12T21:02:00.003-04:00

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. Acts 5:16

Today we had the opportunity to help translate for a short-term team who came to run the mobile medical clinic at Cristo Viviente (one of our churches). The team is from Buffalo, New York and will be in Paraguay for 2 weeks. They will be at our church through Friday. Word got around the neighborhood fast as people formed lines waiting to be seen. There were 2 pediatricians, a dentist, an optometrist and 4 nurses. There was also an area that was set up as a pharmacy.

We checked the forecast on the internet before leaving home and it called for a 90% chance of rain all day. Rain poured down as we arrived and gathered to set up. The first thing we did was form a circle and pray. The pastor prayed specifically that the rain be sent away from that particular area so people would come and be seen. As soon as we said "Amen," the rain stopped. There was not one more drop of rain there for the rest of the day!

Donald helped with the organization of the people waiting. I helped translate for one of the pediatricians. It was a true blessing. Many people received medical treatment, medications and prayer.

A young woman named Angela came with her new 12-day-old baby. She was worried about him spitting up. The doctor examined the healthy baby and determined it was simply mild reflux. The 17-year-old mother then shared that he was her only child because her previous baby died of an infection at 7 months of age. She was fearful that the same thing would happen to her new son. The doctor and I both agreed that the mother needed prayer.

After the exam I asked the pastor's wife to pray with me and Angela. She shared with the young mother about fear and the One who can take away our fears. Tears of joy filled my eyes as I watched Angela accept Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior as her son slept peacefully in her arms.

This is why we are here!

The Sound of the Trumpet

2008-08-11T20:04:00.001-04:00

The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever." Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14

Yesterday I began playing my trumpet with the praise band at one of our churches, Cristo Viviente. At the beginning of the service we had a wonderful time of praise and worship. Special music was also played by two men on the Paraguayan harp and guitar. It was beautiful.

We had a guest pastor that night. After the special music, he asked me to get up and play something on the trumpet kind of like an army charge call. I played it once with some timidity. He then asked me to play it again and asked the congregation to stand and shout. As I played and the people shouted, I felt the boldness of the Holy Spirit well up in me. I began playing louder and stronger as the people continued to shout and praise the Lord. The power of the Holy Spirit fell as many started crying and running up to the front to be prayed for. It was an amazing thing to watch and be a part of. Our pastor's son, Diego joined me on the keyboard and we continued to play as the Glory of God surrounded us. As people were prayed for I could tell that they were being healed and set free from spiritual bondage.

After a long time, the guest pastor brought a message to the congregation of forgiveness and reconciliation. In the end many more people came to the front to confess their unforgiveness.

Please pray that this movement of the Holy Spirit will continue in Cristo Viviente, and that it will spill over into the neighborhood surrounding the church!

July Update

2008-08-09T21:59:00.001-04:00

Its hard to believe that we have been in Paraguay now for a little over a month. Time has flown by! Much of it has been spent learning our way around and getting acclimated to the culture. We were told before coming to not take on any "official" duties for the first couple of months. Now we know why. Everything is so different here, and it is taking awhile to learn how to navigate through life. That does not mean, however that God has not been working. He certainly has. Let us share a few things:

Our Two Churches

Since coming here, we have been attending two of the Methodist churches that are close to our home. The first church, Pozo Azul (Blue Well), is about 15 km from us, but it takes about 30 minutes to get there due to the roads. A year ago the church was struggling and down to 4 members. The president of the denomination appointed his son-in-law to pastor it. Now there are about 30 people who attend on Sundays including children. Most members live within walking distance in very humble homes. We have spoken to the pastor, and he would like us to help do some Bible studies in the future.

The second church, Cristo Viviente (Living Christ), meets on Sunday evenings. It is about 5 minutes from our home. It has more of an urban feel than the other church. The people there are also more exuberant in their worship. Right now the sanctuary only has 2 walls and a roof. However, they do have an electric guitar, drumset and keyboard. Carol will start playing her trumpet with them next Sunday.

Alpha Course

We shared last month about the Alpha course we have been involved with. It continues to be a blessing for us as we learn from others and see lives being changed. We have also formed a relationship with one of the families. Ricardo is in Donald's small group and his wife, Monica is in Carol's. They have twin 4-year-old boys and a 6-year-old girl. They have only been Christians for a month. Last Tuesday we picked them up and they showed us a good place to eat typical Paraguayan food. We then spent some time fellowshipping in their home. They shared with us how God has transformed their marriage over the past month. We praised God with them, prayed with them and shared some about spiritual warfare. We are going to continue to meet with them on a regular basis for discipleship.

