Thanksgiving

What were you thankful for, this Thanksgiving? I was very thankful for my life! After 2 super fun days with the McKissicks and Floyds, I was coming back to Villarrica with the Stirlings, when Renee got a text message from the Terhaars warning us to be careful because there was a plank missing in the next bridge, and that they had put big tree branches in front of the hole so that we could see it! The McKissicks and Floyds live almost one hour from the paved road, so to get out to their houses, you have to travel on red dirt roads and over several scary wooden bridges. When it rains, you can't go out there because your car will get stuck in the mud! Buses are canceled and everything! So we came to the place the Terhaars had marked for us and all got out of the Landrover. Sure enough, there was a board missing and it was a really big one! So Renee and us stood on the bridge to mark for Greg the location of the 2 boards that ran lengthwise, under all of the planks, so that Greg could line up the Landrover's tires and make it over. All of the sudden, he started revving his engine, and Renee and I realized that once he actually made it over the hole, he was going to be going really fast! So we started screaming and turned around and started running away from Greg. But we had forgotten that there are lots of smaller holes and smaller planks missing or not lined up right all over the bridge so we were trying to jump over the holes and get away from Greg at the same time! It was pretty scary. Greg didn't make it over his first 2 tries, but he made it on the 3rd. We sure were thankful to be alive, this Thanksgiving!

The pig slaughtering and Thanksgiving, itself, was really cool, too. I learned more about anatomy and cuts of meat in that one day than in all of my science classes put together! One of Tony and Jean's Paraguayan friends came over with his son to teach them how to butcher the pig. That took all morning, and then we ate the pig for lunch! Imagine- it was running around free at 8 am and on our plates by 2 pm! While the men worked on the pig, us ladies snapped and canned beans. Do any of you have a garden and grow beans every summer? Taking the ends off of beans is a fun thing when there are several people to help, but it takes a really long time and is kind of boring if you have to do it, alone. That's one thing that I've learned since coming to Paraguay- the joy of teamwork. Usually, we like to get our own way. If we are playing a game with our friends and they do things that we don't like, it's really easy to want to quit and not play at all. But it's so much more fun to do things together, even if we don't get to do things exactly the way we would do them if we were by ourselves. Lately I've been in several situations where one person has a problem or is working on something, and the entire family stops what they are doing to help that person. It's really cool and something that I need to learn to do better! Anyway, we snapped beans and washed dishes almost the entire day! But we were all together so it didn't feel like work, at all. After finishing dishes, we ate homemade ice cream and then went over to the McKissicks' for dinner.

I decided not to post pictures of the actual pig butchering, just because I promised that this blog would be kid friendly and I'm not sure that all of you want to see it. But i have posted them, with descriptions, on my Picasa site, so if you want to see them, please go and check them out (http://picasaweb.google.com/alyssa.lugbill). Hope you all had a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey guys! Just wanted to say happy Thanksgiving and tell you that I'll be leaving, in the morning, to go down to the McKissicks' and Floyds' for a few days. They live out in the companya, the country/ rural part of Paraguay, so we always celebrate American Thanksgiving, out there. I'm going out, tomorrow, so that I get to see them slaughter the animals. I know we're killing a pig in the morning and then having pork for lunch. They'll probably do a few chickens and a turkey, too. Anyway, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures for you :) Oh, and then on Friday, Jeff (the doctor) is going to dissect the heart and eyeballs with the kids for a science project! Cool, huh? Don't you wish YOU were a homeschooler in Paraguay? I've recently heard a disturbing report that my excitement is causing a particular man in my life to question my femininity. I personally think that butchering, defeathering, dressing, and cooking a chicken all in one day is the epitome of being lady-like. It could almost be added to the end of Proverbs 31, in fact! Whatever. Just teasing! I'll be sure to tell you about it when I come home. Happy Thanksgiving!

All American Missy

 
 
 
 

Whew! I'm officially done with school! On Tuesday I turned in final grades and last night was Noche Internacional, our end-of-the-year school program. My students have worked so, so hard, this year, and it has paid off. They have done a GREAT job! Almost all of them learned a LOT and did SUPER on their final exams. I was SOOOOOOO happy! Then, last night, we had a really fun program where each grade learned a dance and a song from a different country! They all wore beautiful costumes, and several of the girls wore ribbons in their hair! Some of the boys wore sombreros, really big hats that South American men use to keep the sun out of their faces when they're working in the fields. Also, each class decorated a booth and made special food from their country. It was so neat.

A lot of time when you're a missionary, you're not doing things specifically related to God, but more as a representative from North America. A lot of people want to learn English, so since you're from the United States, they ask you to help them. Then others want to learn how to do "American" things, so they ask for your help with that, too. I spent a lot of time, this week, being one of Villarrica's "resident North Americans." On Tuesday and Wednesday, I helped one of my friends write an application to do go the United States as an exchange student! Every year, the United States Embassy chooses a couple Paraguayan teenagers whose parents aren't rich to go to the USA for 2 weeks to live with an American family and go to an American high school! Their whole application has to be in English, so my friend, Bianca, asked for my help. I thought she had it all written and just needed me to check her English, but instead I actually helped her think about the answers to most of the essay questions. In the US, our schools really focus on helping us develop critical thinking and writing skills. The Paraguayan system is different, though. Instead of teaching students to analyze information and be creative, they teach kids to conform and copy what their teachers/ leaders say, so Bianca had a really hard time thinking about the answers to the questions that were on this application created by a program in the United States (Youth Ambassadors, if anyone's interested) I will be SO, SO, SO happy if Bianca gets to spend 2 weeks in Kansas because I helped her with her application!

