Weekly Blurb:

4th Week of March – We're finally getting settled into South American way of life. We are enjoying being in our new place (even though it's bare). We now have air conditioning, a security system, appliances to cook meals, and to do laundry. Now, all we need is a couch to make it complete! Our shipping container is scheduled to leave around April 14th. This weekend we are going to Pilar to spend some time with our church brethren. It is a small town about 5 hours south of Asunción. Should be fun!

Precious Cargo

This is a very common sight in Paraguay. Motorcyles are used for all kinds of transportation and there are hundreds of them zig zagging through traffic all the time. Sometimes, they drive on the sidewalk! In this case, it is this family's means of transportation. Notice the little girl sitting on the gas tank. She wasn't the least bit frightened and I think Andrea and I were more afraid for her than she was.

Team Workshop

This is a picture of the current mission team in Asuncion, Paraguay. Also in the picture with us are Jerry and Gail Heidrich from Brazil. They came over to help the team learn how to deal with new transitions and to develop into a stronger unit. The workshop covered about four days and was a wonderful help for the team. We are thankful that God has provided such talented workers as the Heidrichs to help missionaries in the field. The team feels much stronger and closer now.

L-R are Vickie and Chris Fry, Gail and Jerry Heidrich, Cara and Josh Blackmer, Alba and Perry Hardin, Andrea and Troy Spradlin.

A Chance Encounter

Andrea and I went to a "garage sale" at the U.S. Embassy, last week, where several embassy employees were trying to sell their belongings before returning to the States. While we were purusing through the tables we happened to meet the U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, Ms. Liliana Ayalde.
She was very nice and quite informative as to what the office of the Ambassador entails. She is from Maryland and also has a home in Ft. Lauderdale. She regularly speaks with the President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, and recently set up a meeting between him and Hillary Clinton. Later that afternoon, I saw a photo of her in the local newspaper and I have seen her on TV several times since then. Kind of neat to have met one of our dignitaries here in Paraguay.

Holiday Sightseeing

Today is a Paraguayan national holiday. It is "El Dia del Heroes." On this day, 140 years ago, Mariscal Francisco Lopez was killed in battle which marked the end of the extremely bloody War of the Triple Alliance. Lopez was the dictator of Paraguay and is now considered a national hero. He is buried in the Pantheon del Heroes in downtown Asunción alongside several other Paraguayan leaders.

Since we had the day off, we decided to go sightseeing outside Asunción to what is called the "Chacko" (also known as the "interior" by the locals). We went to San Bernadino and Los Altos. These were sights that were founded by German immigrants who wanted to start the "master race." It was 50 years before Hitler began his same attempt, in 1880 by a Dr. Forster. He became an influence for the Nazi ideas and the town eventually became a hiding place for the Nazi fugitives. Dr. Mengle, the "Angel of Death," is rumored to have fled to Los Altos when Germany was defeated.
The beautiful little town is on the edge of Lake Ypacarai. We stopped and had lunch, then took a walk down by the lake. Josh snapped this picture of us on a pathway near the water. It was a fun day!

The Brokedown Blues (Paraguayan Style)

I seem to have the worst experiences with my vehicles. Andrea and I purchased a Honda CRV from one of the previous missionaries and are quite pleased with it. But, it decided it wanted to make a trip to the mechanics, so it overheated and blew some hose. (In all fairness, it was 110 degrees that day). Then, Josh's battery died in his vehicle. So, we threw in the towel. We pulled out our "equipos" and sipped on terere until the tow truck showed up. We were having so much fun that Josiah decided he wanted to join us!

Sacramento Brethren Present Us With Paraguayan Tradition

Sipping Yerba Mate is a Paraguayan tradition. Almost everywhere you go, you will see many people carrying around their "equipo" and refreshing themselves with the summer-time version called "Terere." They have been doing it for centuries.
The brethren at the Avenida Sacramento Iglesia de Cristo presented Andrea and me with our very own "equipo" and a bunch of yerba mate. An "equipo" has a "bombilla" (a perforated straw for sipping), a guampa (a cup), and a thermos (for cold or hot water).
After you prepare your guampa with the mate of your choice, you simply pour a little water into the cup, sip it through your bombilla, then repeat.



