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Jan. - June 2009
Volume 9 Issue 1

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13

My scripture and prayer for this year is the last part of Nehemiah 13:31. “Remember me with favor.” In the midst of all the problems around the world, I am asking the Lord to remember His people here in Paraguay and that His work may continue. I can testify that in the last six months, God has done some awesome things in our midst. I dedicate this newsletter to the glory of our Lord, Who Was, Is and Forever Shall Be. He is our All in All!

For those who have been following our school since the beginning, may remember that we tried to ship items through the Denton Military Project back in 2001. It was lots of red tape and then there was “911” and the program was suspended. Well, at that time when every door was shut, God spoke to my heart, “That God will make a way, when there seems to be no way”. Since that time, we have received supplies and equipment on several different shipments and through other means. God always supplies…..in His timing! Our school wants to extend a special thanks to all who helped with the shipment or donated items so our school could have updated computer equipment and other supplies. With the outdated computers, we gave them to the teachers so they could work on plans in their homes and also donated many to four local public schools that never had computers.

Often times when professionals (doctors, teachers, etc) see a child with a disability, we begin to tell families all the things the child will never be able to do. That occurred with Antonella, the newborn baby of a couple that work in our school. Thankfully, the Mother declared in faith “God would have the final word.” Antonella was born with spina bifida and was never suppose to walk according to Paraguayan doctors. But Praise God, He provided a way where there seemed to be no way. God opened every door so Antonella and her family could travel to the United States for surgery. He provided America’s best neurosurgeons, a wonderful hospital team, excellent accommodations and opportunity to relax and enjoy a min-vacation. Now Antonella is 14 months old and is walking! Thank you Lord Jesus for orchestrating this healing through the many who sacrificially gave of their time and money to help Antonella and thanks for giving the wisdom and ability to the doctors who performed the surgery!

February I traveled with Antonella and her family and served as their translator. When they left for Paraguay, I went north to Delaware to meet with Linda Heller then we went to shared our school’s vision in many New England churches. Being the equivalent of a “snowbird”, a name for a northern who goes south for the winter and since I have migrated much further south then Florida, my body was not prepared for the extreme cold and the worst snowstorm of the year in Massachusetts. But God blessed the trip and provided more supporters for our school.

Also, we were able to visit the Paraguayan Embassy in Washington DC. We met with the Ambassador about possible ways the school could receive extra assistance. One of his recommendations was to contact Paraguayan businesses to recruit support. We met with interested parents who are willing to help and the response was overwhelming. We have been waiting to receive a banking account in the school’s name, so we can begin soliciting assistance. Trying to get a bank account due to Paraguay’s corruption problems and concerns for money laundering has been a real challenge and tons of red tape. Even though was not in Paraguay when the school year began, I am happy to report things went very smoothly under the direction of our new Vice (Assistant) Director Aurelia Echeverrria. Aurelia began as one of our third grade teachers and then served as Coordinator. She lives in the community and is well-respected and loved by the staff., parents and children. She will soon be completing the equivalent of a master’s degree. God has truly blessed our school with excellent Christian staff.

Since 2003, we have been praying, planning and working to raise funds to build our multipurpose sports, music and performing arts center. The plan for the building has been modified several times and due to inflation the cost has also increased. We had our groundbreaking ceremony June 1st and the men have been quite busy with working on the foundation.

Having been involved in several renovation projects with my schools in the US, we had to follow OSHA requirements closely. Here there does not seem to be any requirements. The workers are often barefoot and dig holes as deep as 18 feet deep without any special protection. We are hoping the first phase of the project will be done by November. Next year, as funds become available, we would like to have work teams’ help with finishing different areas of this project. Please pray for God’s protection of the workers, for sufficient funds, and for all involved in this project.