Speaking of my time at Bianca's house, I have an interesting topic for some of you older kids to talk about with your parents. Bianca's parents like to talk with me a lot about US politics and the economy. This week, her mom told me that democracy only works for rich countries like the United States, Canada, and Europe. She said that poor countries work best under dictatorships. In August, Paraguay elected a new President that is giving a lot more power to the poor people, and isn't punishing crime as harshly as before, and she says that Paraguay won't improve until it gets another dictator. She said that most poor people don't have the education or long term planning to make democracy work. She says that they're too concerned with daily survival, that they'll do whatever it takes to survive, and can't think about the good of society as a whole. What do you and your parents think about that? Sarah Breuer, I'd imagine that you've studied government in school. What do you and your parents think of what Bianca's mom said?

So yesterday I went to the school early in the morning to make nearly 100 servings of nachos and taco dip for the second graders' Mexico table. Last year I made hot fudge sundays for the 6th graders because their country was the USA. This year, I didn't think anybody would ask for my help, because none of the classes were doing the United States, but I was wrong. A few times I've made tacos for my friends when they've come over for parties, so when the second graders didn't know what to make for "Mexico" the teachers all thought to ask me! Hahaha. A lot of the moms said they were going to come and help, but they ended up having other things to do, instead, so one other mom and I were cooking almost all day! The reason it took so long is because we had to make the refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, and tortilla chips all from scratch! When the program started at 7:30, I was very surprised to hear Greg (our principle) begin telling the audience how tonight was a sad night because I was going back to the United States, in January, and wouldn't be teaching, next year! Then he called me up on stage and gave me a very beautiful plaque! After the program, several of my students and parents came up to say good-bye. It was very special, but I almost cried because I'm going to miss them so much! The most meaningful 5 minutes, by far, were those that I spent with Pauline. Today (Friday) she left for a 2 month trip to the US. She'll be living with a family near Chicago and going to school so that she can practice her English and learn about US culture. She was pretty scared, last night, and also sad about me leaving while she's gone. I asked her if I could pray for her. It felt so good for me to put her in God's hands. I'll miss all of the kids, but especially that older group that I've taught the entire time.

Also, yesterday, some students asked me to come over to their house and teach their mom how to bake a chocolate cake! That's going to be fun. So sometimes missionaries lead Bible studies. Sometimes they teach classes. Sometimes they go to church. Sometimes they watch people get baptized. And a lot of times they just help people do "American" things like write essays, speak English, and cook, because we're the only Americans that people know! :)

i'm coming! i'm coming!

Hey, guys! Sorry I've been so bad at writing, lately. This week I'm going to write at least one blog about a the coolest baptism I've ever seen. It was out in Kapi-I at a WATERFALL!!! But in the meantime, I just read a really, really funny blogpost by my friend Amy McKissick. Breuer girls, do you remember Ginny, Josh, Micah, Tyler, and Ryan? It's their mom. Anyway, she wrote about their school and it's funny. I'm sure you guys already read her blog, but I still thought I'd post it.

http://amyinparaguay.blogspot.com/2008/11/ladys-first-day-of-school.html

Also, I have posted on my other blog, but it's not very kid-friendly, for those adults who are interested:)

OK. I'll write more, later.

english night

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't written anything in a while. Last weekend I went to Argentina and ran in a marathon! It was super fun, but I was REALLY tired when I got home, Tuesday. Then we had our final English program of the school year, tonight, so I've been busy getting my kids ready for that. I was really proud of them, tonight. They have learned so much, this year! The second graders played English Tic-Tac-Toe (in front of their parents), sang "Deep," played Simon Says, and read some things they had written. The third graders played English Guess that Word, sang "Big House," played Simon Says, and shared what they had written. The 6th and 7th graders quoted Romans 8 for memory and played a game called Mafia. They all did a super job. I haven't even thought of tomorrow, yet... it might be the perfect day for Dr. Seuss...

from the mouths of babes

This week all of my students are working on writing projects. In the second grade, we're writing about our favorite vacations. In the third grade we're writing about our families. In the sixth and seventh grades, I put a bunch of random things on a table and had the kids choose items to make comparisons. I invite you to read what some of them wrote:

• Friendship is like a pen drive because it is always going everywhere with you, and through it you can pass fun moments.


• Friendship is like a book, because the book have many emotions, when somebody is sad, happy, angry, and more things. The friendship can be long or short like a book but true friendship is long, is funny, and is happy.


• Friendship is like a lighter. The lighter starts things and we can start a friendship. Some friendships go out like the lighter. Sometimes the lighter can provoke fire and the friendship can become another thing (more than friends) [Alyssa's note- written by a 6th grade girl:)].


• Friendship is like glue because when you have a friend your friend stick to you like the glue to the paper.


