No Carb Left Behind

This week started out with a handful of unknowns, a lot of waiting, and a multitude of prayers for the safe arrival of Grandma and Papa. Now, we're just plain busy. Busy, that is, in comparison to the "normal" stay-at-home-mom schedule I've grown accustomed to these past six weeks (the four weeks prior to that, when I was subbing in third grade . . . we're not going to talk about THAT chaos anymore). But it has been nice to show my parents around the school and the neighborhood around us, giving them glimpses into our everyday life. We've traveled by foot, by car, and by bus as well as spent quality time at home, playing card games and enjoying one another's company.

Arriving on Tuesday evening, Grandma and Papa dropped their bags, snatched Bailey and caught up on snuggles and hugs from the past three months. We enjoyed a homemade pizza dinner, heard the story of their Mexico City adventure, and got them settled in for the night.

Wednesday morning we headed up to school in the late afternoon for a quick tour of the campus and a few introductions to the faculty. We then headed to Stock, the grocery store that's within walking distance to the school, thus making it my grocery store of choice. Since I usually travel "alone" with Bailey strapped in the Baby Bjorn, it was a welcome relief to have some help carrying groceries back home. In fact, Mom and Dad carried ALL the bags, leaving me empty handed!

After unloading groceries, we did more unpacking, sorting through all the goodies that people brought by the house for us. It was like Christmas come early as we pulled out books and toys, clothes and spices, curtains and toiletries, and - of course - Kool-Aid. We were overwhelmed with the amount of "stuff" that many of you sent with my parents; merely saying THANK YOU is inadequate, but for now, it'll have to do. I'll tackle you with a bear hug when we get home in December! :)

For dinner I wanted to make a traditional Paraguayan meal, so we had milanesa de pollo, puree de papas, y (and) salsa de carne (a.k.a. fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy). With the exception of the country gravy, the chicken recipe IS a classic Paraguayan dish - it just sounds more authentic if you call it milanesa de pollo instead of fried chicken.

Thursday found us up at school again, this time helping out with Day Camp for the Pre-K through 2nd grade students. Mom felt right at home with the primary students, reminiscing about her days in the classroom and of VBS crafts back home. The evening ended with a walk to our favorite ice cream shop - Dona Angela - and Friday passed rather uneventfully; just a quick bus ride to the mall for lunch in the food court and yet ANOTHER trip to the grocery store (man, those Fulbright's can really eat!!!).

Saturday was by far the most hectic day so far. We left mid-morning for Colon, a street in downtown Paraguay with shops selling traditional Paraguayan trinkets and souvenir type doodads. Trouble was, we went without a seasoned bus traveler and - since I'd only been there once before - I had us exit the bus several blocks from our real destination. But, after a few blocks of unexpected walking and only one U-turn, we made it to the shops and enjoyed perusing the shops, bartering with the shopkeepers in broken Spanish.

For lunch, we went to the Lido Bar, a corner cafe well-known in Paraguay for their empanadas and juices. YUM!

And, as if the delicious lunch wasn't enough, we headed to Paulistas (a Brazilian churrasqueria) for dinner, enjoying the all-you-can-eat salad bar, endless skewers of various meats, and a divine spread of desserts.

To sum it all up, I suppose you could say that we've eaten our way through the week - and enjoyed every minute of it! Paraguayan meals are mostly meat and bread which has been an adjustment for my parents, but they can get back to their South Beach no/low-carb diet when they get back to the states. For now, they're living it up!

Victory and Waiting

One of the after-school programs that Brandon helped to start was a debate team for the high school students. Eight students met after school for weeks, preparing for the first debate tournament in which the school had ever participated.

The tournament, sponsored by the United States Embassy, was a multi-week endeavor. The Thursday of this last week found the team in the finals, competing against other American schools from the city. After several rounds of debate, the team claimed victory and enjoyed a Burger King lunch to celebrate!

Below is a photo of the four team members who lead the team to victory (together with their coach, Christian Ayala).

With the success of the debate team, Brandon is asking for prayer as he continues to expand the after-school programs. He knows that it is easy to get distracted by success and busyness. Rather than fill the school calendar with events for the sake of staying busy, he desires to stay focused on the things that God would have him do for His glory.

