Translating and Celebrating

The last couple of weeks (really the entire month of August) have been FILLED with BLESSINGS!!! :) Let me tell you all about life since the last post:

BLESSING #1: I had the privilege of translating for a mission team from Pennsylvania at a medical clinic in Ñemby (the town where our church is) the entire week of August 18. I had originally planned to help only on Monday (my day off), but they were short on translators for the entire week...so I volunteered to assist every day. Now I have to somehow make up all of my classes that I missed that week. The team members are pictured below, along with John and Colleen Eisenberg and me (acting as translators). There were several other translators throughout the week (including my roommate Cassidy), but not everyone was there every day. In fact, I was the only translator who was there Monday - Friday! There were two eye doctors, a nurse, a pediatrician, and an adult doctor, and I translated for the adult doctor (Dr. Jessie). We made a super team!!! His dry humor sure kept me going on those difficult days (which were 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) when we had the same old lady come visit us three times because she's lonely or when two ladies named Blanca (mother/daughter) show up, causing us to get their prescriptions switched! I was really nervous about having to translate so many medical terms from Spanish to English and vice versa, but it turned out to be much easier than I expected. I sure learned a lot that will come in handy for my certificate/Master's in Spanish translation program in the very near future!!! Medical translation hadn't previously  interested me at all, but now I want to give it a try :) This team was SO much fun to work with, and they were super efficient. All that they did was for the Lord! I believe Cassidy and I have made some good friends for life. In just four and a half days (Monday - 1:00 Friday), we administered to 771 patients!!!!! Not only that, but 133 of those people received Christ as their personal Savior!!!!! :) We truly serve an amazing God.

medical clinic team

translating for the adult doctor

A couple side notes about the medical clinic...if you have somewhat of a weak stomach, be prepared! On the final day, we flushed a man's ear out because he had SO much earwax (which was causing him to not hear well at all out of either ear). We thought we were finished at one point, but the wax kept falling from his ears! We had no idea how much was actually in there! I know, you're probably wondering why I'm even sharing this with you. That's how we felt doing this procedure, which was done directly before lunch hour. It's no wonder the man couldn't hear. HUGE chunks of wax ran out with the warm water we were using. DISGUSTING! The doctors said it was the worst ear they've ever seen! I believe it :)

We also watched the pediatrician squeeze pus out of a young man's leg. He has MRSA. Because I have severe shin splints, it was difficult for me to watch this procedure being done on this man's shin bone (one of many infected areas on his body). I had REALLY lost my appetite by that time in the morning :) We saw some pretty severe cases throughout the week, but those were definitely the two worst!

Cassidy's 23rd birthday lunch at Puro Sabor (Pure Flavor)

family members celebrating Cassidy's life

Lots of dessert!!

at missionary Mary's house before birthday dinner at Sol Azteca (Aztec Sun)

Look at that candle!!

roomies having fun :)

a table full of missionaries (some of my favorite people ever! :)

BLESSING #2: my roommate turned 23 on the 23rd (our little joke around here). As you can see from the many pictures, we had a blast celebrating with her on her special day! The day began with lunch at a restaurant nearby that was celebrating its one-year anniversary. The inside of the restaurant was decorated with all kinds of balloons and different colored sheets. The meal was buffet-style and consisted  mostly of small pastries and pastas. The main attraction was the giant dessert table, which had cake, muffins, Bon Bons, and many other types of candy. We filled up on dessert while we were there and also brought several things home as carry-out :) It was a fun time with the host family (Mom; Dad; host sisters Andy, Ruth, and Tali; Ruth's boyfriend Johnny; one of Mom's sisters Perla; another one of Mom's sisters; Cassidy; and me).

That was only the beginning of the celebration! I had been planning a surprise dinner at a Mexican restaurant downtown for a couple weeks. I had invited all of the missionaries! :) Guests included Christian and Angelica; Joy and Robert; John and Colleen; Tim, Margarita, and Ana; Mary, Alcides, and family; and Sue and her friend Sheri who was visiting. Everyone was able to come except Joy and Robert and Christian and Angelica. Not only was it a surprise for Cassidy, but it turned out to be a surprise for EVERYONE when the restaurant where we had reservations was closed due to a big power outage downtown :( We tried to make it sound as if everything was happening as planned, but finally we couldn't hide it any longer. Cassidy and I were first at Mary and Alcides' house when John called to say that our reservation wasn't going to work out. We then drove around until we found a place with electricity (We ended up at another Mexican restaurant.). Things don't always go as planned (For instance, Cassidy was supposed to be the last one at the restaurant, and everyone else would surprise her by already being there.). An amazing time was still had by all! The waiter brought out a brownie and ice cream for Cassidy, and Alcides and Mary bought a cake at a store nearby for all fifteen of us to share. The giant shooting candle was the best part of the cake, in my opinion :) We took many photos (such as Cassidy and I beneath the sombrero), and there was much laughter at the table throughout the night. The most laughter came when half the group sang to me instead of Cassidy. Colleen got that started by inserting my name in the song instead of the actual birthday girl :) It was SO wonderful to have all the missionaries in one place at one time! They are some of my very dearest friends, and I wouldn't trade this time (or any other time) with them for the world!

God is providing SO many opportunities for me this year! I am forever grateful for His love, kindness, faithfulness, and patience with me! I can't believe another whole month has come and gone, but it has. I don't want to think about the fact that I leave in a little over three months now. Sigh. I look forward to what God has planned as we begin the month of September and then finish out 2014!!! :)

Until next time, Dios te bendiga!