• Friendship is like a cellphone because you show off your friendship and you brag about your phone.


• Friendship is like an mp4 because the mp4 memory have very many things and in our minds we have very important stories about our friends. Friendship is like an mp4 because when we're so wasted we have to sleep for recharge for be a better friend [Alyssa's note- "wasted" here is translated from "gastado" I'm sure- meaning when you're really, really tired!!! :)]


• Friendship is like a camera because it captures my beautiful moments. And if you are bad you can lose it.

• Life is like Rocio's cellphone because it has many options. You can press one of the buttons, and the life you can choose what you wanna do. In the life you can do bad things, and with the cellphone, too.


• Life is like the hair scrunchy because the scrunchy has different forms and the life, too. The scrunchy has many colors, could be green could be pink, blue, every color that we want. The life is like that because everyday the life is a different color. One day is green when we are happy, another day is blue when we are angry.


• Life is like a movie because in a movie you can see romance, action, and comedy. And in the life you live the same things.


• Life is like a cellphone charger because the charger have a purpose that is to recharge and we have a purpose too that only God knows. Life is like a charger because a charger is portable and you can put it wherever you want, and your life, too. For example if you like you can put your life in the God's hands.


• Life is like scotch tape because it is long. But one moment it could finish and so it's important to take advantage to use it, to do the things in a good form. And the tape isn't long.


• Life is like a dice because you never know what will happen in your life, and also you never know if you are playing in what number will the dice stop. You don't know if you will die tomorrow, and you don't know if you will lose all your money playing dice in a casino in Las Vegas.
  
  



• Learning is like this hand gel, because we can open our minds to learn more like we open the lid of the hand gel. The hand gel clean our hands and to learn clean our mind.


• Learning is like a yo-yo because when you don't learn you get down and whey you learn you get up.


• Learning is like a sticker because this sticker is boring and learning, too [written by a 7th grade boy! :) ]
  
  



• Time is like a camera because the end of your time will come and the camera's battery have an end, too.


• Time is like "UNO" cards because you don't know how long will the game last and the time is the same thing. You never control the time like you never desire when the game will end (you always want to keep playing once the game is over). The game could last a lot of hours and it can also last a few minutes. You never know.

And for the record, my kids actually speak much better English than that. But the point of this exercise was to have them write as much as they could in 5 minutes, so I was giving classroom bucks to whichever student wrote the most words about each item:) Had they proofread or taken the time to think about grammar, they would have done much better :)

And just for fun, I added the picture of the surprise I found when I cut into my red pepper, today (which cost me nearly $1)! Can you tell what it is? Yum!

the universal language

Did you know that people call music the universal language? Even if you can't talk with someone because you speak different languages, you might know the same songs! You might also learn some new ones, though, because every country has its own special musical style and tradition. I LOVE Paraguayan music. Honestly, I didn't think it was anything special when I first came, but now I just love it and am really going to miss hearing it at all hours of the night (my apartment is in the center of the city, and there aren't any laws, here, about not playing music too loudly). OK, maybe I won't miss it at 2 in the morning. But I'll definitely miss hearing it as I walk down the sunny streets toward the market or school. OK, Alyssa, enough with the nostalgia. Get on with the story.

So last Sunday night I got to go to a piano recital! I took some videos, so that you would be able to listen. Try and see how many you know! Some are Paraguayan, so you probably won't know those. But I think you'll like them. I especially think those in the 23-40 age group will like the last number :) The student learned it, by ear, and inserted it into several different places of Beethoven's "Moonlit Sonata." Have fun!

recess castigados

Gracias a Dios por este dia! Can anyone guess what that means in Spanish? It means "Thank You, Lord, for this day!" I'm feeling very thankful, tonight, because my all of my students got to go out for recess, today! Usually some of them don't get to play at recess because they made bad choices during English class and I have to discipline them. Sometimes it feels like adults actually like to discipline us, doesn't it? But that's not true, at all! But when God created the world, He made consequences to help us know what to do. All of our choices always have consequences. When we make good choices, we like the consequences. When we make bad choices, the consequences aren't fun at all! Your parents and teachers hate to see you frustrated, mad, and sad because of your wrong choices. But God has given parents and teachers the job of helping kids understand how consequences work, so it's really important that sometimes they discipline you to help you learn.

It has been really hard for some of my students to obey me, this week, so they haven't gotten to play outside at recess very much. Since my job is to help them learn English, I tell them that they can either choose to learn English during the hour of English class or during their recess. It's better if they can learn during class so that they can play soccer during recess. But if they choose not to listen, pay attention, participate, or try during English class, the consequence is that they'll miss recess. 2 of my kids had to miss recess every single day, this week, which made me very sad for them. Yesterday I decided that maybe if I played with them, during recess, they wouldn't need to get so much attention by being silly in English class.

So after school, a few of my 3rd grade boys were still waiting on their parents to come pick them up, so I ran over to get out a soccer ball, and asked them if they wanted to play with med. They were SO MUCH better than me, even though they're only 8 years old! Later that evening I was walking home from the park when I saw 2 of our boys playing basketball, so I asked if I could play. They were surprised that I wanted to play, but said yes! There wasn't a gate in the fence (yes, adults, my mind did engage in a short lived moral debate, at this point in the story), so they showed me the VERY small hole I had to climb through! Thankfully, Paraguayans don't play as much basketball as soccer, so they thought I was REALLY good. (Ah, their ignorance is my bliss). After about 30 minutes, some older high school boys came to play, so I decided it was time for me to go home. They said "adios" and "gracias por jugar!" which means "goodbye" and "thanks for playing!"

