February 12, 2005...My Mom's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Evening from Paraguay! This was our last week of preparing for the children and their families before school started and there are still some last minute things that need to be completed tomorrow morning but for the most part in spite of the everything that happened this past week, God has helped us be prepared.

On Monday we finally hired two wonderful, experienced teachers for our Early Childhood position and they both began Tuesday. Bless our assistants in those areas who have worked so hard to prepare the class materials and decorations. On Friday when the children in Jardin (4 year olds) and Pre-Escolar (5 year olds) visited, the rooms were inviting and stimulating. The Jardin teachers asked her children if they liked the bulletin boards and most of the children said “SI!” (Yes). Then she asked them if they could read what they saw and they all shook their heads or said ‘NO”. When she told them they would be able to read all of it by the end of the year, they were all quite excited.

As the five old children (almost all veterans of last year) lined up to come into the school, the teacher asked them to walk into the school with their hands behind their backs; one little boys said…”Just like the Police”. Needless to say all the parents and the staff got a big chuckle out of that.

We had two nights of Parent Meetings in our Elementary Playground on Wednesday and Thursday night and almost all of the parents attended one night or the other. Currently with around 300 children in the school, we do not have adequate space or chairs to hold all the parents at one time. Fortunately, we can divide the school by Early Childhood and Elementary or by the children who attend in the morning then those in the afternoon. We were able to present all the new staff, provide parent orientation information and had an opportunity to answer questions. With our modifications of the playground over vacation, it is now an excellent place for meetings, services, and other activities.

We are getting our evening program for the youth and adults organized. This past week, we hired many teachers from a variety of backgrounds (science, health, social studies, languages, computer, math, etc.) to each work a few hours once or twice a week in our evening and Saturday programs. We then had a short orientation on Thursday.

Also, this past week in the midst of everything I hosted three parties at my house…last Sunday after our long church prayer and fasting service we had a birthday cookout for one of our friends; then Tuesday I had a Chicken luncheon and orientation for the 10 youth and some of the supervisory staff involved in the Work Study Program; then Friday evening we had a Surprise Party for one of the missionary and then later we all went out to dinner. Martha Stewart, look out!!!!!!!!!!!! Now to be honest with you and to let you know my secret of how I was able to accomplish all of that… all I did was give my keys to others and they did all the work. I just showed up…sometimes in Paraguayan fashion…late.

Janette and I have been working on various projects this week including different reports due shortly…the child sponsor forms, our annual budget, our 2004 Annual report, my annual goals and objectives and the Director’s Project for the School year. Plus on Thursday our supervisor from Latin America Mission came to see how our work is progressing and to develop contracts with our Paraguayan super supervisors. We felt bad that our time was divided so much while Miguel was visiting between school activities, attending some classes including a training program for the upcoming Evangelistic Outreach with Franklin Graham and various meetings.

I was happy to report to Miguel the success of our library project over the past couple of years. When he visited before, we just had two bookcases only partially full; now the library has grown to over 2000 books and other resources. Last year almost all the school children and approximately sixty youth and adults from the community became associate members of the library. If the children registered by a certain date they were free and the community paid 3 mil guaranies or about 35 cents. We have found that if things cost a little sometimes they are valued so much more. We had almost a 100% return on the books borrowed. Praise God our children are learning to be responsible.

Thursday I went to work early to complete some of the reports. Around 7 AM the staff began arriving and moments afterwards our secretary Zulma arrived. Moments later she received a call that her Mother had just passed away. From then until about noon, I helped her and her sister, Aurelia (our third grade teacher) to make the funeral arrangements. First we went to the funeral homes and unlike the US, there were no frills. The small room was filled with 30 to 50 wooden caskets stood on end go with barely room to walk. Next we went to the hospital morgue, which was really a loading dock to get their Mom. There was no one there except for their teen-age niece sobbing over the body. The body was naked and only partially covered with two old torn, blood stained sheets.

In the midst of entering the morgue, they received a cell phone call from another sister in Spain. All of sudden they were all crying and wailing…I did not know who to console first. About 10 minutes later two men from the funeral home met us there and we all had to help lift the body onto the gurney so they could take it to the funeral home.