Ways you can be praying...
1) my health (I had a couple lightheartedness, vomiting, diarrhea issues again this week and went to the doctor...partly due to the heat, I believe.)
2) me English classes, students, and their families
3) my daily walk with Christ (that I continue to fine joy in my salvation in Him)
4) my host family and roommate Cassidy (She is trying to raise money for the rest of this year and next.)
5) the horrible flooding in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay right now
6) the spiritual darkness in Paraguay
7) the young people of Paraguay (especially against sexual abuse)

A New Life in Christ - Miracles All Around

August has once again been a busy month...so much so that I haven't had a chance to update my blog until the halfway mark! Crazy! God has been more present than ever through all of that craziness! In fact, wait until I tell you the HUGE miracle He did in my life the first weekend of the month!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Cassidy and I attended a women's retreat August 1-3 entitled Encuentro con Dios (Encounter with God) in the city where our church is (about 30 min. away). I don’t want to say that I entered the weekend not predicting God to work in my life, but I certainly didn’t expect to be permanently transformed from the inside out! To say that this retreat changed my life would be an understatement. God’s forgiveness was truly revealed to me, as was the victory that I have over my sin and the fact that I know I am in a good position with Him right now. There were at least thirty "naranjitas" (helpers in orange vests) who had fasted and prayed for weeks leading up to the retreat and who were there for us, the attendees, 24/7 during the retreat if we needed to talk, pray, ask questions, or cry. During each message that was given that weekend, I sat attentively waiting for God to speak to me. Every chat was powerful, but it wasn’t until the final afternoon during a talk about internal cleansing that I realized how desperately I needed to surrender to God, my God who has patiently been waiting for me to come running to Him with open arms. I was baptized by the Holy Spirit and will never be the same. Years' worth of pain were nailed to the cross! It was powerful to see so many people slain by the Spirit..something I had experienced before during services in Cuba...but something I didn't realize how powerful it was until this retreat. My good missionary friends Colleen and Mary worked as "naranjitas" and were two of the people who prayed for me and anointed me with oil throughout the weekend. What a blessing it was to be in the presence of so many believers all with the same mindset: to be more Christlike. God's patience with me and love for me never ceases to amaze me! :)

August 14 was Día del Niño/a (Children's Day) at school. The day (both the morning and afternoon sessions) began with a chapel service, where the students watched skits, sang songs, heard a message, and participated in games on stage. An offering was taken for Susana Wesley School in Connecticut. As you can see from the pictures, many of the teachers and administration dressed as clowns. Following the service, each grade level had its own celebration in the classroom for the remainder of the school day. Every student received a gift (Ex: cars for the boys, journals for the girls), and several parents from each grade decorated the classrooms and prepared food for the entire class. Food included hotdogs, other types of sandwiches, pizza, and empanadas,. Every class also had a cake made that said something along the lines of "Feliz Día del Niño/a" ("Happy Children's Day"). Being special subject teachers (English), Cassidy and I had the privilege of eating and celebrating our way through the school. We visited nearly every classroom and even had the chance to make cupcakes with 2nd grade! :) I played some games outdoors with my 1st graders. It was interesting to see them actually behave and have fun simultaneously for once. If only that would happen in English class! Haha!

praying over the offering during the assembly

the student body - afternoon session

decorations for Día del Niño/a

1st grade girls - afternoon session

1st grade boys - afternoon session

celebrating with my 1st grade afternoon class

I made a cupcake! :)

Roommies and cupcakes!

the boys waiting their turn in a game

Can she score a point?!

Right before Cassidy and I left for Encuentro con Dios on August 1, five more people joined our household (we already had eight). My host mom's sister, her husband, and their three daughters came from southern Argentina (about six hours south of Buenos Aires) for a visit. We had been told they were going to stay up to a month (at which our jaws dropped), but they ended up leaving after about a week and a half. They all slept in the room directly beside Cassidy and me (our host sister Ruth's room), and Ruth slept in our host sister Andy's room while they were staying. The three girls definitely made their presence known, as most of the nights were filled with slamming doors, screaming, and running up and down the stairs. They are very cute, but it is safe to say that we were all really happy to have our sanity back, especially after thirteen people shared a bathroom for hot showers and a kitchen table for meals. It was interesting hearing the "che" accent that is very typical of Buenos Aires and farther south :)

We celebrated my host mom Felicia's birthday on Saturday, August 9 with a big family meal of chicken, pork, salad, and Argentinian empanadas (since her sister's family from Argentina was still here). Of course we had a delicious birthday cake as well! The cake in this country is so different from that in the U.S, and I don't think I'm going to want North American cake anymore. Paraguayan cake is a combination of fluff and ice cream, with an added twist...dulce de leche...YUM! Mom Felicia received a bright pink bathrobe from all of her daughters (both biological and host :), as well as several gifts from church members, such as a thermos and jewelry.The church congregation also gave her a cake, so we were eating leftover cake for several days (perks of being part of the pastor's wife's family)! :) She was completely overwhelmed by the amount of time, energy, and love put into her special day, but after all she does for everyone else every day, she deserves some luxury :)

God is a jealous God, and He desires that we come before Him in full surrender. That is the main lesson I have learned so far this month. I pray that each of you can experience an encounter with God the way I did at the women’s retreat, no matter what form it comes in. Thanks for your continued prayers! It is because of them that I am thriving so much and experiencing God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. Time to sign off for now. Until next time, God bless you all!

Ways you can be praying...
1) my health (I have been healthy for quite some time now and would like to stay that way!)
2) my English classes, students, and their families
3) the spiritual darkness in Paraguay
4) my daily walk with Christ (that I may continue to experience the joy of my salvation in Him)
5) the major flooding in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay
6) my future after Paraguay (I am trying to get into The Univ. of California at San Diego for a Spanish      Translation & Interpretation certificate.)
7) my host family and roommate (Cassidy is trying to raise funds for the rest of this year and next.)