So I don't know if my little experiment worked, but today was the best day I've had with my 3rd grade class in months. Not even one of my students had to stay in from recess! So instead of staying in my room with the "castigados," which means, "people being punished," I went down to cheer for the boys playing soccer and watch the girls on their rollerblades. And they definetly were showing off for me, which made it even more fun! I think maybe some of my kids just needed a little bit more attention. Do you ever act silly, disobedient, or angry because your mom is so busy cleaning and helping your brother with homework and changing your sister's diaper that she doesn't play with you? Or do you feel jealous, at school, because you're really good at reading and the teacher always spends most of her time with the kids who need more of her help? When we feel sad, lonely, or frustrated, we should tell our teachers or parents with words, instead of making bad choices like being mean to other kids. Your teachers and parents love you so much amd they are very happy when you make good choices because they like seeing YOU happy!

a "typical" week

Whew! It's been a great week and I'm exhausted! That's the way we're supposed to feel at the end of a week, right? I think the best way to give you an idea of this week is just to give a little summary. I already wrote about Monday in my last post (I Love my Life).

Tuesday: school 8:30-1:30. At 3:30 my friend, Noemi, showed up at my door with two of her high school friends because they all wanted help with their English homework. After about an hour, her friends went home but she stayed. Noemi's been pretty sad, lately, because two of her friends are being really mean to her. I'm her small group leader, so she just wanted to spend some time together. I was SO glad that she came over because I love her so much, but I hadn't been planning on any visitors and I REALLY had to go running. I felt bad, but I'm going to Argentina for a marathon in 3 weeks and can't skip my runs, now! Noemi seemed to understand, though, so I gave her a t-shirt and she came to the park, with me! Afterwards, we made dinner, and then the other girls came over for small group. They stayed until about 9.

Wednesday: school 8:30-1:30. At 5:30 another one of my friends/ small group members/ helpers came over. I'll call her Lucy, because I don't want to use her real name. She did my laundry and washed my floor while I went shopping for our dinner. At the supermarket, they had just pulled freshly baked whole wheat bread out of the oven, so I bought a loaf and we ate it for dinner with strawberry jelly and hot chocolate! It was good to spend time with Lucy, but it was sad, too. She's fallen in love with a boy who doesn't love Jesus. In the Bible, God tells us that He wants Christians to marry other Christians, because He loves us and knows that we will be the happiest if the people that we marry love Him, too. But in Paraguay there are a lot more Christian girls than Christian boys, so a lot of my friends often have to choose between disobeying God and marrying non-Christians, and never having boyfriends. Unfortunately, Lucy chose to go out with somebody who isn't a Christian, and now she has to decide whether she wants to lose her relationship with the boy (for now) and keep her close relationship with God, or disobey God and keep her relationship with the boy. It would have been so much easier if she hadn't ever become his girlfriend. But she did, and now she loves him, so both of her options are really painful. I feel so sad for her. But I'm scared, too. She left sometime between 8-9.

Thursday: school 8:30-2. I'd planned on making black beans and rice for lunch, but when I opened my sealed plastic container, I found little black bugs crawling throughout my black beans. I almost threw up. Later, I showed Lucy, and she said that the eggs were probably in my beans when I bought them (in a sealed bag from the supermarket). I guess that's not uncommon. Now I know why my host mom always washed beans before cooking them. Anyway, At 3:45, one of my third graders came over. Her name is Silene. I really wanted her to do well on our test, Friday, so I said she could come over to my apartment to study. As soon as she left, I ran out for a quick run. When I got back, Lucy was sitting on my steps outside my apartment. She did my dishes and washed the floor while I went to the terminal to check the bus schedules, and went to the supermarket to get some more of that freshly baked bread. After supper, Lucy and I studied the Bible, together. We talked about it for 3 hours! Finally, her mom came to pick her up at 10:15! After she left, I baked cookies that I'd promised my 6th and 7th graders, wrote 3 exams, and crawled into bed.

Friday: school 8:30-1:30. After school, one of my student teachers and I got into an argument, but we didn't have time to work it out. So in the afternoon I invited her over to talk more. We talked for 3 whole hours before planning her next lesson! Even though it's hard, Americans usually try to talk about problems in their relationships, but Paraguayans usually keep their feelings inside. So when we finally do talk about our misunderstandings, it takes a long, long time because we have to talk about things that happened 9 months ago. It was exhausting, but very good to work everything out. Getting along with people can be really hard, sometimes, but aren't you glad we get to do it? Can you imagine if we had to be all alone? Sure, we wouldn't have to share and we wouldn't get our feelings hurt, but it would be really lonely and not much fun. After she left, I graded quizzes, had dinner, and talked on the phone to MY boyfriend (who IS a Christian!). We don't really talk during the week, which makes Fridays pretty special.

