SERVING PARAGUAY

Nothing is Impossible!

2011-12-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

In looking back at our pictures since the last update, it is difficult to figure out how to fill everyone in on all that has transpired in the last month.

Our school year officially came to an end. We celebrated the close of our first year as a private school with an award ceremony complete with choir and dance presentations. Last year, the school project was a dream, and the reality of finishing our first year was amazing! Thank you to our wonderful teaching staff and especially to Roberto and Fransisca (school principal and her husband) for working day after day to make the 2011 school year a success! And thanks to each of you for your financial and prayer support that made this project a possibility!

School choir at the End of the Year Ceremony- and they did an awesome job!

Some of the school's beautiful students wearing their traditional, Paraguayan clothing

The children from Hogar GANAR finished the school year well, with 10 of them making the A/B honor roll in the final grading period. For a reward, they came to our house for a pool party and grill out. So many of our children are making good grades for the first time in their lives. Seeing the house parents and teachers' hard work paying off is inspiring for us and the other children. Oscar, one of our 10-year old boys, asked to share his testimony with the rest of the children because he raised his grades significantly in the final grading period and made the honor roll. He shared that sitting "disciplined" for a month and a half without participating in games or watching the TV due to his poor behavior in school had changed his life and he was thankful that his house parents had taken the time to teach him how to improve. His improvement in behavior and in his academics certainly shows that God is working in his life and that the house parents' constant encouragement is making a difference.

At the end of November and into December, we were privileged to host a YWAM team from Brazil for two weeks. They conducted a variety of activities from cleaning around our chicken houses in the farm area with machetes and mopping the school to presenting a community evangelistic event and training our children in the home to present multiple dramas. It would be hard to list every activity that the team conducted, but one thing is for sure: the children came to love each of them and were sad to see them leave. In our final church service in the home with the children and the YWAM team, our kids presented to the adults all they had learned, and there was not a dry eye in the room as they preformed moving skits and shared about the message of each one. Thank you, YWAM Curitiba, Brazil!

Community event at school- the YWAM team presented dramas, did some amazing stunts, and several even breathed fire!

YWAM team leading songs with the children in the children's home

Some of our children ready to present their dramas

As the end of the school year coincided with the YWAM team visit, we were able to have the team help us put on our first ever youth camp for the teens from the school. Fransisca, our talented school principal, planned the camp, where the kids had several workshops, and participated in a variety of obstacle courses and get-wet games.

The youth camp group- if the teachers look tired, it's because they had very little sleep the previous night!

In the whirlwind of activities last month, we celebrated Thanksgiving in our home by inviting some of our precious friends from church and cooking every typical American food we could manage. Our Paraguayan friends really loved the gravy- and wanted to know how to make the "meat salsa."

Shaun, Abi, Maggy, Marcos, and Guillermo with our Thanksgiving feast

The day after the YWAM team left, we received an incredible visit from the "Smiles for Everyone" dental team. The team was composed of five dentists and five more administrators from the "Smiles Brand" organization, including the company's CEO, Steve Bilt. For those of us just meeting them, it was hard to distinguish who were the dentists and who were the administrators as the team worked seamlessly together serving the children in our school, community, and home. The quality of care that was provided by the Smiles for Everyone team was absolutely amazing. What a blessing to have some of the United States' top dentists come to visit our community here in Paraguay and provide a service that we would never have been able to offer to our children otherwise! I lost count of the dozens of children that left the auditorium with a completely new smile!

Our school auditorium during the dental clinic

Araceli, from the children's home- her smile before the dental visit

Araceli's smile after the dental clinic- not only does she have a new smile, but Araceli's self-esteem raised about a thousand points with this new smile!

This morning was a special milestone for Milciades (head of maintenance) and several of our boys. Milciades has been training four boys from House 3 to run. Today they participated in a two and half kilometer race held by the Paraguay Marathon Club. This was the first race for all four of our boys that participated (Amado, Kevin, Antonio Ortiz, and Antonio Paredes). Milciades and their house dad, Arnaldo, bought them matching shorts to wear with their race shirt, and they left the children's home at six o'clock in the morning to drive to the race. We weren't sure what to expect since the boys had never participated in anything like this before. Shaun was videoing at the final bend in the race, and much to his shock, Kevin and Antonio Paredes were the first children to come around the bend! Kevin placed first and Antonio took the second place. All of the boys were given medals and our first and second-place boys received trophies. Their names were called out in the national stadium and they were able to stand on the podium while being recognized. The story is exciting enough without knowing Kevin's background story. Kevin is 12 years old and has been in our home just over two and a half years. He arrived very addicted to his fast-acting asthma inhaler and suffered serious attacks virtually every day. Most nights he did not sleep and it got to the point where he could barely walk to and from school. About two years ago, we decided to take him to a specialist in Asuncion for testing. At the time of the test, Kevin was breathing with just a third of his lungs' capacity. The doctor made him repeat the breathing test more than once because he couldn't believe the results. According to the doctor, even his growth had been stunted by the lack of oxygen circulating in his body. Immediately, Kevin was placed on a regimen of medications to control his asthma. Gradually he has been able to reduce the amount of medication and now is simply taking two maintenance medications. I always thought his long-standing dream of being a fire-fighter would never be possible, but today's race proved that nothing is impossible with the Lord's help. For those of you that support the home financially, thank you, for providing the funding for Kevin's monthly medication. What an amazing difference it has made!

The group before running- Ricardo (house parents' son), Antonio Paredes, Amado, Milciades, Kevin, and Antonio Ortiz

Kevin and Antonio Paredes coming around the final bend, well ahead of the rest of the group

Kevin and Antonio Paredes with Milciades and their trophies (Milciades placed second in his category for the 10K)

From our large family to yours, Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!

~Shaun and Sara

So much to be thankful for...

2011-11-22T04:36:00.000-08:00

November has been a month full of activities and blessings for the children here in Itaugua. Carlos, our oldest boy in the home, was finally able to have his front tooth repaired. It had been broken off for over two years. Thanks to your support, we were able to pay a dentist to perform a root canal and crown the tooth. Carlos was so amazed that his tooth looked just like it did before! He is already smiling more. Carlos is a wonderful young man that constantly surprises us with his even temper and desire to work and serve in the home. His love for baking bread in our bakery only grows with time and he has already asked to work with Milciades (our head of maintenance) during his summer break from school. While Carlos was a small child when we met him nearly three years ago, he is now six feet tall and seems to be growing daily! We thank the Lord for his life and for all that God is doing in his heart.

Carlos with his broken front tooth

Carlos' smile back to normal after his root canal and crown!

About a month ago, our pastor announced that on the 20th of November there would be a baptism. Three of our oldest girls immediately expressed interest in being baptized. At the time their house parents began a course with them about living a mature, Christian life. Their desire to make their commitment to the Lord known through baptism only grew during the last several weeks and this past Sunday Nilda, Soledad, and Lysandry were baptized! It was a chilly, rainy morning, but despite the waters' cool temperatures, each of the girls shared with the congregation that Jesus Christ was their only Savior and that they wanted to be baptized. It was a morning overflowing with joy. Their openness in embracing the Lord is a wonderful example for the younger children in the home and for their friends in school. The plans that God has for these three girls will be something amazing! Please keep each of them in your prayers as they continue their walk with the Lord.

Soledad

Nilda

Lysandry

Soledad, Lysandry, and Nilda following their baptisms

On the 11th of November, Shaun and several of the male staff went to see Paraguay play Ecuador. It is hard to describe the level at which Latin American nations support their soccer teams, but it is something incredible to witness. Pictured is Milciades in his Paraguay jersey. Paraguay won the game, of course, 2-1!

Milciades in the Paraguay stadium

As the school year is coming to a close, our kids are finishing all of their final exams and presenting their final programs. Last week, the children put on a giant English Exposition. Our missionary English teacher, Dana Williams, worked long hours to prepare all the students and it was an event to remember. Parents filled the auditorium for a chance to hear their children sing and act out skits in English. The children worked very hard preparing and it showed in their performances. Dana served snacks she had prepared to all present (over 200 people) at the end of the presentation. I have never seen so many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or so much chicken salad in one place! The families and children loved tasting the American food and our school parents left proud of the English their children are learning. Dana has now returned to the United States, and we want to say "thank you" Dana for all the hours (and hours) you spent teaching, planning lessons, and getting to know each child this past year.

English teacher, Dana, on the far left with the first grade class

December is a month of summer vacation for our children. Santa wears swim trunks in Paraguay. Traditionally on Christmas Eve, Paraguayans eat a large dinner at midnight. On both Christmas Day and Day of the Kings (celebration of the magis' visit to baby Jesus celebrated on January 6th), children receive simple gifts. Also, legally in Paraguay workers receive a full, extra month's salary in December. Essentially it is a Christmas bonus, but it is not optional for the employer. It is a requirement. All of these traditions (and the one law) translate into quite an extra expense in the month of December for our home and school. If you are interested in helping offset these costs, please send donations to "Serving Paraguay", P.O. Box 6090, Mesa AZ 85216.

Shaun and I can never express how grateful we are to each of you for the part that you play in the lives of the children here in Paraguay by supporting them with donations and by lifting them before the Lord in prayer. We recognize His hand moving so frequently that we can testify that your prayers are making a difference in the lives of many! May the Lord richly bless each of you during this Christmas season!

Parties and a Garden

2011-10-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

October has been a month of beautiful weather here in Paraguay. On the 9th of October we celebrated Lysandry's 15th birthday. For those of you who are familiar with Hispanic culture, a girl's 15th birthday celebration almost surpasses a wedding celebration. It is an important rite of passage ceremony that we want to be sure and celebrate with each of the girls in our home when they "come of age."

Lysandry on her big night with her cake

Lysandry (we often call her Lysa) was very active in the preparations for her big evening and we had the support of all our staff and church family in planning the event. Her shoes, the cake, the sodas, the labor to sew her dress, and her hair, nail and make-up preparation were all donated for the event. Both the pastor from our church here in Itaugua, and the pastor of the house parents' church in a neighboring city were present to bless the evening and to encourage Lysa to follow the Lord's plan for her life. Lysa is an extremely special and intelligent young lady. She dreams of being able to attend college in the United States. She makes great grades in school and can memorize almost anything by looking at it once. She is constantly smiling and we pray that with each year of her life she would grow more committed to serving the Lord. We know that His plan for her life will amaze us all!

Prayer for Lysa's life and future

The evening began with Lysa's grand entrance on the arms of her house mom and dad. Lysandry chose to have the event on the basketball court, and our hard-working house parents from House 2 decorated the area beautifully. The children in House 2 cut branches and formed clay bases to make the centerpieces for the tables. Milciades, our maintenance worker, wired multiple lanterns with light bulbs to illuminate the trees around the court.

The fruit cascade at the entrance to the basketball court- thank you, Miguel and Nelida!

The area illuminated by lantern light- thank you, Milciades!

Our school principal and her husband, Elias (their son), Dana (our English teacher), and Elisabet (school maintenance worker) sang two special songs for Lysa. We showed a power point presentation of Lysa's last two and a half years (the time she has been living in our home). We ate finger foods, and then we danced the waltz. Lysa began the waltz with her house dad and as is the custom, all the men and boys in attendance lined up to dance a round of the waltz with Lysa. All of our children had practiced and they all danced... and danced, enjoying the evening. Finally, the night ended by sharing the delicious cake that our pastors donated for the occasion. Everyone in attendance couldn't stop talking about how beautiful our Lysa was, about her princess-style dress, and about how wonderful an evening it was. We thank the Lord for the good weather and for each person that helped to make the event a success.

Lysa dancing the waltz with her house dad, Arnaldo

House 1

House 2

House 3

On the 18th of October, I celebrated my 27th birthday. I have never had a birthday quite like this one. Days before my birthday, Abi began presenting me with gifts (things that I already owned, decorated coke bottles, etc. etc.)! On my actual birthday, in the school and children's home, I was thrown a surprise party! The staff at the children's home sang happy birthday to me in Spanish, Guarani, and ENGLISH! Later that evening, we ate an all-American cake, courtesy of Shaun's mom who is visiting us this month! It was a beautiful and blessed day- and one of the best birthdays I have ever celebrated!

Surprise party in the children's home with our older kids and staff

Finally, we are re-opening our garden project under the supervision of the house parents. They have divided the kids in each of the houses into three, mixed teams and each team will have their own garden plot to care for. I am amazed at how absolutely thrilled the children are to begin this project. They have been working already each day to prepare the garden for planting. We do need some funding to buy needed materials (hoses, pipes for irrigation, shovels, rakes, and seeds) that will cost approximately $300.

Lujan raking and Kevin and Ever weeding

If you would like to support this project or our other ministries in the children's home and school, please send checks payable to "Serving Paraguay" to the following address:

P.O. Box 6092

Mesa, AZ 85216

Our ministries that are reaching and transforming the lives of dozens of children in Paraguay would be impossible without your support! Thank you and blessings to each of you!

A Science Fair, Youth Day, Goats, and Report Cards

2011-09-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our school director, Fransisca, has been working ceaselessly in the school and we have been thrilled with all the progress our students are making. Today was our first science fair, and students from pre-school to eighth grade had to present science experiments or explain some biological process to the other students and parents present. So many of the projects were creative, from making acid, creating a magnet with batteries, floating an egg in salty water, explaining the body’s digestion, even to the classic exploding volcano! Shaun and I had to judge the projects and choose winners. It was no easy task when even the first graders were “expertly” explaining the life cycle of a plant!

Rolando explaining how to make acid

Antonio Paredes, Lujan, and Oscar explaining the different types of reproduction in animals

Jose Maria, Abi, and Araceli introducing us to animals that live in the water

Our science fair day coincided with “Day of the Youth,” a very important holiday for young people here in Paraguay. Once again, our friends from Super Alegria (a local supermarket) showered us with donations for the event. The young people (6th grade and up) ate hamburgers (loaded hamburgers which here include a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and cheese) and had soda and a cake. They spent their afternoon playing soccer and volleyball games in the children’s home and each received a t-shirt with a Bible verse and their name as a gift. What a wonderful tradition to celebrate youth for an entire day each year!

All our youth with their new t-shirts

We can’t fail to mention the donation that our generous friends in the grocery store presented us with last week. They told us one evening that they wanted to give us a couple of goats, because they heard we were looking to buy some more for the home. The next morning they showed up at the home to deliver three goats, one being a male and one pregnant female. We have begun our goat project in hopes that these low-maintenance animals will help save us time and gas money in mowing our large property. Our oldest children are in charge of tying up and watering the animals during the day and returning them to their shelter in the evening. We now have a total of three females (two pregnant) and one male. Milciades (head of maintenance) is working now on a house made from recycled materials for these additions to our farm.

Finally, report cards were handed out this week and I am proud to announce that in the second grading period, three of our girls from the homes received all A’s. We are so thrilled for Soledad, Nayeli, and Rocio. They have worked hard and will each be treated to an individual dinner in town as a reward. We also had five children that earned all A’s and B’s: Marcos, Lorena, Antonio Paredes, Lysandry, and Ever. They will go out as a group for dinner in town to reward them for their hard work! The academic level in the school this year has been significantly more challenging for our students, and we feel proud that they are adjusting and even excelling.

Our straight A's group: Rocio, Soledad, and Nayeli

Please be in prayer with us for following needs:

New teachers for the coming school year (Paraguayan school year runs from February through November): We will be adding a few teachers to our staff as we are separating the grades that are currently taught together and adding ninth grade. We are currently conducting interviews and praying that God will send the right, capable, passionate teachers to our staff.

Funding: The Lord has been faithful to miraculously fund the ministries this year month after month. Legally, every December, Paraguayan workers have to be paid a 13th salary in addition to their December salary. It is a sort of bonus for workers- something that was very strange for us to understand when we first moved to Paraguay, but something that is an absolute legal requirement. This means an extra $6,000 will be needed this December to pay our staff in the school and children’s home.

