Visitors!

(Written Friday night before the crew came home...)
We have been blessed with US visitors! Rod, Melissa, Brian, and Renee Koch, and Joel Shurance and Erik Steidl came on the 18th to work on the new building project. Both groups started off their stay in Paraguay with problems in flights and lost luggage. One of the bags finally arrived and there is no news of the other one.
Our ladies group at church did an amazing job of cooking lunches for the workers and sharing a taste of Paraguay with the “Americanos”. Through hot, humid weather and sun burns they prepared the foundation, dug a sewer hole and painted the classrooms…THANKS TEAM! So much was accomplished in such a short time. We are expecting another team at the end of January.
For some it was the first, hot Christmas Eve they ever experienced. Brian and my kids (I think the dad’s, too) loved the firecrackers. At 12 o’clock midnight there is an exploding sound of “Christmas” here in Paraguay. The neat thing is that neighbors will go around house to house greeting each other and wishing them a Merry Christmas. Plates of food are shared with others and there seems to be an abundance of provisions, love, and happiness.
Tuesday, Christmas Day, was spent climbing up Cerro Yaguarón. The cool breeze was definitely on the top! Christmas day registered 85% humidity! We were tired, hot, and sweaty, but were grateful for God’s beautiful creation and the beauty of Paraguay’s countryside. I haven’t climbed it since 2004 when Liz and Joe Bocka were here. I am still VERY SORE from the climb. (I got lucky, Oscar carried Edson the whole way!) Ben, Vivi, Joel, Eric, and Jason came for the afternoon. As always…our family loved the time spent with visitors.
Thursday proved to be a good day to rest since it rained…more like, poured…all morning long. While we were waiting at school the drain pipes filled up and started flooding the classrooms. This doesn’t always happen. Thursday’s rain was just too much. The afternoon was spent sight seeing and buying souvenirs. Some people found some interesting things, a machete, a parrot, and…
Today they were all off to see the Iguazu Falls. I GOT to stay home this time. That is why I am trying to catch up on writing! It is a 4 hour drive there and back but I’m sure they will think it’s worth it. Edson is catching up on his sleep and Brandon is at home catching up on organizing his bedroom.
Tomorrow, Saturday, will be a half a day of work. Sunday, the Koch’s will take off, and Monday, Joel and Eric will be on their way. It seems like time went so fast! We were very busy, we stayed up late, we got up early, we cooked a lot, we all jumped into two cars every where we went. We have been having a wonderful time and have been BLESSED by their work and time. “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.” 1 Thessalonians 1: 2, 3.
The Paraguay Mission and Colegio Privado Adonai are grateful for this group.

Family "brag" letter...

Someone recently mentioned how she disliked Christmas family letters because they're only about Parents bragging about their kids. I told her that I actually liked them and like bragging about my kids, too. So, here's Our Family's Brag Letter.
P.S. I also sent it out as an email to some of you...