So what does a missionary do? Lots of stuff, but it's different every day. And it probably depends a lot on their personalities and what they're good at, too. Jeff, for example, is a doctor and spends a lot of his time seeing sick people. Tony can fix anything so he spends a lot of time fixing broken things that people bring him. Fiona is a good writer, teacher, and organizer, so she spends time working at a college. Jeremy is amazing at math and business, so he spends most of his time in the office, organizing our money and working on the computer. Renee, Amy, and Jean spend their time homeschooling their kids and taking care of them. I guess I'm good at English and listening to teenage girls figure out their lives, so I spend a lot of time doing that. Missionaries really do whatever you and your parents do. They just do it in a place where most of the people don't know Jesus. But just like your parents, everything that they do is to help people get to know God.

This one writer, named Soren Kierkegard, once asked, "What is talkativeness? It is doing away with the vital distinction between talking and keeping silent." One time when I went to bed, this week, I thought to myself, "What is laziness? It is doing away with the vital distinction between working and resting." I'm trying to become a better worker and a better rester. When we left class, every Friday afternoon, one of my professors used to tell us to work hard, rest hard, play hard, and pray hard. I'm not very good at it, yet, but it's sure fun to try! I love the feeling that I'm getting to work together with God, and then enjoying resting with Him, too. "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

i love my life!

I love my life. It's as simple as that. If God calls you to be a missionary, you're going to love it. And if He calls you to be a teacher, you're going to love it. And if He calls you to be a vet, you're going to love it. And if He calls you to be a police officer, you're going to love it. And if He calls you to be a wife, you're going to love it. And if He calls you to be a mom, you're going to love it. You won't always love it, of course, because it is the times we do what we don't love to do that we really grow and become more like Jesus. But overall, I think you'll love it. Because when your Creator calls you to do something, He's calling you to do exactly what He created you for, so it will feel like you couldn't choose to do anything better than exactly what you're doing, because you were created to do it and it's wonderful, even when it's hard.

Today had both hard times and good times. But between 12 and 1 was my favorite hour of the day (well, skype chat's been pretty great, tonight, too; I can't tell a lie :) Between 12 and 1, I got to teach my 6th and 7th graders about God. All year, we've been memorizing Romans 8, together. It's one of the best chapters in the whole Bible. Each Monday, we write one or two new verses on the board and take some time to talk about them and work on memorizing them. I always have an actual lesson planned, too, but I give myself permission to not get to the lesson if we get into a good discussion, Mondays. So today we talked about Romans 8:24-25. OK. I talked about Romans 8:24-25. It was a very teacher centered day, I'll admit. But oh how I loved it. Verse 24 starts out "FOR in this hope, we were saved." and I always ask them what the "fors" are there for. So we looked back a few verses that let us talk about how the whole creation is spinning towards disaster. Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. And even humans are out of control! Life isn't fair. We talked about injustice and oppression, AIDS, abuse, economic depressions, and lots of other stuff that's just not fair. So we talked about how bad it all seems, sometimes, but about this hope that God is going to restore creation and bring justice for those who have been treated badly. And that we're going to be freed from all of the stuff we hate about ourselves. Never again will we accidentally hurt people that we love by saying mean things. Someday, we'll be the people we dream of being, and the world will be beautiful and amazing and perfect. My kids asked a lot of questions and were pretty engaged. Granted, their psycho teacher was freaking out over the Bible and God and probably speaking faster English than she should have been for an entire hour and they are only 11 and 12, after all. But still, they were pretty engaged. Pray for my students. Oh, how I have come to love them. Pray for Adri, Diego, Carlos, Raul, Esteban, Giselle, Pauline, Loida, Rocio, Christopher, Laudes, and Mati. We're going to be finishing up with our books, this week, which means that I get the rest of the year to do whatever I want with them, as long as we do it in English!!! I think I'm going to do a unit on writing, and have them write about their hopes, dreams, etc. Pray that something clicks in their minds and hearts before I leave and they decide that they want to follow Jesus with everything that is in them.

OK. So that was the best part of my day (minus skype chat). But the other really good part was when my friend, Josephina, came over to visit! We talked for a really long time, and she promised to help me find a little girl who was taken to an orphanage a few weeks, ago. She used to come to the church, but none of the church people knew which orphanage she's at. But Josephina's a lawyer, so she's going to help me find her, so that I can go and visit her. Please pray for this little girl, too, that God would take good care of her when her mom can't, and that I'd be able to find her and play with her like Jesus would want to.

Companarismo

Hey, guys! How was your Sunday? I heard it's been pretty rainy in Indiana. Did any of you go to the hog roast at St. Mark? Did you have any visitors in your Sunday School classes or new kids in school, this week? If you did, will you write me and tell me about it? You can ask your parents to help you leave a comment on this blog. I'd love to hear about it! Do you remember how I told you how proud I was of Berenice and Silene, last week? Well, this week I was even MORE proud of Bere than before!