We are so thankful to be here and to be embraced by our Paraguayan brethren. Chau!

Progress Update: Received Driver's Licenses

Traffic is crazy and the drivers drive crazy in Asunción:



Andrea and I received our driver's licenses! We are excited because it is quite an accomplishment due to the processes involved.

The way it works in Paraguay is this:
1) Upon arrival at the "DOT" (which is actually legal place for the municipality), you must select a "hestor." He is a person that will assist you through the entire process.
2) Once the hestor takes your name and info, he goes to the registrar(?) and then returns with a price to complete the process. (Our price was double what it normally costs, but, he said he could get everything done in one day - we decided that would be great)
3) He then proceeds with the paperwork which includes:
a. an eye test (from a worker who really doesn't care what you say as long as you answer)
b. pricking your finger to find out your blood type
c. a photo taken
4) then, you just wait until everything is complete and he brings you your license.
5) If all is good, you give him a tip (even though he is already making money off you) and you go away happy.
6) Upon returning to these offices for other documents, it is wise to always use the same hestor.

How's that for bureaucracy?

Team Update

It has been a busy week!

First of all, I apologize that our website www.paraguaymission.org has been down recently. We are praying to get that fixed real soon.

Otherwise, we have accomplished a lot this week. We registered the car and began the paperwork for transferring ownership. We signed up for language school and for health insurance. We are looking into car insurance, too. Andrea had an allergic reaction, so we made our first doctor visit this week. We had a team meeting on Tuesday and have been out to eat with most of the team members since Monday. We worshiped Wednesday night and today with the congregation. The members presented Andrea and me with Paraguayan mate and teas as a welcoming gift. The team gave us an "equipo" which is used to drink the mate with.

This week we will start our language school and look for a place to rent. We are so happy to be here!

Here is a video of a young man being baptized who had been studying with Enoch. His name is Raul Riveros and he decided to obey the Gospel this past Tuesday.

Hola de Paraguay!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing great! We hit the ground running and are getting a little bit settled in. We have started the paperwork process to get our car registered and to get driver's licenses. They do things quite differently here. For example, a notary public basically handles all the legal stuff like tags, title, and plates. Even the inspection process was quite an experience. We are also working on getting our cell phones turned on. The next things on our list are getting insurance (car and health), then residency papers, and looking for a place to live.

Here is a little "Hola de Paraguay" video clip of the team reunited and ready to go to work:

This Is It

This is it! We have been working toward this day for three and half years. It has finally arrived. By this time tomorrow night, Lord willing, we will be reporting from the mission field of Paraguay. I hope to post some video or pictures real soon.

Thank you to everyone who has lifted us up in prayer for safe travels. Thank you for all the encouragement and support.

It is all in the Lord's hands now. May He be glorified.

Today is Andrea's birthday! Lots of emotions are tumbling around inside as we are dealing with the anticipation of leaving Friday, sadness from all the farewells and well-wishes, to the stress of finishing up a few final details for our departure. A very unique birthday, indeed!

We want to offer a big "THANK YOU" to our sponsoring congregation, Margaret Street church of Christ, for the kind words and the send off festivities they provided for us on our last Sunday with them Jan 17th. We also want to say the same to Palm Beach Lakes for this past Sunday. We love all of you very much, we will miss you very much, and we are so thankful to have you as our supporters.

I have been invited to write on a brotherhood blogsite to describe the emotions and events that a new missionary feels going into the field. I call the daily post "Culture Shock Chronicles" and it can be found at The Fellowship Room. Hope you will join us there. Enjoy!

Winter Wonderland in N.C.

History of the church in Paraguay

This is a video that the team in Asunción produced which tells a little about the history of the congregation that meets at Avenida Sacramento. Brother Ike Yegros, one of the members in Paraguay, tells the story.

A Little Help Packing Our Bags

Andrea and I received a little help, well actually, a WHOLE LOT of help "packing our bags" from our sponsoring congregation, Margaret Street church of Christ. Martha Todd put together this very unique display in the foyer of the building, to bring about awareness of a few items that we are in need of to take with us to Paraguay. They are items that we will not be able to purchase in Asunción. So, our brethren have graciously taken it upon themselves to gather up several of the products for us. Thank you, so very much!