Deliverance for each child from their past: Many of you have been praying with us for the lives of the children in our home and we can honestly say that we are seeing God’s hand working in the lives of the children that most desperately needed his touch. Continue to stand with us in prayer for their lives. Please see my last blog for more information on how to pray.

The Rest of the Story

2011-09-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

I rarely touch on the issues that I want to address in this note. Our desire, in working with children in our homes, is that they would be transformed from the inside out. We want them to learn manners, to study in school, to be kind to others, and the list goes on. However, beyond these good habits that we want to instill in our children, there is a much deeper level that we have to address in their lives. Our kids come to us from situations of serious neglect and most come from cases of sexual and physical abuse. It is hard to describe the effect that these drastic and violent abuses have on a little boy or girl of four or eight years old. We have children in the home that go into fits of rage, kicking their teachers, throwing knives, displaying superhuman strength in their destruction, screaming profanity, and even abusing other children. I do not generally write public notes about these challenges that we face, but I want to share with each of you a little more in-depth glimpse of the challenges that these precious children face every day.

Some of our children suffer from nightmares, reliving their past abuses night after night, afraid and trembling in their bed. Other children hear voices telling them to harm others and themselves. We are so grateful to have a male and female counselor on staff at the home that are working in the process of recovery and healing for each child. As a Christian, I understand that many times our struggle with the children in our care is not really with them but with the darkness and spirits that have taken a hold of their little hearts and lives. In some sense our job is a spiritual war, battling for the soul of every child. The house parents live in this battle day in and day out and pray and fast so that the children in their houses can be free of their pasts. Currently, all of our children are going through a lengthy program focused on forgiving those that have harmed them, asking forgiveness from those they have harmed, and freeing their hearts from their pasts.

I know that liberation for these children may not happen all at once and that recovery for them will in many ways be a process. Several of our children, as you saw in the last post, have already been transformed and are completely “new creations” in the Lord, displaying a joy and strength that comes from their salvation. However, with many of the children in our care, we have arrived at a point of desperation, begging the Lord to intervene and deliver them from their own suffering and harmful and compulsive behaviors. I cannot imagine being a child of 12 years old, not being able to lay down at night and sleep, without having to relive the most traumatic and painful moments of my life in my dreams. Nor can I understand the deep struggle that is happening in a 9-year old boy’s head when he hears voices demanding him to abuse a younger child.

I know that these descriptions are not cheerful or pretty and honestly, I don’t even like to write them down. But, we desperately want the Lord to work in the heart and mind of every child living in our care. We want them to find freedom in coming to know Jesus as their savior, being able to overcome the fears and burdens of their pasts. We want each of our three houses to be totally filled with the peace and joy of the Lord.

We feel that the Lord is leading us to invite our staff and church family here in Paraguay and our friends there in the United States to fast and pray with us, specifically for deliverance and freedom for our children in Hogar GANAR. Please keep these needs in your mind and pray for us, pray for our house parents, pray for the children in our homes and the thousands like them suffering on the streets around this nation. If you feel led, also consider joining us in fasting once a week. At this link you can see pictures and first names of each of our 30 children, which may help you to be able to pray for each one.

A beautiful Sunday morning

2011-08-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday morning was a very special day for us. Two of the boys from House 3 (Kevin and Amado) were baptized. They have been attending church some Sundays with their house parents, Arnaldo and Ramona, and they heard the announcement about baptism. They expressed interest in being baptized and completed a preparatory class last week.

Kevin is 12 years old and was very bitter towards God for a long time. He had no interest in the Bible, in his house's devotionals, or in giving his life to the Lord. Since the arrival of his new house parents a few months ago, his life has undergone an amazing transformation and everyone is noticing his new attitude. He has not only taken interest in Bible studies, but has begun to teach some of the house's devotionals with his house siblings. We are so proud of Kevin for his decision to be baptized and we thank the Lord for the work that He is doing in Kevin's heart.

Kevin being introduced to the church

Amado is also 12 years old. He is our little philosopher and has loved to read and study the Bible for a long time. He is one of our best-behaved children in the home and really does have a desire to serve the Lord. He was extremely nervous before going up for his baptism, and we were so proud that despite his nerves, he was baptized and even spoke into the microphone beforehand!

Amado overcoming his nerves to speak before his baptism

The boys were announced as Arnaldo and Ramona's children, and it was precious to see the way that the house parents really do feel that God has given them the 10 children in the house to love and disciple. I couldn't stop the tears of joy that I shed when watching these two young men publicly display their commitment to the Lord. We know that the Lord has great plans for their future, and we can't wait to see all that the Lord will do in them as they continue to grow and mature. Thank you for your prayers for these children! Each of you that prays and supports our ministry plays a part in every victory in our children's lives. Blessings to you!

Ramona, Ricardo (the house parent's biological son), Kevin, Arnaldo, and Amado

Overwhelmingly blessed

2011-08-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today was our celebration for the very important "Day of the Child" holiday. At the children's home we hosted children from our school and the surrounding community for a giant party honoring children. The Lord blessed us with a day that was absolutely gorgeous, complete with moderate temperatures and a beautiful blue sky.

In preparation for the event, we had so many people volunteer to help that by the week prior to the event, there was nothing left for Shaun and I to do. Our house mom from House 2 and some of the children decorated the basketball court beautifully with balloons. Our church family volunteered to take care of the activities and the young people that teach our children in their Bible program on Saturday set up several exciting games for the kids.

The grocery store that is already donating meals to the school to feed 100 children five times a week also wanted to help. They reassured me that there would be enough food for everyone, but I was shocked when I saw the quantity of the delicious food that they brought. There was enough food for an army, and parents and children were able to take part in the meal. The cakes were delicious and there were cookies and candy filling everyone's hands.

The bouncy castle and slide were also a gift from our wonderful grocery store friends at Super Alegria! The teachers from our school and some special guests put on a wonderful program for the kids, focusing on God's love and care for the children, and on His ability to "clean" our hearts.

I can not express how overwhelming it is to watch how the Lord has brought together a team of precious Paraguayans that love our children and want to serve them. I know that the doors that are being opened in the community within the hearts of the moms and dads that were present today will result in a wonderful harvest of souls for the glory of our Lord. This was the first Day of the Child event done in the home that involved all the children from the school, and even other families from the community that participate in our weekly Bible school. The parents enjoyed the entire event and were so appreciative that we had planned something so wonderful and included their families.

This past weekend, Richard Baker, from Children of the World ministries visited our home. Our children's home has recently been accepted as an associated orphanage with this international foundation. We are excited about our partnership with them, and were humbled to hear about the status of orphans around the world in other continents. Our children took time to pray for the ministries of Children of the World as they have a heart to pray for children still on the streets and in situations of abuse. Our children are learning not only to receive the blessings that they have been given, but to use what they have to bless others. We hope to instill in each of them a servants' heart and to encourage the passion they have to help other children in situations like the ones they have come from.

Shaun and I want to say "thank you" to you, our American family, that prays and supports the work here in Paraguay. We also want to publicly thank our Paraguayan family for their support and hard work today! Together, the international body of Christ will bear the burden of the "least of these" around the world and our Lord will be glorified in every nation and tongue! Blessings to all!

Winter Vacation!

2011-07-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, summertime in the states means wintertime here in Paraguay. We have been having a wonderful winter here in Hogar GANAR.

Special youth outing to the Expo (Paraguay's annual national fair)

complete with new sunglasses!

In May, we had a team of three interns from the Lee University Intercultural Studies Program join us for a ten-week internship. They returned to the states this month and were a blessing for our children's home during their stay. They did some of the less-glamorous but much-needed work projects of scraping paint and clearing our garden space and led Bible school on the weekends with our children from the home and many children from the school and community. They taught English to young people and adults from the community and taught our children in the home several dramas and dances. They ate meals in the houses with the children and really became a part of the Hogar GANAR family during their stay. They each stretched themselves out of their comfort zone to communicate with and love on the kids and staff in our home. We want to say "Thank you" to Audra, Erica, and Letitia for your time and efforts during your missions internship!

Letitia cheering on the green team in our school's winter field day competition.

Erica getting ready to begin her English class.

Audra teaching the youngest children during the Saturday Bible class.

We also had the visit of a team from Mufreesboro, TN during July. The team included Dana William's (our school's missionary English teacher) brother and sister and three other young people from their church. They did a variety of painting projects, including completely painting our school auditorium, which is now beautiful! They also held a special VBS program for our children in the home during their two-week winter vacation, with daily lessons and some amazing crafts. Their church, The Carpenter's House, rallied together to send a new pair of tennis shoes to every child in the home! This was a wonderful blessing for us and for every child! Thank you, Austin, Ryan, Tarah, Angie, and Ashley!

Tarah, passing out new tennis shoes to Lysandry.

As our two teams overlapped, we took advantage of their visits to take the children to the Zoo. It was great to have so many adults to help keep an eye on all our little ones and we had a wonderful day. It was unseasonably warm and the weather was beautiful! We had a picnic, Pizza Hut lunch in the shade of the trees inside the zoo. There was literally a monkey hanging in the tree over us while we were eating!

A combination of teams serving pizza to the children on our zoo outing.

We have had a full and busy winter! We are so grateful to the two teams that came and donated their time to touch the lives of the children in our homes. Also, a special thanks to Camille and Caroline Hagerman, our resident missionary kids and translators for these mission teams! If you or your church are interested in coming to Paraguay on a mission team or for an internship, please contact us at servingparaguay@gmail.com. To see more pictures of our children in the school and homes and our wintertime events, please visit our Facebook Page or our website.

In front of the Natural History Museum at the Asuncion zoo.

Disciples.

2011-06-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

There are moments when something happens, something shines forth from one of the children we have been working with that makes my heart overflow with joy and gratefulness to the Lord for what He is doing in the children in our care.

Our vision is to see lives transformed and many days it is hard to see the transformation that God is working. There are days when the children are breaking windows, kicking and hitting their house parents and other children, screaming curses, and just behaving horribly. During these moments the pain and hurt that our children have suffered shows through and sometimes their problems seem insurmountable. But thankfully, the Lord specializes in working out impossible situations and taking each of us in our brokenness, restoring us, and using us for amazing purposes.

Soledad is a beautiful young lady that arrived in our home only 10 months ago. She has a difficult story, like the other children in our home, and came to us shy, hurting, and discouraged. Last week, she told her house parents during their nightly devotional that she thanks the Lord for Him bringing her to know Him at this point in her life. When Soledad attends church, she hangs on every word. Later, she takes her notes home and re-preaches the sermon to her house "siblings." Last Friday, she spoke at the school assembly to her classmates and the director and teachers were blessed by what she shared. Soledad has never made good grades in her life and just brought home her report card with all A's and only one B. She is not only making positive changes within, but her whole face and countenance have changed in her time with us. Her face literally shines with the joy that is overflowing from her heart. I thank God that He is using our house parents, the school staff, and our other volunteers to bring healing into the lives of some of the world's most precious and wonderful children.

Thank you for your prayers for us. We do need them and we ask that you continue to pray for every child in our home and school. We are also facing some difficult financial challenges this month and would ask that you keep our finances in your prayers. If you would like to support our school and children's home, please send tax-deductible donations to:

Serving Paraguay

P.O. Box 6092

Mesa, AZ 85216

Trust and Provision.

2011-06-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

It is a nearly constant battle for me as a missionary, someone "directing" a children's home to trust in the Lord, the creator of the universe. I can trust the Lord is so many areas of my life, but when it comes to trusting in His financial provision, I must say that I struggle. I want to write this note to encourage you, to say that you can trust in our Lord to provide and to declare that He will meet the needs of every child and worker under our care here in Paraguay.

I spend much of my time crunching numbers, reviewing donations, and honestly, just worrying. God has been working in my heart in this area and He has been speaking to me in so many ways to communicate to me, "Just trust Me." The last two months, we were several thousand dollars short to pay for our salaries and food costs here in Hogar GANAR and the Itaugua Christian School. Many people do not realize how much money we need to operate monthly. Currently, we need around $11,000.00 a month to pay all teachers, house parents, other staff, and to provide for the children's basic needs. Our costs have risen significantly because the dollar has lost much of its value here in Paraguay.

I always have a way in my head that God is going to answer my prayers and provide, and He is constantly surprising me by where the finances come from. Praise the Lord that in the last two months "surprise donations" have arrived at just the right time to be able to cover our monthly costs. One gift of nearly $4,000 came from someone I have never even met.

This month, I have no idea, and don't even want to try to guess at how God will provide, but I am learning that I can trust Him, because He is faithful. A wonderful friend sent me a link to an article about George Mueller and I would like to paste a portion of a quote from him here below:

My dear Christian reader, will you not try this way? Will you not know for yourself . . . the preciousness and the happiness of this way of casting all your cares and burdens and necessities upon God? This way is as open to you as to me. . . . Every one is invited and commanded to trust in the Lord, to trust in Him with all his heart, and to cast his burden upon Him, and to call upon Him in the day of trouble. Will you not do this, my dear brethren in Christ? I long that you may do so. I desire that you may taste the sweetness of that state of heart, in which, while surrounded by difficulties and necessities, you can yet be at peace, because you know that the living God, your Father in heaven, cares for you.

Be encouraged! The Lord is faithful and will meet all of our needs.

Paraguay Celebrates 200 Years of Independence!

2011-05-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with celebrations of the Bicentennial of the nation of Paraguay (May 15th is Paraguayan independence day). It has been wonderful watching the cultural celebrations unfold. Monday, our school children put together a giant event to celebrate their nation's 200th year of independence. All the children intensely studied the history of Paraguay and each grade adopted a different region to learn about and then display to the community. We had a special program, as well, complete with participation in dance or speeches by every grade, from pre-school to 8th grade. All the parents and teachers worked together to prepare the school for the event. Their efforts were very successful and the students did an AMAZING job!!

Today, our school marched in the Itaugua bicentennial parade. Several of our students dressed up in Paraguayan dance attire and proudly represented our school. We were presented to the town officials. It was a proud moment for all the teachers and students! Nilda and Carlos, from our children's home, carried the school's banner and led us in the march. Enjoy the photos!

In typical Paraguayan dance outfits

Pre-school and 1st grade students' performance

Carlos in his grade's booth

Aren't they adorable?!!

In costume

Pre-schoolers in their "broom dance"

The children from our children's homes preparing to march in the parade

Our school in the Itaugua parade

In other school news...

2011-02-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

As many of you know we have recently started the school year here in Paraguay. We are excited about the opening of our private Christian school (Colegio Cristiano de Itaugua) that aims to become a tremendous blessing to the precious children in our community, as well as the children living in our children's home (Hogar GANAR). To give a little context to the educational situation, here is a link to an interesting story that appeared in yesterday's paper about the poor state of many of the public schools in the Asunción. (Note- English speakers may want to use google translate.)

PHOTO: Just days away from starting classes, many schools look as if they are abandoned.

A Special Night for a Special Young Lady.

2011-02-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

On Friday, January 28^th, we celebrated the 15^th birthday of Nilda, our eldest child in the home. For those of you who don’t know, a girl’s 15^th birthday in Latin America is a BIG event. It is the 15^th year that signifies a girl’s coming of age and the 15^th birthday parties are often bigger events than a wedding. We wanted this celebration to be something very special for Nilda, a night that she would remember. Nilda has been in the home since before Shaun and I arrived in Paraguay. She was one of the children that greeted us our first day in the country, and she has been a special blessing to us ever since. Nilda lives in House 1 with her four younger siblings, Carlos, Ever, Rocio, and Cristina. She loves to do computer work and is serious about her English studies, hoping to someday study in the United States. She is a very responsible older sister, always helping with her younger siblings and the other children in her house.

