Let’s talk about blessings!
Today we (not actually us, but representatives of Colegio Privado Adonai) were invited to participate in a special meeting in Banco Central de Paraguay. The best students from every grade went with the principals with free transportation to the bank and a long table full of snacks. Every couple of years they renew all of their desks, computers, cabinets, etc. A kindergarten girl’s mother from school told us about this project and asked us to consider writing to the authorities and ask for things for our school since all of it was going to be donated to schools around the city…those interested. Oscar and our administrator went and were actually able to see all the things available and pick out what our school needed. We did that about two months ago and we were chosen along with six other schools to receive these donations. It’s one more blessing!
There are several work teams brewing; one from Canada, one from Colorado, and one from Ontario. Hopefully, God will provide funds also to get those two rooms done that we needs so badly. The foundation is done and we are waiting for more funds to continue the construction. Ben’s brother Joel and Eric Steidl are coming in December, also…more blessings to count on.
More wonderful news…we have a baptism planned for Sunday. We are excited to receive these new believers. It’s just as moving to hear their stories and how the Lord has worked miracles in their lives. We are blessed with a full church.
We are blessed with family, health, a house, a beautiful yard, cold-ice water on hot days, fans, (air conditioning in our bedroom), boys, school, work, etc.
We are blessed with salvation and eternal life. We are blessed to have a loving Father. We are blessed with forgiveness and peace. Yes, we are blessed!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Haircuts
Edson got his first real haircut this week. I say…this week…because every day I was cutting a little more off until finally Oscar cut it really short last night. His haircut took about a week to finish completely. He still looks as cute as ever! His big brown eyes are just trying to figure everything out. We had to give him the beard trimmer to keep him occupied, but he still tried to grab for the scissors several times.
My other boys are terrified of the scissors. They don’t even want to talk about haircuts even though they can’t see through their long bangs. Their Canadian friend, Peter, had long, brown curls. I think my boys were a little envious. Ellen cut them neatly off on Saturday…too short according to Peter. My kids couldn’t believe he would do such a thing...you know...cut off that beautiful hair! Oscar has been threatening to take them to the barber’s and they come pleading with me to wait a couple of days. They do well at distracting their dad and the days turn into weeks…to their advantage. Long hair is “cool”.
I have long hair, now and it’s definitely not cool, it’s HOT! The weather is hot. It’s humid! Who wants sticky hair on your neck and forehead? I want to pull it up (or shave it). Why do young guys LOVE long hair while women want it short?
Martha, enjoy the moments you have now…you and Stephen see “eye to eye” on hair lengths, but…in a couple of years…
My other boys are terrified of the scissors. They don’t even want to talk about haircuts even though they can’t see through their long bangs. Their Canadian friend, Peter, had long, brown curls. I think my boys were a little envious. Ellen cut them neatly off on Saturday…too short according to Peter. My kids couldn’t believe he would do such a thing...you know...cut off that beautiful hair! Oscar has been threatening to take them to the barber’s and they come pleading with me to wait a couple of days. They do well at distracting their dad and the days turn into weeks…to their advantage. Long hair is “cool”.
I have long hair, now and it’s definitely not cool, it’s HOT! The weather is hot. It’s humid! Who wants sticky hair on your neck and forehead? I want to pull it up (or shave it). Why do young guys LOVE long hair while women want it short?
Martha, enjoy the moments you have now…you and Stephen see “eye to eye” on hair lengths, but…in a couple of years…
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Fun Things in Life...
1. Watching little Edson reach for something on tippy toes.
2. Bringing home a 30/30 in a difficult subject at school.
3. Feeling good about yourself in a certain outfit.
4. Family dinners and stories.
5. Memories.
6. God's creation and the beautiful spring colors in Paraguay.
7. The baby's giggle while playing "hide and go seek".
8. Christmas preparations.
9. Feeling smaller (and weaker) than your two teenage sons.
10. Having computers (and blogs) to keep us together.
2. Bringing home a 30/30 in a difficult subject at school.
3. Feeling good about yourself in a certain outfit.
4. Family dinners and stories.
5. Memories.
6. God's creation and the beautiful spring colors in Paraguay.
7. The baby's giggle while playing "hide and go seek".
8. Christmas preparations.
9. Feeling smaller (and weaker) than your two teenage sons.
10. Having computers (and blogs) to keep us together.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
More Adventures!