End of the Year Caballero News
So many things happened this past year. Here are some of the family's
highlights:
1. Edson got chicken pox at 8 months during Warm Beach Camp. (Now he
doesn't need the vaccination!) A couple more people from camp got lucky! We took him to the doctor this week and he mentioned that he preferred that the child gets the disease instead of getting vaccinated! He is fascinated with cell phones and his first word is most definitely "hola" after seeing so many people hold stuff up to their ear and say "hola". Well, one day he tried holding up his cell phone to his ear, but this time it wasn't a cell phone (remote control, calculator, walkie-talkie, brush, what ever looks that size and has buttons) it was a sucker! Yes, we had a sticky, sticky mess! He turned one on November 15th and started walking 15 days later.
2. Gabriel played the guitar for his Praise and Worship team at school
this past year. They went through many struggles, but he is also getting many experiences. They visited a science lab in the National University. He came home and said.mom, they had such nice equipment and such a sophisticated laboratory that I couldn't believe I was in Paraguay! He still loves drawing, soccer or any sports with a ball. He turned 13 on November 6th.
3. Brandon turned 15 this year and took a growth spurt in maturity. He
is as big as a man and has begun to think and act like a man. He's gone through many learning experiences and is starting to realize that it is really his Heavenly Father who is pulling him through. Brandon loves music, computers, and (which teen doesn't love) Play station! He's been picking up the bass guitar and working on some of his favorite songs.
4. We went to the states this past July and my kids impressed me with
their outgoingness. They found friends at each of the AC camps and brought back pictures, email addresses and stories of their adventures there. Their best memories were of the bike ride out to MidWest camp, dipping into the chocolate fountain, ordering "their own" pizza from Eastern camp, playing soccer, the Pavkov reunion (mostly the pool). The worst memories.Brandon's muscle pull, carrying luggage all across the country and trying to remember to pack it again, and Edson's chicken pox.
5. Oscar and I are kept busy with church and school work. This past
year I stayed at home with Edson and missed teaching! I loved being at home, but I missed the smiles and hugs from the students. Next year I want to ease back into some classes once a week while Oscar can stay with Edson at home.
Oscar continues with the prison ministry once a month, does a bible study every Tuesday at church, works at school from 7am till 3:30pm, does running around for others, and loves to take his "rest time" fixing up the yard.
6. We spent a wonderful year with an unforgettable missionary, Ellen
Sabo. She was a friend, a sister, a teacher and eager to serve the Lord through serving others. She was active at school and church and in our family. Her excitement will be remembered forever. We spent many family adventures together and we'll miss her BIGTIME!
We have been through pain, disappointment, loss of loved ones, and other trials, but we have also been blessed and have seen miracles. Yes, the Lord has been good to us.
All praise and thanks to our Savior! "Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. AMEN. (Revelation 7:12)
Thanks for your prayers,
Oscar, Karen, Brandon, Gabriel, and Edson

Blogging, snail-mail, computers…cooking

I haven’t been doing snail-mail for a while. Here, in Paraguay, we have to go all the way into town to mail a letter or get cards out of our post office box. Oscar goes once or maybe twice a week, depending on his time or errands. Last year I wrote out about 15 Christmas cards and had them nicely in a pile for my mom to take back after her visit here…well, they still are not mailed and they are still sitting nicely at the bottom of a pile.
It’s just as much work for me to find time to write updates and blogs. When I am on the computer…no one is happy…all of a sudden they all NEEDED to use it or me…all at the same time. My kids are off school and are bored. I need to organize their time, too. Edson wanders around and around the house and we always have to keep an eye on him. Mini problems here and there in school or church need to be solved. So, when all this overwhelms me, I just go to the kitchen and cook! Cooking seems to be a distracting hobby that, of course, HAS TO BE DONE. Once again, I put off writing, and cooking seems to satisfy everyone.
I made a rule, the other day, that I get the computer when Edson sleeps! At least I have time to think and not run around checking where he might be. He is right on the other side of the wall from the computer room...sound asleep. At last, I have peace enough to write. Some very loud music is coming from downstairs. Sometimes a door bangs. Oscar is also taking a “SIESTA”. Everyone is full from lunch.
No Christmas cards this year, just blogging, updating, and Christmas cooking.

School news…

We finished another year at Colegio Privado Adonai, five years of struggles, five years of victories, five years of pain, five years of growth, five years of decisions, five years of faith. We thank God for His faithfulness! Without Him as our General Director and Supervisor, we could not have gotten this far!
Things that happened this year…we had two big fund raisers, Missions week and Folklore Day. We had a clothes and food drive for the neighboring AC church of Sajonia. We painted and cleaned the UAA, a sports center two blocks from school that loans us its grounds to us for retreats, Olympics, and practices. The middle school and high school kids went on two different outings. We received gifts from the Banco Central de Paraguay. Four computers were donated by friends from the states. The best student from 9th grade was baptized in November…the first of our students! Plans for 11th grade have been finalized and accepted by the “Ministerio de Educacion”. Plans for a new building were drawn up and started. Report cards were handed out; grades turned it to the “Ministerio de Educacion”. The teachers cleaned out their rooms. Good-bye 2007!
Things to look forward to…the 2008 school year calendar is printed out. New teachers are checking out books and writing up lessons. Vivi (Ben’s wife) will be our morning principal and vice-principal for the afternoon classes. We get to wear JEANS next year instead of a uniform…even the teachers! One of our (lady) teachers will also be working in the area of counselling (especially for girls) along with our pastor. We will have clubs…sports, English, art, music and poetry. (Should I include that I MIGHT take on some classes…I just need to figure out what to do with Edson.)
The construction project is underway. We bought cement, bricks and other materials and will be picking up the first crew today (from Ohio and New York). We are excited to see things in progress and are grateful that the Lord is answering our prayers.
So…we are counting on you! Please pray for us, visit us, write to us, or COME HELP US!
Love,
Oscar and Karen

Family favorites!

