Re-dedication

What a busy week this has been! All of us at New Horizon have been rushing around to complete the letters that the students write to their sponsors ("godparents") twice a year. We were notified last week that they should be done ASAP, the beginning of this week at the latest. This wasn't too difficult of a task with the younger ones because they can start and finish their letters in one class period. They obviously haven't had as much English education, so they don't write a letter from scratch. Instead, they color a few pictures and fill in blanks in a message that the teachers write. The upper grades were at more of a disadvantage because once the students had written their letters from scratch, they still needed to be translated to English and then edited. As the first grade English teacher, I was responsible for writing a short message with blanks (My name is ______. I am _____ years old. My favorite color is ______.) and placing some small pictures on the letters for the students to color. The first couple weeks of school I did only a brief review of content that was necessary for the letters. Now that they are finished, I can elaborate on that content, as well as teach other subject matter.

This past weekend Cassidy, Alex, and I attended the national youth camp for the Paraguayan Methodist church. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but I don't think I have ever been so physically exhausted in my life! Not only did we play many active games outside, but we also didn't get much sleep! I sat out by the pool a little too long without sunscreen, too. Each day we had several services, devotions, free time, and meals as a group. Saturday was the most tiring day of the three because that is when we played games most of the afternoon. We did everything from rolling on top of one another to get from one cone to the other, sliding face first down soapy tarps, crawling under a bench with a river of mud running beneath it, and answering questions while standing under a water balloon that was constantly being filed before it exploded on our head. One of my favorite activities from the entire weekend was late-night worship. Each service included lots of praise and worship and a message. Saturday night we were out and about until after 2:00 a.m. because we had an evening of elegance by the pool, followed by a talent show in the yard. Each of us had to enter the formal night with a partner; no one could arrive solo. I walked in with Alex, one of the other missionary interns. If I forget all other parts of church camp, there is one moment I will never forget: when I re-dedicated my life to Christ. This is something I had been needing/wanting to do for quite awhile now. I finally humbled my heart and crucified the flesh and all of its passions and desires, knowing that I belong to Christ Jesus! I am HIS CHILD, and nothing can separate me from the love that we share! I am allowing Him to completely transform me from the inside out, with no turning back! What a privilege it is to be able to call Him Daddy! :) :) :)

en route to camp

our bags in our cabin

the pool :)

such beautiful countryside!

ready for formal night!

The only negative experience I have had in Paraguay thus far is the bug that I caught over the weekend at church camp. I woke up yesterday morning with a sore throat, a stuffy nose, and a stomachache. Thankfully I have Mondays off from work, so I stayed home and slept most of the day. I wasn't feeling well enough to go to school today, so I again stayed home and slept many hours. The only food I have had today has been some rice, some Sprite with a tad of salt, and an apple. I am extremely weak and hungry, but I know that I can't eat whatever I feel like or it won't stay down. I am hoping to return to work tomorrow because I know that I am needed as the only 1st grade English teacher. However, I am not sure how much strength I will have. Working with the little ones requires much more energy than working with middle school and high school students. I have such awesome Godly host parents because they came up to my room, embraced me, and prayed over me last night. They truly love me and care for me, which is one of the best feelings in the world! Mama has gone out of her way to fix me certain foods and drinks, and everyone has allowed me plenty of time to rest so that I recover quickly. I don't want to be sick for my birthday Friday!!

As you can see, my week has been filled with exciting moments and not so exciting moments, but through it all God is good! I continue to remain VERY content in Paraguay and am allowing myself to follow whatever path God tells me to take in life, whether I like it or not. Following Him isn't always easy. In fact, it can be extremely rough at times. I just want to guarantee that I am on the path to righteousness at all times!

Until next time...God bless!

Ways you can be praying...
1) for a speedy recovery from my illness
2) for strength in teaching each day
3) that I continue to listen to God's voice daily