Julia at 9 months

May 5, 2011 (I'm a month behind!)

Julia is pulling up on everything.

Ginny said, “Now she looks just like a little person.”

Julia says Mama and Dada

May 18, 2011 – first tooth broke through...bottom right. #2 tooth isn't too far behind.





Still finds her tongue extremely fascinating


Both waiting to outside


Chocolate beard

Easter

Vern in her Easter bonnet

EASTER equals CHIPA and SOPA

The Wednesday before Easter, it is tradition here to make chipa. This year I made chipa with one of my neighbors – Rocio and her mom, Gladys.



rolling out the dough


ready to go in the oven



Rocio enjoying the finished product...yum!

Tyler playing around with his chipa

CHIPA

250 gms fat (shortening, butter, lard, etc.)
8 eggs
500 gms Paraguayan cheese (or another salty, softish white cheese)
1 tbsp anis
1 tbsp rough salt
1 c milk
1¼ kilo manioc flour

1. Mix it all together

2. Form into size and shape of donuts

5. Place on a buttered and floured pan, bake at 250 degrees C for about 25 minutes.

We also made another traditional food – Sopa Paraguaya

(the ingredients don’t vary much from the chipa recipe).

SOPA PARAGUAYA (Paraguayan Cornbread)

½ kilo onions
1 c water
1 tbsp rough salt
¾ c fat
300 gms Paraguayan cheese
2 c curdled milk
500 gms corn flour
4 eggs

1. Boil the onions (chopped finely) in the water and salt for 10 minutes in a covered pot. Let cool.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the fat until foamy. Add the eggs one by one, the cheese (grated very finely) and the boiled onions

LITERACY

Sunday, March 4, 2011

In January, as people were volunteering for various parts of the next week’s church service, Rafael said that he was sorry that he couldn’t contribute because he couldn’t read.

Literacy is very common in our town and there are several in our church who have never stepped foot in school or learned to read.

For this reason, we have been making all our Bible studies oral. In fact, we don;t even bring our Bible to studies anymore. All the studies are memorized AND all participants are held accountable to memorize the story and memory verse each week. Plus, we put our lessons (and God’s word) on MP3 player chips for them to listen to during the week.

This method has been working.

About 6 weeks ago Rosi (who has never been to school) came to church and said, “I had my husband read this story to me and now I want to tell you.” She then began to recite from memory the story of the unmerciful servant. It was long too. We were all impressed.

Memorizing God’s words have made our illiterate believers thirst to be able to READ His words for themselves.

Jeff and I have begun literacy classes at our home each Sunday afternoon. We have three students.

Today Rafael read in church for the first time! Before he started, he apologized for only choosing just one verse, but that he was not yet accustomed to reading. It was AWESOME!

Reading lesson with Rosi


Reading lesson with Zulma


Rafael reading in church for the first time

TOBACCO SEASON

Tobacco hanging up to dry.

PEANUT SEASON

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Paraguayan eat peanuts just plain. They are usually ground up and used as coffee grounds (just pour hot water over them).

It’s always a mixed blessing to receive a bag full of peanuts. We love the taste, but it can be very tedious to crack them all.

COTTON SEASON

Loading cotton by the cart loads and the truck fulls.




One lady that I enjoy visiting makes cotton blankets on a loom.




Many women here crochet or embroider.

All the girls and boys are taught how to embroider in school as part of their art class.

HOMESCHOOL

Yeah for having next year's homeschool books ordered!


From Understood Betsy by Dorothy Fisher

“Why,” said Betsy. “I don’t know what grade I am in at all. If I’m in second-grade arithmetic and seventh-grade reading and third-grade spelling, what grade am I?”

The teacher laughed, “You aren’t in any grade at all, no matter where you are in school. You’re just yourself, aren’t you?”

MAY 2011 NEWSLETTER

MAY 2011 NEWSLETTER

CORN SEASON

April

This is the time of year when our town is harvesting corn.

After it is picked and the husk is taken off, it is left to dry in the sun.

Next, the kernels are taken off the cob.

The kernels are ground up for meal.

Paraguayans use corn meal in many of their traditional foods.

CRAFTY (in a good way) GIRL

March 7, 2011

SEWING
It was the blind leading the blind as Ginny and I embarked on trying to learn how to sew. It was very fun though. Ginny was patient as I read manual and how-to books. She practiced stitching straight lines on paper first and then on scraps of material. We have a new best friend – the seam ripper.

Ginny’s first sewing project....a pillow case! She made one for herself and several others for friends.




2nd project was this cute little bag. It was very easy to do. Ginny even taught 2 of her friends how to make one. Ginny has also made several for friends.

Our next project, a shirt, didn’t turn out as successful. It was HUGE on Ginny. We cut it down a few too many times and it became too low-cut and tight.....

KNITTING PARAGUAYAN STYLE





KNITTING AMERICAN STYLE
Ginny and I finished our first scarf! Thanks, Stacey for starting it for us.



Now, Ginny is on to learning to crochet.....

APRIL GUESTS

April 12- 18

The day after we arrived home from Asuncion, we welcomed 2 guys who are recent media graduates and have come to Paraguay to help us (our SIM team) put our ministries in media form. It was fun having them in our house for the week.


Our guests never know what they are getting into when they offer to help with dinner.

WHILE in ASUNCION

April 5-13

We only planned to be in Asuncion a couple days (to send off our intern), however the Lord (and our car) had other plans. We headed for home on Saturday and while stopping for lunch, we noticed a huge puddle under the car. Yikes! We drove 1 ½ hours back to Asuncion and had the car looked at first thing Monday morning. We were finally able to leave the city Wednesday.

While we were in Asuncion Julia began crawling, standing, drinking from a sippy cup and sitting with us at the table in a high chair.



not quite knowing how to get the cup to her mouth...


Crawling on hands and knees for the first time at the airport...how's that for a missionary kid....

INTERNSHIP

We really enjoy hosting interns.

For one, our kids love having them around. It is awesome for my kids get to see young adults on fire for the Lord and missions.

Second, Jeff and I really enjoying showing what missions is all about. We enjoy the mentor role and we’ve made great friends out of it.

Interns are a blessing to their Paraguayan host families. You’d be amazed at how much can be conveying through hand motions, limited Spanish/Guarani, and a smile. Friendships are made and tears are shed when it is time to part. The Paraguayan families are always so thankful and humbled that we’d entrust our friends into their care.

Be praying for our most recent interns, Courtney (public health) and Joel (med school). A trip like this is life changing.

Also, please be praying as we prepare for our next interns in May (there will be 6 coming as part of the TIME program).



Shadowing Jeff in the clinic each morning, learning what rural medicine looks like







Living with Paraguayan host families, learning about the culture, eating Paraguayan food





Visiting people in the community and attending bible studies.







And, you get to hang out and be mentored by a really cool family.







If you have a desire to do an internship here in rural Paraguay, drop us a note. We’d love to have you!