Week Nine in Paraguay

We've made it nine weeks! This week was back to our regular schedule as the team from Palm Beach Lakes left early Tuesday morning, and we didn't work with them on Monday. It is strange to me in a way to think about being so long in a foreign country that we have a "regular schedule," but we have, and I'm thankful for our time here.

Kids playing after services with one of their friends.

Trent continued teaching Christian Evidences in the Bible Academy this week, and also began teaching Numbers and Deuteronomy. He is now teaching in the Bible Academy five days a week which is a full load, and challenging because he's teaching it in Spanish. The students also have chapel everyday as part of their time in the Bible Academy, and he's giving a couple of the chapel lessons every week. On top of teaching in the Bible Academy Trent continues to take private Spanish lessons, although he's had to slow down a little on how much he can take. Trent also had a one-on-one Bible study (completely in Spanish!) with a young man that went well, and he is supposed to meet with him to study again this week.

We also continued with our English students this week. I was able to meet with all three of my students, and the studies continue to go well. Trent met with his one, very hard-working student, as well. Unfortunately Trent's other English students have quit coming. I had an interesting discussion with one of my English students about the Pope's visit. She was complaining quite a bit about bickering on Facebook about his visit. I'm not exactly sure what was controversial to her friends about his visit, but it was interesting to hear. Trent also had an interesting discussion with his English student about the Pope's visit. The kids had a great time playing at the church building with the secretary's little boy on Monday afternoon during our English studies (the kids here are on winter break for a couple of weeks).

Sleepy Luke (just woke up from crashing during Wednesday night services after no nap)

On Saturday, Troy took us sight-seeing outside of the city of Asuncion. The primary purpose of our trip was to visit the town of Caacupe which is a religious center of Paraguay. The Basilica of Caacupe is located there, and it houses the Virgin of Caacupe. The Basilica in Caacupe was one of the places the Pope visited when he was here, and while he was here he elevated the status of the Basilica. The Virgin of Caacupe is worshipped in Paraguay similar to the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico. Troy told us that when studying with a Catholic, you have to be very careful and spend a lot of time building before you can ever discuss the Virigin of Caacupe because she is held in such high regard in their religion. In Paraguay, on December 8, many Catholics will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica, and ask for help from the Virigin Caacupe. As we drove up to Caacupe Troy showed us different starting points where people begin their pilgrimage to the Basilica. After we left the Basilica, we walked around the shops in the area where you could buy your own "Virgin Caacupe" as well as assorted other statues of saints, etc. Between the Pope's visit last week, and our trip to Caacupe, we've been learning quite a bit about the Catholic religion. 

The Basilica

 Inside the Basilica

 Inside the Basilica

 Inside the Basilica (I don't know exactly what it is called, but I call it a shrine to the Virgin of Caacupe)

 Inside the Basilica (where you could donate to the Virgin of Caacupe)

On Saturday we also traveled to the lake town of San Bernardino. We stopped at an old hotel (built in 1888), and walked around. Inside there was a courtyard with monkeys that the hotel staff called monotiti. The monkeys were super cute, and just a little bigger than squirrels. The hotel staff brought out some crackers/bread and let the kids feed the monkey. They absolutely LOVED it! After we left the hotel we drove down beside the lake and walked around a bit. Thankfully we are here during "winter" or else we wouldn't have been able to visit the lake. Apparently San Bernardino and the lake are quite the party spot during the summer in Paraguay, and it is a crazy place to be.

Feeding the monkeys

 Walking the trails behind the old hotel

 Relaxing beside the lake

Relaxing beside the lake

On Saturday evening Ella, Luke, and I all attended the monthly Ladies' tea and devotional. Once again the Ladies' Tea reminded me just how far I've come with relationships with the members of the church since the first day we were here when I felt completely shocked as I sat among the group of Ladies. I'm thankful for the relationships we've built, and I'm thankful for the internet which will allow us, in a small way, to keep in contact easily with the Christians here. At the Ladies' Tea I was pleasantly surprised when one of my English students and Trent's English student showed up!