This week has also found us in the midst of spring - and REAL genuine spring-like weather. The temperature has been in the upper-70's to low-80's, something we were told NOT to expect. Those at the school who have lived here for years are surprised, too, at the mild weather. Apparently the seasons usually just jump straight from winter to summer. Well, at least that's what they remember from year to year, anyway. Perhaps the summers are so extreme that it just SEEMS like there's not a spring to speak of before the scorching temperatures and matchless humidity arrive. Whatever the case may be, we are thoroughly enjoying these days!

We were met with still more "unexpectedness" this weekend as we waited for Stacy's parents to arrive. Apparently they needed to have visas to visit, which we did not know they needed, so they were not allowed to board the plane in Mexico City to finish their journey through Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Asuncion. They've spent the past two nights in Mexico City and, as I type, they are headed to the Paraguayan Consulate (in Mexico City) to get their Paraguayan visas. The airline has promised to honor their plane tickets once they have their visas and we are hopeful that they will arrive on Tuesday. Please pray for favor with the Paraguayan Consulate, that they will receive their visas on Monday, and for a safe trip through to Asuncion. We are anxious to see them!

UPDATE: As of Monday night, Dave and Faylin are en route to Brazil! They don't have their flight information for getting to Asuncion, but they should be here either at 6:30 or 11:30 P.M. on Tuesday night! PRASIE GOD!!! I've attached a copy of the e-mail we received updating us on their progress. Please pray special blessing on Graciela, the author of the e-mail, for all of her help communicating Dave and Faylin's flight plans.

I hope you receive my e-mail. I helped your parents to buy a couple of sandwiches at Subway in Mexico City. I'm an Argentine journalist living in Mexico and I gave them my phone number in case they need help. Your mother called me this afternoon asking me if I could send you an e-mail to you with details of their arriving. I explained all this as perhaps you think this is a joke or something strange. But I'm just a person who helped a couple of tourists, the same way I had received assistance when I visited other places.
So I repeat what your mother said:
1. They are leaving Mexico City tonight a 11:30pm, arriving Sao Paulo, Brazil, about 8/8:30.
2. They are leaving from Sao Paulo through airline TAM and arriving in Asunción, Paraguay, during the afternoon, but your mother said they didn't know the time.

I don't know if you speak with your parents, but they had to stop in Mexico City to get a visa to enter Paraguay.
Regards,
GHO

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

After these past few weeks, the once cute bedtime mantra "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" will never quite have the same ring to it.

Over a week ago, one of our upstairs neighbors (a couple) discovered fresh bug bites on themselves upon awakening one morning. Since the weather had begun to heat up (slightly), they initially assumed they were mosquito bites and that the anti-mosquito-bite bracelets they had been wearing weren't working. Upon further inspection, though, the appearance of the bites wasn't quite consistent with mosquito bites and they began a google image research project to ascertain the origin of their bites. After hours of perusing bug bite pictures and comparing their bites to the photos online, they came to the realization that they had been bitten by bedbugs. A few days later one dead bug, a scattering of bedbug feces, and the "shell" of one bug who has molted were all found on their sheets (and the bed quickly abandoned until further notice).

The realization of a bedbug presences prompted yet more research as to the origin, life cycle, and feeding patterns of these little nuisances, as well as methods for ridding the apartment of them. Paranoia also set in for the rest of us in the apartments as we scoured OUR sheets looking for evidence of bedbugs in our mattresses and bites on our bodies. Every time Bailey cried in her crib, an image of her being attacked by those little buggers flashed through my mind. She's fine - as are the rest of us - but I would have been one angry momma bear and those bedbugs would have had some intense wrath to deal with had she been bitten! :)

After a week of research, exploratory visits by exterminators, countless loads of laundry for the "infected" apartment couple, and a half-dozen "apartment meetings" about what to do, the entire building was treated with a yogurt-type paste yesterday morning. Apparently, the paste was squirted in cracks and along the baseboards, while the floors were treated with a non-toxic something or other. There was the option of doing an air-born insecticide, but we would have had to leave the apartments for 8 plus hours, deep clean every surface (while wearing masks and gloves), and wash everything fabric. As it was, we still had to wipe down everything upon returning to the apartments and wash all the dishes. But at least there wasn't a mad rush on the three washers and dryers as eleven of us scrambled to launder everything fabric.

And, as if bedbugs and and of themselves weren't enough, the timing of it all was - as always - impeccable. You see, this week is the end of the quarter at school with report cards due Thursday and Parent/Teacher Conferences next week. PLUS, elementary students are going to camp this next week, with middle and high school students going the following two weeks. So, while planning for camps, catching up on grading, putting together report cards and scheduling conferences, the new teachers have had bedbugs added to their already overflowing plates.