This past weekend Oscar and I went to Ciudad del Este for a baptism, a outdoor evangelistic campaign, and to get to know Rosa’s relatives that live there. It was a very HOT afternoon, but we saw storm clouds on the horizon. I would be cool soon after the rain. We saw Oscar’s sister. She looked wonderful! I have never seen her sober. Since May she has not had a single drink! She looks young and beautiful. Around Mother’s Day she prayed a prayer of faith and healing and she (and we) believes that THE LORD has healed her battered, alcoholic life. It was good to see her.
The rain came very strong at 8 in the morning, the exact time that the baptism service started. There were such strong winds and hard rains that the water poured through the closed windows! The lights went out right after the singing. Ciudad del Este is the worst place to be when it rains. Why? The red, mucky dirt turns into oily, red mud that sticks to your shoes and clothes. Our car almost got stuck in the church’s driveway. All the way home we saw signs, billboards, on the ground, trees broken and even uprooted. It was a wonderful adventure.
Oh, did I mention that we only took Edson (and Rosa, a lady from church). Brandon and Gaby stayed home with Ellen, Jason, Peter, Larissa, and with instructions to eat at Ben and Vivi’s for Sunday lunch. We left Oscar’s cell phone with Jason just in case they had any problems. Thankfully, there were no emergency calls.
As we were leaving Ciudad del Este, I decided to call Brandon and see how everyone was doing. I really started missing them. Little did I know, they were in the middle of another adventure! I called Brandon and asked if it stormed there like in Ciudad del Este. He said, “Yeah…blah, blah, blah…everything’s okay.” He was at the Cerro Lambaré with Peter, Ricardo, Nestor, etc. He climbed up the hill with the guys instead of taking the walkway with Jason and the other girls. Gaby stayed at Ben and Vivi’s. (As we were talking, I heard Ellen talking VERY LOUD in the background.) He assured me that he was fine so we hung up. But, for some silly reason, I called Brandon back about two minutes later and he said, “MOM, THEY JUST ROBBED ELLEN AND JASON!” I got a little more info out of him and hung up, praising God that he was safe along with the rest. (You can read the whole story on Ellen or Jason’s blog. The link is on the side.)
We later found out that Brandon took the cell phone from home even though Jason was in charge of it for the weekend. I wanted to get mad, but had he not done that, It would have been stolen! They guy asked Jason for his cell phone...and he didn't have one (Brandon had it) The cell phone came in handy by calling 911, Pastor Pedro, and the police since Brandon went up a different route. WOW!
I thank God for the constant protection He gives his children. I pray that these Adventures of a Lifetime will be molding Brandon’s tender life and bringing him, over and over again, to the throne of grace.
I thank God for the adventures. I thank Him for the lessons. I thank Him for life!
The rain came very strong at 8 in the morning, the exact time that the baptism service started. There were such strong winds and hard rains that the water poured through the closed windows! The lights went out right after the singing. Ciudad del Este is the worst place to be when it rains. Why? The red, mucky dirt turns into oily, red mud that sticks to your shoes and clothes. Our car almost got stuck in the church’s driveway. All the way home we saw signs, billboards, on the ground, trees broken and even uprooted. It was a wonderful adventure.
Oh, did I mention that we only took Edson (and Rosa, a lady from church). Brandon and Gaby stayed home with Ellen, Jason, Peter, Larissa, and with instructions to eat at Ben and Vivi’s for Sunday lunch. We left Oscar’s cell phone with Jason just in case they had any problems. Thankfully, there were no emergency calls.
