Teacher Natalie

I have been in Paraguay exactly one month, and I continue to be blessed with new opportunities daily! God is teaching me so much about myself, about Himself, and about His people!

the elementary students at their welcome assembly

our adorable host sister, Tali, on her first day of 2nd grade :)

one of my preschool classes

eating their snack

The school year, which began this past Monday, has already had its positive moments and its negative moments. I am thankful to finally have a routine to my life abroad, but my first few days of teaching were rough...especially the very first day! I didn't begin teaching until Tuesday because I have Mondays off. My morning 1st grade class was extremely rowdy and didn't respect me as their English teacher. They were raising their voices above me (even shouting at one point in time) and attempting to leave their seats. I finally had to tell them that I don't have to be there to teach them English. If they don't want to learn, I will leave. I want to have fun with them this year, but they must behave! Thankfully things improved a bit with the afternoon class. My plan for Tuesday was to teach greetings such as "Hello," "How are you?" "I am fine," "What's your name?" and "My name is ____.'  The activity that I attempted to do was designed to both help the students learn each others' names and to  help me to learn their names. It fell through with the morning class, but I continued with the lesson anyway. The regular classroom teacher stayed in the room for part of the class period, but she acted like it wasn't a huge problem that her students weren't obeying their English teacher. That was a bit frustrating for me! That afternoon, I had a helper in the room with me in case the afternoon class was just as rowdy as the morning one. They turned out to be much better behaved, but it was still beneficial to have someone else there for "crowd control." My second day of teaching the first graders (Friday) was better overall. I had help with the morning class since I had tried to handle them on my own on Wednesday and failed. There were still issues, but it was an improvement from the first day! After I taught my afternoon lesson, the regular teacher actually told me that my lesson was wonderful and that I shouldn't become discouraged because I'm doing great. She told me that she knows it is difficult to teach a lesson almost entirely in another language, no matter how long you have studied the language. This message was encouraging to hear!

the three missionary English teachers for the 2014 school year

my first day as an English teacher in Paraguay

The weather has somewhat cooled off, but most days are still unpleasant. I don't think we will see any more high temperatures above 100 degrees, but the heat index often makes it feel like 100-105 degrees. Every time I think we are nearing the autumn season, it gets hotter again. I am hoping that autumn comes to stay pretty soon. Although, I have heard that there are truly only two seasons in Paraguay: summer and winter. We'll see what the weather decides to do in the month of March. I am tired of sweating constantly and will be so happy for some relief from the heat and humidity!

soaking up a little sun on the porch

 Cassidy and I have continued to be involved with ministries at the church. Last Saturday we woke up at the bright and early hour of 6:00 to help with a children's event that began at 9:00. We, along with others from the church, dressed up as clowns and walked around the village inviting children to come to the event that would occur later that day, as well as other events at the church. Cassidy and I also continue to attend the weekly prayer meeting at church on Tuesday nights and the Bible study that our host mom leads at our house on Wednesday nights. The two of us roommates have begun working with the children and youth group meetings on Saturdays. In fact, Cassidy gave the message at the youth group meeting last night.

a children's event at church

 A week ago today, Cassidy, Alex (the other missionary intern), and I traveled with Tim and his wife Margarita (United World Mission missionaries who live here in Paraguay) to a town about an hour and a half away called Tobati. We spent the afternoon at a mission called Su Refugio (His Refuge) where we attended church, ate lunch, toured the grounds, and went hiking. The mission serves many purposes, including an orphanage and a women's shelter. We were able to talk to several people who work there and hear their stories of how God called them to missions. We were also able to share our stories about coming to Paraguay. My eyes were opened to a completely new world on this short day trip! It was the first time I had ever heard God telling me that missions might be what I am supposed to be doing with my life after this internship. Obviously I have no idea what the future holds, but I trust the One who hold the future! We'll see what happens after this year :)

visiting Su Refugio (His Refuge) in Tobati

 Yesterday Cassidy and I went out to eat at a buffet within a mall for our host parents' 25th anniversary, which they will celebrate this coming week. It was great to spend time with just the two of them, without any of our host siblings around. They are incredibly fun people who love the Lord with all their heart and desire for us to grow in our faith in Him. I continue to grow closer to them with each passing day, and they continue to inspire me with their story! I am SO blessed to live with this family!

out to eat with our host parents for their 25th anniversary

It is time to sign off because we are heading out soon to walk along the river, our Sunday night routine as a family. I have another long week of teaching ahead of me, and I hope that it goes more smoothly than the last. I expect it to, now that I have met all of my students and they know what is expected of them this year in English class. Until next time, Dios te bendiga! :)

Ways you can be praying...