Today we had our big "companerismo Sunday" which means "fellowship Sunday." Once a month we have church at somebody's house and then share lunch, together, afterwards. Do you remember how I told you that I'd invited my friends who sell fruits and veggies in the market? Well, the parents couldn't come, but Blanca, Sasha, and Fernando came, along with their 7 year old cousin (whose name I never really mastered)! So this morning I was a single mother of 4. As soon as we got to church, though, Berenice came over to say hi and ended up playing with them all afternoon! They ate lunch together, chased each other around the yard, and had lots and lots of fun! I don't think they talked about Jesus very much, but I'm sure my visitors felt His love for them through Berenice and the other people at the church. One time, though, they made me a little nervous. Blanca was playing volleyball with some of the teenagers, and Bere was playing with Sasha under a big tree. But where were Fernando and their cousin? I walked around the whole house and couldn't find them! Finally, I went over to the tree where the girls were playing, and asked Sasha where her little brother was. She and Bere burst out laughing and pointed straight up. I looked above my head, and there they were up in the tree! I think I'm going to try and tell them more about Jesus, soon, so please pray for them and their parents, that they would understand how much He loves them and ask Him to forgive their sins and be in charge of their lives.

After church, I came home and made a dessert for my small group, changed into my exercise clothes, went running at the park, came home again, wrapped a birthday present in tin foil and decorated it with permanent markers because I forgot to buy wrapping paper, yesterday, and stores are always closed on Sundays, changed into my party clothes, and went to one of my students' birthday parties. It was really fun! A few months ago, I made some of my kids a CD with different songs in English. When I got to the party, the girls were all dancing to my CD! They were SO cute, so I took some video of them to show you. Berenice is the girl in blue, on the right, and Naia is wearing the pink shirt, on the right. We had to leave the party, early, because I the girls were coming over to my apartment for small group, but that was ok, because it was pretty cold. 3 of my friends ended up coming for small group, and they just left. We decided we're going to read Luke 24- Acts 6 for this week.

Whew! What a fun day! I'm so thankful for all of my wonderful friends in Paraguay. Thanks for praying for them. Tonight I'm also feeling very thankful that yesterday was Saturday :)

Rojaiju Paraguay!!!!!

GUESS WHAT???? Since I posted my last blog, I was reading the news and saw an article about PARAGUAY!!!! This is really unusual because some people say that Paraguay is in the middle of nowhere and not really known for anything. But we're in the news, now, because we have a really good soccer team that has beat Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela! "Rojaiju Paraguay" means "I love you Paraguay!" I don't think that's really how to spell it. But that's how you say it- Row- hi- who- Paraguay. Oh, yeah- also since I posted, last, my water turned off and so my toilet won't flush. Bummer. I hope it's working in the morning so I can take a shower before going to school!

Anyway- check out Paraguay in the news. And Black boys- look at their shirts! I think this is the one I gave to Owen. Kole and Braden have the 2 club shirts- Olimpia and Cerro.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/football/09/09/fanzone.paraguay/index.html

Oh! I can hear my toilet gurgling. Usually that means the water's coming back on. Yippee!!!

"You'd better soak your veggies, young woman!"

Hey, guys! How are you? I don't have a lot to write, tonight, but I promised to write on the noneventful days just like the exciting ones, so here I am. Let's see. Today I got up at 7 and hurried around to clean my apartment and make lunch because I had guests coming over, after school. Then on the way to school I stopped at the veggie market because I was going to fix chicken salads for lunch and you can always get the best veggies early in the morning. So I had all these veggies with me, when I went to school, and decided to "play market" in my 3rd grade class. I was trying to teach them the difference between "how many" and "how much." It's kinda tricky. Do you know the difference? Well, I had each of the kids come up and ask to buy something from my veggie stand. I'd ask "How many do you want?" and they'd tell me. Then they'd ask "How much is it?" and I'd tell them. The kids went crazy over my strawberries, so I had one of my students take a bag of them down to the bathroom and wash them. Then I gave a strawberry to people after they came to my "store." It was pretty fun.

During my break, I ran home to soak my lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, and strawberries. Did you know that people's stomachs are really amazing and build up resistance to certain things in the ground? So when we go to other parts of the world, we can get sick from things that don't make anybody there sick, because their stomachs have built up defenses against those things all their lives, and ours haven't yet. So I always have to soak my fruits and vegetables in water with a little bit of bleach for 30 minutes! It's kinda a bummer to not be able to eat really good strawberries and grapes as soon as you see them, but I try not to because I don't want to get sick.

Anyway, after soaking and cutting up my veggies, I ran back to school to teach my 6th and 7th graders. Then Paul and Becky came and picked me up in their truck! That was really nice, because it meant I didn't have to walk home, again! It was also great because Paul and Becky have been in the US for a year, and this was the first time I'd seen them since they came back! That's one sad thing about being a missionary, I think. Missionaries usually don't stay in one place their whole lives, because they have families and friends back in their home countries (like the United States, for me). So every 2-4 years, they go back to visit their families for about a year. It's always sad when your best friends go away for a whole year! But it's fun when you get to be together with them, again.

So Paul and Becky and I ate really good chicken salads, and then coffee and strawberry shortcake for dessert. We talked about what God is doing in our lives, and also about the future. My job is going to be over, soon (in November), so I have to decide what God wants me to do next (between Nov '08-June '09). It feels like a really big decision, but Paul and Becky and I talked about some different things that God might want me to do, and it was fun to think about! Please pray that God gives me wisdom to make a good decision!

