MOVIE STARS

June 11-14

This week we had a film crew with us for a couple days.  SIM International hosts an annual fundraising weekend for top givers and part of the entire presentation is a video clip about what SIM is doing in different parts of the world.  A couple weeks ago SIM asked if they could spotlight the medical ministry we’re doing in Jataity.  Because we had nothing else going on (ha, ha), we said. “Come on down!”   Tuesday through Thursday Naomi and Paul (professional videograghers) were a part of our madness…and, I will say, added a bit of madness to the madness.  They asked Jeff to come up with 3 good story leads of people who were touched by our medical ministry. Wednesday Jeff finished clinic before noon and spent till dark videoing and interviewing our friend, Aristide.  Jeff said it was pretty intense.  They asked him to look at point A and then at point B.  Then they asked him to look intense, then run his hands through his hair, then run his fingers over the bridge of his nose.  They asked him to tap his cane slowly, then slower.  They asked him to walk across the yard, to walk again and then a third time.  There’s no telling what our simple country friend thought of all the instructions.   The following day they went back to film and interview his wife and family.  They also did a couple hours of interviews with Jeff and me separately and Jeff in the clinic.  Hours and hours and hours and hours of film will be cut down to 5-7 minutes.  Can’t wait to see the finished product.

HAPPY St. ANTHONY'S DAY!

Every year on June 13^th rural Paraguayans celebrate San Antonio Ara (St Anthony’s Day).  San Antonio is the saint of lost pigs.  Our friends here have told us that if their pig goes missing during the year they pray to San Antonio (a figurine that they have in their house).  If he helps their pig to return they promise to kill a pig in his honor on his day.  If the pig continues to go missing, they put a black cloth over San Antonio and/or stand him on his head until the pig is returned.

            Thursday we went to visit friends who were in the process of butchering a pig in preparation for San Antonio Ara.  I jumped in and helped them cut up fat chunks, scrap hairs from the skin and grind up a few meat chunks.  They invited us to return later to join them in a meal.

  

My kids are such troopers.  This is what we ate: fried pig fat, blood sausage, enrollando (pig parts wrapped in boiled pig skin, fried pig innards, and pig’s head stuffed with vegetables.

Our host giving us a little bit of everything

Even Josiah got in on the food action…and loved it

 Dried cow intestines waiting to be filled

pig tripe

CULTURAL LESSON: We always try to bring a gift when we visit.  Usually it’s brownies or cookies or bead of some sort.  This time we brought coke to add to the feast.  During the dinner, however, they turned down the coke and insisted that we drink wine.  And so it went a couple rounds – them declining the coke and us declining their wine.  When Jeff offered coke to their children they spoke up, “We cannot drink Coke because it is sweet and our pig is salty.”  My memory replayed a scene several years ago when I bought a chocolate cake to our friend’s house who grilled us a wonderful pig dinner.  I hadn't understood (until jut this moment) why she never served my cake.  Yes, to a Paraguayan, a combo of sweet and salty would for sure make you have stomach problems for life.    

T.I.M.E update #2

June 3-8

Besides grieving alongside Hermelinda’s family, the T.M.E interns have pulled mandioca, killed chickens, shucked corn, milked a goat and eaten tons of traditional foods.  They’ve visited with each other’s host family, eaten tons of oranges and drunk even more terere.

Here’s what one student wrote about their time in clinic with Jeff:

We started helping Dr. Jeff in his clinic this week, which everyone would agree has been a really cool hands-on learning experience. We are separated into two groups of three and alternate days of helping Jeff (Unless there's rain. Rain shuts everything down here.) So far, we've all taken our fair share of blood pressures, cleaned out ears, observed ultrasounds, read results of urine tests, and diagnosed cases of both diabetes and spinal stenosis. It has been cool to watch the way Dr. Jeff relates to his patients, using medicine as a platform for ministry. Every morning before seeing patients, he sits with everyone under a sheltered area and tells a Bible story. They talk about the story and pray before beginning the day. Everyone is looking forward to helping the rest of the month!

Daniel had a little lamb, little lamb, lamb 

 Time to milk the goats, Daniel

we called this bid-pocolips...a bid feeding frenzy

A face only a mother could love

you don't see this everyday

Na Ignacia and her pet monkey, Monica

and the animals INSIDE the car

 
 yummy sugar cane

 pullling mandioca

He also wrote about our class time:

Almost every day, we spend some time learning from Dr. Jeff and talking through different topics that are important for doing ministry in Paraguay. It has been a great experience and has initiated great conversation from everyone. So far, we have discussed important points and origins of Paraguayan culture, traditional Paraguayan religion (extremely wide spread Catholicism mixed with animism), and the missiology of medical missions. I know everyone is looking forward to learning more from both the experiences of the McKissick family and our own experiences here.

We've enjoyed the chance to get to know the community of missionaries in the same area as the McKissicks. They and their families form a very strong community of gospel minded people that are setting a great example of what it looks like to live out the Great Commission. We look forward to building strong relationships in the community of Jatity, in the community of the local church body, and in the community of missionaries.

Friday night we showed Courageous and had a good turnout and Saturday the interns went to youth group in San Francisco.  It’s exciting the see the interns bringing their host siblings along to various events.  Sunday, unfortunately it rained and church was cancelled.  We did, however, go to our team mate’s house in San Francisco for a time of worship and lunch.