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Week Eight in Paraguay

This past week was very different from most of our weeks here, but it was a good busy week! Get ready for a longer post than usual! A group from the Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ in Florida has been here doing mission work, so many of our activities revolved around working and fellowshipping with them. It is definitely interesting and enlightening to be on the "other side" of a mission team coming down to work.

On Monday I met with all three of my English students, and the studies continue to go well. Trent also met with his English student, but his student who was really opening up to him has unfortunately dropped off the radar. I'm nearing the end of my lessons with my students, and I'm getting a little anxious to see if they'll be interested in Bible study when we are finished. One of my students (on her own) brought up a discussion about why there are so many different religious groups, and it was good to get to discuss that with her. 

The group from Palm Beach Lakes arrived on Tuesday, and Trent helped them get into their rooms (they are staying in the same "complex" as us). On Tuesday night, a family from the congregation had everyone over to their house for pizza and fellowship. It was a good opportunity to get to meet the team that came. The pizza was a fun experience as well - the group hired a man to grill made-to-order pizzas - they were delicious and made me want to grill pizza when we get back home.

On Wednesday the group from Palm Beach Lakes, along with Trent and Ella, went to the area of Nemby (where one of the other congregations is located), and had a devotional and lunch with some members there. On Wednesday night Trent and I were both pleasantly surprised when we each had one of our English students show up for Wednesday evening services. The same English student also came to service on Sunday, and told someone that we were not only studying English, but were studying the Bible together.

On Thursday, the group from Palm Beach Lakes worked on the physical building of the church in Asuncion. Trent brought Troy to the building with him to help with the work. Troy got to lead "This World is Not My Home" during the morning devotional, and though I didn't get to be there, I know he did a great job and was excited for an opportunity to not only lead a song, but to sing in English. For lunch on Thursday, we rode the bus to a Brazilian steak house, and ate lunch there with the group. It was a fun experience, and very yummy. The price was also very reasonable (much cheaper than the States - though I've never actually been in the States. . . ). 

Saturday Trent went with the group to hand out tracks or folletos in the neighborhood surrounding where we live. After that the whole family went with the group to lunch at the mall, and we got to enjoy some "Senor Taco" - which, while it wasn't Texas Mexican food, certainly hit the spot for some Mexican food . . . if only the salsa had been spicy! :) On Saturday afternoon we all went to a birthday party for one of the little girls in the congregation here whose family we've become friends with and who have really taken care of us while we have been here. The kids had a blast at the birthday party, and enjoyed, among many things, playing soccer. Saturday evening, we enjoyed another asado (BBQ) with the group from Palm Beach Lakes as well as a few members of the congregation . . . and my English study who had come to services on Wednesday night! I was quite surprised (and happy!) to see her there.

At the birthday party

At the birthday party

On Sunday, services were packed with lots of visitors including the group from Palm Beach Lakes, my English study, the family that we had a playdate with about a month ago, and many, many others. After services we had a going away lunch/potluck for the family whose little girl had the birthday party the night before. The family will be moving to the States in less than two weeks, and while we are sad to see them leave before we leave here, maybe we'll cross paths sometime when we are in the States.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the Pope was in town. Paraguay declared a national holiday on Friday and Saturday for his trip. I found his trip fascinating to help me understand more about the Catholic religion. In some reading I was doing about his trip, I read that Paraguay is the most Catholic country in South America, with approximately 90% of the population being Catholic. Here in Asuncion you do not see a different denominational group on every corner like you do in the States, though we have seen a few particularly Mormon groups. With the Pope's arrival I was expecting for the city to be busy (and I think it was at times), but we were never near where he was so we never saw any of the chaos. We did hear helicopters flying around (apparently news reporters and security), and it was odd to hear them because we hadn't heard any helicopters during our time here. We watched some of his trip on TV, and it is so sad to me to see how he is worshipped. I saw this photo on facebook of the "displays" that different countries prepared for his arrival. I *think* the top one is from Ecuador, and the bottom one is from Paraguay. 

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Happy 22 Months Luke!

Wow, so close to two years old! You seem so big to me. You are getting difficult to pick up (for me) because you are so thick and strong. I'm not sure how much you weigh these days, but I'm not sure there is much difference in your weight and Troy's weight. You two are built so differently!