In January, when the students were off for their summer break, many members of the church worked together for the Vacation Bible school. Since I have been working long hours to prepare to leave for the states, I only helped with the transportation and serving the refreshments. We started providing transportation from a new area called the “Asentamiento”. Most of the children are living in shacks (usually 8 by 10 ft with maybe just one or two room) with outdoor plumbing and outhouses. They usually cook outside on small charcoal grills in one pot and wash their clothes in buckets and then drape their clothes to dry over the barbwire they have surrounding their lots to keep the cows and horses out. Their hopes and dreams are to have their own homes (on 13 x32 ft. lots). Most of these families live on less than a $1 or $2 per day per family member. Since I returned from the US in April, I have been weekly transporting the children for Sunday School. We have about twelve faithful children but can have up to thirty children any given Sunday. Please pray for God’s Word to be real in their lives; for us to have sufficient workers; and for the children’s safety in transport.

God appoints a time for each thing under the sun. As missionaries and pastors, we go where God directs. After serving almost 10 years in Lambaré, God moved Pastor Andres and his family to Ñemby. Their family is serving almost like missionaries helping to build up a small struggling church. Please pray for them.

A big problem in Paraguay is pollution and the destroying of their natural resources. In the interior thousands of acres of forest are being harvested with no plans for replanting. Often underbrush and farm lands are burnt and often these fires burn out of control like last year when we had over 6500 fires burning throughout the country. The farmers, who are using chemicals, are using them without many controls and thus the streams and rivers are highly contaminated. All of this pollution led to a very unusual “Black Rain” in April. Please pray that this country can learn to value and protect their natural resources before it is too late.

On Easter Sunday, we had a special baptism service with the two Lambaré churches. We had six persons make a confession of their faith. Of the six, four were connected with the school. One was a student; two were parents and one was our night security guard. Please pray as each learns to walk with the Lord day by day!

A special Easter tradition in Paraguay is their chipas. It is a type of bread made from corn mill, lard, cheese, and flour Here our guard and his wife (parents of two girls in the school) work together to grind and sift corn so they can prepare chipas for their family and friends.

Paraguay is a Mediterranean country meaning that they have no contact with the seas or oceans. So imagine the students’ excitement any time they see a sea shell. Teacher/Missionary Betty Baxter used sea shells as a reinforcer in her English classes. Unfortunately due to medical problems last year, Teacher Betty was not able to continue with us. This year she returned to Florida to live. However, before she left, she prepared our school the top shell collection in all of Paraguay. Besides blessing our school with this awesome shell collection, she donated many books, English teaching materials and equipment to our school. Betty is a special friend of New Horizon School. Please pray for her health and that of her family

This year we worked with our local fire department to provide a basic first aid class for our school staff. For the majority of the staff, it was the first time they had ever had even the very basics of first aid. Please pray that we can find time to provide more training not only to our staff but to many others in the community.

In May, the Methodist church of Paraguay consecrated Pastor Pablo Mora as their first Bishop in history. When he was young, he went to Brazil as a missionary and so several pastors and a Bishop came from Brazil for the event. There was also a representative of the Global Board of Missions. He has served as the president of the national church for approximately ten years. The Methodist church now has approximately forty churches throughout the country along with several schools, a childcare center, the Mobile Medical Clinic and the Korean Hospital which currently is not in operation.

Mother’s Day is always special but especially in Paraguay where Mom’s are the often the head of the household. Our children always make gifts for their mom and the littlest ones do a presentation every year of poems, songs and dances. This year there was not a dry eye in the house as the little ones sang how much they loved their mommies. This little turkey drawing was made from the child’s hand print.

