My Home

I thought I'd share some pictures of my home and the school I work at. Enjoy!

toma, tómalo Jesus

The last few weeks have been a blur due to my busy teaching schedule. How much easier things would be if I didn't have to prepare or grade anything haha!

This afternoon, I arrived back home. How nice to be back! I was only in Villa Rica for a day, but it was so relaxing to be back in Asuncion this afternoon. I am so thankful for how the Lord has protected me over the last several weeks. On our way to Villa Rica, we had to travel a road that is notorious for hijackings and robbery, but we were able to make it to and from the city without any problems.

I cannot believe that my time here is almost over... it does not seem in the least bit possible. In some ways I am ready to return to the States, but in many ways I don't feel ready to leave. I am so thankful to have a God who can see the whole picture and takes care of me! My prayer has been "toma, tómalo Senor" which means take, take it (my life) Lord! It is incredibly to ask the Lord to "tomar" our lives, but after a short time, we feel the need to take it back and handle things ourselves. My prayer is that we will all be praying "toma, tómalo Jesus"

Chau!

A Little Less Serious

Well, my last post was a bit serious, so I thought this time around, I'd just update you on what I have been up to... which is a lot :) I have been helping teaching Sunday school to the kids, which range in age from 2-14 years of age. It's quite the age range, so I have been assisting Mirta in teaching Bible verses, answering questions, and creating games for the kids to play at the end of Sunday School. I never know what to expect... and I love that! Please pray for LaLao, one of the men at Nueva Esperanza. He is a new believer and such an encourager to the other people in the church (and the only Paraguayan in our church who knows English!!). LaLao has been through a lot and is trying to live his life for the Lord, please pray for the Lord to give him strength.

Additionally, I experienced my first asado a few weeks ago. Oh, how I love asado! I have never been a big meat eater, but something about the Paraguayan meat makes me rethink all of this :) An asado is basically like a Paraguayan barbeque with plenty of meat. Our church had an asado on Palm Sunday to celebrate the coming of Pasquas.

I had an entire week off from teaching last week and was able to go sight seeing for a few days in Argentina and Brasil. I was able to go to the Iguazu falls and do several other things. It would probably take me several hours to explain everything that I did, so if you're interested in finding out more, let me know and we'll talk over coffee sometime. Basically, we got to see one of the wonders of the modern world, and it was amazing! I was in awe of what an amazing and intelligent God we have; that the waters can work together in harmony and power without damaging the ecosystem. How amazing!

I also went to Itaipu with Emily and Mary. Itaipu is about 45 minutes away by bus and is known for having cheap tablecloths and handmade linens. However, none of the street vendors were out and about because it was Semana Santa... and in Paraguay everything stops for the Easter holiday. We were still able to do a little shopping and exploring, but it was not near as busy as Itaipu normally is.

The South African couple that lives downstairs invited three of us to go with them to a cantada/opera event at a "fairly large" church (by this Kevin meant that the church is so large that they added a hospital just for the people in their church and for outreach opportunities). The entire passion play was in Spanish and it was incredibly touching to see how the Paraguayans view Pasquas.

That's all for now... I will update you more tomorrow on the other things I did last week.

Besos,
Bethany

Americanizing Jesus?

Try visiting a church that does not speak your native language.

I know this may seem futile if you think that attending a church is all about the words that you hear. Granted, the words of songs and sermons may slip you by, but the awareness that our God is a great God, a God who bridges social, political, cultural, and linguistic barriers is overwhelming and becomes an ever present thought when you distance yourself from a familiar setting and visit a church with different traditions and a different language.

I cannot tell you how humbling it has been to be a part of Nueva Esperanza. I have learned so much about the Paraguayan people and about our God. I think many times we Americanize Jesus, thinking he must look a certain way or have acted in a way that fits our culture and our preferences. The people at our church are mostly first generation Christians (except the children, most of whom are second generation Christians) and live in the knowledge that they have been saved from their former selves. How refreshing to see people who so desperately want to learn more about the God they serve.

How thankful I am for the people of Nueva Esperanza and the new outlook they have given me.