But, alas, there's a glimmer of rest in sight as tomorrow (Wednesday, September 29th) is Dia de Boqueron in Paraguay. The Battle of Boqueron, was one of the most important battles fought during the Chaco War (1932 - 1935) between Bolivia and Paraguay. Wikipeida - in all it's glory - describes it as the D-Day of the Chaco War as it was the day Bolivian troops surrendered at the fort due to lack of ammunition, food and water. Dia de Boqueron is a national holiday and we will be enjoying a well timed day off! Thanks, God!

My Church

Disclaimer: This post is not the usual play-by-play of the past week that you may have grown accustomed to. It's something a little more thought-provoking (perhaps) to spice things up a bit.

As I sit here and think about this past week and the events that have transpired, I'm finding it hard to come up with anything extraordinary to write about. It was a week filled with the usual: teaching for Brandon; laundry, cooking and cleaning for Stacy; tutoring; Skype calls with friends and family; walks and bus rides around town; and church service in Spanish. In some ways, though, that's a comforting feeling. For me, a week passing without any out-of-the-ordinary events signals that we are adjusting to our new circumstances and Asuncion is becoming home.

One thing I have become acutely aware of, though, is how protective (some) people are of their churches. Coming into a Christian school with a staff of believers and a student population of missionary kids (well, half of the students anyway), I expected to be bombarded with invitations to various churches. It would not have been surprising to me at all if there was a rotation of some sort with parents and teachers signing up to take us newbies to a different church every Sunday for the first few weeks (or months). I thought we would have to sort through all of the invites, kindly declining repeat visits for quite some time. I was taken aback, then, when we were met with exactly the opposite: not a single unsolicited invitation. We have had to seek out services and invite ourselves to join others at their churches.

Please hear my heart; I don't harbor any ill will towards the school, it's staff, or the parents that "should have" invited us to their church. Rather, I think it's a microcosm of a bigger "problem" within the Church (big C) as a whole. And I think the problem is two-fold. One, we're too comfortable with the status quo in our church home to invite a stranger in to potentially disrupt the equilibrium. And two, we're too insecure about how we've chosen to worship (in terms of music choices and teaching methodologies) to let someone see us; we're not willing to run the risk of judgement - and rejection - based on a stylistic preference.

That said, we have found a church that we have really enjoyed attending the past two weeks. The service is in Spanish so we're scrambling to translate what's being said, but having the songs on PowerPoint slides and a side-by-side Spanish/English Bible is helping tremendously.

My challenge to you (and to myself), now, is to get over yourself and ask people to join you at church. They may disrupt your typical Sunday routine. You may miss out on your usual Sunday morning chat with so-and-so because you're introducing your friend to others. You might sit next to someone new, or go to lunch after church with a different group of people. Your friend may even raise an eyebrow at the music style, teaching modality, or dress code.

But then again, God could be using you to introduce them to their new home. You just never know.

Focus on the Students

I was perusing our past blog posts and realized that I've been focusing on what we've been doing socially outside of school and not on the ministry that's taking place here at Asuncion Christian Academy. Here are some pictures of what we are involved in here at school:

Brandon taking attendance with one of the high school classes:

Ultimate frisbee:

Tennis ball throwing/catching with 3rd graders:

Basketball with high school boys:

After school sports:

Homework club:

Brandon also had the opportunity to work with one of the high school students who was speaking at WADE, the Friday night youth group that takes place at the school every week.

We also braved the buses without a guide to a church we hadn't been to before on Sunday morning. I had directions from one of the mom's at school complete with landmarks like bridges, pharmacies, and car dealerships rather than street names. We made it (phew!) and had a wonderful time worshiping at Mi Esperanza (My Hope) on Sunday morning:

Sports and Food

This past week was (again) full of good food and lots of activities around campus. Sunday, we ventured out into the city towards some upscale looking shops we had driven by the week before. Most of the stores were closed, but we did happen upon a Bath & Body Works (with ridiculously high prices) and a craft store similar to Color Me Mine. There was also this billboard with the Statue of Liberty holding a Pulp brand soda . . . and you thought she was holding a torch glowing world-wide welcome.

