Illness Round 3

The last couple of weeks have been rough, especially in the heath realm! :( Yes, that's right, I came down with yet another illness. This time it was a horrible head cold like I had in March. I guess it's better than the stomach flu from which I recently recovered, but it's still not fun by any means. Actually, I am still sniffling and coughing as I write this post, wondering when I will ever stop being sick. As I always say, God is faithful through it all. I say that because it is TRUE! He remains faithful when we are unfaithful, for He cannot deny Himself! Let's hear a little bit about life since the last post...

Sue recently invited our host sister Tali, Tali's best friend Antonella, Cassidy, and me over to her house for a sleepover. You're probably thinking the same thing I was at first: how much fun can three adults have with two seven-year olds? I can now tell you: A LOT! :) We first went to Pueblo, a nice mall in town, to give the girls an opportunity to play in the play area for awhile before dinner. When they were eventually worn out, Sue asked them what they would like to do for dinner: stay at Pueblo and eat from the buffet or go to McDonald's. They, of course, answered McDonald's. I wasn't too disappointed myself, having not had any fast food since January! Each of us ordered our food and ate, and then we let the girls get some additional play time in at the very popular McDonald's playhouse. While they played, Cassidy and I went to the store next door and bought some food for that night and the next day. It was difficult to round the girls up, but once we did, we returned to Sue's house. We prepared some wonderful chocolate chip cookie dough (eating some in the process) and placed it in the oven to bake. Of course, Tali and Antonella had to do their share of mixing and eating. Once the cookies were finished, we watched Surf's Up, an adorable kids' movie that I had never seen. I think I only drifted off once or twice, so that's not bad. Antonella even had the all-appropriate penguin pjs to complement the movie. Haha! Everyone got to bed around midnight, and Cassidy and I decided that we wanted to sleep in the next morning. Tali and Antonella, however, had other plans. They were up and had drug the toys out with them by 8:00. All I could hear was banging and laughing through the bedroom door, and I wanted to tell them so badly to be quiet. They eventually decided that we needed to wake up for good, so they threw stuffed animals and small balls at us in bed. That was sure fun. We enjoyed cereal for breakfast, something Cassidy and I hadn't eaten for four months because our host family dislikes it. To wrap up the sleepover, we dug out Go Fish and some other fun animal games for kids. Antonella's mom (the 1st grade teacher with whom I work daily at school) came to pick up her hyper daughter, and Cassidy, Tali, and I returned to our house as well.
Oh, did I mention that the girls dressed up as princesses and posed for pictures? They're a little young for modeling, don't you think?! :)

Princesses Antonella and Tali

best friends :)

our chocolate chip cookie dough

Antonella ready for bed - look at that grin!

Alex, Cassidy, and I were feeling adventurous last weekend, so we took the colectivo (local bus system) to downtown Asunción. Alex leaves us in a few weeks, so we are trying to do as much as possible with him. The rain held off for us the entire morning, minus a few sprinkles. We first decided to walk through a cemetery, which was very similar to the one Sue took Cassidy and me to last week, except it was in much nicer condition! There were many more gravestones built into the wall than at the other cemetery, but there was still a multitude of mausoleums. The difference was that these mausoleums weren't falling apart so much that you could practically see the casket itself through the door. We also saw the cremation area, which creeped me out a bit, having never experienced that before! After the cemetery, we walked around some markets and stores for the remainder of the morning. We wound up at McDonald's for lunch, so I had fast food (specifically McDonald's) twice in one week...the first two times since I have been in Paraguay. Funny.

a gravestone at an Asunción cemetery

In each of my previous posts, I have said something along the lines of, "Well...every time we think the weather is going to cool off, it gets hot again." I can no longer say that! Not only is it cooler outside, it is MUCH cooler inside! Because there is no heat or carpet anywhere in the house, it gets super, super cold, especially at night when trying to get a good night's rest. I absolutely hate being cold when I sleep, so that is a problem for me. When it rains, it feels even colder, such as yesterday. The high was only 53 and with the rain it felt like the md-40's. This means that the house felt like the 30's. It was just miserable. This is what my sleeping attire has consisted of this week: a short-sleeved t-shirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a sweatshirt on top; yoga pants and pj pants on the bottom; and a pair of athletic socks plus fuzzy socks on my feet. That is in addition to my sheets and two blankets. Surprisingly, I occasionally still get a chill or two. That's how cold our bedroom is with tile floors and walls that are made to keep OUT heat since the majority of the year it is 70 degrees or above, topping out at 100+ many days throughout the summer! Basically, in the winter the outdoor temp and the indoor temp are the same, minus a few additional degrees indoors. I am wondering if I brought enough warm clothes to use from now until August or so. . But...GOD IS FAITHFUL! It's gotta still be better than sub-zero temps and snow in Ohio during the winter, right?!

This is sometimes also my indoor attire!

my little "sister" and I after school

School is about the same: I love the little pre-school and kindergarten students and am frustrated with the first graders. Good news is that this past week I had the best day of first grade I have had to date! It was so amazing that I couldn't believe my eyes. The morning class students were in their seats (mostly!), quiet, and working hard nearly the entire period. I hardly had to raise my voice, which was good since I have been sick and can't do that anyway. See, this is evidence that they really can behave...now for that feisty afternoon class...
There is always something fun occurring at school! I recently served hot chocolate and cookies to mothers and watched my little ones dance/sing at at the Mother's Day assembly. My first graders even did a waltz with their mothers, and it was so adorable that I tried not to cry. The teachers do such a good job choreographing dances and creating skits for the monthly assemblies.I love the ways our students involve themselves in activities such as baking, theater, song, and dance. I recently attended the school play (fantastic!) and sampled some chipa (a traditional bread) made by my little pre-school students and some of their mothers.

This past Saturday, Sue, Cassidy, and I attended the annual women's conference that takes place in San Lorenzo (a city about 35 min away) each year. This year's theme was The Power and Impact of a Woman Who Prays. The two main speakers were Fern Nichols and Michelle Kvandal, and we talked through the four steps of prayer: praise, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession. I needed to be reminded of these steps so that I can restore my prayer life to the state it used to be. Overall, the worship was great, the speaking sessions were great, and the fellowship was great. All I can say is that I am so glad I decided to attend because prayer is always what I struggle with most in my walk with God.

I think that's all I have to say for now. Until the next post, take care! Blessings to all!

Ways you can be praying...
1) my health
2) my students and their families
3) my classes
4) those who don't know Christ - the great spiritual darkness in Paraguay
5) my host family and my roommate Cassidy
6) the young people of Paraguay
7) my ministry