BAPTISM!

Look what we got to be a part of...another baptism! 

 

If you’ve been following our blog and newsletters, the names Mariza and Ceasar may sound familiar to you as they have been featured in several stories which began with Mariza’s baptism in May (the first in our town).  Mariza and her husband-to-be, Ceasar, are hungry for God’s word.  In the 6 months since Mariza’s baptism we’ve started a weekly Bible study in their barrio  with their extended family, they also faithfully attend (and Ceasar has even helped to lead) the weekly Bible study at our house, and they have come to church services and praise services in San Francisco.  They both attended a Timothy Training and they both told Bible stories at a recent encuentro church service.  Now they come weekly to our house for fellowship and pre-marital counseling.

We were elated when Ceasar asked to be baptized in living water, like Jesus.  We trudged through the fields behind our house, found a suitable and deep enough spot in the river, listened to Ceasar’s testimony and watched as he was baptized.

 

Please keep praying for Ceasar and his wife, Mariza.  They have taken a bold step just associating with us and now an even bolder step being baptized.  Being only 2 of three baptized believers in town and 2 of only a handful who have made a profession of faith in Christ, they are in the minority and therefore face an uphill battle. 

 

Ceasar and Mariza are also in the minority by deciding to get married.  Marriages are rare around here.  Out of all the people we knew and work with, we have only heard of a handful of wedding ceremonies (I’m not exaggerating).  The commitment to love someone for life is virtually unheard of.  Their desire to get married is a direct result of the Holy Spirit’s working and convicting them of sin. 

Jeff and I started pre-marital classes with them and have been working through 1 Corinthians 13.  Over and over again they have said, “We have never even heard of these qualities applied to a relationship and we certainly have never seen anyone model anything close to the marriage God desires”.

 

NEW STRUCTURE

The new structure (in which the local believers put in 700 hours of volunteer labor!) has been a huge blessing. In October the men had their first Timothy Training under the pavilion. They slept under it too instead of on the grass as before. 4 bathrooms and 3 showers were an improvement from the previous showerhead hose with trash sack walls and the hole-in-the-ground bathroom. The believers have begun meeting mid-week for a time of worship under the pavilion’s lights. We've recently had a special church service and a women's training under the pavilion. On Saturday afternoons, the youth group has enjoyed the cement floor of the pavilion and basketball hoop on one end. Pray that the facility will continue to be a blessing to the church.

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE....EXCEPT in the PIPES

It was a fun surprise birthday party for our team mate in spite of the fact that as soon as the last of the 30 guest arrived the clouds let loose a torrent of rain forcing us to relocate to the 10% of the porch that wasn’t actively getting drenched with water (our porch is our living room and dining room since we don’t have either inside our house).  We had to put the dogs in the shed because they were taking up precious patio floor space. 

I am so thankful we were all missionaries; accustomed to glitches.  No one complained.  Everyone just went with the flow (pun intended).  It had been one of the hottest days of the year so far – upper 90’s – and, although we were crowded, we were thankful for the reprieve in the heat. 

The electricity and the water cut out and those preparing food had a tough time.  In my poorly built Paraguayan house, when it rains outside it rains inside too.  Not only were we trying to chop and sauté in the dark, every few minutes we’d have to move the food where water dripping from the roof wouldn’t affect it.  I think we ran out of space.

The kids playing in the bedroom were evacuated as rain poured under the windows and spread across the floor.  I think we went through all our towels trying to soak up the mess before it ruined anything. 

It wasn’t an ideal party, but it will be one to remember for sure.     

 

 

These pictures were not taken at the party, but a couple days later when it rained again.  When Julia hears rain, she run to the drawer, pulls out the bowls and places them under the drips. 

 

I LOVE living in a culture that LOVES children.

I LOVE living in a culture that LOVES children.

