"Das Embawwasing!"

A dear friend's child once said this to her when he was only about 4 years old--and as I look back at the last post (from APRIL!!??) that was my first thought!  So, here goes at a quick update to a few very full, busy months.

APRIL: During the second half of April, I drove some of the longest days of the trip.  There were several days of 6-8 hours of driving as I worked my way from Pennsylvania to Louisiana.  I enjoyed getting to see many family members and friends along the trip.

 Enjoying a "Girls' Night In/Parents' Night Out"

Visiting with my grandpa after a few years 

 I got to meet my "nephew" R for the first time--and he'll be getting a sibling in September!

 I had two of these three brothers in my class at the Training Center.  I was blessed to get to be a part of their lives for another weekend.

MAY:  In May I was able to empty the car and settle into one place for a few weeks--it was fantastic!  As much as I enjoy traveling, it was VERY nice to be in one place. :-)

 I made it to Louisiana and got to visit with some very good friends.

I was able to spend the month of May with my brother, and was able to take care of my nephew for a few short days.  It was great to be "Aunt Carrie" for a few days!

We worked out a surprise visit from my mom to Louisiana--and I made it to Dallas and halfway back (4 1/2 hours driving!) before I realized I didn't have my wallet...no cash, no cards, no DRIVERS' LICENSE. :-O

Mom's trip turned out to be over Mudbug Madness!

We went to the wedding of some friends from church--it was great to see them get married.  Only about five years ago they were my "kids" at youth camp.  This picture is of Mom and I getting ready for the photo booth. 

With my mom and my brother in May

With Gabe and Ellen, my very dear friends from Louisiana.

JUNE:  June ended up being a little different that I expected.  A short week and a half after returning to North Carolina, we received word that my brother would be having surgery.  My mom, dad, and I all traveled to Louisiana to be with him before and after the surgery.  It went very well--and we are very grateful for the doctors and nurses who cared for him!

My nephew was able to come back to visit, and walked in with this gift bag saying "Iz happy-fadders-day, Dad!" 

 C's reaction to seeing my brother's surgery wound--he declared it "DisGUSting!"

After two extra weeks in Louisiana, Mom and I returned to NC on June 21st, and helped process a truck-bed full of corn the next day.  Needless to say, we were exhausted!

Thank you for your prayers through all the traveling thus far.  Over the next month I'll be spending time with my family here in NC, and making plans for returning to Paraguay at the end of July.  

Traveling through PA

I've been traveling within the US for over five weeks now, and it's been a lot of fun.  This morning I woke up and didn't know where I was--not a surprise considering that I've stayed in 14 different houses in the 6 weeks--but the difference this time is that I wasn't even concerned, I just fell back to sleep!

Meeting my Daddy at the airport in NC, Feb. 27

 

Driving for the first time in a year and a half

The driveway at my grandpa's with 5" of snow

 The driveway at my grandpa's after shoveling

 Spending time with "the greats"

 

I also got to enjoy a trip to NYC to visit some friends

Thank you so much for your prayers.  I will be traveling for another 6-7 weeks before stopping long-term in North Carolina.  In just a few short weeks, I'll be with my brother and my nephew--so looking forward to seeing them!  Praise the Lord for the opportunity to share 5 times in three churches, and many opportunities coming up. 

Well, that was fast

 Most of my worldly possessions in the middle of my bedroom floor on Sunday (it looks better now!)

Dinner with friends on Monday night

I had arranged for friends to stay in my house while I'm in the US--it was going to work out great for all of us.  Saturday morning while I was walking around downtown, I got a text message: "Houston, we have a problem."  Their landlord was telling them to move out this past weekend, so they quickly packed up their apartment and moved all their stuff over to my house a few days earlier than planned.  I quickly moved many of my things into my bedroom to store, and cleaned the house as much as I could before we filled it up. 

The amazing thing about it was seeing the body of Christ work together.  A friend from church came to work on my A/C to get it running again, another friend came and helped unload everything--then stayed and helped the electrician-friend with the A/C, the electrician's wife helped organize, clean, and fold clothes to put away while their 7-year old son organized all my friends' shoes!  They went above-and-beyond what was expected of them, despite being tired from a long work week and a lot of traveling.  Praising God this week for good friends and the body of Christ!

*Sorry about the quality of the pictures, they're from my cell*

Traveling in Paraguay

 Last Friday morning we set off with everything tied down on the roof!

 We were surprised at what we found on the east side of Paraguay--this mountain reminds me of Shiprock, NM

 At Kids' Club with some missionaries who minister there

 No editing here--the farther away from the capital city, the cleaner the air, and the clearer the colors!

 One stretch of the road we took into a tribal colony

With one of the kids we traveled with and a very surprised baby duck

The ducks visit this little boy's house every morning, though they belong to the neighbors :-)

We had a great trip--thank you for your prayers.  I look forward to sharing more about it in person in just a short period of time.

The Roller Coaster

I waited in line for what seemed like hours

Snaking back and forth with many others

During the wait, some fell away

I stayed in line, watching the others before me

Get into the car, strap in and start off

Time after time, the cars return

And new people take off

When finally it's my turn

My nerves start up, my stomach reacts

I head towards the car and step in

I sit down, buckle the safety belt

And I look ahead

All that is before me is a dark tunnel

I see no end, I see no turns

Will we go up?  Will we go down?

To the left?  To the right?

