Winter in Paraguay

Greetings to everyone.   Allow me to catch you up on all that is happening in Hogar GANAR and in Tape Pyahu Christian School.  Soon after returning to Paraguay in May, we celebrated Mother's Day in the homes with our house moms.  The children from each house prepared a program for their house mom, including poetry, dances, and singing.  The mothers each received a bouquet of flowers and chocolate to honor them on this special day.  We are blessed with house moms that are serious about serving God and loving the children in their care. 

               Hogar GANAR House Moms 

As a combination of Mother's Day and Father's Day, we celebrated Family Day with children and families from the school in June.  The children worked long hours preparing dances, dramas, and poetry for the occasion, all centering on the importance of the family. 

Deborah dancing a traditional Paraguayan dance at the Family Day Celebration

June is the month of birthdays, as five of our children in Hogar GANAR have June birthdays.  Thankfully the birthday rush comes during the month when our oranges and grapefruit are ripe.  We are able to trade our fruit at a local restaurant for credit and this June I was able to buy every birthday cake with credit from our own fruit!  Many visitors that see our property declare it to be flowing with milk and honey, and it really is true.... milk, honey, and citrus fruits! 

 Matias' Birthday Party

Also in June, our beautiful city of Itaugua celebrates Founder's Day with a city-wide parade.  Our school was chosen to march in the parade, and our teachers, house parents, and students spent hours marching, beating drums, and carrying flags and batons in preparation for the parade.  We tried to prepare so that our school would stand out from the other dozens of groups marching in the parade.  It seemed to be a foreign concept here in Paraguay to hand out candy to those in the crowd, but in American tradition, we gave away free stuff!  Four boys were chosen to hand out suckers to the crowd with little notes that said, "God is love."  While we will probably never know if these suckers had any impact on those present, we certainly stood out since we were the only organization that gave anything away to those watching the parade!  As we passed the stage of dignitaries, the announcer began to expound on our Christian mission statement and our school emphasis on teaching God's Word.  We thank God that our school could be used as an impetus to speak about Him in our city in a very public way. 

Nilda and Soledad with their flags- those with highest grades were chosen to carry the flags.

The beginning of our group in the parade

Special parade uniforms

This winter we have also launched two new projects.  First, Shaun has taken over teaching middle school English and Christian education in the school.  He is loving his time with the students and they are thrilled to have "uncle" Shaun as their teacher.   Second, as an extension of our local church, we have begun a weekly cell group Bible study for youth.  Shaun is teaching the young men and I am doing a study for girls with the young ladies.  We have several youth from our school and from the community that are attending as well.  We have been surprised at the dedication of the young men from the community to attend a Bible study.  Several are boys that have never before participated in events at the children's home and they are genuinely interested in learning about God's Word.  Please pray that God will continue to open their ears and hearts to His word.

 

Bible study groups (minus Shaun who is taking the picture)

July brought a three-week winter vacation from school.  We used these weeks to plan outings and activities for the children in the homes. As has become an annual tradition, we took the youth from Hogar GANAR to the Expo (national fair).  This year it took two trips to fit all 11 of our adolescents in the car with us!  We also took advantage of the break to reward the students who made the honor roll during their first grading period.  Our three boys (Marcos, Jose Maria, and Antonio Paredes) that made all A's, went to see Ice Age 4 and to eat McDonald's.  I never knew three boys so small could eat so much popcorn!  Our group that made A's and B's went to lunch and then to walk around Lake Ypacarai in a nearby city.  The children that didn't earn a trip this time are planning on studying even harder this grading period, since EVERYONE wants to go to the movies!

Soledad, Lysandry, and Nilda at the lake

In July, Carlos, our eldest boy in Hogar GANAR, turned 15!  While a 15th birthday party for girls in Paraguay is something like celebrating a wedding in the states, for boys the tradition is much more simple.  We wanted to honor Carlos on his special day, so we had an asado  (bar-b-que) that Carlos could invite his friends to attend.  The party had a Texas cowboys theme, so we gathered cowboy hats and boots and wore plaid!  We literally killed a fattened calf for Carlos, and used our own beef for the bar-b-que.  The house dads, along with Carlos and Milciades (head of maintenance), awoke at 4 AM on the day of the party to begin to grill the meat outdoors over a pit.  The party was a success with Shaun's home-made corn hole and horseshoe games, an abundance of food, and a special song by Carlos' best friend from House 3, Amado.  Part two of Carlos' gift was a camping trip with Shaun and Milciades, and three other boys from the home.  They attempted to drive to a secluded lake that is surrounded by toucans, monkeys, and crocodiles.  While the road became impassable before they reached the lake and we may have ruined a set of tires on the large rocks, it was a night of camping that the boys will never forget!  And they did get to see the monkeys and toucans in their natural habitat, which was a bonus. 

Milciades cooking the meat on the newly dug fire pit

Carlos and his four siblings

Carlos stands with his house parents while our pastor shares a short message

To finish our vacation time, Milciades organized an Hogar GANAR "Olympics" race.  There were categories of 100 meters up to 2 kilometers.  Nearly all the children participated as well as the house parents.  I was even coerced into running, something that I try to avoid at all costs!  The children had a great time and the winners in each category were thrilled to receive Powerade. 

Gold, Silver, and Bronze "medalists"

Thank you for making every event and every outing a possibility.  Your donations are what make "Serving Paraguay" a reality!   

Blessings from Itaugua,

Sara

P.S.  If you would like to see more pictures of the events mentioned above, please visit our Facebook Page.

Coming Home.