It's amazing how much more you feel at home when you get out of your home and explore, going down new roads to see new sights, and experience new things. It seems backwards in some ways - that new and unfamiliar things would lead to a feeling of greater affinity - but that has been our experience thus far.

In addition to teaching P.E. (high school class pictured above) and supervising after-school activities during the week (art club, homework club, sports club . . . ), Brandon is also working to expand the Friday afternoon game tradition. In the past, student and staff members (boys only), have stayed after school to play a pick-up game of futbol (soccer). And, while that is enjoyable for those who played, us ladies didn't feel welcomed to join and not all the boys felt confident enough in their soccer skills to participate. Solution: volleyball! Brandon sent out an all school e-mail and talked it up among the students during P.E. class and there were 14 students and staff that stayed after school to play volleyball on Friday.

There were several other girls, too, that said they would stay the next Friday; I guess they wanted to see that it really was going to happen - and that it would be fun - before committing to come.

In keeping with the sports theme of this week, Brandon had not one, but TWO fantasy football drafts. And, thanks to modern technology, he didn't miss a beat.

With his buddy Brian on Skype, his draft "cheat sheets" spread on the desk, the draft website up on the computer, and Bailey's advice from earlier in the week, he made his picks with ease. There was one HUGE thing he missed, though: FOOD! But don't worry, his friends paraded plates of bean dip, sandwiches, and pasta by the computer's camera so he could see what he was missing. Good friends, they are!

Friday night came quickly and we were glad to find ourselves going out to dinner with our "Board Buddy" family, the Kim's. The wife, Heddy, is on the school board and she (together with her husband and daughter) were the ones who stocked our apartments with some basic items when we first arrived and helped us do our initial shopping to get settled in. They have continued to be welcoming, calling from time to time to check on how we are doing and taking us out for good meals! Friday found us at a Japanese restaurant where we had a delicious soup type dish that was cooked on the table in front of us. Like most meals, I couldn't tell you half of what was in it, but it was delicious!

Bailey slept soundly through most of the meal on two chairs pulled up next to mine:

Brandon spent Saturday morning on the golf course, cheering on one of the sophomores from school who was playing in a tournament. The top four players from this weekend's tournament goes on to represent Paraguay in a South American tournament. As of the time of this publishing, she was two strokes out of fourth place.

The girl obviously golfs quite frequently and has invited Brandon to join her and her dad on the course. When my parents visit in October, they will be bringing Brandon's clubs so he can go to the driving range with them from time to time and be their guest on select Wednesday afternoons, golfing for free at the local country club where they are members.

Saturday night was the night that the gang from the apartments decided to take our apartment "parents" out to dinner to thank them for all of their help over the past six weeks. Kevin and Belinda Van have been extraordinarily helpful, taxiing us around to various stores, restaurants, doctors appointments and pharmacies. They've been our go-to people for advice and continually go above and beyond in the helpful department. We went to a Brazilian restaurant - similar to the one Brandon and I went to on our date - and enjoyed a buffet full of scrumptious salads, soups, sushi, and sides while waiters brought skewers of various meats to the table continuously. Brandon and Nate made a deal not to say "no" when meat was offered; Nate said no first, thus making Brandon the "winner" . . . silly games for silly boys.

The music teacher (Nick) and his wife (Mara) have arrived, meaning that we're only missing ONE person to make our apartment family complete. Pray for a quick arrival for Kristen - the third grade teacher - and the continuance of the familial feeling in the apartments!

Seeing God's Character

This past week has been a testimony to many different facets of God's character. They're those lessons that you "know" but forget until He reveals Himself in a big way, and then you realize that He's been making himself known in small ways all along.

Protector God - Last Sunday, Brandon had the opportunity to attend his first (of, I'm sure, many) professional soccer games here in Paraguay. In the league there are two main teams, Cerro Porteño and Olimpia. Their fans are extreme and the rivalry is more intense than anything we know in the states. Many fans don't wear the team colors to the game for fear of physical assault and, those that choose to wear jerseys, often change into the jersey once in the stadium and change back into their street clothes before leaving the gates. The stadium is divided down the middle, Cerro fans on one side, Olimpia fans on the other, with the die-hard hooligans behind the goals on either end.

That said, Brandon had a great time. He wore a neutral color (which was difficult considering one team is red and blue, the other white and black, and most of his clothes are one of those four colors) and enjoyed the game as a fan of soccer, not as a fan of either team. He went to the game with a group of guys from school and sat with native Paraguayans who kept him in the loop. He and our upstairs neighbor who went to the game, too, haven't stopped talking about it since . . .