1) for the school year

2) for my relationships here in Paraguay and with everyone back home

3) for guidance and wisdom in my daily life, and also relating to plans for the future

4) for continued growth in my identity in Christ

Revolutionary Faith

The past couple of weeks have left me feeling nothing but content in the beautiful country of Paraguay! From cooler weather settling in, to making more friends and building on the relationships I have already formed, to becoming more accustomed to the culture, I am right at home! At this point (I realize I still have many months to go), I don't think I ever want to leave this place! God is truly revealing Himself to me in ways that I never imagined. He is reminding me of my purpose here and eliminating all feelings of doubt, insecurity, and fear.

A cold treat on a hot day! 

Can you tell we like the ice cream here?! :)

Summer break for the faculty and staff officially ended last Monday when we began in-service 8:00-4:30 daily, with a two-hour lunch break (11:30-1:30). Cassidy, Alex, and I have spent the majority of our time in the teacher's workroom making our class schedules and planning lessons. In the meantime, we have become well acquainted with the full-time instructors who make us feel right at home as American missionary English teachers. If I tell you that we often jam to Christian music and crack jokes with our new friends, you'd think we've gotten absolutely nothing done. That is not the case at all. We have submitted our class schedules and our yearly plan to our respective principals, and everything has been approved. Monday happens to be my one free day each week (yeah for extended weekends!), Tuesdays and Thursdays belong to my preschool and kindergarten students, and Wednesdays and Fridays are my 1st grade days. I will lead the English club for advanced placement high school students on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons with Alex and will also help lead an adult community English class on Thursday nights with him. In my free time (haha!), I will help with translation in the school office.

 I get to meet my preschool and kindergarten students and their parents tomorrow at a pre-year gathering at the school. The upper grades actually begin class tomorrow, but the lower grades don't start until Monday. Since that is my day off, I won't have any classes until Tuesday. We have been told that we won't teach any content for a couple of weeks because the students must write and submit their sponsor letters. We teachers need to assist them with English grammar and punctuation on these letters. My really little ones will probably end up simply coloring pictures, so that shouldn't be hard to administer!

John and Colleen Eisenberg, my missionary mentors, have returned to Paraguay after being in the States for several months!!! I met up with Colleen both yesterday and today to discuss the content in the preschool and kindergarten books. We will eliminate, add, and change a few of the concepts in order to be the most effective we can be to the little ones. I have a feeling it will be difficult to teach English at that age level, simply because the students don't have a large vocabulary even in Spanish yet. I know the two of us will work together well, even though neither one of us has a great amount of experience with that age group. Colleen has already been a HUGE help to me! She answered many questions for me today, including how the grading scale works, how much English to emerge the kids in, and how to keep their attention longer with songs and games.I can already tell that she is going to help me grow as both an educator and an individual in 2014! She has such a caring heart devoted to the Lord and is an incredibly hard worker! We are going to make a great team this year!

Tali (our little sister), Cassidy, and me on the way to the supermarket

Other than school-related activities, I have mostly been exploring the city with Alex and Cassidy. Yesterday we traveled by foot for quite some time before finding a location where we could buy empanadas. They weren't the best we had had, but they also weren't the worst. The three of us were invited to go out for ice cream to celebrate one of the teacher's birthdays last week. She even paid for us, as her guests. Cassidy and I have been attending the prayer meeting every Tuesday night at our host family's church, and last night she and I participated in the Bible study which is held at our house each Wednesday at 7:00. My roomie and I have become very familiar with the roads that lead us to and from the school (less than a 5-minute walk from our house), and we've even experimented with the collectivos, the local buses. Last Saturday, she and I made the trip to Luque, a town about 50 minutes away by car but well over an hour by bus, to visit a friend of hers who has lived as a missionary in Paraguay for about 6 years now. It sure is a small world--this young lady grew up in Paulding, OH, of all places! We took a tour of her place, met her housemates, and enjoyed a lovely "American" meal with them before heading home.

one of the collectivos Cassidy and I rode to Luque

the equivalent of The White House along The Paraguay River

Thank goodness the weather is beginning to cool down!!! We believe that yesterday was our final day of the summer over the 100-degree mark, as the next ten days (and hopefully all days after) are forecasted to be between 90 and 95. It doesn't sound like much of a difference, but 90 feels chilly after 105-110! Not only are the temps supposed to be lower for awhile, but it is also supposed to rain nearly every day. This morning it rained so much that we walked out of our house to a rapidly moving RIVER of water all the way down our cobblestone street. Let's just say that I'm glad I was wearing flip flops! I love falling asleep to the sound of the rain at night, and I have to say that it is nice to not sweat quite as much :)

