Felicidades!
I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas. These past days I'll admit I have had tons of rest and almost too much rest this past week.
The last time you heard from me I was in Yuty, which was one of the highlights of Paraguay. I got to see what church-planting was like: a lot of visitations, having an open house and schedule, going out into the community to form new friendships, and being aware of the needs of the community. I loved it. The missionaries there are sweethearts and role models as their whole family really loves being in Paraguay. After spending so much time learning about living cross-culturally and reading about the importance of contextualization it was incredible to see missionaries who practice it almost spot on both in their ministry and lifestyle. Being a cultural learner makes a huge difference in your ministry and that was proven through the Reich's. Christy and Dan are excellent in both Spanish and Guarnani (in Paraguay they speak a mix of both languages but in the campaña they speak mostly Guarani with some Spanish thrown in; I was very clueless the majority of the time.) As a result the Reich's are able to be very active in the community. They even do a Christian radio program in Guarani. It was exciting to see them interact so well with Paraguayans and to see the countless doors that are open to them. I could write a whole book on what their everyday life looks like because they are so involved in Yuty, the church, and the surrounding areas. The joy of the Lord is their strength and it is so evident when you spend time with them.
When I was in Yuty I was able to play volleyball with a group of women from the community, go by myself to Paraguayan homes for supper, see the new church there, and even participate in worship and a Christmas kids clubs. There were many things in between like seeing the Jesuit Mission ruins, going to school events, and hospital trips, etc. There were so many valuable lessons, but to share a few the main thing I learned from them was 1. how important it is to be a cultural learner and culturally sensitive 2. you need to be brave and throw yourself out there when you are in a new culture. 3. focusing on learning the language well makes a huge difference in what you are able to do 4. That 5 people can easily run a 3 day children's program for 80 kids haha. That was probably the biggest shocker.
After Yuty, I headed to Villarrica and spent a day with some of my fantastic friends. We got to explore the countryside, go cliff jumping, and enjoy some waterfalls. The next day I went to Argentina to see the famous Iguazu Falls with another missionary and a short-
term medical student. It was beautiful.
Since I got back from Argentina on the 15th of December I have been in Asuncion. On December 15-18th all the missionaries had in-service training and the annual Christmas party. I was able to catch a whole day of the in-service training about orality. For me it was very fascinating because Paraguay is a oral culture so this has been a major focus for the missionaries. It was also fascinating to learn why I had so many frustrations with my students. For missionaries with SIM orality effects how they do ministry as in the churches 5 point sermons are not effective in rural Paraguay and for Bible studies many people are illiterate. For them, they are able to understand and engage with a story or a text that is told like a story whereas for us we can listen to a sermon and remember the bullet points.
Since this is the case, their church services are very different than ours. They sing songs, have a time of prayer, but instead of a sermon each week someone from the church volunteers to tell a story from the Bible. Another will volunteer to read some verses and then for the service there is a time for discussion on what they had heard and how it applies to them. It was really neat to sit in on the in-service training and hear the advice that these missionaries had to give about this form of discipleship and even evangelism through "storying."
After the retreat I decided to stay with my Paraguayan family in Asuncion for Christmas and now for New Years and it has been a blast, it feels like home. I have been sharing a room with their 16 year old daughter and I have really been enjoying it. It has given me more contact with Camila and Ambar and I feel even more connected as part of the family. This time around I can actually hold a conversation with my family which makes everything that much easier.
I would tell you what we did for Christmas but because I am verbose I am going to keep you in suspense until after New Years. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
Prayer Requests:
1. Wisdom: Time is ticking fast and I need wisdom in how to spend my time so I can see my friends once more before I go and so I can finish my assignments for Ambrose.
2. Friends: My best friend Pilar has decided to get married on January 6th. Please pray for both her and my other close friend Miguel whom she will marry; that God would guide them into a healthy marriage and that he would bless them and Pilar's son Santiago (5 years old) in this
transition.
3. Parents: My parents are coming to Paraguay! (I'll explain more later). Please pray that all their travel preparations will go smoothly with passports and visas.
4. Passion/Conviction: In a recent conversation with the pastor at the church here in Asuncion he mentioned how important it is to have a passion for Jesus and a conviction to serve him. I desire a deeper understanding of that.
Daneille
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