Bible study

 a little road maintenance as we go

devo at our house

youth group

HERMELINDA

June 3-6

Tuesday, June 3^rd our dear friend and sister in Christ from the San Francisco (our previous town) church plant, Hermelinda, suddenly went to be with Jesus.  She was 45 years old, a past T.I.M.E. host mom, married to a deacon and leaves behind 7 children ranging in age from 4 years to college-aged.  Being one of 14 siblings, it is not an exaggeration to state that maybe half the town was related to her.  The whole community can be felt grieving their loss. 

This is only the second time a non-Catholic has died in San Francisco which is an extremely significant event not only for the tiny Bible church but for the community who will be watching how the evangelicals respect death.  In Catholic tradition when someone dies, the priest or an appointed lay-leader leads family in scripted prayers and repetitive Hail Maries, thus beginning the 9 day process of praying the deceased’s soul out of purgatory.  Since Hermelinda was an evangelical her family did things differently. 

Jeff and I went to be with the family Tuesday night and into the wee hours of Wednesday morning.  Around midnight we gathered around the body, which was displayed on a table in the living room, and worshipped the Lord.  Lucas, Hermelinda’s 16 year old son, stood with his eyes closed and head slightly lifted upward.  Tears ran down his face as he sang in a low whisper some of his mom’s favorite songs.  In the midst of incredible searing pain he worshipped.   

Jeff recently finished writing a 9 day Bible story set on death.  Who would have thought the stories would be used so soon?  Jeff had the privilege of sharing two of those stories with the group.  We pray they were a comfort and a reminder that we have a hope not steeped only in traditions of men but in a living, real and powerful Savior.

 Wednesday afternoon we gathered at Hermelinda’s house to prepare for the burial.  The mourning process in Paraguayan culture is often very external and emotionally draining. Loud sobbing upon the arrival of new family members, sisters embracing while screaming at the top of their lungs, children wailing as they caress their mother.  Many people passed out while mourning at the home, and a tank of oxygen was brought out to the burial site in anticipation of more.

As the men decidedly ushered the coffin out of the house and into the back of a pick-up, the family followed with tears streaming and wobbly legs.  In the truck they flung themselves over the coffin as the procession to the graveside began.  At the graveside there was more fainting and wailing and signs of extreme emotions.  We sang a few songs as the men bricked up the mausoleum.  

Thursday the family invited us to a karu guasu (big meal) where they fed about 90 people.  Jeff and Tony were each able to share a Bible story and Jeff shared the gospel message with the group which was what Hermelinda had wanted.  This is incredibly counter cultural, and it will be interesting to see what kind of response the community has to it.

 Jeff presenting the gospel

 dishing out food for 90

 lunch time

T.I.M.E update #1

May 31- June 3

After the first night (May 31) of staying with host families, the interns all had glowing reports.  One of the girls said, “I am blown away at God’s faithfulness.  Things are going so well.” 

Saturday (June 1) was cold and rainy but that hasn’t stopped the interns from getting muddy while playing volleyball, soccer, Ping-Pong and talking walks with their family. 

Sunday (June 2) the interns attended church with us and had lunch there afterwards.  Then they attend Bible study Sunday night. 

Dalia with her host sister

playing basketball after church

Today (Monday, June 3) begins the first week in Jataity….a week of clinic days, class time, visiting and Bible studies.

Dalia and Peyton in clinic

Time for T.I.M.E

Monday, May 26^th we welcomed 6 interns to Paraguay.  Over the next 6 weeks they will be shadowing us as we minister, completing reading assignments and discussing them during afternoon classes, living with Paraguayan families and learning culture and language.  It’s always a busy 6 weeks for us as we purposefully pour into these college students’ lives, but we absolutely love it.

The first few days are all about orientation and introduction to Paraguay.  The first night in Asuncion we sat around eating empanadas while our director and his wife shared about SIM in general and SIM’s work in Paraguay.  Then they gave their testimonies of how God called them to the mission field.

The following day we left Asuncion.  Our first stopped was in to the impressive Catholic church in Ca’acupe and then we headed to Escobar (about an 1 ½ away) to our missionary friends’ house.  

The Bowens help us put on a great (if I do say so myself) orienatation to Paraguay and T.I.M.E.  The students had classes in Guarani and we got them pumped up about learing the heart language of the Paraguayan people.  They had a class on expectations and a class in Paraguayan history.  The students had time to hike and explore Andy’s property and they went on an “adventure tour” complete with swinging bridges, a zip line, and rapelling.

 study time

Relaxing

 Adventure!

One evening we listened to Andy and Lizet’s testimony, another evening we watched The Mission (a taste of Paraguayan history) and a third evening we ate s’mores (thanks, Dalia, for bringing those U.S. goodies).  After three days, the students were ready to head out into the Great Unknown.

One aspect of the trip we really value is letting the students meet our team mates and hear their stories.  On our way home we stopped at a team mate’s house for terere, lunch and a time of sharing.  Then we pressed on to the next town and the next missionary house where we had cupcakes.  Finally we hit the muddy road which seemed really long in the dark and in the rain. 

 spending time with missionaries

Sipping terere

practicing Guarani 

sopa

Lunch

We arrived in town at 6:00 and by 8 all the students were dropped off at their host home.  They were a bit nervous but I know they’ll do great.  They've been practicing their Guarani greetings, diligently reading about Paraguayan culture, and asking lots of good questions.  But more than that, I know they’ll do great because they are a great group with servant hearts and a wonderful sense of adventure.