After Paul and Becky left, I went on a run. When I got back to my apartment, my friend, Lety, was sitting on my front steps! She's 17, and comes over after school, three times a week, to help me clean and study the Bible, together. So she cleaned up my lunch dishes (I'd left EVERYTHING a mess so that I could run before she came), we ate strawberry shortcake for dinner, and then we read Matthew 5, together. She just left, 45 minutes ago. Now, I think I'm going to think and pray about everything that I talked about with Paul and Becky, plan my classes for tomorrow, and then go to sleep. Good night!

FRUIT! FRUIT! FRUIT!

Yesterday I wrote about strawberries. Today I'm going to write about a different kind of fruit. Did you know that the Bible calls the good things that God does in our hearts "fruit"? It says in John 15 that God is like a tree trunk and we Christians are like the tree's branches. If a branch gets cut off from the tree and is lying on the ground, can it grow new fruit? No way! It's not the branch that grows the fruit, at all! Sure, the fruit grows off of the branches, but only when the branches are connected to deep roots and a healthy trunk. The Bible uses this example to teach us that we aren't the ones that make spiritual fruit (good things) grow in anybody's heart, not even our own! Only God can do that. It also teaches us that we need to have a lot of patience when we really, really, really want to taste that juicy fruit and we want to taste it RIGHT NOW! Have you ever eaten a piece of fruit that's not ripe, yet? Pretty sour, huh? Did any of you go out blueberry picking, this year? When did you go? Can you go blueberry picking in October? What about December? March? May? No way! You can only go blueberry picking in June and July. There is NOTHING that blueberry tree branches can do to make the blueberries grow faster than that. Well, we don't have blueberry bushes, here, but we have orange trees. And let me tell you, sometimes being a missionary is like being an orange tree. Or a blueberry bush. You just have to wait and wait and wait and wait and wait to see God do good things in people's hearts. But I'm learning to trust that God is even more faithful than blueberry trees. As long as we don't cut ourselves off from Him, He WILL cause fruit to grow in us and through us, when it's the right time.

This morning when I went to church, I finally got to see some people fruit (remember I'm using this word to mean the good things that God does in people's hearts)! 2 months ago, Sarah, Rachel, and Amy Breuer came down to Paraguay with some other people, and we invited a bunch of my students to go to church with them. Well, three of my 2nd graders came- Camilla, Wanda, and Gerardo. Ever since then, I've been praying that God would be making their parents' hearts lonesome for Him so that they would come back to church. And when I came to church, this morning, I saw Camilla there with her mom! I was SOOOOOO excited. And not only did I see Camilla and her mom there, but 4 of my other students and their parents who don't usually come, too! AND, as if it could even get any better that this- on the way to church I got to pick up 2 little kids from the market and bring THEM to church with me, for the first time ever! Do you remember that picture I posted, yesterday, of the market where I buy my fruits and veggies? Well, I usually buy them from the same woman, and we've become friends. One day a few months ago, I invited her over for lunch and she brought 3 of her kids. Ever since then, I've been praying for her, too, that God would make her feel lonesome for Him, and give me chances to tell her about His love. So two weeks ago I was passing through the market on my way to church and invited her 12 year old daughter to come with me... AND SHE CAME!!! Her name was Blanca. "Blanca" means "white" in Spanish. This morning I passed by and invited her, again. This time she couldn't come because her mom needed her to work, so I asked if I could take Blanca's little brother and sister, Fernando (who's 5) and Sasha (who's 6). They were really dirty, so right there in the middle of the street she used water from a bucket that she'd gotten to wash the fruits off and gave them mini-baths! And then she let me take them to church.

When it was time for the kids to go to Sunday School, I took them down to their class, and 2 of my third graders from school, Berenice and Silene, came over to meet them! I was so proud of Berenice and Silene. They were both wearing skirts, and their hair had pretty ribbons in it. Sasha and Fernando were still wearing their dirty clothes they had been wearing in the market! But Berenice and Silene helped them and made them feel welcome. That showed me that God's fruit of kindness and love is growing in Bere and Silene's hearts, too! Did you know that in the book of James, the Bible says that if 2 people come to church and one is rich and the other is poor, it's really important that we are especially kind to the poor person? The Bible says that if we're nicer to the rich person than the poor person, the love of God isn't really in our hearts. Do you ever have visitors that come to your Sunday School class? This year, maybe God will even send a new kid into your class at school. I hope when He does, you can remember the example of Berenice and Silene, and be extra kind to new people so that they don't feel weird or left out.