Nilda with her siblings, house parents, and "house siblings" from House 1

It was our first time to plan a Quinceaños (15^th birthday party), so we were a little lost about all the details it should entail. We made sure that the evening included time for our pastor to share with Nilda about being a young woman who would serve the Lord. We also presented Nilda with a new Bible and a necklace and earring set with heart-shaped pendants. We shared with her about keeping her heart for the Lord and always remembering that she was His child. The evening began with her grand entrance on Carlos, her brother’s, arm. We then showed a power point presentation of pictures of Nilda over the past two years, set to a worship song that she chose. The ceremony also included a time for the waltz, a traditional part of all 15^th parties. Nilda began the dance with Carlos and then Ever, her brothers. Later, all the children joined in the waltz. Many had been practicing for several weeks prior to the party to be able to dance the waltz that night. The party ended, of course, with eating finger foods and cake and ice cream, and taking hundreds of pictures with Nilda, who looked beautiful in her dress that a friend made for her at no cost.

Nilda and the Mortons

Shaun and I were so overwhelmed at how our church family and the workers in the home all joined in to make the event special. One of our house moms decorated the entire area, making the backdrop for the party absolutely beautiful. The other house parents and children from all of the houses worked to clear the party area and to bring and set up chairs for the event. Our pastor and his wife from church donated a lovely three tier cake, while other friends from the church donated fresh flowers. We even had people from church give cash donations to help us purchase the food and other items for the party. We were so blessed by the generosity of our Paraguayan friends, and we thank the Lord for placing them not just in our lives but in the lives of the children in the home.

Please continue to keep the children in the home in your prayers. We hope that each day they spend in our homes will be a time of growing, healing, and learning to trust both the Lord and others. Thank you for the part that you play in making this ministry possible. May the Lord bless you!

An Opportunity Like No Other

2011-01-25T05:40:00.000-08:00

In past blogs I have mentioned the privatization of the school located on our ministry property. Since returning to Paraguay, we have been working constantly to make this dream a reality. It is hard for many of us to imagine the reality of daily life in Paraguay. Families where both parents are working and together are making only two or three hundred dollars a month- or even less in some cases. Many of these parents hope that their children will have a better life- that they will not be working 80 hours a week to merely survive. A grandmother that lives in a squatter's village with her grandchildren, some with learning disabilities, wondering if the public schools will even accept her her grandkids in their school. Children living in our children's home that previously sold candy and whatever else they could find on the street to have enough money to buy bread for that day, never dreaming that some day they would have the opportunity to study, work, and forge a completely different life for themselves and their siblings.

I don't want to over-dramatize the situation in Paraguay, but I do want to clearly communicate to each of you our hope and vision for the life of each child that will be entering Colegio Cristiano de Itaugua (our private school) and ask for your help in seeing this vision become a reality. Our school is offering not only a wonderful education to the children, but also uniforms for school and textbooks that will let the children learn as they never have. When launching the registration for classes we were unsure if many children from the community would come. Last year, as a government school, there were approximately 70 students. On the first day of registration, over 20 community children registered for classes. Tomorrow is the final day for registration and as of today, we have 97 students, including the 30 children from our children's home, registered from pre-school to 8th grade! We were shocked and overwhelmed by the response. We even had a teacher from a very nearby public school bring her children to enroll them because she knew that the quality of education they had been receiving in her school was not going to equip her children to succeed.

Textbooks in Paraguay come in the form of a textbook/workbook where the material and exercises are all together in one book. The approximate cost for these books is $15.00. Each student will need one book for each subject and total, we are looking at a cost of $7,500.00. To give each student a pair of khaki shorts and pants and two polo shirts, the cost per student is $30.00, for a total of $3,000.00. We would also like to buy a copier for the school, which will cost $1,500.00.

We need your help! If you would like more information about our ministries or are interested in giving to these one-time projects or in supporting the monthly cost of paying the teachers' and principal's salary ($3,000/month), please contact us via e-mail (mortonmissions@gmail.com) or send your tax-deductible donation to Serving Paraguay P.O. Box 6092, Mesa, AZ 85216. Write "school" in the memo line so that your donation will be properly allocated.

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

We pray you are enjoying the holiday season. It has been a blessing for our family to celebrate the Christmas season in the United States this year, and to introduce the newest member of our family, Samuel, to our friends and family. Our last two years in Paraguay have been years of learning, growth, and great blessing.

Since arriving at the Hogar GANAR children’s home in February of 2009, the home has grown from 10 to 30 children, with the opening of two additional houses. We have begun a bible study program with the help of a local church in Paraguay and have a Bible memorization program in place. The Lord has blessed the home with a new missionary couple, Joe and Jayne Martinez. Joe has his masters’ degree in counseling and has begun an intensive counseling program with each of the children. Our farming and gardening programs are growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to a donation from the Project for the People of Paraguay of a dozen pigs and eight cattle. We now have 21 cattle and plenty of milk and beef for our children’s needs. Our tilapia ponds are adding to the children’s diet, and providing a fun activity for the children and house parents in the form of fishing. Our garden and bakery are now used as forms of job training for the children and so many of the children are now beginning to dream big dreams for their future. We also discovered that the property was home to honey bees and we have a new volunteer, Michael Tell, who will be joining our missionary staff in March 2011 to revamp our honey bee program, training nationals in the care of honey bees. Michael also plans to develop projects to better utilize the fruit produced in our citrus grove.

One of the most exciting recent developments is the transition that will take place in our elementary/middle school this coming year. Previously the school was managed by the government, but the quality of education provided was very poor. This coming year (the school year in Paraguay runs from February to November) the school will transition to private education. We are adding a Christian principal and teachers to the program and we can’t wait to see how our children will flourish with a higher quality of education. We are also going to add a full-time English teacher to the school. Dana Williams, a new volunteer, will be moving to Paraguay in February to oversee this new English program. We have received several laptops in donation and will integrate computer classes into the curriculum. If you are interested in supporting our school project, please contact us (mortonmissions@gmail.com).

All of these new developments would have been impossible without the support that you have provided. Your financial and prayer support for the homes has literally changed the future of thirty precious children, and we believe will even change the future of the nation of Paraguay! THANK YOU for giving! We pray that the Lord would bless each of you and that the coming year will be one filled with the peace and joy of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Serving Paraguay,

Shaun, Sara, Abigail, and Samuel Morton

A Visit Home.

2010-10-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to check in with everyone and update you about what is happening at Hogar GANAR in Itaugua, Paraguay. Shaun and I are in the states for the first time in nearly two years. We are so thrilled to be able to have this time with the friends and family that we missed during our time in Paraguay and to be able to take some time to share with various organizations and churches about the ministries in Paraguay.

Deborah and Lorena from House 2- They are precious!

Leaving the children in the home was difficult for us. We love each of them so much and have not been away for more than a few days from the home since arriving in February of 2009. I can't imagine how much they will grow and change in our three-month stay in the states, and our hearts are still with them in many ways. I am learning that to be a missionary means to forever have a broken heart- we love to be with our families, but we have certainly left a part of our hearts in Paraguay with the precious children we have the privilege to serve. We appreciate your prayers for our family during this time of traveling, visiting, and speaking in churches. Also, please be in prayer for the children and staff of the home and Joe and Jayne Martinez, fellow missionaries, who are stepping in to direct the home during these three months.

We were so excited that the final children arrived to fill House 2 before we left the country, bringing the total amount of children in the homes to thirty.

Another exciting development is the change we are making in the school on the home's property. In previous years, the home has been run by the government, essentially as a public school. The quality of education, however, was extremely low and the teachers teaching in the school were not qualified to teach the children at a higher level. We are now going to make a large change and transition to an entirely private, Christian school. Our vision for the children in Hogar GANAR is that they would grow up to be the future leaders of Paraguay- positively impacting their country and culture. In consideration of this dream, we realized we must make a change in the quality of education the children were receiving. We want each child that is capable to be prepared to enter college. Before leaving Paraguay, we interviewed and hired a wonderful director for the school that has many years of classroom teaching experience, and has worked writing textbooks and in other leadership and administrative positions in private, Christian schools. Lucy, the director, is passionate about preparing our children for the future, instilling in each child a love of reading, and communicating the love of Christ to every child through a Christ-centered education.

The School.

During our stay in the United States, we have some very ambitious fundraising goals. First, one of our homes is still running off one-time donations, and we would love to find committed monthly sponsors for the $1500 necessary to run the home. This amount includes house parent salaries and health care, relief house parents for two weekends of rest a month, electricity for the house, clothing, food, and medical supplies for ten children. We are also looking to find donors interested in sponsoring the costs associated with our school. We will need money to pay the teachers and director their salary and health care (which is a legal requirement in Paraguay). If you are not currently supporting monthly and are interested in doing so, please contact us so that we can share more details about the costs with you. We know that the Lord loves the children in our home and has great plans for their future. We are trusting Him to meet all of their needs.

If we are not already scheduled to visit you or speak at your local church, please contact us to see if we can work out a time to meet with you personally during our time stateside to talk about what the Lord is doing in Itaugua, Paraguay.

Sometimes I forget.

2010-07-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

First let me introduce you to our three new children:

Oscar and Jonathan are brothers. Oscar is 8 and Jonathan is 6. Their sister Deborah, who is 10, arrived in the home in February. Oscar and Jonathan, who had previously been living in other children's homes or with other families, were back living with their mother on the street. The representative of a feeding center where the children were eating contacted me about bringing the boys to live with Deborah. It was perfect timing with the opening of the new home, so Deborah moved out of House 3 and into the new home (House 2) so that she could be with her brothers. The boys are doing very well so far and Deborah is very happy to have her siblings with her again.

Oscar, Deborah, and Jonathan discovering the basketball!

Yesterday, Antonio arrived. He is also a relative of one of our children. His uncle, Miguel, is our oldest boy in the home. Antonio arrived and was able to take Deborah's place in House 3 to be in the same house as his uncle. Antonio is 9 and in the second grade. Miguel and Antonio are so excited to be together again. Antonio had been waiting several months for a space to open so that he could come to the home. His mother and grandmother (Miguel's mom) are both single mothers that work, mainly selling food on the streets. While at work, the boys remained at home unattended. We are so glad that Antonio is now in a safer environment and able to be with his uncle Miguel.

Antonio and his uncle, Miguel!

There are two more children scheduled for an interview and two that we are simply waiting for them to finish necessary paperwork and arrive. After they are settled in, I will post another update so you can meet them.

I would also like to share a little of my personal thoughts. There are days when I just forget what it is that we are really doing here in Paraguay. I forget exactly where these children came from, and why what we are doing is so desperately necessary. Then, there are days that remind me why God has brought Shaun and I to Paraguay.

I was talking with Nayeli last week and after looking at our dog, she told me that one time she and Junior (her brother) ate dog food. Without really thinking, I asked, "Why would you eat dog food?" She looked down at her feet and replied quietly, "because we were hungry." So many of our children come to the home from horrible circumstances, situations where they not only face hunger and abandonment, but worse, the children that came from homes where they were being daily beaten or raped.

We are so thankful that our friends Joe and Jayne Martinez came to serve in the children's home. In Joe's counselling sessions we are really finding out more and more details about the kids' pasts- situations that they were never able to share before. I trust the Lord to use us, Joe and Jayne, and the other workers in the home to teach these children to trust again and to help them heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I often do not share the details of the children's pasts because we do not in any way want to exploit these precious children that have been entrusted to us. But, we need your prayers. The issues that our children are facing- the hurt they carry with them from the past- will not disappear without miraculous changes and healing in their lives. As Christians, we know that the Lord is the only one that can truly and completely heal them. Would you pray with us that each child in our home would come to know the Lord as their Savior, that they would be completely healed of their past hurts, not only emotionally and spiritually, but also of the physical damage that was done to them, that our house parents would have a passion for their work and wisdom in dealing with the children, and that every child would grow up to be responsible, honest, successful, kind, and loving?

A little behind...

2010-07-02T08:01:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay in blogs. Life can be a little more hectic with a newborn! Things are going well at the home. The teachers have been on strike for a couple of weeks now and so our children are enjoying their time out of school. I have found teacher strikes to be a fairly common occurrence in Paraguay. Winter vacation is approaching as well (two weeks in mid-July), so our kids are going to have quite a long time without classes.

We are so excited to announce that House 2 has now opened and we have five children already working on their paperwork to enter the home. They should be arriving any day. We are accepting 8 new children, bringing the total of children in the home to 30. Come back soon to look for updates on the new children!

In May, we celebrated three birthdays. Amado turned 11. Amado is in the fifth grade and is a very good student. He lives in House 3 and is an only child. He is particularly talented with languages and is one of the best English students. He recently made a decision to accept the Lord as his Savior and we are so proud of the young man he is becoming. Miguel turned 14. Miguel has a rare disease, leishmaniasis, and spent several weeks in the hospital earlier this year. He is recovering very well, and has a new confidence and energy that he never had before. Miguel has trouble with reading, but we know that as his self-confidence grows, he will only improve in his studies. Miguel is a great helper for Milciades, our maintenance worker, and loves the time he spends working in maintenance/construction projects. Miguel is in House 3 and is in the sixth grade. He is the home's eldest boy. He has two older siblings that are not in the home. Alejandra turned 9. She is in the first grade and was in House 1, but will be moving to House 2 today with her two sisters. She is a beautiful girl that loves princess toys and jewelry. Because of her severe past abuse, she can be violent with her little sister and she has many moments of emotional outbursts, but we are praying that she will be completely healed of her past emotional scars so that she can grow into a successful young woman.

Amado, Miguel, and Alejandra in their new birthday clothes.

In June, Matias and Thalia celebrated their birthdays. Matias turned 8 and is in the first grade and lives in House 3. He is very smart and active, and only a little mischievous! He is also an only child, although he grew up as the neighbor of some of the other children also in House 3. His behavior over the past several months has changed drastically for the better. We are so happy to see how content Matias is and how he is growing in so many ways. Thalia turned 12. She is in House 1 and is the aunt of four other girls in the home. She is in the second grade since she had never entered school before coming to our home and loves music more than anything. She is great at memorizing the tunes of songs, and loves to sing in English, which often doesn't sound anything like English, but the other kids don't know it isn't correct. She is a joy to be around.

Matias

Thalia

I would also like to say "thank you" to Heather Lutz who lived with us for six months while she taught the children in the home and the school English. She did an amazing job. The children are speaking more English than ever and will certainly miss their new tia (aunt), Heather. As her parting gift for the kids, she presented each of them with their very own Paraguay soccer jersey. I can not tell you how many times each of the children had begged me for a jersey. If you follow sports news at all, you know that Paraguay is one of the final 8 teams in the World Cup, a level the Paraguayan team has never reached before. The country is nearly in pandemonium with joy over their team's victories. The kids are thrilled to be able to wear their country's jersey during the games. Thank you, Heather, for everything. We love you and miss you already!

Heather with the kids in their Paraguay jerseys.

Welcome William Samuel!

2010-05-23T15:58:00.001-07:00

Our little bundle arrived May 13 at 9:50 PM in Asuncion, Paraguay. At birth, he weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. He is doing well, and Abi is enjoying her role as the big sister.

Happy Birthday Gloria and Deborah!

2010-05-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

In April, both Gloria and Deborah from House 3 celebrated their birthdays. Gloria turned 11. She is in the second grade and is a very active girl. Gloria loves to make friends with all our visitors and you will be sure to notice her soon after your arrival in our facilities. She is also very helpful in household chores. Deborah arrived at the home in February replacing Miguel Angel, a young man that went back to live with his biological family. Deborah turned 10 and is also in the second grade. We are still getting to know her, but she is a very affectionate and loving child.