The motor starts up

And we inch forward

With expectations and hopes.

 Please be praying during the next few weeks.  I'll be visiting with friends and we'll have many opportunities to talk about what God may have for us in the future.  Would you please keep us in mind? 

Why A Furlough?

In my last post, I mentioned a that I'll be taking a furlough in 2013.  It's been exciting to see God planning all of this--because it was definitely not what I expected for the first half of 2013.   

The Short Version:
Why a furlough?  Timing.

The Mid-Length Version:
Why a furlough?  Timing.  It would be better for me to go in early 2013 instead of early 2014. 

The Long Version:
Why a furlough?  Timing. :-)  I had a meeting in November with field leadership about going to a tribe with or without another single co-worker.  They shared with me that it was not a requirement that I wait for a co-worker, which meant that I would be able to get into a tribal work much sooner than I originally expected.  That evening when I arrived home, I had an email from a church asking me to be in the U.S. either in 2013 or 2014 for a missions conference.  I prayed about it over the weekend and decided that it would be better to be at the 2013 missions conference.  I sought wise council from friends and other missionaries, and we were all in agreement.  The more I have looked at the plans for the conference and a 5-month furlough in the U.S., the more confident I have been that this is how God is leading.

When I return to Paraguay at the end of July, I'll be able to start making better plans for joining a  tribal work in Paraguay: forming a team, choosing a work, and allocating there.  I'm really excited--not just about visiting all of you in the U.S., but also to get back to Paraguay and "get to work!"

December pictures

 

I shared with my church about my plans for 2013--including a short furlough! (Stay tuned)

 Playing games at youth group--somehow two of our leaders got to the end...hm...was that planned?? :-)

Decorating the church for the Christmas service

 

The names of Christ from Isaiah 9:6

Some November Pictures

 The second weekend in November I went to the country with the ladies from church.  Next Sunday NTM is going to the same place--looking forward to finding some nice places to take pictures!

The Catholic church in this town is ORANGE.  

A Sunday drive to the lake with Claudia and her family

Claudia's younger brother, Andres, and I got to take the muffler off the car after it dropped

Lake Ypacarai

Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 30th, with Fermin, Grachi, Andres, and Claudia

Serving up plates in the kitchen: chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, creamed spinach, salad, and cucumbers in vinegar

We finished the night off with chocolate cream pie & peach pie

And we watched "Ever After" and decided that we'll still love it when we're 80 years old!

It's a 110 in the sha-a-ade...

...so I went to the open-air market at 4pm.  Okay, so technically it was only 100° today, but I'm pretty sure it was hotter.  Especially in the market.  Buying veggies.  I stopped to buy eggs, even though they weren't on the list, and thought you might like to see how they were packaged:

 And you know what, it works!  None broke until I got home and dropped one as I was storing them in The Rooster (on a side note, I haven't seen a white egg in nearly 16 months)

Here's everything I bought in the market today:

4 large cucumbers

4 green peppers

6 red peppers

8 carrots

12 stalks of chard

2 small stalks of celery

1 dozen eggs

total price: $6.25 USD

Bandwagons and Thankfulness

I tend to not jump on bandwagons.  I generally try to let them pass without even looking, or gawk at the "train-wreck" that is passing by.  But sometimes, I reject bandwagons that are good--simply because "everyone else is doing it."  (I would be the last lemming on the cliff waving at all the others...)  

So, now, 22 days into the Facebook trend "Days of Thankfulness" I'm jumping on, and holding on tight...here it comes:

1--I am grateful for a family that supports me wherever I am, in whatever I do--unconditionally
2--I am grateful for the warm days of November (I'm upside down remember--southern hemisphere) and the fans and A/C that accompany them!
3--I am grateful for the friends God has given me in Paraguay and those spread out around the world
4--I am grateful for my friends (well, and those I don't know, too) who have gone into strange, unknown lands to make Jesus known where people have rejected him for thousands of years (Romans 1)
5--I am grateful for grandparents and parents who walk(ed) with the Lord
6--I am grateful that I've been blessed to live in countries where the gospel of Jesus Christ can be preached freely
7--I am grateful for the technology that makes language learning easier, and enables me to stay connected with family and friends
8--I am grateful for water that runs directly into my house and indoor plumbing
9--I am grateful that I have the Word of God in my heart language, and that I can read it in different versions for clarity
10--I am grateful for my nephew who is far away, and the near-by "nieces and nephews" that God has given me
11--I am grateful that a creative God made us in His image with the ability to be creative as well
12--I am grateful for my health
13--I am grateful that God counsels us and speaks to us if we will only listen
14--I am grateful for cameras which enable to us to capture memories
15--I am grateful for my "baby" brother who calls "just because"--no matter the hour
16--I am grateful for my Kindle which enables me to read in English in a non-English speaking country
17--I am grateful for public transportation--a money-saving tip I never knew in the U.S.!
18--I am grateful for surrogate families that God has given me with every move
19--I am grateful for Jesus Christ who died for my sin and took my place on the cross
20--I am grateful that Jesus is coming back soon! 
21--I am grateful for music and can't imagine what praising God for all eternity will look like (cue mind-blowing thoughts of what that will look like!)
22--I'm grateful for friends who tell me "We're going out for pizza on Thanksgiving, so you won't be missing your family!" 

...and that's just scratching the surface. 

(Now how does one get off this bandwagon?  Maybe I'll just stay on...)