During the month of May almost everyone in Paraguay wears their red, white, and blue to show their national pride and to celebrate their independence! Our sixth graders took a trip to many of the government buildings in April. Upon their return, they recreated replicas of the government and historical sites they visited. The students presented before the entire school short presentations explaining the different areas and what government business occurs in each area. The children are learning about different types of governments, economies and how countries impact each other. Also, each month we review calendar events that impact Paraguay and the world. The students present skits, poems, reports, and music about important event. Each class throughout the school year has an opportunity to plan, coordinate and present. Our third graders are sharing a skit for the anniversary of the founding of the “Cruz Roja” Red Cross. We feel these presentations are wonderful practice for our students to practice speaking in front of groups, working together, and learning leadership skills

Are you wondering what in the world is a tinglado? So far I have not found a word in English that accurately describe this type of structure. The tinglado is a large aluminum covering over a large outdoor area. It is high above the area offering protection from the rain (except when there are strong winds) and provides shade from the sun. This structure which took about a month to construct, has been such a blessing by increasing our programming space. This area covers our playground area for the elementary students and we use it daily for the student “line up or formation” upon the students’ arrival; for recess; for physical education classes; and for all our special programs with the children and their parents. Thank you Lord for this gift!!!

We have over 5000 items (books, CD, videos, magazines) now in our library. During National Book Week, I asked each class which they liked best: Chocolate candy or a book. The majority of the children selected the chocolate until I gave them a reason to choose a book. “When you eat a piece of chocolate, it is gone; but when you “comer” (chew, eat, digest) a book, you always have it in your mind.” Now many of the children tell me, they would rather have a book. We have challenged the students to see if collectively as a school, we can read our entire library or over 5000 books. The children and staff have taken on the challenge. Many of the children have already read 10 books this school year outside of their class assignments.

Often people want to help our library but transporting books in Spanish or Guaraní is often very expensive. If Sunday School classes, clubs, or Vacation Bible School classes would like to help, here’s an idea! The group could collect books of any kind then host a book sale in their church or community. These funds could be sent to the school to benefit the library. Then the staff could purchase the books in Paraguay as each year more books are available and the books are sometimes less expensive in Paraguay than in the US.

For example, I purchased thirty-two books for $90. The majority was written for adolescence and teens and many reflected the Christian life in Latin America. The second purchase I got 27 books from popular authors from the US and Latin America plus 2 music cassettes for $147. As our children get older, we need to keep expanding our library.

Over the past few years, I have often shared about the problem we have with trash in our barrio. During our Family Fun Campaign, we started a community clean-up project with each class adopting a street close to the school. With 19 classes we were able to clean up several blocks. We had parents, grandparents and siblings helping the students. Many were so excited about the results of the project, that they want the school to have regular community clean-up days and to invite other schools to participate also. We even had our city municipal staff helping with the cleanup. The battle against litter is a struggle that needs every ones participation and sometimes takes one or two generations. Please pray that we can continue to make gains in this area.

Every year, we celebrate Family Day with many fun activities and lots of good food to eat. This year, due to the construction of the multipurpose building, we lost our large play area. Thus, we changed the format of the day from team sports to individual family competitions with each winning family earning points for their child’s class. We had some traditional games and relays but then we also included some different ones. For example: Families were given a Bible verse and were asked to draw their interpretation. We have a family that has several artists and they did the Prodigal Son. Another unusual relay was putting together a 26 piece puzzle. It proved quite a challenge for the majority of the parents as they never had the opportunity to do puzzles.

Our school had a large flea market in June. We had a variety of items but mostly clothes. Many worked hard ahead of time sorting and pricing. With the help of the staff and many parents, we made over 5.500.000 guaranies. We sold probably at least 1500 to 2000 items or more. We had donations from most of our 500 families and many of our staff. Sounds impressive and by Paraguayan standards, it was an excellent gain! However, my heart aches for these folks who worked and sacrificed so hard for this sale because in US standards, we only made about $1100. All the proceeds of this sale are to help with our construction project.

The Paraguayan culture is a very caring, loving culture and it is important to give a small remembrance to one another on special days. Even though many of the children do not have Dads, they are excited about making a special gift for their grandfather, uncle or other father figure in their lives. Our sixth graders made special wooden key holders with each child adding a special Bible verse.

Last winter in Paraguay was very mild with only a few cold days but this year has been the coldest in over 35 years with temperatures hitting the freezing mark of 32 degrees F. Several from Pennsylvania made our school over 140 knit stocking hats. I was going to send the hats to the interior but when they arrived; we were in the middle of a cold spell, so we started giving them out in our area to the needy children without hats. We gave out about half the hats and then sent the rest to the Susana Wesley School in Yrbucua. What a blessing these hats have been this year. It is amazing how sometimes God sends us blessings before we even know that we need them.

