April 9, 2005

Hi! Have you ever had a week where you just ran out of energy? That has been me this week. Saturday I was busy with my Leadership class and running errands then Sunday we woke to a cold spell and rain. Our morning Sunday School was very slow to start with just about 20 children from both churches. As that ended the Pastor announced he was going to suspend the all church fast until the this week due to just a hand full of members. Also, due to the rain they decided since all the music equipment was in the church we would just meet there instead of the school where there was more room. However about an hour into the Sunday service, it was standing room only and many were still outside the church.

Please pray for us as we make plans for building a larger church plus our Assembly and Sports Center. We met with the architect on the sports center and we met with a representative from the municipal building to look at vacant lots near the school for sale or at least to talk to their current owners. Please pray that we can find available land and funds while land is still available in the neighborhood of the school.

With Sunday afternoon free I took advantage of the South American custom of a siesta. Our cool spell was short lived and the heat returned and I found myself lacking any ump this week. I have been struggling with a sore throat and flu-like symptoms but after several days of going to bed early and taking naps I feel much better.

Much of the buzz this week everywhere in the news and on the streets was the death of the Pope. He was well loved in Paraguay because he had visited here in 1988 (I think). Oh course most of Latin America is hoping the next Pope will be a Latino...one candidate that may have a chance is from Argentina. Most of the schools, all government agencies and many businesses closed Friday as the country ended a week of mourning. Some Catholic Schools were closed the entire week. I did get an opportunity to share through all of this with a book salesperson this week about having a personal relationship with Jesus.

This week at the school we continued to work on contract language; preparing for upcoming student evaluations and working on the school inventory. The children are all busy with their various clubs and the library is always busy with children wanting to check out books. This week was featured a Health Day so Pastor Andres (alias Dr Dentista) came to the school and did dental screenings. The majority of the children have one or more cavities and all the parents were notified.

One Mom came to the school confused about her Pre-Schoolers' Christian Education homework. The child was studying Genesis and the first day of creation. He was to draw for homework a picture representing this. On his paper he colored black and yellow. His Mom tried to get him to draw flowers and other things representing God's creation and he said, "God only made night and day, Mom!" She tried to apologize to the teacher but soon learned her child had understood the assignment correctly. Another Mom came to school and asked her child's teacher how she should pray. They never had prayed in their home before and her young child was insisting on prayer before meals and at bedtime. Our little ones are being "light" to their families.

I am trying to juggle two Bible Study classes and my Spanish studies and imagine my surprise this week when I learned that not just 4 pages were due for our study of Romans but all 30 pages were due. I spent the better part of last night and today completing 26 of the 30 pages of the study questions. When I got to class I learned many hadn't even begun. When will this gringo learn the Latin culture?

I have a number of prayer requests this week:

• Thank you for remembering in prayer my nieces Kristen and Laura who both are celebrating birthdays this week. Please keep them in your prayers as both are expecting babies in upcoming months.
• Also, please pray for the Mobile Medical Clinic that they can make it back to Asuncion without too many problems due to the heavy rains of last night and this morning.
• I would like to ask for prayer especially for the families of Enrique, Estiven, Cesar, Jessica, Julio and others as recently loved ones in their families have given their lives to the Lord. Please pray that we can disciple them effectively.
• Please pray for my elbow...I strained it three months ago and it is still giving me problems and that God would renew my strength as the weather hopefully will drop out of the 90and 100's with high humidity.
• For a large youth concert and evangelistic evening to be held April 16th as part of the Esperanza program.
• Also, that we can secure three buses at minimum cost and that each of the three nights for the Franklin Graham Esperanza Festival we can fill the buses with people who are searching the truth. (Esperanza means Hope). Each member in our church is to be praying for family and neighbors. Most have targeted six to ten people to pray for during a two-month period. I have 11 people who I am praying for and I plan to invite them to participate in the Esperanza program. A few of us from the school plan to visit and invite some of the families from the school also to participate...actually most of my list is school families that live near my home.
• This week there is a team that will be here from Georgia to minister to pastors and missionaries and their families from across Paraguay. Please pray for these families that live under so much stress day by day.
• Please pray for my Mom...she fell from her wheelchair the other night and landed on her tailbone.
• Please for a family in crisis where the mother is sick and the father has emotionally abandoned the family.
• Please pray for Mable and the others who are helping to find our remaining 30 some sponsors needed.
• For our Missionary English teachers...Alicia as she starts her new classes since her return and for Janette as she goes to the states for a two week leave. Pray also for my upcoming trip to the states in late May-Early June.
• For our children and the teachers as they begin the first of three series of evaluations for the 2005 school year.
• For Missionary Christian as he and his finance (the school's first computer teacher) finalize their marriage plans. Please pray for a lovely day for April 23rd as they are planning an outdoor wedding.
• Please continue to pray for my search for a different vehicle...I went out several nights this past week but without success.

May our Lord lift you up, strengthen you and give you peace.

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