I want to apologize for taking so long to write a new update. I could come up with 1,001 reasons why I have been pushing it off, but today I am making myself sit down and just do it. And because so much has happened the past two months, I'm going to let photos be my guide. But to give you a brief overview, we hosted 4 mission trips in the span of two months. In the middle of that, I was able to go home for a short visit!
Okay. You ready?
This might be a doozy.
Buckle up.
Alright... the first trip was to Ciudad del Este, which is a town on the border of Brazil. This is Dr. Ray Pigeon sharing his testimony. I think. He used a lot of medical/scientific terms so I could have missed it completely. But I do know that Ray shared his story - the story of how God changed his life. It was awesome.
This is Edna and Faith. I've known these beautiful ladies for a few years now. See that brown water? That's the water from largest hydroelectric dam. Or something like that.
While in Ciudad del Este, the group got to perform the Empty Heart drama three times! This is sweet Esther playing the part of Suicide. She did a wonderful job!!
Trip número dos! That's Rick in the midst of a LOT of dirt. Like five or six truck loads. Rick has also been coming down to Paraguay for quite some time. He's a lot of fun. Anyway, the second team was in charge of moving that dirt. Unfortunately, all we had were shovels and wheelbarrows. There were rumors one day of a dirt mover thingy (sorry, dad... guess I didn't pick up too much of the constructiony lingo), but then it was kind of rainy. And the next day was nicer, so the owner decided to go use it on a different job site.
But look at what an awesome job everyone did!! That's the Center of Hope. The dirt was moved to where trees and landscaping is going to be planted!
Oops. How did this get in here? ;)
Many many thanks to Pastor Trevor and Maranatha Chapel, I was able to go home in July for a couple weeks. As soon as I landed in the US, I got a text that my baby niece, Emma Grace, was born! Isn't she beautiful?? Proud Auntie moment :)
And then!!! I got to visit Davey in DC. It was the best. Dating long distance is hard. It was fun to do touristy stuff, hang out, and go on dates! We even got to have dinner with my long time family friends Dave and Rhonda.
Davey and I took a day trip up to New York, where he surprised me with these two stunners! I LOVE surprises, but I'm not exactly the easiest person to surprise, but they got me. They got me good. Natasha and I went to Biola together, and I hadn't seen her since we graduated. Julia had an internship in Philly over the summer and came to spend the day with us in NY. We basically did an eating tour of New York City. We ate, we walked, we conquered.
Team number 3 came from Crosspointe Church in Detroit. This was their fifth time to Paraguay as a church. We had 3 or 4 medical clinics followed up by door-to-door evangelism. This older lady just touched my heart. She is so consumed by the Virgin Mary, like a lot of Paraguayans. She doesn't believe that she is saved by grace alone. Her daughter, a fellow believer, has been praying for her mother's salvation for 10 years. Please be praying for these sweet ladies.
Also, I teach. This is Hildi and Edu from 6th grade. They are acting something out. Edu has his jacket on his head because he is supposed to be a messy teenager. Their humor just gets me sometimes.
This is my English class that I teach on Saturdays at Su Refugio. They may be few, but they are mighty! And they are really improving :)
This guy has visited me way too many times in the shower. Scares the bajeebees out of me. Every stinkin' time.
On Wednesdays, I don't usually wear pink. But I do go to church at Los Nogales with these fun girls.
This is my beautiful, wise cousin, Kendra. She turned 24. We celebrated with Guatemalan tacos and funfetti cake. Don't be fooled by those tall brown things sticking up out of the cake. They aren't candles. They're Pocky that Charlotte got in a care package. See that big red thing she's holding? That's the only candle we could find. And it wouldn't light. But hey, we had a great time!
These are some crazy kids from Concordia University Irvine. They are on their semester abroad and are traveling around the world! They are going to 10 countries, two weeks at a time. We were so blessed to have them in Tobati. They worked really hard, shared the Gospel, played with kids, built a bathroom, put up a shade for the playground, and captured my heart.
Here they all are.
Kendra and I have decided to do things for the memory. It started off by drinking coffee in bed. Then we wore Burger King crowns -- in the grocery store. Join us and do something for the memory - letting loose, and not caring what other people perceive of us. It's fun!
Whew. That basically sums up my July and August.
Now that September has come, it has been a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. But Jesus keeps reminding me of His words in Matthew. I hope that these verses will minister to you as well!
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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." Matthew 11:28-29