Yes, you are looking at New Horizon School’s First Praise and Worship Band. Our Eighth graders under the supervision of our Christian Education Department have formed a group and they now play at our special chapel services. The students must have average or better grades and must be good examples for their peers.

This is the first year our school decided to participate in the EXPO, the large national fair held every winter in Asuncion. Schools can get their students and staff in free with school passes. The EXPO has agricultural, local artistry and many commercial displays especially for cell phones. One interesting display was a fish tank full of p iranhas….with razor sharp teeth!!!!

A group of American Koreans hosted a weekend retreat for 250 children and adults of the native Indian tribe, the Tobas. It was wonderful to see the Holy Spirit moving in such a powerful way even when there were so many different languages and songs during the service and no one knew all the different languages. Through the Holy Spirit people were able to understand with their hearts. The different languages included: Spanish, Korean, Guarani, Toba, English, and Portuguese. The Indians in Paraguay are often forgotten so this was an awesome time for the Tobas and the first time many had ever crossed the Paraguay River and was in Asuncion. The group brought many warm jackets for the Indians, which has proven to be a real blessing in this extremely cold winter.

For the last few months, over 430 Indians have been camped on a downtown Asuncion park protesting how President Lugo handles Indian affairs in Paraguay. Many of the Indians have lost their homes due to economic problems or they live in areas that have suffered severely from the extended droughts over the past few years. The majority of the Indians tribes live in extreme poverty with very little help in the areas of health and education.

School uniforms are an important part of the Paraguayan culture. People like them because it gives their children something to identify with; it eliminates or reduces the differences in economic status; and it simplifies school wardrobes. For years, our school has had one uniform the simple t-shirt. This year we finally have a dress uniform for special events. The children look great and the parents are so pleased to see their children looking so sharp.

Our winter in Paraguay (June, July, August) has been quite cold. The Swine flu and other flu problems were slow to enter the country, but by mid-winter, Paraguayan hospitals have been full and many have died from severe respiratory problem and suspected Swine flu which can only be confirmed by sending samples to the United States (a lengthy and expensive process that many hospitals are not doing.) The President signed an order to extend winter vacation for the students by one week to minimize contact with others. We have had lots of children, staff, and their families sick. Before vacation, I was taking 2 to 4 children a day home due to illness…that does not include the children whose families were able to come to the school for them.

This year, our school has been blessed with a new Music Teacher and he is taking our music department to a whole new level. He has his own music school, has written many children’s songs and even has a CD for sale with his music. Professor Jorge has the fifth and sixth graders learning how to play the chimes.

As a fundraiser for the construction project and a part of our Family Celebration, the families had a Talent Show with lots of typical foods. The children and their parents danced, sang and did skits. It was a fun evening for all. The best performance was our sixth graders who danced with their mothers to the music “Pray with you again.”

Sponsorships

We have approximately eighty (80) children who still need scholarships for this school year. The children are from families with limited resources. We admit the children on faith that we will be able to provide a sponsor for each child. A sponsorship is $420 a year and provides the child’s tuition and books. To sponsor a child or make a donation to our operation, please write:

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

Personal Support

As a missionary, I also live on faith that God will provide for my living and ministry expenses. With the decline in the economy, my finances have also declined and I do not receive support from Samaritan Hands. If you would like to assist me and various ministry projects, send checks earmarked for Sue Givens Support:

Latin America Mission
PO Box 52-7900
Miami, Florida 33152-9913

Sue Givens
Latin America Mission
The Paraguayan Outreach/Sue Givens
P.O. Box 52-7900
Miami Florida 33152-7900

or

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

Latin America Mission
P.O. Box 52-7900
Miami, Florida 33152

Email Sue: sgivens@sce.cnc.una.py

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