Shaun and I spent March and April in the United States on furlough visiting family and churches.  Leaving was bittersweet, knowing that it would be a while before we would see our family again.  Our second day back in Paraguay, the children in Hogar GANAR planned a special church service to welcome us back.  They read us scripture and sang us songs that they had chosen to encourage and honor us.  It is so wonderful to realize that while we left one family behind, a much larger family was waiting for us.

I hate to brag about the children in our homes too much, but I do want to say that they are some of the world's most precious and loving children.  Thanks to those of you that support Serving Paraguay, Shaun and I were able to purchase suitcases full of much-needed winter clothing and tennis shoes while in the states to give to the children on our return.  In passing out the new items, I was overwhelmed with the selflessness of the children.  There were many one of a kind shirts and shoes and although one child desired the item, they consistently told me, "No, this shirt would look beautiful on _____," or "these shoes will be a great fit for _______."  I am always humbled to see the precious, gentle, giving heart that God has placed in our children.  We know that He desires that they not just receive but that they learn to be young men and women that look to the needs of others first.  In the end, everyone received many new things and all were grateful and excited.  I remembered many early times in our work here in Paraguay when the children would literally get into a fight over items as little as candy and I thanked the Lord that He has done a great work in each of them!

We would like to share this video with you that we put together this March.  Several of the children from Hogar GANAR share about what God is doing in their lives.  God is raising up young men and women in Paraguay to transform this nation, and we give Him praise!

Multiplication

Hello from Itaugua, Paraguay. We would like to share with you a couple of pictures to show how we spent our Christmas in Hogar GANAR. The children put on an exciting re-enactment of the nativity story and each child opened the gifts from their sponsor (toys and a soccer jersey). We ended the unseasonably cool evening by sharing dinner and cake. For New Years, we projected a slide show of pictures of the year, showing how the kids have grown and changed.

Jose Maria opening his Christmas gifts

The Christmas Choir with the summertime mist coming down

The Nativity Scene

On January 6th, we also celebrated Day of the Kings, a holiday celebrated by the magi bringing presents to children. They leave the gifts in the children's shoes which are placed outside the night before. The children also leave hay and water for the magi's camels. Thanks to wonderful end of the year donations, we were able to give the children a gift both at Christmas and on Day of the Kings! My mother came to visit for New Year's and was able to bring down suitcases of American toys for the younger kids. Our older children received MP3 players, and they were thrilled.

Flip-flops filled with gifts from the "magi"

Summer vacation here has come to an end and another school year has begun. Summer vacation flew by and was filled with activities. Every Monday during vacation, the kids came in shifts for pool time at our house. Virtually every child in the children's home now knows how to swim and we had a blast teaching them.

Oldest girls enjoying the pool

To celebrate the end of summer the girls came to our house for a slumber party and the boys camped and fished on the Paraguay River.

Girls' Slumber Party- Dance Hour

Boys' Camping Group

Fishing in the Rio Paraguay

Several of our boys are continuing to train in order to participate in national races and four boys from the home ran in a night-time race in January. They finished with excellent times and we were so proud of each of them. Every child in the home now wants to run in the next race!

Preparing to run the race

Shaun and I had the privilege of helping to plan our church's youth camp that took place the last weekend of summer vacation. Our camp theme was persevere and Shaun planned the groups and games for the weekend. Our children from the homes that are 13 years and older attended the camp (a total of seven). The weekend was spent with devotionals, workshops, services, games, and competition. I had forgotten how anything related to soccer can become quite explosive in this South American country! Shaun and I taught workshops for the young men and women about relationships and dating. It was the first time we have taught on this subject, and we were so happy that our church, Centro Familiar de Adoración, Itaugua, gave us the opportunity to share with the youth.

Our camp group from Hogar GANAR

The four team mascots

Playing "crab soccer"

The most important update is that we are back in school. Classes began the 13th of February and we have nearly 115 students enrolled as of this week! Milciades and Shaun worked tirelessly night and day, with the help of the house dads, to renovate and paint the school prior to classes starting. Thanks to a special donation for the school, we were also able to hang new white boards replacing the old chalk boards. We are so excited that our school building is beginning to reflect the excellence that we are offering in education for our students. The parents and children are also thrilled with the changes. The grocery store that provided last year's school snack is again coming and bringing delicious food for our students and more mothers than ever are showing up to work together and prepare the food for their children! We have added several new, excellent teachers to the staff to accommodate the addition of 9th grade to the school.

Our newly painted pre-school/kindergarten classroom

Third grade with Profesor Marcos

Seventh Grade with Profesora Evelin

Finally, we want to share a couple of pictures of our farm animals. It seems the Lord is multiplying our animals. Two years ago we had one horse, and now we have three. A little over two years ago we bought a few pigs to start our pork production and in the last month, 28 pigs were born on the farm!! Our cows also continue to reproduce and we are now able to periodically use our own meat, greatly reducing our grocery bill for the homes.

Future Bacon

Mommy and baby horse

Thanks to each of you for the role you play in making this ministry possible. Without you, what we do on a daily basis would be impossible. We are preparing for furlough during March and April and would love the opportunity to share with you and your church or business in person about the ministry here in Paraguay. Please contact us (mortonmissions@gmail.com) to arrange a visit to your area.

Please be in prayer or consider if you would like to help with the following needs:
• $45.00/child for school uniforms and shoes for the 30 children in Hogar GANAR (Total: $1350.00)
• English teacher for the school- we have still been unable to find anyone to teach for this school year
• 15 passenger van for the children's home
• Tractor for use on our farm and in our garden

Nothing is Impossible!

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...

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

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!