Too Busy to Write...but with Good Excuse!

I know I've said this before about other months, but the month of September has clearly been the best yet!!! September has also brought disappointment and spiritual warfare battles, but the Lord is good and He always delivers me from the evil one!!

First of all, I have been too busy to write a single blog post this month. For that, I apologize! I have been swamped with activities, some planned and others unplanned. I'm simply going to begin with the first week of the month and work my way through, trying my best to not forget an event. There is still a week left in the month, but this post is going to be the only one until October. Therefore, I will tell about some events that have yet to occur  :)

Lately, I have spent more time than usual with my dear missionary friend Mary. Every weekend we have done something together, whether that be eating out, attending church together, or simply visiting. The first Friday of the month (September 5) we hung out at the guest house together and met/visited with the team from St. Mathew church in Illinios that was here for another medical clinc. Once the team went to bed that night, Mary and I stayed in the lobby and visited until her husband Alcides arrived to pick us up. We spent time together the following weekend at Noche Internacional (International Night) at our school. She had told me she wouldn't be able to make it but instead surprised me so that she could see me dance (I'll explain later!) :) The weekend after that, she and Alcides took me (Cassidy was gone) out for dinner to Mercadito downtown. Before and after dinner, I spent some time at their house and was able to practice my song that I did as special music at her church the following Sunday (28th). The final Sunday of the month, I sang and gave my testimony at Mary's church, and then Cassidy and I both spent the night at her house since that Monday was a holiday from school. We watched a movie, stayed up late to talk, went to the mall, window shopped, and ate lunch together! In addition to all of these visits, Mary and I have chatted several times on Skype from across the city. She has been one of my biggest supporters here in Paraguay through the ups and downs of life, and I can't imagine not having her (as well as Colleen and Sue) as a support system!

The morning of September 6, Cassidy, John and Colleen, Sue, Christian and Angelica, and several other missionaries left for Yrybucuá, a town in the interior of the country, to translate for another medical clinic with a team from Illinios. The team was actually from John and Colleen's church, and Alex (the missionary who was serving here with us through June) also attends there. I didn't get to visit with Alex much since I didn't go with the team for the week, but when they stopped by the school a couple times before and after the clinic I was able to catch up a bit.
Cassidy actually didn't go to translate, but rather to homeschool Anna Belen (Christian and Angelica's daughter) so that she wouldn't miss an entire week of school while her parents were in the interior at the clinic.
I had the upstairs of our house entirely to myself that week, which was nice to a point, but also VERY quiet and boring! TOO quiet and boring! I was glad when my roommate finally returned! I didn't really want to stay back in Lambaré, but I needed to teach my classes. I couldn't afford to miss a full week of school, and I also wasn't needed to translate since there were fewer doctors at this clinic. The good news is that 720 patients were helped, and 44 souls were won for the Lord that week!!! Praise Him!!!

Alex returned to Paraguay!!!

I spent the entire second week of September teaching the 4th graders how to dance the flamenco, Spain's traditional dance.  We had International Night at school on the 12th, and each grade level performed a dance from its country, as well as set up a booth with typical food and additional information about the country, such as the flag's colors and its date of independence. I had planned to attend this special evening, but little did I know that I'd be teaching one of the dances and performing it in front of a very large audience of family and friends! It was a blast, and I am SO impressed with how quickly the students learned both the leg and arm movements. They mastered it in only a WEEK! :) Considering I hadn't danced the flmenco a single time in the three years I've been back from Spain, I had to review the dance steps very closely! I was surprised how quickly it all returned to my memory! Below are pictures of both the flamenco instructional time and actual performance, as well as me with a few of my students before their act. Also pictured below is our host sister Tali in her Honduran dress. What a BEAUTY! :) One of my favorite acts of the evening was my pre-school students' dance to a Portuguese song in their Brazilian soccer uniforms and cheerleading outfits. It was the same song we used as our theme song for the Encounter with God for women retreat in August. LOVE it!

flamenco tutorial during class time

with two of my 1st grade "mariachis" :)

with one of my favorite pre-school students, Jorge :)

my Brazilian pre-school dancers

our gorgeous host sister Tali in her Honduran dress :)

dancing the flamenco

I am so proud of them!

assisting with the moves during the actual performance

On Saturday, September 13, I took my entrance exam for the University of California at San Diego's Spanish Translation & Interpretation program. Unfortunately, I did not pass. I needed a 70% or higher on all four sections, and I only passed two of the sections with that score. I was shocked, yet I kind of expected the results I received. One of the translations (English to Spanish) was brutally difficult, and one of the grammar sections was plain tricky. The other translation (Spanish to English) was fairly simple, with the other grammar section being a piece of cake!!! I am super disappointed, but I know I need to continue trusting God with my future. He has great plans for me beyond anything I can even imagine right now! I can always take the test again in January, but I can't wait until then to decide if I'm going to return to Paraguay for another year or not. I want to stay here, yet I want to go back to school and get a translation certificate. Who knows which path God will reveal to me! I must be covering this situation in prayer, and I ask that all of you also be praying at this time. I now have some big decisions to make once again regarding 2015 and beyond!!!

roomies eating ice cream on a very hot day

family photo before Ruth's departure for the U.S.

On September 20, there was a large event for all the young people of the Methodist church in Paraguay. We went to Central Church, where we ate a meal, watched some video footage of past camps, and listened to each of the pastors give a short message and prayer over us as a blessing. The pastors were also our waiters and waitresses for the evening.

Pizza Hut with the family (minus Ruth & Cassidy)

We celebrated two more birthdays in September, our host sister Andy and our good famil friend Vicente (both turned 24). For Vicente's birthday, we had asado (the traditional Paraguayan birthday meal) and a delicious cake with coconut on top! After the meal, we played several games of Uno and visited. For Andy's birthday, the entire family got up extra early before church and prepared an Americna-style breakfast. Somehow we managed to fix food for eleven people, eat, and still be out the door at a decent hour for worship! :) That day for lunch the family ate out at a buffet. 

The month ended with Tiempo con Dios (Time with God), the monthly school chapel service and Calendario Escolar Septiembre (the monthly school assembly). My pre-school students also had a desfile (parade), where they dressed up in many different types of costumes. This was to celebrate the start of spring!
We had an evangelistic weekend at our church the final weekend of September, which included services on Saturday and Sunday. I attended all services except the Sunday evening one, as I did my testimony and special music at Mary's church that night. It was quite possibly one of the most satisfying nights this entire year, as I was able to once again express myself through song (something I haven't truly been able to do in 2014). I loved being able to use the singing voice God has blessed me with and praise Him in front of a congregation. I did an acoustic version of You Steady my Heart (in Spanish) by Kari Jobe, and my guitarest and I blended SO well! After one night of practicing together, the song seemed to gel! Thanks, David, for backing me up :)

Whew! What a month! GOD IS GOOD, Amen?! I hope all of you who are reading this post are doing well! Thank you for your continued prayers and love! Your support will always be appreciated! God bless you all, and adios until October (hard to believe how quickly tims is passing)!

Ways you can be praying...
1) my health (though I am much better than I was in August!)
2) my English classes, my students, and their families
3) the young people of Paraguay
4) the severe flooding still occurring in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay
5) my daily walk with Christ (that I can feel His agape love surrounding me at all times)
6) my future after Paraguay (I now have some big decisions to make again.)
7) my host family and roommate Cassidy (She is raising funds for the rest of this year and next.)