Gloria with her cake and present

Deborah with her cake and present

Abigail also celebrated her forth birthday on April 29th. She had a great party with the kids and then later enjoyed a second party with our American friends.

Abi with her cake

To give another update, our bakery is still functioning and several of the boys from the home are developing their skills as bakers. We are so thankful that Rafael, our house parent from House 1, knows how to make the delicious bread and enjoys teaching the boys how to make it as well. In addition to the basic breads, Rafael also makes Paraguay's slightly sweet specialty breads with the boys, allowing them not only to learn how to make them, but also providing a great snack for the other kids in the home.

Rafael, Carlos, Junior, and Ever making kokitos

We now have three fish ponds open and operating. Higinio, the house parent from House 3 , made several basic fishing poles from sticks during Natalie and Chris' visit so that the children could take a fishing excursion down to the ponds. It was a huge hit and now all the children ask constantly when they can go to the farm again to fish. We are excited about these ponds and the addition of fish to the children's menu.

Miguel's arm, Lujan, Higinio, Shaun, Thalia, and Chris: Lots of fish in all shapes and sizes!

Another exciting announcement is the purchase of a riding lawn mower. We received a donation toward this much-needed item, and now have a Husqvarna riding lawn mower. Grass that would take someone more than a week to cut with our small electric push mowers can now be cut in about 4 hours. Shaun literally did a dance of joy when the machine was delivered. This purchase will free up so much time to do improvements in other areas, and we thank the Lord for the donation that allowed us to purchase the mower!

World's Best Doctors!

2010-05-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

At the children's home, we had the privilege of hosting two almost-graduates of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Natalie Rigelman-Hedberg and Chris Camp. Chris is the husband of a childhood friend of mine, Erica McCaleb Camp, and will be starting his residency in Orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic this June. Natalie will be beginning her residency at the University of Minnesota in pediatrics at the same time.

Gloria checking up on Chris' blood pressure

Since this is the first time we have hosted "medical missionaries," we were a little unsure what to expect from their visit. After their two and a half weeks at our home, we sat back and were amazed at what they were able to accomplish and the thoroughness and quality with which they worked with the children of not only our children's home, but also from the school on our property. In all, Chris and Natalie examined approximately 100 children and nearly all the staff from our children's home. Their examinations included not only basic physical exams, but also a dental and eye screenings to see what the needs in those areas were. They also created a hygiene flyer to hand out with their examination reports and preformed an interactive skit for the children of our homes to teach them how to keep themselves healthy and clean. In addition to all these exams, activities with the children, translating exam notes into Spanish to give to families, checking into prices for additional testing for the children, cleaning out ears, etc. etc, Chris and Natalie were never too tired to wash the dishes or play with Abi- making them the most wonderful house guests.

Matias learning how to brush his teeth in the hygiene skit

(Chris is the one holding the toothbrush)

While Shaun and I don't have a lot of experience working with medical students (they will soon be "doctors" after a May graduation), we feel that Chris and Natalie must be two of the country's brightest and best medical students. Not only did they have general medical knowledge, they had even studied up on diseases specific to Paraguay and tropical climates. Natalie, with only a couple of semesters of college Spanish, was able to conduct all the exams and listen to and advise patients with her own Spanish. Coupled with all of this knowledge, both Chris and Natalie have excellent personalities for doctors and made all their patients feel at ease.

Natalie with her "patients" from House 3

I am constantly amazed anew at the blessings that we have received in our work in Paraguay. Not only were we able to give quality medical care to each of the children with Chris and Natalie's visit, but we also made two new, wonderful friends. The children are already missing both Chris and Natalie (especially Abi who celebrated her 4th birthday during their visit) and we hope that in the future, they will be able to visit again.

To Chris and Natalie: Thank you so much for all your hard work! You can't know how much your visit meant to us and to the children and staff of Hogar Ganar! May the Lord bless you both as you begin your residencies!

March Happy Birthdays!

2010-04-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

We have found that with so many children celebrating birthdays, doing a monthly birthday party is much more practical than buying or preparing enough cake for all the kids on everyone's birthday. So, at the end of March we celebrated three birthdays. It was amazing to remember that I blogged last year about Rocio and Ever's birthdays. It has been a whole YEAR since that post and I am so thankful that I have gotten to share in an entire year of their lives, watching them grow and mature.

Also, this year, we celebrated with Lorena for her first birthday in the home. Lorena is Kimberly and Alejandra's older sister. They live in House 1. Lorena turned 11 this past month, but is only in the second grade as she had never completed a year of school before entering our home. Lorena is a precious girl, who is extremely mature and responsible for her age. She is a good student who is learning fast in school. She loves to joke and is quite professional at fixing the other girls' hair.

Ever turned 10 this year. He also lives in House 1 with his siblings Nilda, Carlos, Rocio, and Cristina. Ever is extremely intelligent and also very responsible. He is in the third grade and makes perfect grades. He is learning English very well due to his memory. After revisiting vocabulary he hasn't reviewed in months, he remembers it all! I can be sure that each time I see Ever, he will greet me by shaking my hand- what a little gentleman!

Rocio, Ever's sister, also had her birthday in March. She turned 8. Rocio is in the second grade and is a social butterfly. She loves to talk and doesn't mind being the center of attention. She is very outgoing and makes an impression on all of our visitors with her personality and beauty.

Easter Eggs and Water Balloons.

2010-04-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

The last couple of months have been a time of great growth in our home. Our new staff members have each arrived with their individual talents and gifts and we are so thankful for how the Lord is working in the homes. We have had several special times of fellowship with all staff and children in the home in March and April.

Mauro (gardener), Higinio (house parent in House 3), Maria Lina (pastor's wife), Natividad (house parent in House 3) and Maricela (Mauro's wife) getting ready to serve up lunch

Thanks to a donation to buy piglets last spring, we were able to eat two of the pigs raised on our farm during the Easter holiday (some of the two pigs- there is still quite a bit of meat in the deep freeze for the houses to cook in the upcoming weeks). We have two more female pigs that are pregnant, so in the future, we will be able to provide a large amount of pork from our own farm. We also have several cows that are pregnant, and can't wait to see their calves and enjoy the abundance of milk that will become available after their births.

The weeks leading up to Easter were times of teaching about the life of Christ to the children and we are so excited that our children now understand the reason that we should celebrate Easter! To make their Easter (Holy Week) vacation time memorable, we planned several events during the past week. We had a cook out with own very own, very fresh pork. It was delicious. Thanks to Heather and Milciades' diligent water balloon filling, the kids had a giant water balloon fight with 600 water balloons. I took a short break from bed rest to sit on the porch and watch the action.

Milciades (in charge of maintenance) grilling up our farm-raised pork and making a face

Of course, with the Easter holiday, we had to continue the dying eggs and egg hunt tradition that we began with the kids last year. This year we hid 360 eggs (240 of which were hard-boiled, dyed eggs). The children on Saturday each dyed eggs and heard the story of Christ's last days on earth using "Resurrection Eggs." When I remember last year and sharing the gospel for the very first time with the 10 children we had in the home at that time, I am amazed at how much the Lord has worked in the lives of those original children and the ones that have arrived since. They each now understand that Christ is alive and loves them, and the prayers that they each offer around the dinner table and in our church services are so precious and genuine. Thank you, Lord, for all that you have done over this past year in the lives of the 22 children in our home!

Deney (Mauro and Maricela's daughter), Abi, and Mili (House 3) with their eggs

The oldest age group on the hunt

Bedrest and No Internet = No Blogging

2010-03-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone. I apologize that we have been so long without an update. We are between internet providers, desperately seeking some company with reliable coverage in our somewhat rural area. Also, as many of you may know, I have been ordered to stay strictly on bedrest after having some serious contractions at 30 weeks in the pregnancy. I have been on medication and bedrest since last Wednesday, but am still having some contractions. Please keep me and little William Samuel in your prayers.

Things at the children's home are going very well. During the month of February, we added a very important member to our staff. Joabson Dos Santos is a missionary pastor and nurse who was born in Brazil. He has been in Paraguay nearly 20 years and is married to a lovely Paraguayan lady, Maria Lina, also a nurse. They have been involved in church planting and directing Christian schools in other areas of Paraguay, and through a radio announcement about the pastor position at the home, the Lord has brought them here to work with us. They have four lovely children and have settled in very well, fitting perfectly with our staff. In addition to teaching in our Sunday service, Joabson and Lina have also begun a Friday assembly at the school on the property to teach Biblical values, weekly devotionals with the house parents, and a weekly prayer meeting with support staff. We are so excited about the role they are playing here in the home and we thank the Lord for bringing them our way.

Less than two weeks ago, some more key workers arrived from the United States. Our college friends, Joe and Jayne Martinez have arrived to work as full-time missionaries in the home. Jayne is a teacher and is spending these first days and weeks learning Spanish so that she will be able to teach the children in the home in the future. Joe has a masters in counseling from Lee University and has already begun counseling with each child in the home. The Lord knew that our children needed this service, and we are so glad that Joe and Jayne have responded to His call to sell everything and come to serve the children of Hogar Ganar in Paraguay. Keep them in your prayers as they continue to settle in and learn the Paraguayan lingo.

Heather, our six-month intern, has continued her English classes in the home and with the start of the school year, is also teaching all 8 grades in the school as well. She is doing an incredible job, not only helping teach English, but also helping Shaun and I around the house. We thank the Lord that she could be here with us at this time.

Pictures will have to wait, as I am using someone else's computer. Blessings to each of you!

Sara

Sleepover and Camp Out.

2010-02-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

We are preparing the children to return to school at the end of this month. The school year here runs from late February to mid November. In anticipation of the end of summer vacations, we decided to have a big party for the kids. For the girls, we did a traditional slumber party, complete with painting nails, bar-b-que chicken sandwiches (the first time any of the girls or house parents had tried that- and they loved them), popcorn, and brownies (the highlight of the evening). We watched princess movies and then tried to go to sleep. Of course, the girls were so excited to be sleeping in Tia Sara's house that sleep was a little long in coming.

For Shaun, the evening with the "hombres" was quite different. They ate various meats grilled out, popcorn, and roasted marshmallows over the camp fire (the boys were dancing with joy to be able to eat marshmallows- something that is only available if brought from the U.S.). The plan for them was to sleep in tents, but as the time for them to turn in arrived, Shaun had a little difficulty convincing them to sleep. Finally about an hour before they were supposed to be up and back in their houses, they fell asleep laying on the basketball court. For both Shaun and I, it was a night to remember!

Just woken up! I told them they should go to bed sooner! :)

In January, both Kevin and his little sister Lujan celebrated their birthdays. They both live in House three with their siblings. Kevin turned 11 and will be entering the forth grade this year. He aspires to be a firefighter one day. He suffers from severe asthma, but we are trusting the Lord to heal him. He is very competitive and has both a quick mind and temper. It is hard not to love Kevin with his precious smile. In school, he is an exemplary student and makes very good grades.

Lujan turned 7 and will be in either first or second grade this coming year (she has to take a placement exam). She is an absolutely beautiful little girl, not just on the outside. She is very affectionate and kind, always the first child to give me a hug and tell me in English, "I love you, tia." Lujan, like her brother is very smart and a quick learner. She still has some trouble sitting still in school, but we know that this year she is going to do much better.

Kevin and Lujan (on right) with their cakes. Their little sister Mili hopped in the photo, too.

We are preparing to send out a mailing. If you would like to receive a photo of the children in the home and more information about our ministries here, please email your mailing address to mortonmissions@gmail.com.

The Lord is faithful! The older Lujan in the home helped us remember that when she drew the following the other day on the basketball court:

Celebrating the Holidays in Paraguay.

2010-01-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

We spent this holiday season getting to know Paraguayans' traditions surrounding Christmas and the New Year. They do celebrate the season very differently than we normally celebrated in the States. To begin, the temperatures this time of year are soaring, with most days reaching into the 100's. Also, gifts are traditionally given to children on Day of the Kings in the first week of January, instead of on Christmas Day. The season also involves several nights of very late dinners (at 11PM or midnight) and a whole lot of firecrackers.

We celebrated in the children's home with a special dinner on Christmas Eve where each child received their Christmas presents. Thanks to donations from some friends from Peerless Road Church in Tennessee, we were able to buy wonderful Christmas presents for every child.

Opening presents at the Christmas banquet.

More donations from here in Paraguay provided the special gifts for Day of the Kings.

Alejandra with her Day of the Kings gift.

Needless to say, the kids had quite a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying their vacation from school. The coming school year will begin in February, and the kids are already asking for prayer for their studies for the new school year. The children are learning to take all their needs to the Lord in prayer and each Sunday it is a joy to hear them open up and bring more and more of their worries and needs to the Lord.

In December, we celebrated two birthdays here in the home. Nilda, our eldest, turned 14 years old. She will be going into the seventh grade this coming year and lives in House 1 with her four younger siblings. Nilda is extremely responsible. She is a very hard worker, both in school and around the house. She plans to begin studying English intensively and it is our dream that she would be able to attend college in the states one day.

Nilda at her outdoor birthday party.

Mili, one of our youngest, also had a December birthday. She turned 5. Mili is just plain adorable and lives in House 3 with her four older siblings. She will be in Kindergarten this coming year. She loves animals and playing with her tea set. Mili has a contagious smile and is so much fun to watch.

Mili- yes, she is adorable!

Another important piece of news is the arrival of Heather Lutz. Heather is a friend of ours from our home church in Tennessee and has come to Paraguay to serve in the children's home for six months. She has been involved in several short-term mission trips in Latin America and already speaks some Spanish. She is learning more vocabulary daily. This week she started her English classes with the children in the home and they are so excited to be studying with her. She is also assisting in the planning of Sunday services and other special activities with the children. When in the states, Heather worked in an after school program for at-risk children and has worked for several years in the children's ministry at church. With all of this experience, she is bringing so many new ideas to what we are doing here and I am so thankful that the Lord has sent her to be with us! Because we had problems with our well pump, we have been without water nearly the whole time Heather has been visiting. For that reason, we have not been taking many pictures (not being able to bathe well does not allow for the best photo opportunities)! She has handled it like a pro, and today, finally, our water has returned. In the future, you will be sure to see pictures of her working with the kids.

We are excited for what the Lord has in store for this new year. Our goal for this coming year is to be able to open three additional homes. We are still receiving multiple calls/visits each week concerning children that need a home. The need in Paraguay for children's homes is great. If you are interested in supporting one of our children's homes and in helping us to reach more of these precious children with the love of Christ and the security of a family, please contact us at mortonmissions@gmail.com.

A Visit from Lee University.

2009-12-31T10:55:00.000-08:00

In December, we were blessed to have a visit from a team of Lee University students. It was wonderful to have our friend William Lamb (Director of Service Learning at Lee) and his son on the team, as well as seven other students from Lee University.

The team at the airport just after arrival in Asuncion.

They came bearing so many gifts both for us and for the children's home that the day we unpacked the bags felt like an early Christmas. They brought with them a weed eater, chain saw, and hedge trimmer, for which Shaun and Roberto Carlos (who takes care of a lot of the grounds' maintenance) were thrilled. Yes, they checked all of those items onto the plane! They also brought with them a new pair of tennis shoes and Reebok bookbags for every child in the home! The kids have never owned bookbags or tennis shoes of this quality and they were thrilled to receive them.

In addition to the gifts that they brought, the group spent each of their nine days in Paraguay working hard to serve our facilities, completing an incredible amount of projects: tree trimming, cutting grass, cleaning and organizing our industrial kitchen, painting the playground equipment, cleaning our primary school building and yard, organizing our computer lab and classroom space in the administrative building, painting two houses, hosting a community event at the school, walking throughout the community to pass out family photos, preforming a drama in the children's church service, painting every girl in the home's nails, and hosting a Christmas Bar-B-Que for the kids. One of their days was also spent painting the playground of a Church of God school in the capital and visiting the homes of the students from the school that live in an impoverished community surrounding a landfill.