You are really coordinated for your age, with both your fine motor and gross motor skills. You do amazingly well with your fork and spoon, but also with just about anything where you need to use your hands. I've been meaning to write about it for at least a couple of months now, but you've been jumping (both feet off the ground and landing with both feet) for a couple of months now, and you LOVE to jump. We've also noticed that you do a few things that we call "gymnastic" moves at times. You hold yourself up with your arms in a way that reminds us of gymnastics, and one day you almost vaulted off of daddy (not sure you were intending to do that, but you did!).

Your speech continues to develop as well, and your communication gets better every day. We've been working on encouraging you to use your words more when you get frustrated instead of just crying and fussing about it. At night you love to yell "night night" to each member of the family (sometimes over and over again) from your bed, and wait for a response. If you don't get a response, you get louder with your "night night!"

You are generally getting better at listening and obeying, though you still have a lot to learn. You definitely have a better understanding when we ask you to do something, and it seems like you are doing a better job of following instructions. You can also be quite defiant at times when you want to do what you want to do, but we are also working on that. :)

You've really been enjoying playing games on the ipad, and you've been doing a great job putting puzzles together on the ipad. You've probably been getting to play on the ipad a little more than you would be if we were back in Texas, but with small spaces, and rain I'm glad that you enjoy playing on it.


On Monday and Wednesday afternoons you don't get a nap because we are teaching English using the Bible during that time. On Mondays we usually walk down and eat dinner after our English lessons. You've fallen asleep on the walk several times, and have even stayed asleep during dinner. I'm thankful that you are able to rest even though you aren't in your bed.

You also started giving kisses this month, but just like giving out high fives *you* have to be in the mood to give them out. You are so different from Ella and Troy in that way: they'd give out high fives or kisses to anyone who asked. 

Signs you do: more, finished, thank you, hungry, thirsty, please, sleepy, bath

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes, tongue, teeth, hair, face, hands, feet, belly (You can also identify many body parts by their Spanish name)

Animal noises you make: cow, duck, dog (I think you can do more, but I didn't take good note. . . .)

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese, and foods you get to eat with a fork

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids. You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo! You really love singing as well! One of your favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with your dad and siblings.

Words you say: I cannot keep up with the words you say anymore! You say so many things (in English and Spanish)!

Luke @ 21 months
Troy @ 22 months
Ella @ 22 months

Week Seven in Paraguay

We finally had a pretty cool day here! The high was in the 50s, and it got down into the 40s at night. The fourth of July was the coldest day we've had in Paraguay so far which I find very funny. It certainly didn't "feel" like the 4th of July, though we could hear fireworks/firecrackers. Hardly a day passes here without the sound of fireworks/firecrackers going off. It has been strange to be out of the country during holidays (we've been here on Memorial Day and the 4th of July), but I think it gives us a perspective of what long-term missionaries may feel all the time. I also have a new perspective of when people post all their yummy food pictures on Facebook . . . when we can't get that food here. All in all though, it is a good reminder that while we can enjoy those physical things our life on this earth isn't about those physical things, but rather that our focus should be on eternity.

My English studies continue to go well: I was able to study with all three of my students this week. Trent studied with one of his students. I'm currently a little past halfway through the lessons with all three of my students. As we close out our lessons, I'll discuss continuing studying with them, but although English can be considered, for the focus of the studies to be on the Bible. If they are interested in studying the Bible further, we'll begin using the Searching For Truth material.

The kids watching videos with Mirta at the church building.

Luke crashed at KFC after we'd been at the church building all afternoon for our English studies.

Trent continued teaching in the Bible Academy this week (Christian Evidences), and also continued with his Spanish lessons. On Sunday Trent preached about the home, and I could tell quite a bit of improvement with his ability to preach in Spanish from the first time he preached in Spanish (only the second Sunday we were here).

Trent preaching

On Saturday we ate dinner with Troy and Andrea, and enjoyed delicious food and great company. We are thankful to be working here with them, and thankful for the opportunity to continue to grow our relationship with them.

