May 7, 2005

Good Morning on this chilly, damp morning! The street flooding is finally going down after an entire night of heavy rains; the flooding is normal due to the lack of drainage systems.

At the school the children finally completed their exams and in their craft times they are preparing small presents for their Moms. I had brought many stencils from the US and some of the classes are having the children make designs on small pieces cloth. Some children have just put stencil all over whereas others have a real artist eye for placement and color coordination.

In the classrooms, we have several major changes happening. First, Andrea, our second grade teacher, has been offered a job in the Ministerial of Education for the afternoon sessions. We hate to have her leave her afternoon teaching position, but she still will be with us in the mornings. Even more importantly, she will be able to help have first hand information about ministerial regulations, meetings, and so forth. Yesterday as we had a small snack to wish her well, I reminded her that now her boss is going to be the "Supervisor" who shared we need "spiritual Peace". Please pray with us that Andrea can be a light to him and to the many others in the ministerial who need Jesus.

Another change is our fourth grade class; our teacher, Nathalie, has been challenged by the volume of materials to prepare each day along with a handling many family and economic problems in her home. (Her husband works 24 hrs shifts often 4 to 5 days a week in a public psychiatric hospital and he has received practically no pay over the last four months...to leave would forfeit his chance to pay after the government finalizes contracts.) They have five children with the oldest in our fourth grade class...so please pray that God will them during this rough period and may her husband's commitment to the Lord be renewed.

We now have a new teacher, Marcos, for fourth grade. He is young, energetic, and ready to be modeled by our school to share in our vision for the children and the community. Please pray for his adjustment and that God will direct his steps.

Several days this week at the school we have also been involved in the national campaign to "Control Rubella". The disease, which has been almost eliminated in the US years ago, still is a great threat in third world countries. I had to shuttle the nurses several times to and from the local hospital. They called one day after morning dismissal (I was out paying school bills at the time) and informed our offices that we were to pick them up the next morning at the hospital; they were going to vaccinate our school. When I learned of the situation, I had my staff call to inform them that the morning families did not receive notes but they could begin vaccinating in the afternoon. They agreed but the next morning they called and demanded someone pick them up. I sent another person then I met them as they entered the school. It became a little tense as they thought I was being rebellious because I would not permit them to inject our morning students without prior parental permission. The government is really pushing this campaign and have even said there are consequences for those who resist. Everyone is supposedly to carry their shot cards in public, because if they don't have them, they will need to be re-injected. After I explained in depth the complications and children with disabilities that I have worked with in the US due to incorrect vacations, they finally relented. But at first it was a "real show" (as people say here) with this North American Director not permitting her school to be vaccinated and even some of my staff thinking I was just being "that extraterrestrial" again. However, in the end all was resolved and all the children (5 years and older), staff up through 39 years, and some parents got vaccinated. We only had a few tears push some "show boating" by a few. It was precious how the little ones just rolled up their sleeves and then grinned from ear to ear after the shot because they "didn't cry".

Another project I have been working as you may have seen by note earlier this week is to share part of a container for educational or medical supplies. This is going to be a fast project and I need lots of help. The container will leave Houston. Since the airlines have reduced what tourist can haul on planes as part of their normal luggage (70 pounds now reduced to 50 pounds per bag), we need to take advantage of this shipping opportunity to help many of the churches, schools and others in Paraguay. If you can help or want more information, please drop me a line and please pray that everything can get coordinated in time and that we can receive items needed in Paraguay.

Also, this week, we said farewell to Christian and Angelica with a big sendoff at the airport. I have been working on the school's staff contracts (we have had to modify the language and have been working with an educational lawyer); working on tax exemption papers with the municipal building for the church and school's 12 lots in Lambaré, plus meeting with a person from the Municipal Building regarding an emergency fire plan that is now required in all public buildings since the Supermarket fire. We planned some emergency contingencies but we may have to install sprinkler systems, we will see how all this develops.

Also, we have been busy preparing for the various Esperanza activities for this next week and I finished my January -April "Snail Mail" newsletter which I will be sending to the US for assembly and distribution. If you are not on the list or your address has changed in the last year, please send me your address and I will have you added. We have discovered a program in my "data archive" system and many of the changes I have been making in the last year, are missing.

My prayer requests for this week are for:

• Strength and Guidance for all participating in the Esperanza this week as we will be working at the school then late every evening
• Mothers everywhere as they celebrate "Mother's day" and especially for my precious Mom.
• Birthday wishes and prayers for Adam, Jan, Kathy R., Peg, and Happy Anniversary George and Bea!
• Blessings to 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 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