I was talking about our family outing in another post. This time I’ll tell you about our meal since it has made a hit, with our family, our visitors, their family, and their relatives! I kind of invented the recipe (a gift I inherited from my mom who used to try out recipes on us before publishing them in the Trading Post. She would always write a story about us and then include a recipe. Hey, mom, you should blog your recipes!) after tasting this amazing dish.
Well, dinner was included in our deal. We were given the choices, Cerdo a la Mostaza (Pork with a mustard sauce), Pollo Grille (Grilled Chicken), or Lomito Relleno (Filled Beef Round). Oscar, Gaby and I picked the traditional Grilled Chicken and Brandon (as always) braved it with the new flavored pork dish. The meal was wonderful. Brandon kept commenting on his excellent choice until he could eat no more. The sauce was left over and he passed it over to me to try. I dipped my grilled chicken into the mustard sauce and it was the most amazing flavour! It was so good, both Oscar and I finished our grilled chicken dipping it in his mustard sauce.
Well, Tuesday night, Dan and Elias came over. They are our boy’s friends from baby days. Brandon wanted a SPECIAL meal for his SPECIAL friends (since according to him I only make popcorn for HIS friends). Well, I made “chicken breast a la mostaza” and they ate it in Pita breads. Once again it was a total hit for his friends. Marlene, Dan and Elias’ mom, came just before dinner, so I sent some home with her. She said they practically licked out the Tupperware…it was so good. Then she made a beef stirfry with mustard sauce for her nephew and their family the next night, who also commented on the wonderful flavor. So we have now tried it with Pork, Chicken, and Beef and it is still so good.
Here’s how I made it. I put the chicken in the slow cooker and cut it in strips. I added salt, pepper, onions, pepper and garlic and a squirt of mustard. Cook it for a couple of hours. I saved the juices after it was cooked, added some flour and water, about a ½ cup more mustard and milk (you could probably use sour cream for a better flavor.) I mixed it, and cooked it until it was a little bit thicker and added the chicken again. The kids were eating it out of the pan! It’s now…a family favorite!

Just keeping in touch...

History of the Jesuits

The picture is ours but the info is from Encarta...

The most famous work of the Jesuit missionaries in the New World, however, was the establishment in the order's South American provinces of reductions, or village communities of native peoples under the spiritual and temporal direction of the priests. The most successful were the reductions of Paraguay. In that country for almost 200 years the Jesuits governed a communal nation of Native Americans, founding 32 villages with a total population of about 160,000; they taught the Native Americans agriculture, mechanical arts, and commerce and trained a small army for defense of the settlements.© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

A Two Day Family Trip...

Oscar’s nephew, Fernando, was graduating this past weekend and we went as a family to Encarnacion (280 km southeast near Misiones, Argentina) for his graduation. We took advantage of the family time and spent a wonderful weekend together. He graduated from a Bible School called “Parque de las Naciones”.
Gaby wanted to see the Jesuit Ruins. Brandon, Oscar and I went when Brandon was in sixth grade. Since other nephews and a niece wanted to go, Brandon and I gave up our seats. I stayed back at Parque de las Naciones with Edson and my sister in law.
Here are some pictures of the sight.

It smells like Christmas!

