10 Days Before Christmas...Looking Back

~It has to be noted that as I am putting this together it is almost 1 a.m. and the local club is going hot tonight!  It just started at 11 p.m.  My chest is literally thumping as I sit here b/c it is like I am right there.  There is not a roof or sound proof walls to this club, oh no.  But it's got the music.  That is something that we didn't fully realize when we moved here.  So, the carnival is gone but most weekends we get this instead.  Lights flashing in time with the bass, electricity going up and down, and the walls of our house vibrating.  Other than that it gets pretty quiet and neighbors seem to be in bed by 9 p.m.  Quite the contrast!  Moving on...

March 2012

Really, only 10 days till Christmas?  Wow.  Well, here's Day 3 of Looking Back.



Vonni (w/ Galilea) & Christie (w/ Anna)

This month started right off with our annual Family Meeting in Villarrica.  This is a required meeting by the government for our organization so the first half is in Spanish.  After we have fulfilled the legal requirements, we usually switch to English (for the most part), throw in a meal together and this time: a double baby shower to celebrate two new baby girls who would be born within weeks of each other. 


Boys working on school at GH

Then we returned to Asuncion.  Dan turned around and drove back to SF (remember, 6 hrs) by himself to paint the floors with a couple of guys from SF...both of them future youth leaders Dan is now meeting with regularly for training.  

David

Olimpio

 Dan returned and we met with the carpenter who made our cabinets. Two days later we moved to SF.

 

Next day (Sunday) was Encuentro, the monthly gathering of the believers where a lunch is shared, and communion and baptisms take place. Nothing like jumping right in to your new community. I do believe we made sure the coffee maker was unpacked the night before.


Day after that Dan went back to the city, picked up Sean Marston (Youth Champion for SIM International) and returned, along with our dog Piper.  Poor Sean.  SF, as you've heard us say before, is more rural than we were last term.  The local carnival was right next door when we moved in which meant it took a lot of our electricity.  A couple of nights we were washing dishes in the dark. Most of our stuff is unpacked and scattered everywhere.  I had no kitchen sink, cabinets or counter.  Now I had a guest.  I'm one of those ones who has high expectations for hosting and um, it wasn't happening this time.  We realized after Sean had been with us for a week that we hadn't turned the water on yet...no wonder he was taking "cup" showers and ours were sporadic.  Oh my.  He assured us he was fine.  You are very gracious Sean!  Come back again b/c we'll take much better care of you the second time!   

Local carnival that was here our entire first month in SF!! 

This was my "kitchen" sink, in the laundry room!

Five days later Toby turned six!!  We stayed up late together the night before, he and I, decorating his special monkey clown cake.  It was such a special time...alone, just the two of us. 

Then we headed to Yuty to a teammate's house so Dan and Sean could meet with the youth workers and we celebrated T's birthday.

Dan & Sean talking about important things...pretty sure ;)

Two days later we headed back to Asuncion to take Sean to the airport.  Toby got a guinea pig for his birthday.  He named him Max.  Unfortunately Max lasted only a couple of months, he was sick.  Toby took it well, burying him in the backyard.  He doesn't really talk about it. 

I look back at this month now and realize God got me through those first few days of our new life.  Now I have a kitchen sink, beautiful cabinets, high pressure water, no carnival next door (just the club).  It's working!  Thank you Lord for reminding me how gracious and gentle you are yet always working.  We haven't even been here a year yet...  Trusting, trusting, trusting!! 

Who couldn't use a little super baby!?!?!