International Dinners and Marisco Lopez

This week, I had the opportunity to help plan the International Dinner we are having in a few weeks. I am very excited about it! I expected there to be about three of us bouncing ideas around in English. Instead, there were about eight women (teachers and moms) and Sam (one of the teachers here) all speaking in Spanish! It was a blast :) There were a few parts that I did not understand, but I was able to comprehend and communicate quite a bit, which was exciting. On Thursday, Emily and I went to Dani's house (my cooperating teacher) to meet the ABWE missions team and get to know them a bit better. We had a wonderful time learning more about the culture and getting involved in their ministry. On Saturday, we went to Lomito Arabe, which is one of my favorite places to eat here in Paraguay. I get Lomito about once a week!! Sam and Darrin (Darrin is student teaching as well) live across the hall, so they take Emily and I with them when they go grocery shopping or if they are just going out, which has been such a blessing! We are able to see a lot more of Asuncion because of them. They took us to Marisco Lopez to go shopping, and then we watched Sherlock Holmes. I am just having a blast getting to discover the culture here!

A Whirlwind Week

The last several days have gone by very quickly. We had Parade of Nations on Friday, which is an all day festival of countries. Each grade adopted a country. My fifth graders transformed our classroom into the United Arab Emirates and brought food and items in to share with the entire school. My fourth graders created a skit and decorated their classroom to look like Thailand. It was a wonderful time, although exhausting! I was so impressed to see my students step up and really work hard to learn about another culture. Tomorrow I begin teaching, which I am excited about.

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to visit a Paraguayan family that Emily knew. We went to their house and spent time with them. I had a blast using my Spanish and getting to know the family a little better. I wake up every morning, thankful that I have this opportunity to learn, grow, and impact others for Christ here in Paraguay.

Thankful, I am thankful

I am so blessed to be able to share my time in Paraguay with the first grade teacher here. Her name is Jenn and is such a kind person. I am really enjoying getting to know her. The church I visited this morning was the church Jenn goes to. What an encouragement to hear people praising the Lord in another language! I am so thankful to have Jenn as a roommate and to have a God who hears all praises, no matter the language!

benediciones!

Blessings! Thismorning, I was able to attend a Spanish speaking church. There is a lot I don't understand and their accents are incredibly different from what I am used to, but I really enjoyed it. After church, we went out to eat at a buffet, which is very different from a buffet in the United States. All of the food except for the meat is treated like a buffet. Customers go up to the line and choose the food they want. Then, the waiters come to the table with about 15 varieties of meat, bringing one or two choices over at a time. It is like a giant meat-eating party. I was suprised how much the Paraguayans like their meat. I bit into a tomato today to find that the Paraguayans had stuffed it with meat (as if there wasn't enough meat to begin with!!). I also tried the desserts and really enjoyed the passion fruit dessert.

Shopping and Eating... what a difficult Saturday :)

Today we went out with two missionaries to get supplies and lunch. One of the stores we went to was fascinating... it reminded me a lot of Target! Some of the stores here have American things, but many do not. We were suprised at how modern and American the mall looked last night (we got Pizza Hut pizza and some empinadas- traditional Spanish food). We also went out to eat at an Arab place which had fantastic food. They made really good smoothies for us with all natural ingredients. I am starting to be able to use the Spanish money a little bit, but it is still very confusing. Three of us went grocery shopping today which was a blast! I learned a lot about the culture that I didn't know.

Estoy Tranquilo!

Hello everyone! I have arrived in Asuncion and am really enjoying everything here! I met my class today and am very excited to teach them. My teacher is fantastic and is bilingual, which makes everything a bit easier. The students are required to speak in English during the school day, but my teacher can explain what things mean and how traditions work here. Our flight was incredibly long and I am so happy to have an apartment! Tonight and tomorrow we are going to be spending time shopping and learning more about the culture. I begin teaching half way through next week.

Chow!

NE Pennsylvania, Paraguay

Well, I am finally getting to the point where I feel very comfortable with my class and will miss them when I leave. I have several challenging students who keep me on my toes. However, I am really enjoying myself and am able to use everything I have learned from camp, college, and babysitting to help me in class. I have been in contact with my cooperating teacher and the principal in South America. Just a few more weeks until my life changes drastically!

Update!!

I started my first placement of student teaching in North East Pennsylvania last week. Just to update you a little, I have raised a little over $2,000 towards my trip. Additionally, I will need about $600 more before I am fully supported. I am so thankful for the generosity of the people who have donated money and volunteered to pray for me over the next few months. At this point, I am focusing on teaching (I teach math every day and will begin teaching more as the weeks continue) and working on getting my visa together for Paraguay. Please keep praying!