Thank you to every team member. Each of you blessed us in a unique way and worked hard during your time here. You are all welcome in Paraguay at any time!

Lysandry, Nilda, and Lujan enjoying Twister- one of the special gifts from the team!

If you or your school or church are interested in visiting Paraguay on a missions/service trip, please contact us at mortonmissions@gmail.com.

Birthdays- Meet more of the kids!

2009-11-16T08:59:00.001-08:00

Wow. It has been a long time since my last blog. Four of the kids have celebrated their birthdays since the last post.

Lysandry turned 13. She lives in House 3 and is the eldest of five siblings in the home. She is our little sassy one. In school, even in English class, she learns very quickly. For her, studying involves looking over her notes once and she will have every letter correct on the exam. She and Nilda (from House 1) are best friends and they are both finishing up the 6th grade. (The school year here runs from February to November.) Lysandry is a beautiful young lady with the curliest hair you have ever seen.

Lysandry cutting her birthday cake.

On November 1st, Nayeli and Junior both celebrated their birthdays. On the 5th was their sister, Lujan's, birthday. Nayeli turned 8, Junior 9, and Lujan 11. The three siblings are extremely smart and do very well in school. Nayeli is Abi's best friend and is in the first grade. She is the informer of the group and likes to relay every detail of everyone's behavior to me each day. She is a very affectionate and loving child. Junior is in the second grade and is also a loving child. He is extremely competitive when it comes to sports and even though he is smaller than most of the kids, he always holds his own. Lujan is a precious little girl, even though she acts like she is already a young lady. She, like Lysandry, does her schoolwork with no problems. She is very small for her age, barely bigger than Nayeli. She is in the forth grade.

Nayeli and Junior with their birthday cakes.

Lujan in her new birthday outfit.

Kimberly.

2009-10-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

We were so excited Sunday when Lorena and Alejandra's grandma arrived with Kimberly. The first day she was a little unsure of her surroundings, but by Monday, she was settling in and blending right in with the family of House 1. Cristina, previously the baby of the house also had a difficult day Sunday, crying almost the whole evening over losing her position as the baby of the house. However, by Monday night, Cristina and Kimberly were playing together like best friends. Abi is also excited to have a friend her very own age. Kimberly is only a few months younger than Abi (they are both three years old).

Kimberly in her new dress!

The next two pictures are from the past weekend.

Game night at our house last Friday- puzzles for the little ones and Uno for the older kids.

Sunday was very hot- so Shaun created a sprinkler with a coke bottle tied in a tree.

Spring is here!

2009-09-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

Spring has arrived in Paraguay with a blur of blooming trees and plants. I must say that it is beautiful. The apacho trees that bloomed in giant pink blossoms were breathtaking. Now there are white and yellow blossoms on many of the trees and countless vines, bushes, and flowers showing their springtime color.

Pink Blooms of the Lapacho

In addition, spring brings new life. We have had two calves born in the last two weeks and eight baby rabbits.

Rubia's new baby bull

One of the precious, new, little bunnies

The two newest girls, Lorena and Alejandra are doing very well and settling in nicely. We are still waiting for their youngest sister, Kimberly to arrive. Continue to keep her in your prayers.

Cristina, Alejandra, Lorena, Rocio, Nayeli, and Abi playing at the park.

If you have not checked out our video link located on the right side of the blog, please do. It shows the facility here and explains a little about what is going on in our children's homes.

Growing Again!!

2009-09-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a special day as two new girls arrived in the children's home. With Mario and Suni moving to House 10 with their two children and transitioning to working solely with the farm and garden, spaces were then available in House 1 with Delia and Rafael (who are doing a fantastic job with their new position as house parents).

We had received inquiries and calls about receiving several more children, but the sisters that came today had been waiting with their paperwork ready since April. They are also cousins of Gloria and nieces of Talia, two of our girls in House 3. Lorena is 10 years old and Alejandra is 8. The girls had been living with their grandmother who was having a difficult time caring for them and working. The girls were very excited when they arrived today. They are looking forward to living here, learning English, and being close to their aunt and cousin.

Abi, Lorena, and Alejandra- already friends.

Lorena and Alejandra are now settling in to House 1 where they will be sharing a room with Nayeli and Lujan. They also have a 3 year old sister, Kimberly, who will hopefully be coming to the home as well. Her paperwork had not yet been completed and thus she was not able to stay today. Please pray that her paperwork would be completed quickly with the judge and that she would be able to come to the home so that she will not be apart from her sisters for more time than necessary and so that she will be in a safer and more stable environment.

Meet Andres and a Need.

2009-08-21T13:36:00.001-07:00

Two blogs back, I posted about Andres' surgery to repair a hernia. He is completely recovered now and doing great. He celebrated his 9th birthday on August 18th. Andres lives in House 3 and has four brothers and sisters that are also here in the home. He is a pretty quiet child, but is always the first person to give you a hug when you enter the room. Andres is in the second grade.

Andres with his cake.

Also celebrating a birthday this past week, was Shaun. He turned 29. Sadly his birthday was a rainy day with a hail storm. In the evening, however, each of the kids came to our house to sing to him and to either present him with small gifts or in one case to give him a rehearsed speech about "coming without a gift, but coming because the children wanted him to know how special of a person he is to them." Kevin, delivering the speech, paused in the middle and looked up at his "tia" to ask how the speech was supposed to go. It was all very sweet.

Shaun with Lujan.

On another note, I am posting a picture of the recently repaired street lights on our property. Several months ago, we became aware that there were several very dangerous issues with the electricity at the children's home. The estimates for repairing the problems ran anywhere from just over $1500 all the way up to $3000 for the necessary repairs. We had this project in our minds as a priority when one day Mario from house 1 came to tell us that his plant in his front yard shocked him. We went with a meter to check out the problem and the plants and bricks around the house's meter box were holding 200 volts of electricity. After this discovery, we called the electrician and asked him to please come and start the work- that we could not afford to wait- for the sake of the children's safety. These repairs, including replacing several power polls, repairing transformers, replacing street lights, tightening existing wires, and trimming all trees interfering with the electric lines have now been completed (for just over $1500). Our property is now much safer for the children- and much brighter at night. If you are interested in donating to this electric project (or future electric projects dealing with each house's wiring), please contact us at mortonmissions@gmail.com.

The street in front of the homes at night- with the repaired street lights.

Día del Niño

2009-08-21T12:39:00.003-07:00

Last Sunday was Paraguay's "Day of the Child". I didn't realize how giant of a celebration this day was going to be until the events began. On Friday the children's school celebrated with an event. On Saturday, the foundation GANAR (the owners of the facility here) hosted a large grill-out picnic, complete with a blow-up bouncy slide.

No paraguayan asado is complete without a whole load of meat!

Lujan and Mili at the grill out in their new skirts brought by the High Point mission team.

On Sunday, we had two different groups come for a visit that hosted activities for the kids.

The clowns singing a song with the kids.

A game of musical pillows led by our friends Julio and Vivi!

Each of the events included a lot of candy and cake- I feel like we need to celebrate National Dentist's Day the Monday after Day of the Child. This holiday seemed as big as Christmas with the kids receiving quite a few gifts. With this holiday falling on the heels of our visitors from High Point, North Carolina, our kids have been overwhelmingly showered with gifts- which they don't seem to mind! I thank the Lord that so many people came to visit over this weekend! I am especially grateful for our friends Julio and Vivi that we met shortly after arriving in Paraguay, who also presented a gospel message to the kids after leading them in several games.

Come on down!

2009-08-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

We have spent the last month preparing our multi-purpose building to house mission teams. When we arrived the building was basically abandoned. After a little initial cleaning we began to have church in the its largest room. Now after a lot of hard work (thanks Shaun and Milciades) the building is repaired, painted, equipped and open for housing mission teams.

One of the bunk rooms

Our first team arrived last week. They came from the High Point COGOP in North Carolina. Because they are sponsoring the children we have at Hogar Ganar, they came ready to minister to the kids in the home. We had a great day last Saturday when they took the kids on a shopping trip, to eat lunch at McDonald's, and to see Ice Age 3. The following day, we had a giant BBQ and the team prepared crafts and sports games for the kids. Sunday evening they coordinated our weekly kids' service and gave an age-appropriate Bible to each of the kids. Their trip here has been a great blessing to us and the children. Thank you, High Point!

Mili, Lujan, Rodi, Kevin, and Gloria enjoying the playground at McDonald's

If you are interested in visiting Paraguay on a mission trip with your local church, please contact us (mortonmissions@gmail.com). We have the facility ready and are waiting for you to come on down!

I would like to thank the Lord for keeping Andres (from House 3) safe during his operation to repair a hernia. The surgery went well, and Andres is healing very nicely. He was able to participate in the activities with the visiting mission team, is back in school, and feeling great.

Andres on the day of his surgery

Another piece of important news concerning the homes is a staff change that will be taking place. Mario and Suni, the house parents in House 1, will be transitioning to another position. They will be moving to House 10 to oversee the gardens, fruit groves, and crops. They have been serving as house parents now for 5 years (they worked here in a previous program) with no break and are ready for a transition. They, along with their two sons, will continue to live on the grounds, but they will be serving in a different way. As you could see in my posts about the garden, Mario loves his work with plants and is extremely talented. He is thrilled about the extra time that he will now have to focus on expanding our garden and planting larger crops.

The replacement for Mario and Suni will be Suni's sister Delia and her husband, Rafael that were both working here already (Rafael in the bakery and in lawn care and Delia in housekeeping). They have already taken care of the children in House 1 on many days and know each of the kids very well. They are frequently out playing sports with the kids and they love their time spent with the children. I feel that the transition will be a smooth one. Please be in prayer that God would prepare Delia and Rafael's hearts for this important transition and that each of the children would accept the change well and be respectful to their new house parents.

Rafael and Delia

A Gift from Our Garden.

2009-07-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today, Lujan came in and surprised me with a tray-full of produce fresh from our garden!

This picture is a bonus to illustrate that Abi has become a great helper around the house. Because she sees the other kids doing their chores, she wants to help with all of my chores. She brings me clothes from the washer out to the line and now she is learning how to sweep. Believe it or not, she is the one that asks to be able to "sweep."

Hans and Pigs Have Arrived- Bakery up and Running- Meet Carlos- Mennonite Work Team

2009-07-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since we have posted a blog. We have been busy and are so excited about all that is developing here on the property.

One of the most exciting developments has been the addition to our team. Through an English teacher that we lived with last year in Guatemala, we met Hans Burkholder, originally from Virginia, shortly after arriving in Paraguay. He was teaching last year at a Christian school in Asuncion. Hans was looking for a place to continue his work in Paraguay and has come to work here at Hogar Ganar. He has already began several projects in the farming area of the ministry and has great ideas for helping the kids learn valuable farming skills. He also plays the guitar, which makes our worship services much more enjoyable. We feel so blessed that the Lord is continuing to send talented people our way to help us mentor and develop the children in our home.

Hans and Gloria with the new rabbits, one of Han's projects.

The pigs that I had mentioned in an earlier blog have finally arrived. We have four little piglets intended to be used as breeding stock so that in the future we will no longer have to buy our own pork. The garden is continuing to grow as well, and more and more of the veggies are ripening to harvest.

I don't really know how to take a "good" picture of pigs.

Back in March, I posted a blog concerning the professional bakery that had been donated by the Rotary Club of Asuncion. We finally have a nice schedule with the bakery and are making weekly use of it for the consumption of the kids in the home. The kids are even helping out in the bakery- and they LOVE it. They roll the dough and form the little "kokitos" on the baking sheet.

One of our senior helpers in the bakery is Carlos. He had actually worked in a bakery as a child, but told us that he loved the work. So the last two weeks, he has helped on the day that we bake bread (usually we only bake one day a week). He had his 12th birthday last week. Carlos is the oldest boy in House 1 and he is in the forth grade. He is extremely helpful and has the greatest crooked smile. He loves working in the bakery and doing any type of work that requires taking things apart or putting things together. He also loves the computer class he is taking at the "community center." He is always polite and kind. You can't help but to love Carlos!

Carlos with a fresh batch of kokitos.

Finally, we hosted a work team of youth from the Mennonite World Conference that was held here in Paraguay this year. They brought about 40 young people from several different countries and parts of Paraguay to help with cleaning. I was amazed at how much work they accomplished in one day. We broke the group into teams and they were each assigned a house or bathroom to clean. They worked willingly and cheerfully, and they were a huge blessing! Thank you, Mennonite World Conference.

The group.

Meet Cristina.

2009-07-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July was not just the United States' birthday, it was also Cristina's (from House 1) 5th birthday!

Cristina is a little bundle of energy. She is pictured in the last blog playing in the dirt with Abi. She does well in her pre-school class and is very affectionate and talkative. She has four older siblings (Nilda, Carlos, Ever, and Rocio). She has a funny little scratchy voice, and the cutest smile in the world. She likes to sing in church and especially loves to do the motions to the songs.

Cristina in her new birthday outfit.

Six Teeth Pulled and Zero Tears!

2009-07-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

The dentist that has been working on disinfecting and cleaning our dental clinic came for a surprise visit last Saturday and brought her twin sister (also a dentist) and a dental assistant. They readied the clinic and pulled teeth from six of our kids. Much to my astonishment, not a single child cried! That is what I call some good dentistry. I watched them work and was thanking the Lord for sending such skilled workers to the children's home.

Lujan getting a numbing shot.

Junior and the twin dentists!

Keep the children in your prayers as several have been sick with cold and flu-like symptoms. Most seem to be on the way to recovery (thank you, Lord), but with the weather fluctuating every day from hot to cold, we would like the Lord to protect them from becoming ill again.

Abi and Cristina playing in the dirt.

An update on the tilapia pond: because of the arrival of winter, the agricultural engineers have suggested that we wait until after winter to bring in the fish so that there will be greater stability in the ponds. The pigs that we are buying have been born and as soon as they are weaned will be moved to our facility. Also, the "worm" farm that Mario (our garden expert) has been preparing should start up sometime in the next two weeks. From that, we will be developing better compost to use on our organic garden, which by the way is producing a lot of veggies already!

The sunsets on our property are spectacular!

Happy 4th of July!

Sara

La Huerta- The Garden.

2009-06-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had a great service with the kids. A friend and evangelist, Saul, visited the home and spoke to the kids. It was also our Sunday designated for recitation of the last four scriptures that were memorized. Eight children recited all four scriptures nearly perfectly and several others knew three of the four. I am so proud of the kids for working hard to memorize scripture. They are such intelligent children. I was especially proud of Miguel Paredes who normally has serious stage fright- he volunteered to come up as one of the first and spoke out every single scripture in a loud and clear voice. I wanted to cry with joy. The reward for those that recited all perfectly was a trip with us to the local ice cream parlor. This time, because the scriptures were longer, the kids were able to get FOUR scoops of ice cream. Honestly I did not think they would be able to finish their bowls, but I was wrong! So you can get an idea of how hard the kids work at memorization, I will put the scriptures below (I will put them in English, but of course they memorized the Spanish version):

Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:9
Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

We are so excited that these children are not only receiving a safe home with plenty of food, but that they are also receiving the bread of life. Thanks to each of you for your prayers that make our ministries here a reality.

As a second part to this blog, I would like to recognize Mario, our house parent from House 1 for all of his hard work in our garden. Our garden is growing and has so many things growing in it that I don't even know what they all are. We have strawberries, lettuce, medicinal herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, green onions, cabbage, carrots, parsley, radishes, tomatoes, beets, and a bunch of other things that I could not find a translation for in the dictionary. Eventually we hope for the food grown in the garden to not only be for our own consumption, but to also be a way of blessing our community and generating some revenue. See the pictures below to get a better idea of how beautiful the garden is.