Trent and Luke while we were waiting for a taxi. Luke refusing to look at me for the picture. :)

This coming week will be very busy, and very different from most of our weeks here. A group from the Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ in Florida is coming to do a campaign. We'll (mostly Trent because doing many of the things with the kids would be difficult) will be involved with several of the campaign activities. This coming weekend is also when the Pope will be in town (Friday-Sunday). The city is expected to be crazy, and we've been told to make sure we have any groceries we need for the week by Tuesday because the stores are expected to be wiped out. People are expected to come in from the countryside to see the Pope, but people from other countries (particularly Argentina where the Pope is from, but is not visiting on this trip) are expected to show up in Asuncion. One news story I read said that the crowds for his public mass is expected to be over one million people. Transportation around town is also going to be limited because they will be closing several roads during his visit. It is so sad to see so many people fooled by this false religion.

Luke singing at services.

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Week Six in Paraguay

This past week marked the halfway point of our trip. I think the second half of our time here is going to fly by! At the halfway point we have yet to break out our big coats. :) We've also learned that our place (unlike most places in Paraguay) actually does have a heater (in case it does get cold before we leave).

Trent began teaching in the Bible Academy this past week. He's teaching Christian Evidences on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. In a few weeks, he'll also add teaching Numbers and Deuteronomy at the Bible Academy. Teaching in Spanish is burdensome on his mind, but it is also a great opportunity to continue to develop his Spanish language skills. On Friday afternoon Trent also helped with a baptism workshop - which included Bible study but also teaching the students in the Academy about how to baptize someone (the mechanics of it) and discussing how to handle special circumstances (such as how to baptize someone who is crippled). Friday evening Trent was able to be a part of a good Bible study with a family whose mother and one of the children are Christians, but their father is not. Trent is also continuing with his Spanish lessons most days of the week. 

I was able to meet with all three of my English students during the week, and I think the lessons went well. I'm also learning how to interact/discuss the Bible even more with the students as part of the lesson (we always discuss the Bible - that's the text for the English lessons, but learning how to really bring even deeper discussion about the Bible to the lesson). Teaching these English lessons has really made me think about English in a different way as well. There are so many things about that I take for granted about knowing the proper usage . . . like trying to explain the difference between the verbs "to rise" and "to raise," trying to explain what exactly the word "thus" means, or just in general explaining that there is no rule for something that you just have to learn the specific case.

Luke playing in the yard area at the church building while I was teaching English.

On Saturday Troy took us sightseeing around Asuncion. This was the first time we visited the downtown or "centro" area of the city. We were able to visit the Palma area of downtown which is famous for shopping and eating. While we were there we ate some traditional Paraguayan food including (for me) tasting chipa so'o for the first time (which was yummy). One of the sad things we were able see was the "chacarita" area where very poor people live in tiny houses (which really aren't houses at all). The area we viewed was one near the bay which flooded in recent years (and some areas even flooded while we've been here). When the area flooded in recent years the government came in and built plywood boxes for the people to live in - which we also saw. Sadly, these tiny plywood boxes are sometimes nicer than the other houses these people live in. We also got to visit Lambare hill (named after a famous Guarani Native American from the area) where we were able to get a great view of the city of Asuncion, the river, as well as see across the river into Argentina.

After we got home Saturday evening, we watched Paraguay play Brazil in soccer in the quarterfinals of the Copa America. Paraguay was not expected to win, but they won in a shootout. It was exciting, and very interesting to be here in the country when it happened. When Paraguay scored, you could hear cheers and fireworks going off, and when they won the cheers and fireworks got even louder. It is hard to imagine anything in the States where you could hear a city cheering when a team won. 

I keep forgetting to mention it, but we've known for a while now that the Pope will be visiting Asuncion in a few weeks. This is a HUGE deal for the country whose population is 90% (or more) Catholic. I think it will probably be crazy in Asuncion the few days he is here. It seems like everywhere we go we see signs welcoming the Pope. We even found these large cardboard cutouts of the Pope when we were out sightseeing on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon we were invited over to a couple's house from the congregation for an "asado" (or a Paraguayan BBQ). We enjoyed the fellowship and the food: we ate several types of meat, as well as arroz queso (cheesy rice), a potato salad, and sopa Paraguay (which is kinda of like cornbread). 

The kids watching the construction workers on the property from the playground.

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