Grandpa

For some reason, being so far away, when I hear about someone dying, it just doesn't seem real. It seems as if next time I go to the states, he/she will be there to greet me and spend some time together. The memories live on...so...the people must! Memories of Grandpa and Grandma seem as fresh to me as yesterday. I have a picture of them and Aunt Janet on the refrigerator at home. I know they are no longer with us, but the happy moments I spent with them are the happy memories that make them alive in my heart. I am thankful for the beautiful examples they gave me. When he was in Paraguay he told everyone that I was the eighth generation in his family who was a believer. We can be just as proud of being God's children as he was. I am thankful that he could visit us so many times (once with Uncle Al, once with Dean Yovichin, once with George Bodjanac, and once with the Marang's). He was always so supportive of Paraguay Missions. We will miss his funny stories! By the way...sisters...I never remember the knuckle finger getting me!

July 4th, 2007

Grandpa and Edson! Edson looks like he wants that cane pretty bad.

The longer you wait, the harder it gets!

I started an exercise program! Finally, after years of indecision, I am forced to work on those muscles! It hasn’t been easy, it’s actually a pain…it’s a 24/7 plan. It includes constant movement; stretching, weightlifting, waist trimmers, knee bends, steps, etc. While I am cooking I have to do leg lifts to close and hold tight the cupboards that Edson wants so desperately to open, all the while I am balancing on one leg trying to cut onions in an even way. Edson’s bedroom is upstairs so we do the steps while lifting weights (him) many, many, many times a day…up – down, up – down. I do the waist and knee bends while picking up the toys from the floor that come out of no where. You have to do that one about 50 times a day until your knees hurt real bad! More waist trimmers come from sweeping and mopping the floor continually so the crawler won’t get at the crumbs or leftovers on the floor. Then, there’s the back breakers (I don’t think that’s actually what you call it, but they are real killers!). It’s when you have to stretch your back leg muscles, buttocks, and your whole spine to lift your kid into or out of the car seats and stroller, pick him up off the floor to be changed, put him in his high chair, etc. Oh, and, the night time quickies where you dart out of bed, run across the house thinking you heard something and find only the sleeping cutie.
The list of exercises goes on and on…
All I can say is…start early, girls, the longer you wait, the harder it gets!

Thanks for praying!

Both Friday night and Saturday night it finally rained and drizzled. At least the smoky city is some what cleared, but there is still a lot of pollution. The weather cooled to sweater weather for two days. The plants already look a little greener.
Thanks for your prayers!

Brandon's birthday

Kathy, Bianca, Brandon, Kathy, Elysha

Edson and Bianca

Kathy and Gaby

WARDEN MESSAGE

This morning's Warden Message from the US Emabassy...

This Warden Message is being sent to advise U.S. citizens traveling to and residing in Paraguay that President Nicanor Duarte Frutos has declared a nationwide state of emergency in response to the fires spreading through the departments of San Pedro, Canindeyu, Caaguazu and Amambay. The state of emergency is valid for sixty (60) days. Americans are advised to reconsider nonessential travel to areas threatened by the fires and to exercise due caution in all travels to affected areas.
The text of the decree establishing the state of emergency can be found, in Spanish, at the following website:
http://www.presidencia.gov.py/decretos/D10884.pdf

...still praying for rain!

Today’s front page news…

http://www.abc.com.py/ says: “They will bring a super plane from Russia”…The government decreed Paraguay in a state of National Emergency. In the last three weeks more than 1.235.526,91 acres of forests, crops, and pasture burned.
There is a picture on today’s front page of the fire in San Pedro.
You can go down the page to "fotonoticia" and there will be about 25 pictures of the flames.
Sorry, but it is all in Spanish.

P.S. to "God, send us rain"

The kids came home with a note today saying that school will be let out at 11:40 am. There's too much smoke in the city. Gaby says that coming home on the bus, it stings your eyes. Other schools have cancelled classes all together.
The sun is a deep orange at all times of the day, and you can even look at it without squinting.
News reports say that airplanes from other countries will be bringing water and equipment to put the fires out.
Thanks for your prayers!