It’s December…well, things have been getting hotter, in Paraguay, anyway. People will say (funny) things like…ummmm, it smells like Christmas! How strange! I smell sweaty bodies mixed with an aroma of flowers, food, exhaust. WHAT smells like Christmas?
When we talk about Christmas smells, I imagine cinnamon, peppermint, chocolate, cookies baking in the oven, evergreens, etc. I think of pies or bread baking and can even “smell” that in my mind. I picture oranges and nuts in the bags we used to make for the Sunday school program and smell the different scents in my mind…THAT is what Christmas smells like to me. What about the crisp smell of new fallen snow or the smell of gloves or scarves that have been tucked away for a year? Smelling fireword, sitting by a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate milk…ummm…that smells like Christmas!
Here in Paraguay the sign or smell of Christmas is the aroma of coconut flowers. People even bring one into their home carefully placing it under their Christmas tree or by their Nativity scene…ahh…the smell of Christmas! Little firecrackers and the smell of sulphur it leaves behind…that’s the smell of Christmas! Barbeques (asado), outdoor grilling, fruit salad…this is the smell of Christmas!
My senses are all mixed up! It doesn’t feel like Christmas…its 100º. It doesn’t look like Christmas…there are trees full in bloom and everything is ripe with colors. It doesn’t taste like Christmas…the flavors are all different! Chocolate even melts at room temperature. It doesn’t sound like Christmas…it’s too loud, full of firecrackers, different music. Sorry…it just DOESN’T smell like Christmas…

Those 1st steps!

Finally…our little slow poke started taking those first steps. Why do I say slow poke? Because comparing Edson to his brothers (I know, you should never do that, but…) he was slow at walking. He had been taking forced steps all along, but didn’t like it. He cried when we tried to MAKE him walk. We tried everything, but it always ended up in frustration, for all of us. So we just stopped trying and so did he!
Saturday, December 1, Vivi came running over and said…”Karen, did you see him walk? He is walking all by himself” Yeah, yeah, that’s what everyone says. Everyone else in the whole church saw Edson walk months ago…everyone but ME! So, it was hard to believe. Well, she went and got Edson to prove it. AND…YES, Edson stripped away his fears and started walking LONG strides not just little steps. Now it’s non-stop WALKING, climbing, and reaching for anything that he can get his hands on.
So, Brandon started walking at 10 months, Gabriel at 11 and Edson at 12 months,15 days. Edson seems to glow at his newly earned freedom. Even a couple falls now and then don’t seem to discourage him. He’s bruised and crying, but wiggles himself right back up. I wish we could all be like him! Sometimes when WE fall…we just don’t want to get back up!
Our prayer for little Edson…”The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Psalm 37:23 and 24.

No more school

No more school till February! The kids have been off for a week and have become totally bored! (Note Brandon’s new picture on the side.) They finished the first semester and have a two month break, probably because of the summer heat. I think that I am the one that will soon go crazy.
Yes, Things have been especially hot lately. We take a shower three times a day…three new outfits to change into and three new loads of wash to do. It is impossible to reuse the same shirt, shorts or underclothes. They could be wrung out…and it's just sweat! This humid heat has been especially hard on my teenagers. Edson is quite uncomfortable at night with just a diaper on…he gets heat rash to prove it.
To ease our hot, uncomfortable, sweaty bodies we set up our canvas pool. We enjoyed it the first day. The next day we had so much rain that the pool was full again…with rain water! The coolness of today’s weather doesn’t make the water attractive.
Keep tuned…there’re more blogs coming!

Backing up to Thanksgiving

Backing up a couple of weeks…wow…time flies. We had a great visit with Ben and Vivi, Jason, a friend of Jason’s from Georgetown (Pilar), and two of her friends from Paraguay (Katie and Maggie). We had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, stuffed squash and pies. It was so beautiful. (You can see a picture on Jason’s blog.)
I realized while I was cooking that this is not a meal that should be planned for our hot summer. I would be so nice and cozy up in your North American homes, but down here, I seemed to be the one baking! Everything turned out so nice. We were able to visit with these new friends and enjoy some English conversation.
We were grateful for FRIENDSHIP, for being able to SHARE together even though we didn’t really know each other. We were grateful for the ABUNDANCE of blessings the Lord showered on us. We were grateful for having a purpose to live for. We were grateful to be working here and accepted in a different culture.
And, as one of the girls kept saying…I am SO thankful…that means I can keep eating!