After church, Sasha and Fernando and I went back to the market. Next week we're having a special church service outside. Oh yeah! The Breuers know about that. It'll be like the one we had when you were here. Do you remember that, where you guys sat in a circle and learned that game, "Presi, Presi, Vice, Vice, Secre, Secre, and Burra, Burra"? Well, we have those outdoor services and lunch on the second Sunday of every month. I invited Blanca, Sasha, and Fernando's whole family, including their mom. I hope they come! It might be hard for them because they normally sell their fruits and veggies on Sunday mornings, and they need that money to buy their own food, but I told their mom that if they all come, I'll use the money that you guys send me every month to pay for all the fruits and veggies that they don't get to sell, that day. And then maybe instead of selling fruit, God will make some of His fruit grow in their hearts! Thank you so much for praying for the children of Paraguay, you guys! Keep praying for Camilla, Aaron, Isaac, Mati, Gerardo, Wanda, Blanca, Fernando, Sasha, and their moms and dads!

strawberry jam

I love Saturdays! Unless there's something that I absolutely have to do, Saturday is my day of rest. I even try to cook the day before so I don't have to worry about cleaning my kitchen! This morning, though, I went to the market to buy strawberries, and then came home to make fresh strawberry jam while listening to "20 the Countdown Magazine" on Pulse FM. I listen to it through the Internet and it's kind of become a Saturday morning tradition. It was SO fun! I've never made strawberry jam before. I was a little sad that I was doing it for the first time by myself, because I would have rather done it with my mom, sisters, aunts, cousins, and grandmas. But it was still fun. For lunch I ate a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich with JIF PEANUT BUTTER that the Breuers brought down (you guys are so wonderful! I've LOVED that stuff!) and my fresh strawberry jam. Then for dinner, I ate a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich with JIF PEANUT BUTTER and my fresh strawberry jam :) I've been in heaven.

Cooking is one of the really fun parts of being a missionary, for me, but it can also take up a LOT of time, if I let it. Depending on where you live, you can't always buy all of the convenience foods you're used to in the US. And you can't go out to eat as much, either. For me, it's a fun challenge to see if I can use my creativity to make food that reminds me of home. Some people find it frustrating, though, because food preparation does take up a lot of time. So does cleaning. And laundry. Most people wash their clothes, by hand, instead of using a washing machine. And nobody uses clothes dryers. They all hang their clothes out on a line, like the Amish. So just keeping up with the cooking, cleaning, and laundry take a lot of time. That's why most people pay maids to help them. In the US only the rich people have maids. But here, it's very common. The maids don't get paid very much, but since there aren't any other good jobs around, they're thankful just to have a job. But like I said, missionaries are great cooks because they have to learn how to make everything from scratch. Missionary kids are lucky, that way! Another reason that missionaries can spend a lot of time in the kitchen is because we make such good desserts that everybody always asks us to make cakes for their birthdays! Like I said, I love it, but I do have to be careful that it doesn't take up too much time, because I don't think God called me down here just to make strawberry shortcake, all day!

I've also spent a lot of time creating this website, today, and organizing my pictures. That's been a lot of fun. Now I'm getting ready to do a Bible Study that all of us missionary women are doing, together. Then I'll probably play the guitar and sing for a while. Then I'll call a few people on Skype, read, and go to bed.

I love Saturdays!

wonderful suely

It's been a good day. It didn't start out very well because I was lazy and stayed in bed an hour after my alarm rang, so I didn't get to start the day with my devotions. Grrr. I hate it when I do that. So I got up late and french braded my hair so I'd get to school on time. Paraguayans love plain braids, but most people, here, don't know how to french braid! Can you believe it? So when I french braid my own hair, they just think it's the coolest thing ever! Anyway- I got to school just before the bell rang. Since we'd taken our huge exam the day before, we did fun art projects in 2nd and 3rd grades. Then I went on a field trip with the principle, a few other teachers, and the 6th and 7th graders to see our school's dance teacher and my good friend, Suely, in a really amazing dance performance. She's been taking dance classes ever since she was 4 years old! So she did something called a "tesina" where she made up a dance for 15 different people, and designed the costumes and scenery, too (similar to a senior recital or art exhibit, in the US). Suely did an incredible job. I was so proud of her! Oh, I love that girl. She is absolutely beautiful, inside and out. She wants to be a counselor so that she can help other women who are hurting or need advice. She didn't live with either of her parents, when she was a little girl, because they both thought there were other things in life more important than taking care of their daughter. So she was very lonely, growing up. But this helped her come to know God as her loving father and mother, and now she has a very close relationship with God. It's so hard to understand why God lets bad things happen to us. But Suely's example shows me that when we go through hard times we can either get mad at God, and then become bitter and mean, or we can let Him comfort us, and then we will become beautiful, kind, and strong. Suely is like that: beautiful, kind, and strong. I'm so honored to be her friend.

After school, I took long nap and then spent the entire evening in bed! I just sat there for hours, reading, praying, journaling, and talking on the phone to my sister, Danielle, and friend. Eric (via skype). It was so nice. I usually have 2 girls who come over to study English on Friday nights, but they never came. And that was fine with me. I've been feeling a little sad, lately, and I really just wanted to be alone, anyways. I called them and send them text messages, and they never called me back, so I just enjoyed having the night off! I ended up reading through the whole gospel of John! I hadn't meant to- I'd meant to just read one part. But one thing led to the next, and I had the evening free, so why not? It was really good for my soul. Anyway, I think I've just gotten really tired, which has made me not want to do anything, which has led to feeling guilty and badly about myself. But last night I told my sister and Eric that I was a little sad. Sometimes when we're feeling sad it really helps to be honest with people who love us and ask them to pray for us. And tomorrow's Saturday, so I'll get to rest. That's something else that helps when we're sad or grumpy. My mom always told me when I was upset about something, at night, that everything would be better in the morning. She was so smart! So even though I've been a little bit sad, I know that God will help me to feel better.