The Stomach Bug

What an exciting conclusion to April and start to May - the stomach flu! :( Last Monday afternoon I began to develop a stomachache. I didn't think anything of it at first. To be safe, I only ate one of the two hot dogs Mamá had prepared for me for dinner that evening. Good thing, because the one that I did eat came back up around 10:00. The stomach pain continued to worsen, and it was so bad on Tuesday that I didn't wake up to teach my morning pre-school and kindergarten classes with Colleen. Thinking that I felt rested enough to teach my afternoon classes, I went to school. That was a bad idea because I definitely over-did it. I began feeling better on Wednesday, but Cassidy developed a stomachache and stayed home from school all day. Thursday and Friday were different stories, as the sharp and constant pain returned. I finally went to the dr. Friday morning with Sue (the school's director who just returned to Paraguay after time in the States with her mother), which turned into an ALL day event! After some tests, I discovered that I had the most common type of virus, which is good. There were no parasites present in my body. My diet consisted of crackers, yogurt, Sprite, juice, and rice most of the week. I was finally able to eat "normal" food Sunday, and it felt amazing! Thankfully we had Thursday and Friday off school, but Alex, Cassidy, and I were supposed to be at Iguazu Falls on the Brazil/Argentina border during our short vacation. Oh well - hopefully we can go for a weekend sometime in the near future. I am just glad that I am now completely healed and have the energy to do my daily activities once again :)

The weather has generally cooled down...except for the past few days, that is. Temperatures have been anywhere from 80 to 90 since late last week. I have discovered that you can NEVER predict the weather in Paraguay! Although winter technically begins next month, you wouldn't know it. I wonder if it will ever truly cool off during the daytime hours. We have already experienced some pretty chilly nights, but daylight temperatures haven't dropped drastically. I can handle Paraguayan winter if it never drops below the 40's and 50's! One thing is certain: I will not see snow until I return to Ohio in December! Although there is no snow and temperatures won't ever fall below the upper 30's at most, it feels MUCH cooler than that inside the house because there is no carpet or heat. It's not like the States where you can go inside to warm up on a cold day. That will take some getting used to, especially since the shower water isn't always completely hot either :/

Teaching has had its good days and its bad days lately. Last week I didn't even teach my 1st grade classes because Wednesday was the last day of school before two holidays (the students had assemblies and class parties), and Friday was one of those holidays. Wednesday was a very exciting day, as I had the opportunity to watch many of my students perform in the assembly. Each class then had its own party with hamburgers, cake, and other goodies. Everyone was in a festive mood and ready for a couple days off of school.
I continue to LOVE teaching my little pre-school and kindergarten students with Colleen! 1st grade is going to take some getting used to still, knowing that I need to continue to approach the situation with prayer. Sue has now returned to the country, so I'm hoping she and I can formulate some new ideas that will help to solve the problems with which I am dealing. She has been involved in education for a long time and knows what works best with behavior problems. I would love to get to the point soon where I can enjoy teaching this grade level, instead of dreading going into the classes and also leaving in tears certain days.

Cassidy and I continue to attend the weekly prayer meeting on Tuesday nights (I didn't go this past week because I was sick) and the weekly Bible study at our house on Wednesday nights. This past Friday night we had our monthly church prayer vigil from 8:00 to midnight. I unfortunately couldn't go because I was still recovering from my stomach flu. The following day I was feeling much better and was able to go to youth group at 5:00 and watch some of the ladies of the church bake delicious cakes! My oldest host sister Andy led the youth group discussion by introducing the book that we will be using for the next several months, section by section. We drew a name determining who would lead next Saturday's discussion. After youth group, we ventured to the kitchen to watch the church ladies hard at work making cakes of various sizes after being taught by their wonderful instructor Patty. Everything smelled delicious, but I never got to try any! The first Sunday of each month (directly following the prayer vigil the first Friday of every month) is always a Sunday of fasting until noon. The same people who pray aloud at the vigil service pray on Sunday morning, and we all enjoy an extended time of worship, including many songs and Scripture readings about fasting. After the service (to break the fast) there is usually asado, rice, and yucca, a traditional meal in Paraguay.

some church ladies baking cakes

fun in the kitchen

Our host family, Cassidy, and I recently attended a quinceanera (15th birthday coming-of-age celebration) for a young lady at our church, Torre Fuerte (Strong Tower) in Nemby, a town about 30 minutes from our house. There was a feast, followed by the eating of scrumptious cupcakes decorated by the one and only Andy! Some cupcakes had crema de leche with sprinkles, and others had crema de leche with coconut. The celebration reminded me of a mini-wedding ceremony, as the birthday girl was escorted in by her parents. First, Pastor Andres (Papá to me) gave the people in attendance an opportunity to share encouraging words with Azu. Next, her parents talked about how blessed they are to have such a wonderful daughter who has reached this point in her life, and they prayed over her. Azu and her father danced, and then she danced with several other gentleman in attendance. After the festivities, Cassidy, my host sisters, Perla, Papá, and I took some funny pictures with the big lips and mustaches that were passed out. Overall, it was a fabulous first quinceanera experience for me, and Azu looked absolutely stunning in her turquoise-colored dress, with her makeup and hair nicely done!

roomies enjoying their first quinceanera experience

CUPCAKES!

Cassidy and me with the gorgeous birthday girl

big lips!

God is a mighty God, and He continues to amaze me with the things that He is capable of doing on a daily basis! My prayer is to be able to place my life more firmly in His hands, knowing that my future is secure. I must not have a faltering faith or I will fall into the hands of temptation. I am so thankful for all of my prayer warriors both here and back home! Don't stop praying because your prayers are much more powerful than you realize! Satan will attack every area where He knows I am weak.

Until the next post, God bless! :)

Ways you can be praying...
1) my health
2) my classes
3) my students and their families
4) my roommate and host family
5) to have a closer daily walk with God
6) safety with any traveling that we do
7) to be able to better fight against any temptation that I face