just a small snippet of what occurred in the past 3 weeks:
Arah left for UCLA! praying for your transition! see you in December for UCLA dorm food :)
went to a student's dance recital!
two girls balanced 10 bottles on their head... apparently the world record is 26!
freshly painted- CPC
shopping at the supermarket
Joseph's favorite section: PAN (bread)
our neighbor, Nemi, made a little fort
he invited me inside but I immediately left after I found a spider on my arm!
dinner with jovenes Karen, Amilcar, Ruth
it was SMN's birthday!
hung out with Tito
ate some bomb Japanese food
made some pizza at home! Ades (pronounced A-des)
our neighbor, Carolina, came over to teach us how to make tallarin!
Debora & Teo's wedding
with Eva & Edith at the wedding
it was Lea's birthday on the same day!
been helping students practice shapes with art projects
The Very Hungry Caterpillar La Oruga Muy Hambrienta
practicing parts of the face and colors!
teaching sentimientos (emotions) to my English Club and random clothes...
finally put up my pictures! i also started putting up prayer requests next to the photos so please share if you would like to :)
had dinner with Ruth
only the BEST hamburger in the world beef patty, ham, cheese, egg, lettuce, tomatoes, and i added corn!
at Escuela Dominical Sunday School!
i've been helping out with 3rd/4th grade :)
went to a birthday party for Jose he turned 18- apparently the 18th birthday is a BIG deal
Luis is an amazing cook and made us BORI BORI! and his son, Luis Fernandez, always always makes that face
the Ytororo team!
have to add a picture of Toby! it was his 1st birthday this past Saturday :)
Joe, Yoej, and I decided to go to the mall in the city and go bowling!
HAD TO.
Quattro D! best gelato!
there was a HUGE school-wide competition called OLIMPIADA blanco vs. bordo (white vs. maroon) BLANCO WON!
As you can see, we've been pretty busy but having lots of fun!
I'm still teaching every morning (7-11:45 AM) and on Tuesdays and Fridays, I have English Club for an hour with 7th-9th graders. There are only 6 students in my club, but I really enjoy it! I always leave with a smile on my face and I usually learn a new word from them, too! It's crazy because I thought this club was going to get canceled because of a lack of interest and busy schedules, but at the last minute, students started to sign-up! Also, I started joining the English professor on Monday afternoons to help with her 7th grade class.
On the weekends, we get to rest on Saturday or spend time with the Paraguayans! Very thankful that we've had these moments to hang out with them and know them better. Sundays are pretty busy...I go to church around 8 for Escuela Dominical (Sunday School) to help with the 3rd/4th grade class. Then, we have our own service for adults and then grab some lunch! Then around 3, we head over to the church plant in Ytororo for their service.
Although life has been busy, I want to be able to enjoy the present. During training, CK shared that during her 1.5 year long trip here, she wanted to be "all in". I'm starting to find myself thinking and feeling the same way. In every moment, I wanted to devote all of myself to the ministry and people here in Paraguay. I don't want to be distracted by things back at home or anxious about my future, but I want to be invested and dedicated to the present. I want to focus on what's right here, right now.
With that said, Joe, Yoej, and I have been feeling a strong sense of urgency knowing that we only have about 2 more months with our students.
If you could continue to pray for us:
to be faithful everyday as we teach. We all want to be able to love the students, be patient with them, and share God's love AND truth with them. We want our lasting impression to be about Christ- who He is and what He has done.
to take advantage of our remaining time here! Please pray that we would be bold and courageous in sharing the gospel with them and just being more intentional and purposeful.
What's even CRAZIER, is that God has already started answering our prayers! We prayed for these things last night and God has shown us today how He is sovereign, good, and faithful!
Today, Yoej decided that she wanted to tell the girls in her informal English club that she didn't want it to only be about English or just to hang out but to be a time for them to share with one another. We thought that they wouldn't come because of the cold weather, but they did! Yoej was able to ask them about their faith and even had the opportunity to share a passage with them (Psalm 63)! Very encouraged by them and excited for what's to come!