Here is a view of the strawberry plants in a small portion of the garden.

This is Mario working in the garden with his son, Rodi.

Thanks for the Hats!

2009-06-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

I would like to say thank you to Jamie and Marion (missionaries in Ciudad del Este) for the package they sent us that was full of fleece hats and some other great gifts. We had enough hats to pass out one to each of the children that attend the public school located on our property. It was so fun to pass out the hats, and even more fun to take pictures of the kids with them on.

Another update about the farming project: On Thursday, Shaun, Mario (tio from house 1), Roberto Carlos (in charge of the cows), and Nick Calfee (a youth from our church in TN that is visiting) cleaned out two tilapia ponds. We should be placing fish in the ponds next week. We also spoke with a neighbor who has pigs that will be born in a few weeks. We plan to buy four pigs from him once they are weaned and start to have our own pigs here to help offset the cost of buying meat.

Matias: Welcome and Happy Birthday!

2009-06-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

The total is now at 19! We had been waiting for another little boy named Matias to arrive. He lived with the five siblings in House 3 before they were placed in children's homes. He followed them in some of their children's homes, but was left behind in one of the homes when they were transferred. They all call him their little brother and asked if he would be able to come. When the houseparents agreed to taking on one more child, we contacted Nilda, a child advocate, who was responsible for bringing the five siblings in House 3 here, the paperwork was fixed and Matias was able to be transferred here. House 3 now has 11 children. When he arrived on Tuesday we learned that his birthday was the following day!

On Tuesday Shaun went with the house parent in House 3 to find the home of Miguel Angel. He arrived here in January from another children's home with zero paperwork. We didn't have an official name, birthdate, or anything! He was an considered abandoned child when taken into Paraguay's child services. Miguel Angel remembers where he is from and occasionally cries to go back home. We decided that the best thing would be to take him back to his town so that we could find his family and discover a little about his past. Shaun said that the trip was very difficult and that he understands even more the need for homes like ours. The conversations were in Guarani entirely, so Shaun could only read the body language during their hour visit. Miguel Angel's mother is very young and has six other children. She had no idea where Miguel Angel was, nor did any of the other family members. I have given this story to explain that the family gave us Miguel Angel's birth certificate and we were finally able to know how old he was and what his legal name was. His birthday passed in April and he turned 10. Since we were about to celebrate Matias and Thalia's (she turns 11 today) birthdays, we decided to have a big party and celebrate for Miguel Angel as well.

I will share a little about the three children that celebrated their birthdays:

Miguel Angel turned 10 in April. He is in the first grade for now (although we may try to change that now that we know he had already completed second grade before coming here). He scored perfect on my English exam that was this past week. He is very smart and normally extremely happy. Please pray especially for him as he is having a hard time right now adjusting to his family becoming a part of his life again. He was living on the streets before coming here and he desperately needs the Lord's help to heal him emotionally from the life that he lived before. Pray that he would feel loved and that he would be at peace living here.

Matias turned 7 years old and is in the first grade. He just arrived so I don't know him very well yet, but I have heard from his house parents that he may be quite a little handful. He is very energetic and already seems completely at home. He is very affectionate and already has a long list of things that he would like for me to buy him! :)

Thalia turned 11. She is a special little girl. She is in the first grade. Her favorite activities are singing and dancing and she is almost always either singing or dancing, or combining the two. She is very pleasant and a very good worker when it comes time for chores. The changes that have occurred with her since she arrived are amazing. She is becoming a lovely young lady.

Tuesday was a busy day! We also received a package from some missionaries that live in Ciudad del Este, Jamie and Marion (click to see their website). The package was STUFFED with scarves and hats for the community, prints of paintings Jamie created, hand-knitted teddy bears sent from a group of ladies in the UK, and a few exciting gifts for Abi. The children were so thrilled with their packages and have been sleeping with their little hand-knitted bears. Even the oldest boys showed me how they had their bears tucked in! Thanks so much to Jamie and Marion for these wonderful gifts!

Meeting the Neighbors.

2009-06-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

I would like to share a little about our day today. Thanks to some help from my parents, we were able to buy several blankets to pass out in the community around us. With the nights dipping into the 40's and many of our neighbors with no way to close their windows and no doors at all, we felt the need to do something for as many neighbors as we could. Our friends the Hagermans (check out their blog here) who live and work about an hour away from us gave us the idea to pass out blankets along with the Bibles we purchased recently. They also began a family photo project with their neighbors, taking their family portrait. This was one of the best ideas I have heard of as a way to get to know your neighbors. I have started this project with our immediate neighbors.

Some of the neighbors- What beautiful children!

Because we want the children in the the children's home to learn that serving others is an important part of our Christian faith, four of the older kids walked out into the community with us to distribute the blankets and Bibles. They loved being able to help and are already asking about the next time we can go out for another project.

Lysandry, Lujan, Nilda, and Carlos carrying blankets to pass out.

We saved a few blankets back to take to specific families from the school that I have recognized in my classes as having serious needs. Hopefully tomorrow, we can pass those last blankets out. Later in the afternoon a group of women showed up asking for blankets, but we only had the few left we had set aside and we were not able to give them anything.

While Shaun and I have done a lot of driving around the community, today was really the first time we went off the main roads and out into the smaller neighborhoods. We found that the children's home is literally surrounded by homes in desperate poverty. Mario (the house parent from House 1) explained that most of the wealthier people live on the main roads, but as you branch out on the literal pig paths, there are hundreds of homes with thousands of children, nearly all living without indoor plumbing and most in homes without windows or doors. There is also a squatter village just a street over from the childrens home with about 200 houses (a guesstimate) made of scrap metal and wood. Some days the unemployment and poverty that surrounds us is daunting. We have so many resumes of people just wanting work, and even more informal requests for jobs. Please be in prayer with us that the Lord would lead us in the way that we can best reach out to our community (meanwhile teaching the children in the children's home the importance of service) and that He would open the hearts of the people to learn about the Him.

Another exciting update: Today we were visited by a government organization, SNPP, that offers help in the area of farming. The group that came included three agricultural engineers. They were excited about working with us and will be meeting on Monday to discuss sending volunteers twice a week to help us in the garden and also to teach the children how to garden. The potential of our property here is vast. We have 9 tilapia ponds that need some cleaning and maintenance to open, 6 chicken houses that can be opened after a little repair work and disinfecting, space for pigs, a growing garden, a worm colony (I am not actually sure how to talk about that in English, but something about earthworms), and space for additional cattle. I am learning so much about farming and my vocabulary is expanding daily as far as agricultural lingo is concerned. Our children's home is very blessed to have house parents and Roberto Carlos (the man in charge of the cattle and farm area) who are passionate about starting new projects and working to make the children's home a little more self-sufficient.

If you are interested in helping with either buying more blankets for the community or in aiding in one of the agricultural projects, please contact us at mortonmissions@gmail.com. Thank you for your prayers. The Lord is blessing the children's home and we are so thankful.

Sara

Bible Memory and Mother's Day.

2009-05-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been busy. Two Sundays ago, we had a special church service with scripture recitation. The children had to recite the scriptures that they had learned over the previous four weeks. Nearly all of them recited John 3:16 and the Lord's Prayer. As a reward, any child that tried to say the scriptures was able to go out to town for ice cream. This was a very exciting event for the kids and we had a wonderful time. After laying out the basic gopel message in our first church service, we have since been focusing on prayer. We began taking prayer requests last Sunday, and we are hoping the children will learn to take all circumstances that are worrying them to the Lord in prayer.

Friday before last was Mother's Day here in Paraguay. I attended an event at the school on Thursday to celebrate Mother's Day and Paraguayan Independence Day. The students put together a program that included singing, dancing, and poem recitation. At the close of the event, the children gave handmade gifts to their mothers (or in our children's case, their house moms). I was so happy to receive Carlos' potted flower. He told me that he wanted me to have it. It was a very good day. That night, the children signed a banner for their house moms and we suprised them with gifts. While many of the children in our home still have biological parents that visit periodically, it seemed so natural for them to show their appreciation to their "tias." I think the kids had even more fun making the gifts and giving them than the house moms did getting them (although they were pretty excited, too).

Happy Birthday x4!

2009-05-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

It has been more than two weeks since my last post. I am having a little difficulty adjusting to the whole world of blogging. My initial plan was to introduce each child when they celebrated their birthdays. I have gotten a little behind on that, but I will update now.

Gloria arrived in April just before her birthday. Her actual birthday passed before we realized from her paperwork that it was her birthday. We celebrated shortly after realizing our mistake. Sadly, Gloria didn't know her own birthday, which is why she hadn't told us. Gloria is in House 3. She turned 10 years old. Gloria has a very big personality placed in a little girl's body. Her voice is the one that can often be heard above the rest barking orders to the other kids. She is a hard worker and is contantly looking for ways to help. She is a pleasure to be around. Because she had never before attended school, she is only in the first grade.

Our daughter Abi also celebrated her birthday in the last part of April. She turned 3, although most Paraguayans think she is much older. She is tall for her age. Abi has been learning Spanish very rapidly the last few months and she makes statements every day with new vocabulary. She is even picking up a few Guarani words, for which I am thrilled. She is a very stubborn little girl (we can't imagine where she got that from) and loves playing with her friends more than anything. Last night, we had the kids over to our house for movie night and Abi spent the whole evening sitting on Nayeli's lap (Nayeli probably weighs less than Abi)! Abi had told me before the kids arrived, however, that she was going to sit with Nayeli. It is such a joy to listen to Abi speak to her dolls in Spanish and English. Each night she prays for the kids in the children's home here and often for the kids we worked with in Guatemala.

Next, our new Miguel (in House 3) celebrated his 13th birthday. Miguel is in the fifth grade, but may have to return to forth grade due to the fact that he is not able to keep up with the fifth grade material. Miguel is a very sweet young man. He is still adjusting to living here and often gets nervous and shakes. We have already noticed a drastic decrease in this, and expect that as he becomes more comfortable with his life here and has a chance to know the Lord, he will gain confidence. From the first day, he has gotten along very well with the other kids. We accepted him even though he was a little older than we normally accept, and we are so glad that the Lord brought him to the home.

Finally, Amado celebrated his 10th birthday as well. House 3 was just full of birthdays this month! My earliest memories of Amado were of his speaking Guarani to me and then just running off and laughing. He knew that I couldn't understand and thought that it would be fun to taunt me. Now he helps me learn Guarani words and is constantly speaking (or yelling) English to me. He is in the 4th grade. Amado may be the most energetic child in the home. He is constantly shouting and running. He even runs races with Shaun. He is extremely fast for a child (or at least that is what Shaun says when Amado outruns him)! Maybe a half marathon is in his future.

Five More!

2009-05-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a busy day. The children that were supposed to arrive on Saturday actually arrived on Sunday afternoon. At the same time that they were arriving, we were preparing for a local church to come in and set up for service and the new volunteer doctors drove out to see the property.

It was quite overwhelming but so exciting to see so many things we have been hoping for come together. The volunteer psychologist is also a pastor. His church came out to perform dramas and choreographed dances for the children. The Brazilian missionary who was heading up this youth drama team gave her testimony during the service. Because the new children arrived only moments before the service was to begin, we invited their parents to stay for the service. I didn't realize at that time that the testimony of the missionary was almost the exact life story of the mother who was leaving her five eldest children in our care. I thank the Lord that this mother was able to hear that the Lord can redeem our lives, no matter how far away from His presence we may feel. Because many of the members of the ministering church were able to come, along with the new children's parents, we had over 60 people in our multi-purpose building!

Thank you, Lord for being in control of situations even when we feel that things are not going the way that we think they should.

Here are our newest additions to House 3:

Andres, Kevin, Mili, Lisa, and Lujan (they are even more precious than they look!)

Workers and new children arriving!

2009-05-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

I would like to say thank you to the Lord for his faithful provision. I posted a blog a little over a week ago asking for more workers. God has already responded. We contacted a local Christian psychologist and pastor who is now volunteering at the children's home. He happens to live next door to a couple who are doctors. They are coming out on Sunday for their first visit to the children's home and have committed to come out as often as the kids have need. The drama group from this pastor's church are coming out on Sunday afternoon for a special presentation for the kids in the home and any neighbors that respond to our invitations. These new volunteers live only a few blocks from the children's home. On Monday, our friend Milciades, is going to start working in property maintenance and as the night-time guard. We are so excited that more of the children's needs will be met. Thank you, Lord!

This past Monday our new Miguel arrived. He is excited to be here and is already fitting in very well. He will soon be 13 and will be enrolling in the fifth grade. He is pretty quiet for now, but I am sure that as he becomes more comfortable here, he will have much more to say!

Tomorrow, we will be picking up the five new siblings coming to live in house 3. I will be sure to post their pictures as well so that you can meet them.

We are so appreciative of the overwhelming support we receive from our friends and family. Thanks for your prayers. The Lord is working in Paraguay and we are thrilled to be a part of what He is doing.

Shaun and Sara

Beautiful Day to Fly a Kite

2009-04-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day. There was a nice breeze and the sky was brilliant blue. Abi had received a kite in a box from her Granna and Papaw. She was excited to get it out today to use. The only problem was that we could not find the little string and handle that came with it. Thankfully, Shaun was creative enough to attach the kite to our fishing pole. When he went out into the soccer field with a kite attached to a fishing pole, the kids went crazy. Miguel was quite the kite pro and had the kite so high that the pole ran out of fishing line.

Abi, Miguel, and Ever: the kite is attached to the fishing pole and soaring high!

We have also gotten word that the family of six will still be able to come. They are likely to arrive anytime this week. There will actually only be five of the siblings with them because the youngest one is currently separated as multiple families are attempting to adopt him. Paraguayan law states, however, that siblings are not to be separated, so the adoptions are being contested. Please pray that this little guy (2 years old) would be allowed to come and live with his siblings. Also 13-year old Miguel (another Miguel) should be arriving this week. We have to go work on his paperwork with the district attorney tomorrow. This will fill House #3. Keep all of these children in your prayers. Pray also that all the legal paperwork associated with their coming here to live would be taken care of in a quick and effective manner.

Service today continued the theme of prayer. I have been using the Lord's Prayer as a model for the children to learn how to pray, what to pray for, who we pray to, etc. They are memorizing scriptures every week and seem to be responding well to the lessons. Pray with us that the Lord would bring each of them to the point of choosing Him as their Lord and Savior.

Blessings to all,

Sara

Big harvest: Need more workers

2009-04-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

The past week has gone by very fast. The family of six siblings that we thought would be moving into our newly opened house was never able to get the appropriate legal paperwork to come. However, there are always children that need a place to live. Last Thursday, two girls arrived.

Talia is 11.

Her neice Gloria is 9.

They are excited to be here and started to school this week. This morning we met with a mother who wanted her 12-year old son to be able to come and live here. Because he is older than the normal age that we accept (unless the child is part of a sibling group), we spoke extensively with him and his mother to assure that he wanted to come and was willing to attend school. We plan for him to move in on Thursday, if nothing changes.

This past Sunday, I taught the children on prayer. The lesson went well. I will be focusing on prayer for a few weeks using the model of the Lord's prayer. Keep these services in your prayers. The children have so little knowledge of the Lord that each week the material is completely new for each of them. That makes it exciting for me as a teacher, but is also slightly intimidating, because I want to be sure and teach what the Lord would have me teach and to share the lessons with correct Spanish so that the children will understand completely the portions of scripture that they are learning.

