Dear
Family and Friends:
One
missiologist considers a short-term mission trip successful when those who
travel can say, “We did not ‘go on a mission trip,’ but we visited family
members, brothers and sisters we had not met or had not seen for a very long
time.” Through the love that Christ’s followers show for one another, whether
at the neighborhood church or across cultures and international borders, others
will catch of glimpse of God’s love for them.
Most of
the Montavilla short-term mission team who came to Paraguay last month from
Portland, OR were high school students who left their home culture and comfort
zone for the first time. We had a
full week of activities planned, but as anyone who’s spent time in Latin
America knows, plans change. While
Montavilla was here, plans changed a lot.
But the team members were amazingly flexible, allowing themselves to be taken
from one place to another. On one
occasion the only mother on the team was asked without notice to give her testimony
to a group of local mothers. A few
moments later, some of them prayed to accept Christ, guided by the translator,
who was a Montavilla youth.
The team painted
one public school and gave presentations to hundreds of students. They connected with the local youth
between the presentations and while playing soccer at the church in
evenings. During the last few days
of work they traveled on bumpy, un-cleared roads to arrive at church plant
sites in rural villages. By the
end of their trip, the team had co-labored with and encouraged two youth
groups, two church plants, three local churches and one children’s ministry.
This past
week Ana started kindergarten at Asunción Christian Academy. Her new school follows a U.S.
educational program and English is spoken there all day. We are thankful for
your support, which allows for Ana to receive a quality education from the
mission field.
Classes
also started back at the public school painted by the Montavilla youth and a
local church. As the students daily
see the new appearance of their school, they see a reminder of the message that
if anyone is in Christ, the old has gone and the new is here.
Happy Paraguayan Friendship Day (July 31st)!
Tim, Margarita, Ana and Antoine