As we were leaving Ciudad del Este, I decided to call Brandon and see how everyone was doing. I really started missing them. Little did I know, they were in the middle of another adventure! I called Brandon and asked if it stormed there like in Ciudad del Este. He said, “Yeah…blah, blah, blah…everything’s okay.” He was at the Cerro Lambaré with Peter, Ricardo, Nestor, etc. He climbed up the hill with the guys instead of taking the walkway with Jason and the other girls. Gaby stayed at Ben and Vivi’s. (As we were talking, I heard Ellen talking VERY LOUD in the background.) He assured me that he was fine so we hung up. But, for some silly reason, I called Brandon back about two minutes later and he said, “MOM, THEY JUST ROBBED ELLEN AND JASON!” I got a little more info out of him and hung up, praising God that he was safe along with the rest. (You can read the whole story on Ellen or Jason’s blog. The link is on the side.)
We later found out that Brandon took the cell phone from home even though Jason was in charge of it for the weekend. I wanted to get mad, but had he not done that, It would have been stolen! They guy asked Jason for his cell phone...and he didn't have one (Brandon had it) The cell phone came in handy by calling 911, Pastor Pedro, and the police since Brandon went up a different route. WOW!
I thank God for the constant protection He gives his children. I pray that these Adventures of a Lifetime will be molding Brandon’s tender life and bringing him, over and over again, to the throne of grace.
I thank God for the adventures. I thank Him for the lessons. I thank Him for life!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Adventures!
I guess most people know by now that on Saturdays and Sundays we EAT at 12:00 noon…to the dot…no exceptions!
Well, this past Saturday we had visitors, Ellen, Peter and Larissa Sabo, and Jason Steidl. My boys had just come home from an all week school camp, had no homework and were ready for an ADVENTURE with these older and wiser visitors.
Brandon wanted to show Peter the river so they sat around waiting for a while for Ellen and Larissa to come, but they never did. So, the boys went anyway. Brandon’s last instructions were…Mom, tell Ellen that we will be in the same place we always go. Fine!
Ellen and Larissa came and I gave them the message. They took off right away.
I was fixing stroganoff. Everything was perfect and timed well. It was 12:10, they guys weren’t back so Oscar and I stalled for time drinking the wonderful social drink…terere. It was 12:20. I fed Edson. It was 12:30 and still no kids back from the river. I wasn’t really worried about my kids because 4 people over 22 were with them. Well, Oscar and I became very hungry and started preparing our plates when Ellen came running in the house…all by herself!
Karen…you won’t BELIEVE what is happening. I’m soooo sorry we’re not back for lunch, I KNOW we are supposed to eat at noon, but Peter, Larissa and Brandon are out in a boat and they are caught in the current!!!! They CAN’T get back and there are about 25 fishermen on the shore laughing at them. Jason, Ellen and Gaby did get back to shore. Ellen jumped out of the boat, ran through knee high water, and came home to tell me.
I started laughing and she said…Aren’t you mad, or worried? And I calmly said…Not really (even though I did realize that there was a little bit of danger) I said…They are all in the same boat (ha ha) they are all in the same problem. I doubted that Peter or Larissa would leave Brandon stranded in the middle of the Paraguay River. She got washed up and we sat down to eat.
About 1:00 pm they all came home with their stories. Here are some of the details (that I think I understood), but not in order.
Gaby was in the boat with Peter and Larissa.
Their boat was leaking and water was pouring in. Gaby was trying to scoop the water out with a little box of worms that he found at the back of the boat…but at the same time…save the worms for future fishing. Larissa grabbed for the little box and started scooping harder, telling Gaby that they weren’t going fishing anymore and to forget the worms.
They wanted to go around the island, but the current was too strong.
Brandon and Gaby traded boats. Peter needed more muscle in rowing against the current. Brandon and Peter got two meters ahead and when they rested for a second, went three meters back. All the while the boat was sinking.
The fishermen were enjoying the show!
Finally a motorboat went by and Peter shouted for help…no help came. A little boy and an old man came by to save the day, towing them in.
Larissa, happy to set foot on land, stepped in knee-high black mud, screaming and trying to get to harder ground. As she took each step, mud would be flying through the air. Larissa and Peter assured the fisherman that they were just tourist…as if they couldn’t tell! Brandon and Gaby assured ME that because of the embarrassment, they were never going back.
For Brandon and Gaby, I know this was the ADVENTURE of their lifetime. All for just a $2.00 boat ride!