No more news from Paraguay at this time because this girl must get to bed in order to function for the beginning of the school year! I have eaten my supper (cooked by our fabulous Mom Felicia) and am ready for a cold shower before falling asleep. God is doing BIG THINGS here, people! Keep up the prayers! I will have plenty of exciting school stories to share in my next post! Until then, God bless each and every one of you :)

Ways you can be praying...
1) for the start of the school year (officially Feb 17)
2) for God's peace in all circumstances
3) for healthy relationships (host family, roommate, employees at New Horizon Methodist School, etc.)
4) good overall health

Let the Stress Begin!

For the first time in the two weeks I have been in Paraguay, I feel overwhelmed. Today was the first day back to school from summer break for the teachers at New Horizon Methodist School. We had teacher in-service from 8-4:30 and will follow that schedule for the next two weeks before classes begin. My 1st grade classes first meet on Feb 17, and my preschool and kindergarten classes first meet on Feb 18. Cassidy and I had fun sitting in the workroom this afternoon lesson planning with the other teachers at the school. I am very stressed at the moment, but I have to remember that God never gives us more than we can handle with His help! I have never taught English to little ones, so this experience differs greatly from my practicum in Macedonia where I taught primarily adults. I spent most of the afternoon looking through a pile of books to find supplemental material to add to the already-planned syllabus. Primarily using flashcards, music, and video, I will be teaching subjects such as family, weather, numbers, colors, and shapes to my students at New Horizon. You can't make things too boring for the little ones!

 in front of our house one afternoon

Since I last posted, many exciting adventures have occurred! Cassidy, Alex (another intern with The Mission Society), and I attended Noche Elegante, a formal young adult event, at a nearby church. Everyone enjoyed the fashion show, as we walked in groups of four down the carpet. We also played some trivia, had entertaining music, and ate plenty of food! It was fun to dress up for a night and meet new friends our age. Cassidy and I also attended a conference this past week that taught us how to work with children using puppets, mimes, and clowns. I chose to dress up as a clown, Cassidy as a mime, and our host sisters as ventriloquists. I was pretty impressed with my first ever clown make-over, which was done in a short amount of time. This past weekend, our family walked along The Paraguay River and marveled at the gorgeous lights shining over the water. Cassidy and I even rented a giant tricycle with a side car for 1/2 hour. We weren't always successful drivers, but we sure had fun and built some serious leg muscle. We nearly crashed into some children roller blading and also riding bikes, and we also attempted to gun it up a hill, only to roll backward onto the path once again. A group of us young adults attended a Christian concert in both Spanish and Portuguese this weekend as well. How awesome that I could experience both languages, especially because I have been attempting to learn Portuguese. After the concert, we went to the mall where I had the best pizza ever!

Cassidy, Alex (another intern), and me at Noche Elegante

Cassidy and me at a 7-year-old's birthday party

near The Paraguay River

Cassidy, me, our host sisters, and a few other friends dressed as mimes, ventriloquists, and clowns

The hot and humid weather has definitely not subsided. In fact, it seems to only be worsening as we begin the month of February. Temps are at or over the 100 degree mark most days, and the forecast shows that 106 will be the popular temperature for the next week or so. Add the humidity to that, and you've got 110-112 degree heat indexes. I feel like I could take three showers a day because the sweat just hangs on me. It is quite disgusting. I never thought I would say this, but I wouldn't mind a day or two back in the arctic tundra of Ohio for some relief from this heat! I have already forgotten what it's like to shiver. I am sure my body will eventually become accustomed to the weather, but it has been quite the shock coming from subzero temps just a couple of weeks ago!

Overall, I am at peace about being here. God has whispered in my ear that I am His child whom He dearly loves, and that, even when I can't fully understand the future, I can trust the One who holds it. I am really not sure what He is calling me to do after this experience. I guess we'll just have to see where it leads :) I want to follow His will for my life, so I will go wherever He sends me! This year I truly desire to grow into the woman He created me to be. To do this, I must daily surrender my heart to Him and recognize His voice, drowning out all the lies that surround me. I want to be a young woman entirely devoted to Christ.

Ways you can be praying...
1) relationships:
     - my roommate, Cassidy
     - my host family
     - the other teachers at my school
2) peace:
     - the start of the school year
     - experiencing a new culture
3) boldness for Christ :)