OUR FIRST WEEK BACK in JATAITY

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

This is our drive home.

Day #1

We left Asuncion at 5:30am and headed home.  After a few stops we arrived in Jataity at 2:00.  I was expecting more of a home sweet home feeling, but instead I was overwhelmed by my little rustic house.  I cleaned what I could with the rag I found in the house.  Why hadn't I thought to bring cleaning supplies from the city?  Jeff and three kids napped as illness still has its hold on my family.  At 8:00pm the movers arrived with our things from our teammate's storage unit.  We watched as ants, spiders, and bugs poured forth from every box.  Gross!  When the movers left we began to cobble together pillows and blankets and 2 good mattress (the only ones without mold). We were exhausted!

 It is not fun moving with sick kids!

Can't tell if Josiah and Claire are sharing food with our cat, Boots or vice-versa

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Day #2

I still have sick kids and hubby. We think perhaps it's Zika virus or Dengue (both caused by mosquitoes).  Plus, strep throat is now making its way through our family it seems.

  

Teammates came today to help.    Sarah cleaned my ceiling, dispersing the spiders and showering everything below with cobwebs.  She also cleaned my frig and was a huge help with many other things.  Her hubby fixed my kitchen sink multiple times throughout the day because water refused to drain.  He and Jeff worked all day trying to get my new washing machine and dryer running.  Jeff made multiple trips to a bigger town 20 minutes away in search for parts.  Two of Ryan's MK friends came by bus to help varnish the bunk beds Jeff made in the states and put together the soccer goal.

The temperature is 97 degrees.  No air conditioning means it's pretty darn hot inside the house as well.  By 10 we fell into bed and slept until our neighbor's dog got caught  in the soccer net just outside my bedroom.  She got caught not just once....but three times.  Each time she made the most horrible high pitched squeals until Jeff freed her.

Julia and Josiah with our neighbor's dog.

Boys varnishing the bunk beds

Moving in

Friday, January 22, 2016

Day #3

Different teammates helped us today.  Christie spent almost all her time washing every plate, cooking utensil, Tupperware, and such.  Her hubby, among other things, helped get my kitchen cabinets cleaned, sanded and hung on the wall.  The water went out late afternoon - not very conducive to cleaning or bathing after a long work day with temps in the high 90's.  Dinner was lunch leftovers brought by teammates.  Minutes into warming it up our gas went out.  Being too late to get another tank, and no other food in the house, we ate taco casserole cold.  

The kids were filthy as we tucked them into bed.  They were miserably itchy too.  We all have chigger bites.  The three little ones are covered with probably 50 bites.  

Jeff and I again fell into bed exhausted and slept till Jeff began throwing up.  Then our bedroom fan broke and turned our room into a sauna.    

 playing with neighbor kids

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Day #4

It has been a rough transition.  We aren't sleeping well at night, the heat is draining, and half my family is still battling fevers and zero energy levels.  It gives me the heebee-jeebees thinking about the bug infested boxes I unpacked today.  Everything needed to be shaken out and wiped down. Rusty and moldy things were thrown away. It was sloooooow going. 

Ryan is sick today and couldn't play soccer with the neighborhood kids who've been coming around. We quit setting up house earlier than usual in order to watch a family movie with our new projector and screen. All 10 of us slept in the boys' room because we can't get a part to fix the fan in Jeff and my room till Monday.

Ant eggs laid in Jeff's ultrasound box.  Yuck!

terere breaks are a must in this hot summer weather

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Day #5

It was a warm welcome at church this morning. Hearing our dear Paraguayan friends reading scripture, praying and singing was a great reminder of why we do what we do and why we live where we live. The elders prayed healing over Jeff as he is going on day 8 of feeling miserable. 

Church

 This afternoon several Paraguayan families came to visit and welcome us back. The kids are enjoying being home and spending all their waking hours outside playing. The soccer goal and trampoline we brought from the U.S has attracted kids to come around. Tonight we were finally able to sit at a cleared off table for dinner together.

Visiting on our porch

Monday, January 25, 2016

Day #6:

Jeff (who is still sick) and two boys drove to a town two hours away to buy groceries. While they were gone, a huge storm blew in. The winds were so strong that Ginny and I had to stand on the legs of our giant trampoline (while being pelted with icy rain drops) to keep it from blowing away. As we were getting drenched, Ginny looked at me and said, "There's never a dull moment here."

Joshua and Micah woke up sick today with the same old stuff- fever and vomiting. They slept all day long (even through the storm).

  The storm as it rolled in and passed our house.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Day #7

The a rain storm brought cooler weather and a leaky roof. My sink now drains thanks to a flexible hose Jeff found on his grocery run yesterday. The fan in my room now works thanks to a $1 part. Most of the unpacking is done and there's room to move around the house. Pictures are even up on my walls which makes me smile. It was great to be able to cook on my new stove, play games on a cleared table and read books to the kids on beds with clean sheets. We have only one sick kid and Jeff seems to be on the mend.