Immeasurably more than We Imagined

Dear Family and Friends:

On the Saturday after Valentine’s Day, Margarita and I, along with other volunteers, arrived early to decorate the Nueva Esperanza Church for a fancy dinner event for neighborhood youth.  It was set to start at 5:30 P.M.  By 6:00, church members brought some of the food, but no youth had yet appeared.  At 7:00, with still no youth present, I was frustrated because it wasn't going how I planned, and I considered canceling the event.  30 minutes later they began to trickle in, dressed in their best clothes.  Twenty teens participated in the event, which turned out to be a very fun evening for everyone.  An invitation was given at the end and 4 youth prayed to accept Christ.  Give God thanks that the event happened better than I had imagined.

The Valentine's Youth Event

The next Saturday, attendance at the youth service was more than twice as normal.  I’ve since been connecting with three teenage boys who want to go deeper in their spiritual walk.  Two adult couples are starting to support the youth ministry as volunteers.  We’ve also been able to help restore another couple, who had previously been the youth group leaders.  Please pray for God to impact the lives of the Nueva Esperanza youth and to prepare future leaders for this ministry.

Margarita and I made two visits this month to a Mbya Guarani settlement on the edge of a suburb of Asuncion.  Their school is a one-room wooden shack with a dirt floor.  The settlement’s only teacher has a blended class of 1^st and 2^nd graders.  Most of the children want to continue studying; however, they stop at third grade since there are no additional grades offered at their school.  Paraguay’s Ministry of Education sent additional teachers to help, as well as to provide adult education classes, but the teachers do not regularly show up.  Such educational needs—combined with the fact that this community is considered unreached and unengaged by the gospel—contributed to Margarita and me starting an educational ministry project there.  Pray for us as we connect with this and one other urban Mbya Guarani settlement. Additionally, pray for our developing friendship with a young, talented Mbya couple.

The Mbya School

Working with the Mbya means that I will need to improve my Guarani language skills, which I’m currently doing, in part, by co-leading a Bible study in Guarani in a village about 45 minutes south of Asuncion.  The study has resulted in 3 members of the village’s most infamous family deciding to follow Jesus.  Last week Margarita and I traveled an hour and a half in the other direction to spend a few days at a children’s camp.  I was the guest speaker and Margarita, with her vast experience as an elementary teacher, helped me prepare the materials for the five sessions I taught.  Give thanks to God for seeds sown among the attentive children, and pray that they grow up to be men and women who will shine Christ’s light in Paraguay.

When I was ready to cancel the Valentine’s youth event because it didn’t start like I imagined, I sort of acted like Antoine, who, recently at his new daycare, cried for me not to leave, but, as soon as I left, enjoyed playing with his new classmates.  Keep Antoine, as well as Ana and Gabrielli, who will turn 1 next week, in your prayers.  Also, pray for more Paraguayans to trust in the Lord, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

Yours truly,

Tim, Margarita, Ana, Antoine and Gabrielli

Ana, Gabrielli and Antoine also helped at the camp.