God, Send us Rain

It doesn’t matter if you dust every day or every minute of the day, there is still sooooo much dust. It hasn’t rained for about 4 months. That’s bad since we supposedly just went through our winter, rainy season. The wind lifts the dust and dirt all the way up to my bed! I have to shake out the sheets before sleeping in them or I wake up looking as if I played in a sand pile (a little exaggeration allowed). Even if I mop the floors, an hour later, Edson’s little knees and feet are black.
There was a popular praise song on the radio about three years back, God, Send us Rain. It was one of my favorites to sing at church, but every time we sang it we would get this incredible, but unwanted rainstorm. This past week, I have heard the song on the radio EVERY SINGLE DAY!
It’s the prayer of “El Pueblo”…God Send Us Rain. The farmers are praying. They can’t plant their crops until it rains. They are battling forest/farm fires instead of weeds! Whole estates have been burned to the ground. Our own relatives battled the fires for 48 hours to save the animals. There are few mosquitos! Too hot and dry!
Oscar took the visitors to the Iguazu Falls the other day and said that it was worst he’s ever seen it…it just looks sooooo dry. (I remember when we went with some Canadians and it was soooooo full that they had blocked some pathways off to the public).
God, Send us Rain…the plants are dusty red and yellowing. There are water shortages during the day. The rivers are going down. Your beautiful creation is suffering. We saw the big clouds and heard the thunder, but just felt the hard, dusty wind blow over us. God, Send us Rain!

So, how’s it going?

So, how’s it going? You haven’t heard from me in a while, right? Well, that’s what happens when you don’t pay the telephone bill. You get your line cut off. We are still on dial-up here in San Antonio, Paraguay. Things are still done the - s l o w - way. We thought we were fine! We thought we paid the last one, but in our rush to get back into routine after our trip to the states and then visitors…we forgot last month’s bill. It’s still on top of the refrigerator along with the new expired one. As soon as I get the line back, I’ll post this so that you’ll know where we’ve been.

Lessons for (or from) Edson

We have been fighting over the steps for more than a week now. Edson loves steps! He does especially good going up, but coming down is a scary scene. We don’t have the wooden rails to block the steps. I guess I could have one made, but “why?” We have been putting bin or bags in front of the steps so that he sees mountains instead. Well, that also means that WE have to climb over the mountains, and it looks bad! It looks messy! It’s also dangerous for us big people!
Today I spent about an hour going up and down steps and trying to teach Edson to come down. He thoroughly enjoyed the quality time I was giving him and the exciting adventure of going up the stairs. Some times he would fall, but I was close enough to grab him and set him back up to go up or down. This went on for a while. We have tile floors so his legs and knees were taking quite a beating, but none the less he would not stop. A friend’s timely visit allowed us to rest for a while.
While I was wishing I was doing something else, other than crawl up and down the steps, the Lord turned my thoughts to myself. How many times do I try to get up “those steps”, and then fall or don’t know how to come down? Thankfully, he is beside me and I don’t fall too hard. Then I thought of a new Christian. When someone receives Christ, are WE there to help them crawl? Are we teaching them how far to go, when to stop, HOW to stop, and how to get back up after a fall? Are we encouraging them and leading them or putting up a blockade and saying “NO”, you can’t go there. No, you can’t do this!” If we put up that barricade, they won’t know how to go about the Christian life on their own and they could fall BIG TIME when that barrier is finally gone. But, if we walk the Christian life with them, taking time with them, helping them, guiding them, and teaching them; then they will be ready to take those big steps on their own.
I was so thankful for that lesson today. I am so amazed at how much like babies we really are. I am thankful that God is such a patient father! It helps me be more patient, with Edson and with my newborn Christian friends at church.