Sunday 13, 2005

In Paraguay they do not typically embalm people, the funeral homes puts in some “medicine” (supposedly something to keep those in contact with the corpse from getting sick????) then the calling hours are usually held in the home but occasionally in a church or in a funeral home. The calling hours extend from the time the person dies until they are buried which is usually 24 to 30 hours later. Usually family and friends sit with the deceased the entire time. I will spare you more of the details but it was absolutely heart wrenching to see how different the families must cope in a difficult time such as this. This family was fortunate as they had a special funeral fund that helped with the majority of the expenses. Often family members are running in many different areas to look for funds.

Besides Thursday being a HOT day with temperatures around 106 before 11:30 in the morning as we left the school to go to the hospital, the warning lights on my dashboard came on as I started my car indicating my battery was not charging…the same reoccurring “nightmare” with my coche (car). I began praying that the Lord would help me make it through the day and asking praying for a miracle that I would not be without a car through the weekend with all I had planned. God provided! I was able to do the entire running back and forth with the family then Janette and I was able to go across town to meet with our boss, Miguel and returned to the school. After my orientation meeting with our staff working in the evening program and our evening parent meeting with over 200 in attendance, my staff and I went to the barrio of Aurelia and Zulma’ mother about 15 minutes away from the school to pay our respects. It was after 10 PM when we left the calling hours and at that point my staff (all women) had to push me so I could “pop the clutch” to start my car. We got the car started then as we were heading home I could see how there was very little energy left in my battery as the lights began to fade…I prayed that I could make it home. I dropped everyone off and Felicia stayed with me to help open my gate, as I have not been able to get anyone to fix it in over a month. I barely had enough energy to get my car into the driveway before it died and I was emotionally drained.

When I finally got into the house after Tulo (the puppy demanded a few minutes of attention to play ball oblivious to how tired I was) I found my gas stove won’t light and my microwave was malfunctioning. Then I thought I would wash a quick load of clothes only to open the front of the wash and to be drenched in a flood of fleeting water. After mopping up two rooms from the flood, thankfully my telephone worked so I decided to call my Mom in the USA before I fell into bed.

Friday and Saturday were days packed with a training session for the Franklin Graham crusade; the Women’s Fellowship meeting; school shopping; several meetings; working with our boss on new service contracts; starting a new Bible study; the funeral; class visitations and orientation for our four early childhood classes and their parents and so much more. So that is why I am now finishing this Sunday afternoon after my siesta.

However, in the midst of all this I received a surprise email from Mable Love Brown, our Child Sponsorship Coordinator. When I asked in a note in January for prayer that the Lord would help me get a new car, the Lord touched her heart to begin asking others to help. Unknown to me, many have donated and currently they have raised over $12,000 to help me. I am deeply touched that so many are opening their hearts to help me get another vehicle. At this time I am not sure what I will get but it needs to be a diesel with four-wheel drive and the capacity to haul lots of people and whatever else we need for the school or church. I don’t even know where to begin to thank everyone but as they say here. “Muchísimo Gracias! Dios vas a pagar”…. “Thank you very much…God will reward you.”

Now Sunday night after a LONG church service by a guest pastor

As I close, even those this is now very late, please pray for our school’s fifth annual “Opening Day” and for the first time children and their parents especially Richar who was extremely shy during Friday orientation hour. Thank you for keeping Aurelia and Zulma and their families in your prayers; please pray for some fellow brothers and sisters in the faith who are experiencing medical problem: Ethel, Thelma, Teal, and her husband Jerry. Congratulations to another Jerry on his retirement and please pray as Joel, Jorge, Lizzie, and Zuni all from our local Lambaré church who are returning for the second year or who will be beginning seminary next week. Pray for Nathaniel as he decides whether to continue or to look for work and for his Mother, Valentina, who is experiencing chest pains and fainting episodes. Also, pray for Herman from Caaguazú, as he will also be beginning. Please pray I can get my car fixed, as we want to make another trip to Caaguazú. We began our evangelical campaign months ago but in January and February due to car trouble we have had to abandon the mission. Also, pray for the new missionary family who arrived this past week; for Dr. Vaneida White who will return Tuesday, and for the short-term team including Mark, Johanna, and Mable who will be joining us March 1st for a short time. May the Lord bless you and keep you and your family “para siempre” (forever).

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 or Email address: mclovebrown@charter.net
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