…I still am laughing as I write this, remembering those ADVENTUROUS days back at the lake on that rickety raft, the huge spider, falling in, running through muck to get to the shore, ripping frogs apart for bait and using homemade fishing poles with safety pins, etc.
Thanks, God, for taking care of us in ALL our ADVENTURES!
Well, this past Saturday we had visitors, Ellen, Peter and Larissa Sabo, and Jason Steidl. My boys had just come home from an all week school camp, had no homework and were ready for an ADVENTURE with these older and wiser visitors.
Brandon wanted to show Peter the river so they sat around waiting for a while for Ellen and Larissa to come, but they never did. So, the boys went anyway. Brandon’s last instructions were…Mom, tell Ellen that we will be in the same place we always go. Fine!
Ellen and Larissa came and I gave them the message. They took off right away.
I was fixing stroganoff. Everything was perfect and timed well. It was 12:10, they guys weren’t back so Oscar and I stalled for time drinking the wonderful social drink…terere. It was 12:20. I fed Edson. It was 12:30 and still no kids back from the river. I wasn’t really worried about my kids because 4 people over 22 were with them. Well, Oscar and I became very hungry and started preparing our plates when Ellen came running in the house…all by herself!
Karen…you won’t BELIEVE what is happening. I’m soooo sorry we’re not back for lunch, I KNOW we are supposed to eat at noon, but Peter, Larissa and Brandon are out in a boat and they are caught in the current!!!! They CAN’T get back and there are about 25 fishermen on the shore laughing at them. Jason, Ellen and Gaby did get back to shore. Ellen jumped out of the boat, ran through knee high water, and came home to tell me.
I started laughing and she said…Aren’t you mad, or worried? And I calmly said…Not really (even though I did realize that there was a little bit of danger) I said…They are all in the same boat (ha ha) they are all in the same problem. I doubted that Peter or Larissa would leave Brandon stranded in the middle of the Paraguay River. She got washed up and we sat down to eat.
About 1:00 pm they all came home with their stories. Here are some of the details (that I think I understood), but not in order.
Gaby was in the boat with Peter and Larissa.
Their boat was leaking and water was pouring in. Gaby was trying to scoop the water out with a little box of worms that he found at the back of the boat…but at the same time…save the worms for future fishing. Larissa grabbed for the little box and started scooping harder, telling Gaby that they weren’t going fishing anymore and to forget the worms.
They wanted to go around the island, but the current was too strong.
Brandon and Gaby traded boats. Peter needed more muscle in rowing against the current. Brandon and Peter got two meters ahead and when they rested for a second, went three meters back. All the while the boat was sinking.
The fishermen were enjoying the show!
Finally a motorboat went by and Peter shouted for help…no help came. A little boy and an old man came by to save the day, towing them in.
Larissa, happy to set foot on land, stepped in knee-high black mud, screaming and trying to get to harder ground. As she took each step, mud would be flying through the air. Larissa and Peter assured the fisherman that they were just tourist…as if they couldn’t tell! Brandon and Gaby assured ME that because of the embarrassment, they were never going back.
For Brandon and Gaby, I know this was the ADVENTURE of their lifetime. All for just a $2.00 boat ride!
…I still am laughing as I write this, remembering those ADVENTUROUS days back at the lake on that rickety raft, the huge spider, falling in, running through muck to get to the shore, ripping frogs apart for bait and using homemade fishing poles with safety pins, etc.
Thanks, God, for taking care of us in ALL our ADVENTURES!
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Lord God Almighty is his name
Last night I had an amazing time of peace and quiet!Brandon and Gabriel were in preparation for their school camp and slept at 7:30, believe it or not. Oscar was at church for one more service. Edson was quietly playing with anything he could find on the kitchen floor, and I sat down to “rest” and read the scriptures.
When I have one of these “free” moments, I like to just leaf through and remember key verses that I marked years ago. Sometimes remembering the situation I was going through and sometimes wondering how I ever came across that verse.
Anyway, I found Amos 4:13 marked…He who forms the mountains, creates the wind and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness and treads the high places of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name…I spent the next few minutes in awe of this Almighty who is also my Father and Friend.
This is a recent picture of Oscar and Dan Munther at the Iguazu Falls.
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