January 6, 7, & 8, 2005

Welcome to 2005!!! My prayer for you is that God will richly bless you and your family and all that you do each day will bring glory to God.

How quickly the time is passing! Everyone keeps asking me how my vacation is...but in reality I have been busier at the school since break then before with purchasing materials for our playground modifications, purchasing furniture for our additional areas for 2005, buying our workbooks and more library books, buying and delivering gifts and cards from sponsors for their children, getting the shirts for all the children and trying to resolve many computer problems, catching up on work, computer and much more.

Our biggest vacation projects at the school have included: painting many areas of the school...even with quality paint most areas need to be repainted every year or two due to heat and humidity. The other projects involve the children's playgrounds. Mark and his crew planted grass in the areas and even with regular watering due to the volume of children and the climate the majority of the grass died. Then when it would rain the sand would stick to the children's shoes and make an awful mess in the school. So in the Elementary area we have cemented the other side to allow for more play space and have planted more trees for additional shade. In the Early Childhood playground, when we first bought some tables and chairs, we received as part of the bargain some metal playground equipment...that never would have been approved by OSHA. We are in the progress of making a new play area for the children. Pastor Andres and Christian, another missionary, have been a tremendous help to me in coordinating these two projects.

I am trying to finish my Sept-Dec Quarterly newsletter. What a challenge, it has been since I was not able to communicate with everyone for several months. God has done and is doing so many awesome, exciting things. It is hard to know where to begin and how to be brief. By the way, if you missed any of my emails, I wrote up through December 3rd. and these are posted on the school website.

What have you missed? There have been a number of weddings lately: Rebeca Mora (Pastor Pablo's daughter) ...I was unable to attend her wedding due to our church camp...but all say it was quite lovely and music filled the evening. Andrea Romero...our 2nd grade teacher (the first teacher in the school to get married) had her students line the aisles as she entered the church. Francisco, our daytime guard got married at the church camp in a lovely ceremony. Antonia and Santiago of Caaguazú (a young couple who are now sold out for the Lord instead of bombed out on drugs and alcohol and looking for the next place to steal) had a lovely wedding that's to the Lambaré church; and Pastor Felicia's brother; Cesar married Johanna in early November. Praise God in a country where marriage is seen as a luxury...more and more Christians are realizing the importance to stand before others and God and give their vows.

Speaking of weddings, let me share a little of how the customs differ. First, there are always two ceremonies if someone chooses to get married in the church...there is a civil wedding before an authorized government official then the church wedding. Secondly, every Paraguayan wedding I have attended has started on Paraguayan time...usually an hour or two hours late. There usually are one or more flower girls and sometimes a ring bearer. There are no bridesmaids or ushers...the couple usually selects a married couple who enters with them. They serve as the witnesses and have the responsibility to support and counsel the newlyweds in the months ahead. Some weddings include sit down meals but usually in our church, they serve finger foods which all the ladies in the church prepare and donate. Also, the wedding cakes have usually 10 to 20 white ribbons attached to the cake. All the eligible senoritas (young ladies) pull on the strings to find the ring, which symbolizes whom, is going to have next wedding.

The brides also throw the bouquet and the couples toast. Some families can afford a photographer but most hope someone will come that has a camera. Decorations are usually very modest. In our church, we have a decorator so the weddings are much fancier. Eva has large lengths of clothes in various colors and she has such a flare within an hour or two of draping and arranging the cloths, she makes every occasion special.

Our recent Christmas program was a real challenge this year. We had everything set and ready to go on a very hot humid evening when just minutes before beginning a grand torrential rain hit...sending everyone to take shelter in the school's salon for almost two hours. We were practically wall-to-wall with children. So we rescheduled for Tuesday evening. Again, the heat and humidity were extremely high but the skies were blue...we were about ¾ of the way through the Christmas program when again the rains came. Finally we concluded the program the following Sunday. I was impressed with how the different Sunday School classes, youth and adults have progressed over the past few years in their planning and preparations. Praise God!

Thursday was "Dia de Reyes". Our Sunday School teachers have and are visiting the children's home to give out their gifts which includes t-shirts many friends in the US donated funds to buy. For the one church, they have different colored sports shirts and for the Villa Zulma church, the children have red shirts. Hats off to all who helped with this project. Today we celebrated "Dia de Reyes" in the church by serving all the children hotdogs.

Last Thursday and Friday we took our church's mission team to minister in Caaguazú. We had an incredible two days even with the rains canceling our children's activity. Upon arrival, most of the team went door-to-door sharing with people and inviting them to children's activity and for the evening video presentation, The Passion. Pastor Andres, Felicia, and I accompanied a young couple, Santiago and Antonia to serve as witnesses for their civil wedding. Glory to God how He has touched and turned their lives around for His glory. Santiago (James in English) had been a leader of a gang and was a drunken addict. His girl friend and mother of their three children wanted a better life for all of them. When their young daughter got sick and finally died, a salesman, Herman, came to their door and began to share about Jesus. Both Santiago and his wife have responded and now they want to share Jesus with everyone. They have children programs and Bible studies in the small yard outside their small home which is right on the end of a small area...it is a bog area and where many including many of the carpentry shops dump their trash.

Herman, the salesman, desires to be a pastor. His wife went into labor almost a month early and now they have two beautiful twin girls. We are praying to find funds to cover his expenses for a week each month so he can study in the Bible Institute, which begins in February. Paraguay is so short on pastors that when we find someone with a pastor's heart and a desire to share the gospel, we want to encourage and assist them if we can.