A God Encounter

Before coming to Paraguay we were told that there are very few black people in the country. We have found that to be true. For most Paraguayans, their only experience with black people are the Brazilian "futbolistas" (soccer players). So, when people on the street see Donald, they either stare or shout something about fútbol. It is even more unusual to see an interracial couple. Needless to say, we stand out here.

Anyway, last Wednesday we went to one of the malls in Asunción to meet with a friend who is helping us with our residency paperwork. While we were in the food court (yes, they have those here too!) a black man came up to our table to speak to Donald. He was happy to see another person of color. He is from the Caribbean and speaks English. He is married to a Paraguayan and has lived here 6 years. When we told him we were missionaries, it was like a door was opened. He told us that his wife had recently had a miscarriage and that he was thinking about becoming a Christian. We were able to share with him a little and exchanged contact information in order to meet with him and his wife.

After the conversation our friend pointed out to us that our "uniqueness" in this culture is what drew this man to us and opened the door to share Christ. It will be cool to see how God continues to use this in the future!

Caacupe

Over this past month, Donald has been trying to make some contacts with other silversmiths. There are several in this area that make jewelry and small things, but none that do the same work that Donald does. Last week we were able to visit a silver factory in a town called Caacupe. It is about one hour from our home. Donald had called beforehand and spoke with the master silversmith's son. He spoke English very well and seemed excited that we were missionaries. He said that they were Christians also. When we arrived at the shop, however, it became clear that there was a misunderstanding. They are Jehovah Witnesses, and had thought we were Jehovah Witness missionaries. Even though we explained that we were not, they still let us tour the business. Donald was familiar with many of the techniques they used and was pleased to see that they were doing much by hand. As we were leaving, the master silversmith said that he would be happy to help Donald in any way possible. He will be a good resource and maybe we will even have a chance to evangelize some with his family as well!

Nuevo Horizonte

Nuevo Horizonte (New Horizons) is the name of the school that Carol will be working in. It was founded by missionaries in the year 2000 in response to the lack of the availability of quality education in a poor area of Asunción. The goal is to provide a good Christian education and equip future leaders of Paraguay. It started with preschool and a grade has been added every year. Next year Nuevo Horizonte will include 8th grade and consist of over 450 children.

Carol has had a chance to visit the school and participated in two meetings. She will begin working there officially in September. That is when they start the registration process for the preschool. There are 45 openings and about 200 children will probably apply for them. Each child is tested and then a home visit is made. Since she has a background in social work, Carol will be the main person doing the home visits.

Cora Update

Cora got off to a bit of a rough start first by developing bronchitis, then getting bit by the dog. She is adjusting well, however. She loves living in our home with the dogs, cats and trampoline. There is plenty of room for her to run around and play. She has also started making friends with the children in both churches and Alpha. Since she started spending more time with the children, Cora's Spanish has improved immensely. She understands a lot and is trying to speak it more and more.

There is more that we could share, but this is getting kind of long. Guess that is what the blog is for! To view some pictures of the last month, click on this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3419&l=532ef&id=1332236838

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. That is what keeps us going! Here are a few prayer requests:

* Language Acquisition
* That we will be bold witnesses for Christ everywhere we go
* All the people we have mentioned in this update
* Our physical and spiritual health and safety
* Individuals willing to donate money for our automobile fund

We are Finally Here!

2008-07-24T19:38:00.005-04:00

We sent out an email update last week to let everyone know that we have finally made it to Paraguay. If you would like to be on our email list, send your address to capaige@yahoo.com.

Since there is so much to write about every day, we will try to highlight a few things at a time. Last Sunday we went to the 2 Methodist churches that are closest to our home in Luque. One meets in the morning and the other in the evening.

The church that meets in the morning has about 25 people who attend regularly. A year ago it was a dying church and was down to a total of 4 people. That was when Pablo Mora, the president of the Methodist church in Paraguay appointed his son-in-law as its pastor. Everyone there was very welcoming to us. All the pictures above are of that church.

There are about 30 people who attend the other church. We did not get any pictures last Sunday, but it only has 2 walls and a roof. Tarps serve as the 3rd wall. They do, however have a drum set, electric guitar and keyboard. The music there is very lively and reminds us of our church in Costa Rica. We can definitely feel the presence of the Holy Spirit there!

Both churches have many children. Cora has enjoyed playing with them all. However, when it comes time for children to leave the service for their program, she gets shy and refuses to go. We are sure that will change as we continue to go and she gets more used to everything.

The following video is not very good because it was done on our small camera. It shows the road on our way to church. This road is typical for the area. This is also why we need to buy an SUV!