We would love to have someone help us with the music during the services (as my a capella singing in a second language is not overly pleasant). We have also been praying about and discussing the need for a Christian psychologist to volunteer to work each week with the children, as well as a medical doctor. Our facilities here are amazing, but lack much upkeep. A person to do grounds and simple building maintenance on a full-time basis would be a godsend. All of these needs are floating around daily in our heads. Please pray that the Lord would provide for each of these needs with the right worker. Also continue to pray that God would ordain the children that fill the remaining spaces in Ramon and Hida's house.

Much love to all,

Sara

What a Wonderful Easter!

2009-04-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

We started our Easter morning with Abi's Easter basket- which was fun of course. We then had church service with the children. It was so wonderful to be able to tell the story of Holy Week to children who really had very little if any understanding of what Christ's crucifixion and resurrection meant for their lives. Because we are dealing with children who have virtually no previous exposure to church and the Bible, we are starting all of our teaching with the very basics. This week's memory verse is John 3:16. I explained that the Lord wanted to have a relationship with each of them and that he could be their friend and guide their lives every day. Many of the children seemed amazed that Jesus really wanted to have a relationship with them. I can say that being able to share that message with them today made our Easter a very meaningful one.

Following the church service we split the children into two groups and hunted the eggs that they dyed yesterday. In total we boiled, dyed, hid, and hunted 124 eggs. It was the first time any of them had dyed, hid, or hunted an Easter egg. It is not a tradition here in Paraguay. They were thrilled with the idea and loved eating the eggs after they found them (thankfully I had refrigerated them after we dyed them yesterday). For lunch today the kids had eggs and for dinner they had rice with eggs!

As an update, the house parents for the new house have arrived and have been working to prepare their home for the arrival of the children. I will introduce you to the new children as soon as they arrive. Please keep them in your prayers. Also keep our Sunday services in your prayers. It is such a blessing to be able to teach the Bible to these precious children. Pray that the Lord would direct us in our lesson topics and that he would help us each week to capture the children's attention as we share.

Happy Easter from Paraguay!

Sara

Words Worth Hearing.

2009-04-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

"Take any English [or any language] word, even the most commonplace, and try repeating it twenty times in a row- umbrella, let us say, umbrella, umbrella, umbrella- and by the time we have finished , umbrella will not be a word anymore. It will be a noise only, an absurdity, stripped of all meaning. And when we take even the greatest and most meaningful of words that the Christian faith has and repeat them over and over again for some two thousand years, much the same thing happens.... Sometimes the concepts of Christianity seem to be worn out and, as a result, we have a hard time paying attention to them. Familiarity may not breed contempt as much as it breeds inattention."

-Frederick Buechner as quoted in Introducing the Sermon: The Art of Compelling Beginnings, by Michael Hostetler

Lord. Let us be attentive to your saving grace and work this Easter season. Amen.

The Lord Provides.

2009-04-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

We received a donation to cover the paint cost for the children's home and Shaun has since been working feverishly to paint the home before tomorrow's arrival of the new house parents. Thanks to our friends who donated for this project! The children should arrive some time next week (their arrival date was slowed due to the Holy Week celebrations here in Paraguay). The children from House 1 have been so helpful in preparing and cleaning the house where their new neighbors will be living. I am amazed at what hard workers the children here are. They are constantly coming up to me and asking what they can help with (without any prompting from adults).

As a reward for the four that worked the hardest yesterday, we had them over to our house after dinner to play the Nintendo Wii. For every one of them, it was their first time to play any Nintendo. Needless to say, they had a blast. I will attempt to post a video so that you can all share in the fun. Please ignore Abi when she slaps the camera lens and Junior picking his nose! :) In all fairness, the kids thought I was taking a picture. They didn't know I had the video camera turned on.

This Easter Sunday we will begin having church here on the grounds for the kids. Transporting them to a nearby church is about to become impossible with the arrival of the new children. We are excited, however, to begin a church for them here. We ask that you would be in prayer for Shaun and I as we prepare to share on this important holiday. In the Catholic church in Latin and South America, Jesus is often portrayed as dead on the cross, but rarely shown alive and well. The message of Easter is one that will be so important in these children's understanding of who Christ is. The celebration and activities here in Paraguay center on the Friday of crucifixion. We would like to make Sunday, however, a day that these children will remember as the day of the resurrection of our Lord. Please continue to keep the new house parents and children that will arrive in your prayers.

God Bless! Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Sara

Inside the Houses

2009-04-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

I thought a picture of the inside of the homes might help to visualize the need (mentioned in the previous blog). In houses two and three, we already had someone come in and prepare the holes and scrapes in the walls for painting. As you can see by the white splotches, there were many damaged areas on the walls.

This is a bonus picture to show Abi on the phone with her cousin Aaron. We make phone calls through the computer to the states, so we are often on the "headset."

Have a great day!

Sara

A Request for Paint.

2009-03-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the children and house parents to arrive (see post below for that exciting announcement), we would like to paint their house. The walls of all the houses were in fairly poor condition after the termination of the previous program. We approximate the cost to be around $250.00 for paint and supplies per house. In the future we (meaning Shaun) will be painting and preparing the other houses to be filled. The most urgent need, however, is to paint the house that will be filling on the April 12th. If you would be interested in donating any amount to this project, please contact either Shaun or Sara via Facebook or email (mortonmissions@gmail.com). Any donations will be appreciated.

The Children's Home is Growing!

2009-03-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

We have been busy this past week. Last Thursday there was a PTA meeting at the school. I attended the meeting on behalf of the kids and so that I could meet some of the parents. I sat in the very back of the room hoping to hide, as I didn't want to participate in the meeting. However, when it came time to vote on the PTA president for this school year, the director of schools called me out, asking me to take the position. It was quite entertaining as I only understand about 75% of what is even said in the meeting since they occasionally switch into Guarani. Not to mention that I have NO idea how a PTA in Paraguay functions. So, I gracefully declined the position.

We have enjoyed going into the community and meeting people. Whenever we stop in hardware stores, ice cream parlors, restaurants, craft stores, seamstress' home, the hair salon, the grocery, we always like to introduce ourselves and explain what we are doing in Itaugua. I have been amazed at how many people we have met already that would like to participate in what we are doing. The seamstress that made our couch cushion covers and her husband (a mechanic) have already come to the children's home twice to volunteer and work with the kids. They attend a Church of God church and may also be bringing their church at some point in the future to do programs for the kids. The other day we met a lawyer who owns a tourist store. He was very interested in getting us connected with the right government officials to receive assistance for the children's homes. It always amazes me how God ordains our steps down to the last detail and how faithful he is to provide for all of our needs.

Finally, we are excited to announce that we had an interview with potential house parents yesterday and have hired them and asked that they arrive April 10th. The children living in their home will arrive on the 12th of April. We already have a group of six siblings confirmed that will be coming to live in the house ranging in ages from two to twelve. The new house parents, Ramon and Hida have four children of their own who are grown with families. They are members of an Assembly of God church and are dynamic Christians who are excited about working with the children. They worked in the previous program in our facility for four years, serving as house parents to street children. Please be in prayer for this couple and the new children that will be arriving. We can't wait to expand.

Sara

Meet Ever and Rocio.

2009-03-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

This past week, two of the children in the children's home have celebrated their birthdays. When the children have their birthdays, I am going to take some time out to introduce them to each of you.

First, Ever had his birthday and turned 9 years old. Ever is the brother of Nilda, Carlos, Rocio, and Cristina. Their mother still visits them and was able to come on his birthday and bring a cake. I didn't know she was bringing two cakes, and I made one as well. He was one happy boy to have three birthday cakes. Ever is a precious young man with a very positive attitude. He LOVES learning English and is by far my best student in first or second grade. He picks up on English very quickly is simply very intelligent. While he is a very active student, he is one of the more laid-back children in the home, content to play alone and stay out of the other kids' arguments.

Ever with the cake I made him

(I'm still trying to figure out making icing with Paraguayan ingredients.)

Second, Ever's sister Rocio just turned 7 today. Yesterday, her mom was able to visit again and brought her a cake. Since today was her actual birthday, I made a second cake and her mom left money for sodas (a special treat) for lunchtime. Rocio is a beautiful and intelligent little girl as well, but don't be fooled by her ultra-sweet smile. She is quite a little bossy leader. She is sure to tell any of the other kids, even the older ones when they are doing something wrong. After chewing them out, she will turn to me with that precious smile that seems to say, "I have everything under control, tia." Abi loves to repeat what Rocio says since she is just so commanding.

Abi with Rocio who is wearing her new birthday shirt

Family: Rocio, Nilda, Carlos, Cristina, their Mom, and Ever

When we were first in Paraguay, I posted all the kids pictures with their names. Please continue to pray for each of the kids living here at the home by name. While they are very well-adjusted children considering their backgrounds, each of them still needs the Lord to work in their hearts and with their emotions. Pray that they would all feel loved, not only by those of us working here, but also by their heavenly father. Pray also that Shaun and I and the house parents Mario and Suni would be consistent in sharing our faith with these little ones.

Thankful.

2009-03-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

There are some days when I am simply overwhelmed with thanksgiving for what the Lord has given my family. Today has been one of those days. While I miss Guatemala- the breathtaking mountain views, the people and culture, and especially the children that we grew to love, I am so happy to be in Paraguay. Last year we lived an hour from the closest large, air-conditioned grocery store. Tonight when standing in Stock, a giant, clean, air-conditioned supermarket only five minutes from our house, I thanked the Lord for that store. It is strange that something as simple as a grocery store or having an automatic car that I can drive would make such an impact on me, but there are so many things that Lord provides for those that love Him that we often overlook. I have the feeling of thankfulness when I sit with the kids from the children home. This past week, two of the kids had birthday parties. We gave them each a new outfit and a pencil pouch (marvel comic heroes for the boy and daffy and minnie mouse for the girl) and they, too, were filled with gratitude. In life, let us not overlook the little blessings that the Lord gives us. Sometimes when we consider our problems and the things that we want to have but don't, we become discouraged, even greedy and unthankful. Today, I want to give the Lord thanks for all the things he has provided for me, no matter how small.

This week we will update with pictures of the birthday parties and let you get to know the two children who have had birthdays.

Sara

Busy Weekend.

2009-03-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

Due to a request to see the giant worm, I will post a picture. The picture doesn't do the creature justice, because I wasn't willing to get very close to it. And yes, it is in a plastic cake plate. Also I forgot to share the comments from Milciades (our friend that was painting our house) about the worm after we killed it. Later he told us that it was not venomous and it would just bite and not let go. He proceeded to share a story about a time that one bit his dog and he had to burn a match under the worm's head to get it to release its bite. Still, he saw no reason to kill it! So, good decision on taking its life.

We started out the weekend by hosting a movie night in our house. Now that we have new slipcovers on the couch cushions that were here in our house, we are ready to have the kids over on a frequent basis for movie parties. We watched Kung Fu Panda in Spanish- which I didn't understand very well due to the oriental Spanish accents the characters were using. The movie was a hit with the kids, however, as were the mid-movie snacks (a variety of wafer cookies).

On Saturday, we had the kids over again to inaugurate our new grill and to celebrate our newly painted house. We had an asado (grill-out). Shaun and I went on Friday afternoon to buy the meat. We learned quickly that Friday is not the best time to purchase beef here in Paraguay. When we got to the meat counter in the supermarket, there was a giant swarm of people. We had to take a number and wait to be served when our number was called. We got number 62 and the current number up was 28. Actually, we only waited 10 or 15 minutes. They have a pretty good system going. We purchased about 17 pounds of meat (ribs and some thick roast) for $25.00. The price of beef and dairy products here is astounding. To go along with the meat, I made a whole lot of mashed potatoes and the house "tia" brought mandioca (Paraguayan word for yuca- a more fibrous potato) and rice salad. We had a great time and loved having everyone over to our house. Below are pictures of the grill and the kids enjoying their lunch.

We ended the weekend by taking the kids to church. On the way back from church we had 14 people in our van. Folding down the back seats creates a whole lot more space!

Teaching and a Giant Worm.

2009-03-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, the house parents' local church came to have a service on our property. The kids from the children's home walked through the community to invite the neighbors. We had a great turn-out, actually running out of space. We hope to be able to have the church back to visit

every month. On Sunday, we had an asado (grill-out) with the kids. Shaun was able to learn a little about the cuts of meat available and the way to prepare the meat.

Service at our Facility

Mario (the House "Tio") preparing the meat

Getting Ready to Eat

On Tuesday, I had my first classes in the community school. I taught Kindergarten through third grade. The classes were so much fun. Normally, I will also be teaching forth, fifth, sixth, and ninth grade on Tuesday afternoons as well, but they were having a staff meeting and school was cancelled in the afternoon. I will be teaching those classes today as a make-up. The morning classes went well. I did discover, however, that I am not really the greatest Kindergarten teacher. Between the girl crying for her mommy and the precious little girl in the front that stared at me like I just stepped off mars and smiled like I was the funniest looking thing on earth, it was hard to focus on the lesson. All of the kids seem really excited about learning English, and I think they will do very well with it, since they are all already bilingual with Guarani and Spanish.

On Wednesday we took a trip to the zoo in the capital with the Hagerman's. It was a fun day, and Abi loved seeing the animals. I think we will definitely visit again. There was a natural history museum as well that included lots of deformed pickled animal fetuses. That part was a little strange, but the bug collection there was amazing. We were also able to eat at the recently opened TGI Friday's. Believe it or not, our meals complete with unlimited refills and appetizer were about $3.75 a person. I love this country!

Abi At the Zoo

We have also invested in a grill- an essential part of the Paraguayan lifestyle. Yesterday we tried it out and have decided that we will need to test it again tomorrow just to make sure that it will work well again. The beef here is delicious. I love Paraguay's cows- we get fresh milk every couple of days as well.

Finally, we had a kitchen visitor. There is a drain cap underneath our sink where the sludge from the sink collects. When Shaun was washing dishes, a large (about 12-14 inches), hard worm slid past his foot after pushing its way out of the drain cover. While our painter told us not to kill it because it wasn't poisonous, I brought Shaun the machete and we murdered our visitor. To me, it looked like a creature from the Swamp Forest in the Princess Bride. I hope that is the last giant worm I see for a while. We have now placed the giant rock that was on top of the cover back on top. We took it off not knowing why it was there. Now we know.

Updates and Our New Security System.

2009-03-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

There is a lot to tell. The last week has been very busy. After learning about the children's socks, we had planned to do something about the sock situation. Thanks to a donation from a friend, we bought all of the kids TWO new pair of socks (making three total)! The house parents were shocked at this blessing. The donation also provided a new pair of nice tennis shoes for each of the kids and belts for the boys. They can now walk to school without having to hold up their pants with one hand. It felt like Christmas when we delivered the gifts to the kids. They were so appreciative. Mario (house dad) told me, "Thank you for buying these kids their first-ever pair of 'nice' tennis shoes."

Last Friday, we had a dedication here for a bakery. Equipment was donated from the Rotary Club of Asuncion to create a state of the art bakery. The older children in the home and community will be trained in the art of bread-making and the proceeds from the bread will help to support the bakery classes and the children's home. And of course, the children's home will be provided with fresh, delicious bread. The story was covered by a Paraguayan newspaper, and Shaun and I were mentioned as the home directors. Even after writing our names myself for the reporter, Shaun's name was spelled Sahun. That made the article even more entertaining to read.

Inauguration of the Panaderia (Bakery)

Today I spoke with the director of the community school where the children from the home attend. He confirmed that I (Sara) would be teaching English to all seven of the grades. I will only be doing classes one day a week to begin. Tomorrow I go to meet the students and to be introduced. Next Tuesday, classes will begin. Please pray for me. I have not done much formal in-school instruction. Also I will be teaching in Spanish. Pray that the Lord would guide me and help me to be creative in my approach.