God of Strength - Brandon has found a gym at which he's been working out , and I've been running a few days a week with the girls from the apartments. We walk up a few blocks to the Parque de Salud, then check in at the entrance (we also have to check out, so they know no one is trying to stay the night in the park). It's a public park that's quasi connected to the government hospital down the road. It's full of trees, gardens, and a few play areas for kids. It also has two trails that loop around; one for pedestrians, one for bikes. Here's a picture of it that I found on-line:

In all, it's 1500 meters (just shy of one mile), and we've been averaging four laps each time we go. We've also tried a couple of workout DVDs that I brought; the maintenance men at school must have thought we were crazy when we were out on the BBQ area behind the apartments doing kickboxing . . .

God of Health - Tuesday found us at the doctors office again, but don't worry, no one was sick. In order to obtain our residency in Paraguay and get our green cards, we have to have three certificates from a doctor saying that, first, we're in good physical health, second, we're in good mental health, and third, that our skin is free from disease. The doctor said that the dermatological certificate dates back to days when leprosy was prevalent. Getting the certificates is one of what seems like a hundred steps to obtaining residency, so we are grateful to be one step closer.

Almighty God - The rest of the week was a testimony to the power that God has over our lives. There is a student at school who had a powerful spiritual battle during the school day on Wednesday, and Brandon found himself in the middle of it. He got to witness how real the enemy is and how extraordinary God's presence is. Check out the "Prayer" tab above to see how you can be in prayer for this student, Brandon, and the school.

God of Comfort - Friday was my (Stacy's) last day teaching 3rd grade, and I didn't even know it until lunch time that day. Earlier in the week - after a rough day on Monday - I had spoken with one of the directors about how things were going and she let me know that middle school science teacher's daughter was available to substitute in the class if I needed to be done. The rest of the week, I prayed about what to do - and kept wishing that there was an obvious, black and white "right" answer - and kept coming up with a big question mark. Which leads us to Friday, when I stopped by her office on my way to feed Bailey. She again told me that there was someone else that could take the class if I needed her to, and, without any forethought at all, I spit out the words, "yes, I think that will be best. I think I'm done."

As I left her office my heart started pounding and panic started to set in. What had I just done? Walking across the soccer field to our apartment, tears started slipping out of the corners of my eyes as I thought to myself "I just quit . . . I just quit . . . I've never quit anything in my life . . . what are you doing, Stacy?" Sitting down with Bailey in my lap, though, the tears flowed a bit more, as I looked in her beautiful blue eyes and told her "I choose YOU . . . I choose to be Mom."

I'm still torn about whether what I've done is "right" - after all, I've fallen for that third grade class - but God has been faithful to provide comfort and encouragement. And He's reminded me that no one has been getting my best the past few weeks. Bailey has had to share me with 13 eight year olds. The third grade class has gotten hurriedly planned lessons and classes disrupted with crying, feedings and dirty diapers. Brandon's had a sloppy house and a frantic wife. Now, Brandon and Bailey can have the best of me, not my leftovers.

God of Laughter - Friday was also the night Brandon ventured off with the high school group Wade that meets weekly at the school. It's like the mid-week programs we have back in the states. But Friday was one of their excursions to a bowling alley and Brandon went to help chaperone the outing. Like most things, it was different from bowling in the states. For one, Brandon didn't have his own ball and wrist brace with him so he couldn't bowl at the professional level he's used to (ha!). Also, the pins aren't reset by a machine like at Brunswick lanes. Instead, there are strings through the pins that are pulled taut when the pins need to stand up again for the next bowler. Needless to say, there's a lot less "pin action" and fewer strikes. But Brandon made a deal with three students that if they beat him, they wouldn't have to do fitness day Friday in P.E. the following week. But, if he won, they would have to to do fitness day AND stay after school to do a second session. He beat two of the three kids.

God of Friendship - One of the directors at school invited all the staff over to her house on Saturday for a dessert and coffee social. The desserts were delicious, of course, and it was nice to see the teachers off-campus and out of teacher mode. One of the teachers has a young daughter, too; she and Bailey are becoming friends quickly!

Thank you, Lord, for making Yourself known in so many ways this week. You have used events, big and small, to reveal Your character, and to show us how much You love and care for us.