&
Joe taught his high school class today. He shared with us that his students asked him about what he believes in. He had the opportunity to share about his faith and the class was able to have a discussion about Jesus and who He is. It seems that some students were still unsure of what they believed. After class, a few students came up to Joseph and wanted to pray for him to encourage him! They also talked about how important it is to encourage their fellow classmates to have faith in the only One who saves!
I'm seriously just so amazed by how God continues to work.
HE is SO GOOD!
This week, we're inviting 3 girls to come over to our house to eat some tuna kimbap! I met 2 of them during my previous trip in 2011 and kept in touch through Facebook. Now that I'm here, I want to try meeting with them once a week or every other week just to talk, share, and perhaps disciple them. I have some fears that are holding me back...but I already have so much love for them and want to do my best to be available to them and just simply share life together :) Please pray for me!
Although the CPC KM team left about two weeks, I still want to share a little bit about their trip!
Having never studied in the medical field, I've never been on medical missions...and I've never experienced what it's like to help people with their physical needs, unless you consider giving a child a band-aid. I'm very thankful that I had the opportunity to witness what it's like to serve people who need physical help and restoration. Dr. Kim (the man on the right) is a dentist and comes to Paraguay EVERY YEAR. He's been coming for the past 20 years! His dedication to and continual involvement with this mission site is definitely admirable. His son, Eric (behind Arah), sometimes comes with him during the summer trip. He's a oral/face surgeon so he does dental work, too! We also had two more parent-child pairs! The Min family: the lady in the middle and her son (next to me). Also, the Chongs: Joe and his dad (right behind Joseph).
the KM team
The team went to various locations to offer dental work and check eyesight for reading glasses. They offered their services at the CPC school, Ytororo church, and in neighborhoods. Because a trip to the dentist or optometrist is expensive, many people came! Joe, Yoej, Arah, and I usually tagged along to help out. We usually went after our days of teaching so we were pooped! I found myself complaining a lot because I was just so physically exhausted, but I found these moments to be so rewarding. Yoej and I helped out with the eyeglasses section and it was just amazing to see the reactions of the Paraguayans when they were actually able to read a piece of paper in front of them! One time, Mr. Min came over and mentioned "Isn't this neat? It's like how Jesus gave sight to the blind man..." and then I realized something. In a very small sense, I was able to experience what it was like for Jesus to perform one of his miracles. But in no way am I a healer. NO WAY. Although I may have given them a pair of reading glasses which can give them temporary physical sight, I cannot provide what they need to be eternally healed and redeemed from their sins. Jesus is the ONLY one who can help us to see the depth of our sin and our need for Him. He helped those in need of physical care so that they may believe in His power and His name. I hope and pray that what we did was not to glorify ourselves but to bring all glory to Him!
dental work with Pastor Cho, Arah, Eric, and Dr. Kim
Eric taking out one of my student's teeth!
measuring blood pressure very thankful that David came to help us with translations!
checking eyesight for reading glasses
Yoej became a PRO at this and Pastor Charles was awesome too!
i was in charge of giving out the glasses! "Quieres probar?"
with my assistant, Nemi <3
truly the most hipster glasses. i wish i could have one.
a couple from our church cut hair for free!
these times created opportunities for the pastors to share the gospel!
Gabriel. Our eyes met when I caught him dancing and I danced back. We barely spoke to one another, but he captured my heart. I died a little when he ran after the van to wave goodbye.
I'll try to post another update about what we've been doing since both teams left! Thank you for your continual support and prayers <3
1Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2
Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. 6 Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way,Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me— they have no regard for you. 15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. 17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
I read this Psalm during the trip and it has been my prayer ever since. I'm going to try to read this every morning and memorize it! What's amazing to me is that David prayed this prayer thousands of years ago and this prayer is still applicable to me today. It's a prayer ofadoration&supplication. He praises God for who He is and makes requests, knowing that God will answer.