Finally, we made an exciting purchase today. I had been trying to talk Shaun into purchasing a dog. We live in a great area for a dog and many Paraguayans keep dogs just to discourage petty theft from their homes. Also, Abi loves animals and I knew she would like a pet. Two days ago Shaun told me he was considering getting her one for her birthday. We ended up in the capital today, so we stopped by some pet stores. When we met a little female, two-month old boxer, we decided we would get a dog today. Abi is thrilled. We have named her Simba (thanks Ken Hagerman for the suggestion) after a popular guarana soda here in Paraguay.

Doesn't she look like a ferocious gaurd dog?

Thank you for your prayers. We feel so blessed every day to be living here in Paraguay, working with the children in the home, and seeking to do the will of our heavenly Father.

Shaun, Sara, and Abi

Two Pairs of Socks?

2009-02-26T15:47:00.000-08:00

Being shocked by my own materialism and greed is a fairly common feeling for me while serving on the mission field. Earlier this evening I was meeting with the house parents of the children's home. We were discussing the needs of each of the children. School has just begun so we were reviewing things like bookbags and paper. Eventually we got to the topic of clothing and shoes for the kids. I was asking about socks. Mario (the house "tio"- meaning uncle) told me that each child has one pair of socks and that it was very difficult to wash the socks each night and get them dry for the next day. I asked how many pairs he would like for each child to have. He responded, "two pairs." In my mind, I was thinking maybe two or three additional pairs, because children often ruin things like socks. After his response, I felt ashamed of the dozen pair of socks I brought with me from the states and even more ashamed of the two dozen pairs I left in a bag in the states.

Throughout conversations with friends we have made and the children in the home, I have felt an overwhelming appreciation for the way that I grew up. While this lesson may be one I have learned a thousand times already, tonight it is especially affecting me. I hope that we can each learn to live with appreciation for all that the Lord has given us and to live in such a way to give as much as we can to help those who have less than ourselves.

Continue to keep the children in the home in your prayers. I have a few specific prayer requests:

1. For Miguel Amado- he is missing his parents as he has only been in the children's home a few weeks. While his home circumstances were awful, that does not keep him from missing the only family he has known.

2. For Cristina- she is having some problems with coughing and asthma-related illness.

3. For Najeyli- she has several parasite and skin problems stemming from her life before arriving in the home.

4. For the beginning of school- pray that each of the children would have a good school year this coming year.

May the Lord bless you and your home with His peace,

Sara

Our reason.

2009-02-16T06:05:00.001-08:00

I would like to introduce you to the kids at the children's home we are working at. Currently there are ten children in the first home. Next month the second home will be opening and filling with ten more kids. There are ten homes total here with a possibility of housing 100 children. The children are helpful, polite, and generally precious. Of course, there is the usual hitting and kicking that comes along with kids being kids, but we have in one week already come to love every one of the 10 children living just a couple doors down. Abi asks every morning to play with the kids. Below I am going to introduce the siblings living in the home.

Above: Amado

Above: Miguel Angel

Above: Carlos, Ever, Cristina, Rocio, and Nilda

Above: Luhan, Najeyli, and Junior

Please keep each of these children in your prayers. Also living in the home are the house parents, Mario and Suni, and their two boys (Merceles,12 and Rody Ronal, 1).

Pictures.

2009-02-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days. The palm tree picture is the view from the back of our house at sunset. The next picture is our new van (Shaun says it is my Valentine's present since it is red). Finally, Abi is sitting in front of our house with Najeyli, Cristina, and Luhan.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-02-11T17:57:00.000-08:00

We've not even been in Paraguay a week and Abi is already making new friends (as you can see). Our trip was smooth, our bags arrived with all their contents, and things have been going well. Thank you for your prayers. We have spent the first few days here getting our house in order, setting up cell phones and internet, and car shopping. We purchased a 1998 Honda Odyssey today and are thrilled to have it (I am especially thrilled because it is an automatic). The home where we are living is quite big. It was built to house up to 18 children and house parents. The location of the home is wonderful as well. Across the street is a playground and behind us a beautiful view. We have been shocked at the differences here in the Paraguayan culture. We knew that South America would be a change from Central America, but the change is drastic. We have also found the food to be delicious (even for picky me) and cheap. Abi and I love that there is meat and mashed potatoes in almost every restaraunt. The gas, however, is not so cheap at about 4 dollars a gallon. Abi is loving playing in the playground, which she for some reason calls the background. She has quickly become good friends with the girls in the children's home and begs to play with them every hour of the day. She is equally enamored with Caroline and Camille, our missionary friends' (the Hagermans) daughters. We will hopefully be able to post more often now that our internet is up and running and much of our initial errands are completed. Much love to all!

Sara

Tomorrow's the Day.

2009-02-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

We are working out all the last minute details and paperwork as we prepare to leave tomorrow morning. We have to leave Cleveland by about 6:45 AM to arrive on time for our flight from Atlanta to Miami. We have several hours of layover in Miami before taking an overnight, 10-hour flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina. From Argentina, we take a short flight to Asuncion, Paraguay. We would ask that you pray for us, especially for the Lord to keep us safe as we travel, for Abi to decide to sleep most of the overnight flight, that our bags would arrive safely, and that the Lord would protect the Hagermans as they travel to the airport to pick us up. We are so excited about what lies ahead in Paraguay and can not wait to see the country first-hand. We will miss each of our friends and family. You have all been so supportive. We love you! Thank you for your prayers!

The Road to Reality

2009-01-29T14:50:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I was in the process of sorting through my books and going through what is a painful process for me- trying to decide which ones to leave behind when we depart for Paraguay. For those of you who don't know, I'm sort of a book addict and I love to read- especially anything to do with history or theology- which creates huge problems for me because in some way, I find them all important.

Now, that I've got that out in the open, let me share what's really been troubling me. In the midst of this process, I discovered a book that I haven't touched in at least 10 years- the Road to Reality by K.P. Yohannan- the president of the Gospel for Asia missions organization. I have to admit that God has completely blindsided me with Dr. Yohannan's book- and yes it is fittingly titled.

Let me elaborate a little- As missionaries, my wife and I often have people tell us how much they respect what we do- usually in terms that make us both quite uncomfortable. The fact is, that while we see what we are doing as important, we personally don't find it that extraordinary. Let me be a little clearer. In about a week we are going to get on a plane and leave behind the comfort of our families to serve Christ in a different part of the world, but our goal is still the same as it is here in the US- to serve Christ.

While reading Yohannan's book this week I have been overwhelmed with conviction concerning the American Church, particularly the materialism that has crept into my own life- even as a "missionary." I discovered that my life may not be as "missional" as I thought. As Christians, regardless of our culture, it's our responsibility to do all that we can with all that we have to share the good news of Jesus. No kidding. The sad thing is that if I am really honest, the way I spend my time, energy, and money doesn't back up the statement I just made. People around the world ( and in my neighborhood) are starving physically and spiritually, and on most days I'm too busy trying to entertain me to do anything about it.

This is the question that really gets me. Is my comfort more important to God than someone elses needs? Does Jesus want me to have a CD more than he wants someone to eat? What if its a Christian CD? Does God really care? I know these aren't easy questions, and truthful answers to them may put a lump in your throat as they have mine, but if we are really going to follow Christ, we have to deal with the materialism that has dwarfed our faith and allowed us to put our trust in everything but the God we claim to serve. The fact that many of us are uncomfortable with even having this conversation proves how enamored we are with our so called "blessed" lifestyles.

As I said, God is convicting me of the materialism in my own life, and from this point forward I want to respond in the power of the Holy Spirit to do all that I can with all that God gives me. I know that it won't be easy, but it will make me a better reflection of Christ, and that- afterall- is the goal. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, NIV)

peace and joy,

Shaun

2 Weeks and Counting...

2009-01-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you who keep asking how much longer we'll be in the states- less than two weeks. We've been preparing for our move and are pretty much just hanging around Cleveland, so if you'd like to get together before we get out of town, give us a call (302 381 8031). Thanks again to everyone for being so supportive.

-Shaun

There's no place like home...

2009-01-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Finally. After seven states and several thousand miles of traveling over the holidays, we are now in the homestretch as our family is making final preparations to head to Paraguay. Our visa applications have been mailed to the Paraguay Consulate in Miami and our tickets have been purchased. We will be leaving from Atlanta on February 6th and arriving some 22 hours later in Paraguay the following day. We have been corresponding with missionary couples Ken and Christie Hagerman and Dan and Gwen Miller and can not wait to see all that they have told us about. Continue to keep our family in your prayers throughout this new year and may the Lord bless you and your home.

Shaun and Sara

Home for the Holidays

2008-12-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

Our departure from Guatemala was a difficult one. The night before we left, we went to spend dinnertime with the kids in the orphanage. Before eating, one of the oldest girls presented me with a book that the kids had compiled. Each child had written us a message telling us how they loved us and would be missing us. The children too young to write had older kids write their messages. Our letters from Isa and some of the older girls were especially touching. While I was hoping to keep from crying, just opening the book started the tears flowing freely. We will treasure those notes for the rest of our lives.

We were also surprised at the response of many of the ministry workers to our departures. These people that we enjoyed working with all year were sad to see us go and poured out love and gifts our last week in Llano Verde. Already, some of the older children and the orphanage workers have contacted us via email. The Internet is such a blessing as we will hopefully be able to stay in contact and keep up with how the kids are doing.

While Abi is still talking about many of the children by name, she has adjusted well to being with her Papaw and Granna (Shaun's parents) the last couple of weeks. The American snacks are keeping her full of energy, and she never fails to spot each and every Santa and Frosty on people's lawns. In a few days we will be traveling to Cleveland, Tennessee where we will be seeing my parents and shortly after my brother and his family.

We are anxious to learn more about our lives in Paraguay and are thinking and talking of this move often. Abi is ready to move to Paraguay, because we have told her that we will buy her a bicycle once we arrive. We are not exchanging many Christmas presents since our luggage space will be very limited. This plan seems to work for her and so now when Paraguay is mentioned, she is quick to add that in Paraguay she will have her own bicycle.

Over the coming weeks, we will be getting our visas ready for Paraguay, updating Abi's shots, re-organizing our belongings, preparing our finances for the move, and spending as much time as possible with friends and family. Please keep us in your prayers during this time remembering not only the orphaned and abandoned children in Guatemala and Paraguay, but all children that will be spending this holiday season without the comfort of parents and homes.

Much Love,

Sara

Trusting the Lord.

2008-11-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

Today is our last day at the ministry in Llano Verde. We have been saying good-byes for the last couple of days and tonight is the heart-wrenching part- saying good-bye to the kids in the orphanage. We are trusting the Lord to take care of them as we know that His love for them is so much greater than ours. However, leaving the kids that we have spent the last year getting to know and love, the children whose trust we have finally gained, is really difficult.

Please pray for our hearts during this transition, and pray for the kids that are the closest to us. Especially remember Isaias in your prayers. He is the 13-year old that was mentioned in a lot of our newsletters. He did come to trust us over the past year, but has not put his trust in the Lord yet. Pray that the Lord would pursue him in obvious ways, guiding and protecting him.

We are excited for what the Lord has for us in the future and thankful for the people that have been a part of our lives this past year here in Guatemala. Thank you for you prayers for us. They are what sustains us during these difficult moments.

Shaun, Sara, and Abi

U.N.fortunate

2008-11-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

Friends- I opened my inbox this morning to find an email from my dad about the U.N.'s latest project- a gift actually. Christmas. The season for giving, right? Not exactly. Unfortunately, this present has a $23 million dollar price tag and isn't intended for any of the world's many current human rights victims.

With civil war raging in the D.R.C., what could be more important than impressive art with a sticker price to match. You heard me. Art. I mean we can't have the U.N.'s Human Rights Council bogged down this holiday season with the world's troubles. What would be better to relieve the enormous pressure that they must be facing than an ascetically pleasing work environment?

Spanish artist, Miguel Barcelo, was commissioned to create a 16,000-square-foot mural on the ceiling of the Human Rights Council's chambers at the U.N. European headquarters in Geneva. As if that isn't sickening enough, the AP is reporting that Spain footed a significant chunk of the bill by contributing almost $650,000 of taxpayer money from funds that were earmarked for overseas development aid. Evidently, the Congo didn't qualify but I don't think murals do either.

To be clear, none of this surprises me half as much as it troubles me. Ironically, when I read my dad's email this morning, my thoughts drifted to the body of Christ and how we spend our resources, sometimes frivolously. We might not be dropping $23 million for a mural of the resurrected Christ in the seniors Sunday school class (at least I hope not), but are we spending our money, time, and energy in a way that makes it clear that we are all about the mission of Jesus? I'm not always so sure when I look at the lifestyles of many Christians- myself included.

It seems that every year Christmas comes and goes and for many of us it has been stripped of its significance by our over commercialized culture. As we celebrate the coming of Christ this December, lets be reminded that God sent his Son for you and me- to seek and save the lost. For those of us that now count ourselves as found in the grace of Jesus, let this Christmas be a time to commit and recommit by the power of God's Spirit throughout the year to proclaiming the Gospel every chance that we have- with all of our resources. Let us spend every ounce of our being not on frivolous things that will only hinder our mission, but on the message and will of the risen Jesus who makes all things new.

Looking forward to Christmas,

Shaun

Christmas Comes Early in the Orphanage

2008-11-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a donation from Peerless Road COGOP's children's ministries, we were able to buy Christmas presents for every child in the orphanage. With help from the other missionaries working here in Llano Verde, we were also able to wrap every present.

The little girls each got a new pony, complete with hair accesories and stickers and a small doll. As soon as they could get the packages open, the hair brushes went to work styling the pony's hair. The girls that are a little older received baby dolls with bottles and toys, all packaged in a bookbag. They were proudly carrying them around. The four oldest girls were given new purses, hair accessories, sunglasses, and Bibles.

For the youngest boys, dinosaurs and toy cars were the surprise. They were running around wildly winding up the cars and letting them fly. The next age group of boys got some toy that launches discs- I don't know what to call it, but they loved it. Because of the love of soccer in Guatemala, the five oldest boys each got a Guatemala soccer jersey and a study Bible.

Because our time here is coming to a close, we filled the front of the Bibles for the oldest boys and girls with a letter explaining our desire for each of them to choose to serve Christ and telling them that they would be in our hearts and prayers, and they will be. Handing these out was the most difficult part of the day for me (Sara). Watching the oldest girls' responses to the letters was really difficult. I was at the point of breaking down when Shaun told me to get a grip so that I wasn't crying while handing out presents.

The final group to receive gifts were the babies. For the room of 10 toddlers, we picked out giant floor tiles with the alphabet that can be made into blocks or a giant alphabet mat. Individually, the babies each got a bouncy ball. Along with the presents, all the kids got a snack to go along with the festivities.

The day was a great success. Several hours after handing out the presents, most of the kids had still not been able to put down their gifts. The following day, some of the oldest boys proudly wore their jerseys to play soccer.

The hardest part of leaving Guatemala is leaving these children. Please pray that we would have some good final moments with each of the kids and continue to keep the kids here in your prayers.

Happy Holidays!

Shaun and Sara

Looking Ahead...

2008-11-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Well folks, we have been living in Guatemala for nearly a year now and as Christmas approaches we are looking forward to heading back to the states in December to spend the holidays with family and friends (and a little snow wouldn't hurt). In many ways this year has been a difficult one for us, but we have learned a lot and encountered so many wonderful people with a passion for Christ and his mission. For those of you who don't know, our family will be entering a new phase in our journey this coming February when we will be moving to Paraguay to direct a Christian facility for abandoned children. It was in Guatemala that we discovered God's love for hurting children and our passion to serve these children continues to grow.

That being said, please keep our family in your prayers through this transition period and remember to take the time this holiday season to consider those around you who are hurting and may not be able to find a reason to celebrate.

peace and joy,

Shaun and Sara