January 30, 2005

Good Evening! This past week we have been finishing various projects around the school and we have been interviewing for our final staff positions. Thursday and Friday, our staff had the opportunity to participate in the yearly Educators Conference sponsored by Libros Águila or Abeka Book. This year the conference was outstanding with a variety of speakers, well-organized, great snacks and a luncheon, few sample workbooks for the children, conference notes (so I could follow along better) and it was gratis (free) for all our staff because we use their books in our classrooms. The owners decided to use a small percentage of each book sold to help promote quality Christian Education. I am totally impressed with their dedication and was overwhelmed with how Christian Education is growing in Paraguay, as there were representatives from many of the 13 departmentos (states). One presenter from Educator encouraged our school administration; he runs a private school and like ours has strict requirements for the children and their families. He is seeing outstanding results and has urged us to press on even though we meet resistance as times from families and the ministerial.

Friday evening some of the American missionaries got together for a time sharing and praying. Since we have not been together for a few months, it was nice catching up. On the way home, I shared with Janete I had a problem. I needed to get my 5 year visa for Brazil stamped before I could receive my new passport which expires in February....it's a long story. She volunteered to accompany me to Brazil so early Saturday morning we headed to the international bus station with backpacks and set off for Brazil...to the border (the city of Ciudad del Este), it is 5 to 6 hours or longer depending on whose driving. Praise God I was able to get my paperwork all documented and updated and Janete, who did not have a visa, was able to get in and out of Brazil with no problem.

We spent Saturday afternoon and evening visiting shops and touring the city of Foz de Iguacu, Brazil. This town along with Ciudad del Este, and Puerto Iguazu, Argentina make up the triple frontier area diverse with dozens of different ethnic, cultural and religious groups. This area is considered a hot spot by world governments due to problems with black marketing, pirating items, the Mafia and Middle Eastern terrorist groups. We saw many different groups but the city streets were calm, quiet, clean and lovely, a stark contrast to the city of Asuncion. Today we arose early to visit the Cataratas do Iguacu (Iguassu Falls), one of the 7 wonders of the world in some books. Located on the Iguassu River, the falls are made up of approximately 275 individual waterfalls that make it the largest waterfalls in the world due to the volume of water and the width of the expanse of the falls. A plaque near the top of the viewing area says, "Mightier than the thunders of many waters, Mightier than the waves of the seas, The Lord on High is Mighty." (Psalms 93:4) The bottom part of the plague reads, "God is always greater than all our troubles."

How true especially in light of the tidal wave over a month ago in Asia.

Thank you for your continued prayers for my Mom and for the mother of Zulma and Aurelia. In my birthday salutes I forgot one special lady for the week of Jan. 16th...sorry Mable. For this week, I would like you to pray for these folks celebrating their birthdays: Margaret, Fritz, Zuni, and especially a dear friend, Don Bashaw who today is celebrating his 80th birthday!!!!

As usual there is so much more I'd like to share but I am out of energy so until later, may God bless you and keep you.

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