Having worked now for four years with Paraguayans, I see many do not have personal financial skills nor plan budgets and they are often asking for advances in their pays. Many incur debts all year and then expect to pay them off with their Christmas bonus (each employer is required by law to give a bonus of 1/12 of the yearly wage to the employee in Dec.) Also, many ignore their debts until they legally have to pay or go to jail. For example one young Dad in the school failed to pay 180 mil about 5 years ago...recently the creditors found him and were insisting on almost 3000 mil. His mother-in-law shared, he had no idea he would have to pay interest. So God laid it on my heart to lead a Bible Study on finances for those interested.

I had the materials I had studied years ago at High Mill, my church in the states. I approached Pastor Andres about conducting a class. Instead he asked me to share with the whole congregation during the teaching portion of our monthly Prayer and Fasting Service. Every year, he challenges the members to set goals for their lives. I shared scripture references for tithing and how God has entrusted each of us to manage His money. Then Raul, who helps with the school finances, shared a sample family plan that I had prepared. One father in the school who I have often contracted with for carpentry work confessed, he and his family made more in 2004 then ever before but they had absolutely nothing to show for it. Please pray that many will understand and begin handling their money as God intended as good and faithful stewards.

January 8

Last evening I helped take a group of youth to an interior church, Pitayu about an hour and a half away to present a skit. The service began at 9 PM (much earlier than they are used to and ended at 11:30 PM). As we were leaving one of the teens in my car was having supposedly an asthma attack. I tried several first aid strategies and since there were no pharmacies or hospital, we took off into the nearest town ½ hour away praying and singing to help calm the gal the entire way. By the time we got to town we learned an urgent medical care facility was next to the pharmacy. After a breathing treatment, she seemed better. However, some of us are wondering if really was an asthma attack or a spiritual attack. We finally got on the road again and arrived home close to 2 AM which made getting up for Sunday School a little hard today only to find my car not working again. Two things I am grateful for is that the urgent care was next to the pharmacy and that my car did not break down last evening.

My other prayer and praise requests for this week are:

• The doctors have discovered my Mom has a tumor on her ovaries and needs surgery. Also, pray for the mother of two sisters working in the school who also is awaiting surgery for the removal of a tumor possible this week.
• We still have much to be completed at the school, please pray for wisdom, guidance and strength as we prepare for the 2005 school year.
• Please pray for a special lady (Patrocini) from Caaguazú. She and her husband love the Lord and he is in the final stages of cancer.
• Right before Christmas we also went to Caaguazú...while in the hospital praying for the gentleman listed above, we were asked to pray for a little grandmother...who had no family... She has a tumor that ruptured on her neck. It was larger than a soccer ball. We prayed with her and she accepted the Lord, although she said yes, we all sensed her heart was not really receptive and that perhaps she prayed just so we would leave her alone. Since then we have been praying for her. However, when we were talking with Patrocini she shared that the abuelita (small grandmother) had died but before she did, the abuelita asked Patrocini to pray with her an she again gave her life to Jesus. Thank you Lord for letting us know! We are rejoicing in the victory the abuelita had over eternal death through her faith in Jesus.
• Pray for a group of youth, including two from our church, that will be attending a Latin America youth conference...in the past years our youth have encountered other Christians who definitely are not walking with the Lord representing their countries.
• We need still approximately 114 sponsors for the school year 2005...some children in that group already have sponsors but they have not re-confirmed their commitment for the upcoming year.
• Please pray for the Brazilian therapy team who will be working with the burn victims and for the funds we have available to help with different individual needs.
• Please pray for all the Asians and others around the world that lost their families in the Tsunami. Especially pray for Pastor Jacob, his wife Jaya and all involved in their ministry in India. My home church has supported them for approximately 20 years. I learned their offices were three miles inland and were spared destruction, but many of the pastors they had trained who lived on the numerous remote islands may have lost their lives.
• Please pray for my brother Tim as he celebrates another birthday this next week.
• Please pray for my car and for possible funds to buy another vehicle. I don't remember how many times I have had my car in the shop for different things over the past two months but even still it has broken down five times...often leaving others and me stranded.
• And lastly, please pray for Pastor Andres, Felicia, their family and me as we plan to get away for a few days and camp along the Parana River in southern Paraguay. The heat and humidity has been so unbearable for these past few weeks.

May God bless you and may you enjoy the cool freshness of winter.

Love,
Sue

Mailing address:
Sue Givens
C.C. No. 24078
Lambaré, Paraguay, 2420

Check out our web page that is on the web. Every few weeks, we will be posting to new pictures of the school progress and of our various programs and activities. http://paraguaynewhorizons.lam.org/

We are partnering and assisting the local Paraguayan churches in all we are doing in Paraguay. Friends and churches that are praying for God to work through us are making this Paraguay Outreach possible. All of our programs are made possible by donations that we use to cover different expenses.

Tax-deductible donations can be made to help cover my living expenses, my auto which is used for the church and the school, newsletters, and for helping with other mission expenses such as buying food, medicine, clothing, or helping in other ways can be sent to either and need to be specifically earmarked:

Latin America Mission
Earmarked on an attached piece of paper for:
The Paraguayan Outreach/Sue Givens
P.O. Box 52-7900
Miami Florida 33152-7900

High Mill Church of the Resurrection
Earmarked for: The Paraguayan Outreach
1920 Schneider St. NE
North Canton, Ohio 44721

If you would like to help our school or sponsor a child for 2005, please contact Mable Love Brown 865-984-4111. It costs $30.00 a month or to make donations to our school new multipurpose building construction fund, please contact:

Samaritan Hands Paraguay School
% Fairview United Methodist Church
2508 Old Niles Ferry Rd.
Maryville, TN 37803