TIMOTHY TRAINING for WOMEN

Getting up at 5, leaving the house by 6 and starting the workshop at 7 was tough, but so worth it!  Saturday 32 women from 8 different towns gathered for an all-day Timothy Training.  If you followed our newsletters and prayer requests, you know that this training happens every few months for men.  This time in was the Paraguayan women’s turn to learn and memorize 6 Bible stories.  After hearing a story through twice with the pictures as a big group, we’d break into smaller groups of 3 and work on memorizing it together.  Then two groups would present the story (by memory) back to the entire group.  The idea is to 1) hide God’s a word in our hearts and 2) to equip ourselves to orally be able to tell neighbors about Christ using stories from the Bible.

Alba, a believer from San Francisco, did a fabulous job of organizing the event and facilitating the day.  The men of the church served by sweeping and cleaning before the women arrived, setting up a table with breakfast and juice and then cooking and serving a tasty lunch.

By 5:00 we had 6 stories of Gideon crammed in our heads.  Please be praying for these ladies as they go back home and share the Good News.

 

Ladies practicing their stories before presenting them to the group

 

ENCUENTRO SUNDAY in SAN FRANCISCO and JATAITY

November 10, 2013

 
Last Sunday we had an encuentro (a gathering) in San Francisco (where we use to live and where we still attend church).  Encuentro Sundays, which happen every few months, look a bit different than a regular Sunday service.  Since there tends to be more non-believers in attendance, the service is more evangelistic.  The San Francisco believers tell memorized Bible stories and everyone has a chance to discuss them.  Discussions carry into terere time as we wait for lunch to be ready.  The women always prepare huge amounts of stew and mandioca, which they’ve cooked over a fire.  After lunch we take communion.  We sing A LOT, taking requests from the crowd. 

Last week’s encuentro was extra special for us because it was the first time people from our town, Jataity, went (we’ve been inviting them to church for over a year).  They had a great time and when the service was over and we began discussing next week’s service, our friends invited everyone to come to Jataity!

 The women preparing lunch at the San Francisco encuentro

 worship

Jeff and the kids put in a lot of hours getting our yard and surround area ready to host Sunday’s church service. They mowed (it was Tyler’s first time), hacked away at weeds, raked, chopped fire wood, picked up trash, and put up tarps for shade. The place looked fabulous when they finished!

Sunday we welcomed over 80 people to our house.  A bus drove the San Francisco believers along with all the plates, pots, and food for lunch to our town.  Several people from our town as well as neighboring towns attended.  It was special to not only see the new Jataity believers fellowshipping with the more mature believers of San Francisco, but to know that they had planned with time together.  Christian fellowship does not happen naturally here but is vitally important when you, as a Christian are in the minority, standing alone for your faith. 

 We always sing tons.  Jeff, Ryan and Rene (from our town) did a great job.  Have I mentioned before that I love it when Ryan gets to help lead worship?   

a crowded porch and crowed overflow tents

 Lunch preparations.  One thing that Paraguayan women do really well is cooking for a crowd of people without even blinking an eye at the idea

At the encuentro two recent believers from our town volunteered to tell from memory 2 of the 6 Bible stories presented that day.  God has given them (a married couple) great memories and boldness.

Sweet fellowship with believers

JOSIAH at 7 months

10-20-13: the kids were so excited to hear his first “word” -  bababababab.  Since then he has added fafafa and dadada

Josiah loves his toys and plays so contentedly with them; like they are brand new every day. 

He inches around on back which is funny to watch.  He’s pretty fast as it too. It’s amazing how much he can get into by inching and rolling around even with all of us around to keep an eye on him!

He can sticks lips out his lips and give the wettest, longest, loudest and funniest raspberries you’ve ever heard!

When he’s frustrated (usually because he wants something he can’t reach or can’t have), Josiah will scrunch up his face and let out a deep, long grunt

Josiah is still not a good nighttime sleeper – UG!

He is sitting up unassisted well and has changed from lying down in the bath tub (a literal tub) to sitting up.  Oh, how he loves to splash!

He and his brothers can already get into mischief together....like getting all the diapers out!