He acknowledges God the One who:
guards
saves
shows mercy
can supply joy
is forgiving
is good
is abounding in love
is incomparable
is great and does marvelous deeds
teaches
delivers from the grave
is compassionate
is gracious
is slow to anger
is faithful
helps
comforts
David asks that God would:
help him to devoted to God
help him to trust in Him
help him to walk in truth
grant him an undivided heart
help him to fear God's name
help him to praise God with all his heart
help him to glorify His name forever
have mercy on him
grant him strength
David comes to God as a man who is poor and needy. He humbly acknowledges that He is in desperate need of help from God. Here I am in the very same way. I need to ask God to grant me the things that David once asked for. May I give God all the glory, honor, and praise that He deserves and would He grant me these requests, which will point me back to Him.
Hola! The KM team left yesterday and now I feel like I finally have a chance to rest. It's been about 3 weeks since I've got here, but I've been in this mode of always working, constantly moving, and just doing. The CCSC PYT was here for the first two weeks, I had one day off, and then the CPC KM Medical Missions team arrived. Now that ministry with the teams are finished, I feel like I'm starting a new journey!
Through talking to some of you, I realized that I haven't even gotten a chance to share what I'm doing here for the next 3.5 months, what the mission site looks like, or what my schedule looks like! SORRY! So just to share some information about what I'm doing here...
My Schedule Lunes-Viernes (Monday-Friday) 6:00- wake up. I honestly feel so bad for Yoej because she has to wake me up...SORRY yoej, you're the best! 6:30- go to morning devotionals do my best to make it to morning devotionals 7:00- teaching English with Yoej - 2nd grade 7:40- 2nd grade 8:20- recreo (recess) we usually eat our breakfast during this time, which consists of baked carne empanadas or mixtos (ham and cheese grilled sandwiches). i had papas fritas (french fries) once and i instantly regretted it. it's so crazy that kids eat them for breakfast! 8:40- back to class - 1st grade. this class is CRAZY!! 9:20- 1st grade 10:00- teaching English with Joe - 4th grade 10:40- the second recreo 11:00- 4th grade. this class is EVEN MORE CRAZY. but they challenge me the most to love with Christ's unconditional love <3 11:40- lunchtime! and then we just get to rest and lesson plan for the next day :) In a week or two, I'll be starting an English Club for middle and high school students after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm seriously. SO. SCARED! If you know me at all, you would know that I'm terrified of the big kids. I LOVE the little ones. God never ceases to challenge me in the ways that I never expect and don't want, but I guess He knows what I need and I trust that His plans are perfect. Just hoping that I would be able to simply do my best and remember that it's not only about teaching English, but it's really about building relationships with these students, loving them, and hopefully having opportunities to share the gospel with them.
the curriculum for English class
spanishdict.com has become my new best friend
The School
Colegio Presbiteriano Cerritos
the other building! there are 2!
la Iglesia Ebenezer this is where the morning devos and school cultos are held
the cantina we eat our breakfasts and lunches here
the school uniform & the PY flag!
Mi Casa
the outside of our house! Yoej & I live here together :)
the kitchen, where I will soon be learning how to cook for myself...
the living room
Yoej, Joe, and I eat and chill at this table
Other than that, we have baby kittens! There was a pregnant cat (the PYT called her "gato con bebes") that stuck around the mission site and the missionary's daughter, Arah, felt so bad for it because of the cold so she made it a little box. The day after, it gave birth to 5 kittens!
Augustina & the kitties
and to end with some goofy pictures :)
As for prayer requests, please pray:
that I would be willing to serve whole-heartedly and without complaints.
for the English club- that it will be used for the advancement of the Kingdom & that I won't be a nervous wreck!
for physical restoration for Joe, Yoej, SMN, Pastor David, Pastor Cristian, Pastor Charles, and myself. The past 3 weeks have been very physically draining for all of us and some of us are sick or just physically tired! but also that we would be able to rest our souls in Him.
I'll post more about our time with the KM team next time! & YES, I titled this post after HSM. Enjoy!
