The last night.

Well. It's about 1am and I'm just finishing up the packing. I weighed one bag but honestly the kg scale confuses me and I'm not sure how much it should be and somehow I'm getting it all to the states, even if I pay the fee! Just don't care that much anymore, I can't do the impossible! :)

This past week has been full of strange goodbyes. I've never been good at goodbyes, I always do see-you-laters. Which in one sense is good, but in another I never REALLY feel like I'm leaving until after I'm gone and I have so much I wish I would have said. But in this case I honestly feel like it's a see-you-later much more than a goodbye. Paraguay has crept into every part of me and I'll always think of it as another home. Cheesy as it sounds, part of me really will always be here. In a mere 6 months I have grown to love the people, the school, the empanadas, even the crazy bus drivers I love just a little. Especially when I sit up front and they help me find where I'm going...

I'm sure I'm going to get back and everyone will get that glazed-over look real fast as I start talking about Paraguay and harping on my feelings on the state of the government, the economy, what people SHOULD do for developing countries, blahblahblah... But I can deal with that. :) I am so ready to get home and hug my friends and family and be in one of my best friends weddings, but when the craziness slows down I'm pretty sure I'll be wishing I could be back here in Lambare.

Please be praying for my flight as I head home- I think this is the first time I'm actually nervous about flying with all these plane wrecks happening...
Pray that I can get some decent rest to go full-force into wedding mode and seeing everyone!
Pray that I can readjust quickly and don't have too much reverse culture shock and that I can find a job quickly!!
And thanks for all your support and prayers over the past 6 months, I couldn't have done it without you!

Ya te extrano Paraguay. Espero para verte otra vez.

My last full week....

As this week is about to begin, I realize that as EXCITED as I am to go home and see everyone and start the next part of my life (why are there so many parts??), I'm just a little in denial that I'm leaving. Everyone here keeps asking me how I'm feeling with it being so close, and the only answer I can give is... umm... ok, I guess. It hasn't really hit me that in a week and a half I will be landing in Charleston and thrust into life in the US. That in a week and a half I will be able to flush toilet paper down the toilet again (thank you, Jesus). I will be able to get in my car and drive when I want, and not feel that I'm putting my life on the line every time I'm on the road. I will sleep on a real mattress that doesn't squeak every time I turn over. I will be able to drink Starbucks and talk to my family and friends in PERSON (yay!).

So bizarre.

I also won't be able to speak Spanish every day (many times a very humbling experience...). I won't wake up knowing that something I'm doing, no matter how small, is impacting the education of children that otherwise would have a much bleaker future. I won't be reminded of just how spoiled I am and how much I have when I walk outside my door. I won't be surrounded by amazing Paraguayans (and missionaries!) who selflessly help others when they themselves have so little.

So as I come to terms with leaving, and get geared up for that thing called real life, I can only know that while I have not a single clue what I'm doing- I don't have to. It's all worked out for me. For that I am ETERNALLY grateful. I just have to keep that in mind when I feel like the economy is crashing down around me! Oh wait, it already is... :)
And while I know I'm not indispensable, I hope at least a little that I will be missed. And hope that everyone here knows they will be missed in return.

(I also hope that my welcome home party is already planned and that it will include all things American. And maybe some Mexican food...)

Un mes de mi vida.

So. Once again I fail at the blogging. It has been OVER a month since I've written anything about my life/adventures. Sorry all blog followers! (Let's be honest, interest has been dwindling anyway... you know who you are...)

So here is a bit of an update!

First things first- I WILL BE HOME IN 2 WEEKS. Yes, that is 14 days. From tomorrow. Wednesday July 30th, 2009 at 8:37am I *should* be cruising down the Charleston airport- barring any unforeseen airport dilemmas- with too many carry ons and a giant floppy Paraguayan hat, just in case people don't recognize me. Then I go into full-fledged Christa-and-Brandon wedding mode. (YAY!) My life is crazy. I love it.

As to other things that actually have BEEN happening in my life as opposed to things that WILL be happening:

• I went to a heavy metal Christian concert in the city a few weeks ago. It was interesting. I actually liked one of the bands but then the screaming/screeching got a liiiittle too much for me. But it was a really cool way to evangelize to people who normally wouldn't be into the "Christiany" concert scene. This group actually has an entire heavy metal church, and one of their associate pastors killed 17 people and was in jail for 20 years or something. Talk about an amazing testimony!!
• Latin American Idol came to town. No, I did not try out. But don't think I wasn't tempted. Although I did realize just how Americanized I am (duh) when I came back and was so excited to tell some of my friends about it and they looked at me with blank expressions... nice.
• The school has OFFICIALLY begun it's first phase of building the poliodeportivo!! Translation: multi-purpose sports/music/classroom building. It is a HUGE deal for the school and desperately needed to continue to expand. So far it's coming along very well! Still raising funds though, so if you feel lead to give I'll give you a giant hug in 2 weeks when I come back. :)
• We had Dia de la Familia last Saturday! The school has it every year in July when winter break starts and the whole family takes part. They start a few weeks before and do games for the parents and kids and encouraged a cleaning project for the school area around the neighborhood. It was so amazing to see everyone taking part and it really helps people take more pride in where they live. Trash is such a huge problem here, it's nice to see trash cans on the corners and fresh painted sidewalks and fences and even some flowers! (The little blue man picture now holds a trash can outside my front door). Everyone worked really hard. Then last Saturday we had the day of games! We Americans sang out national anthem since it was July 4th, too. We had hundreds of people come, the streets were filled and it was a long, exhausting day completely worth the pain. And, thank You Jesus, the rain started right AFTER everyone had cleaned up everything and put the last of the stuff back inside. :)
• I'm on winter break for 2 weeks! Very strange phenomenon, winter break in July... Well, a week and a half down already. Last week I went with Carol, Donald, and their daughter Cora with 2 of their friends who came to visit from Texas (shout out to the Lone Star State!), Eric and Deb, to see the Jesuit Ruins! The trip was fabulous and proved to be a bit more challenging than originally expected. In the form of speed bumps. There must be hidden cameras all over Latin America just to laugh at the people who miss their whale-sized speed bumps and fly over them like Evel Knievel. But seriously, the ruins were gorgeous and we had a great time!
• Today we took the 7th and 8th graders to the Expo. It's kind of like our fairs, but with less rides and more promotiony stuff. But we still had a great time! We rode the ferris wheel (while praying it wouldn't fall apart), saw the sweet-smelling cows, sheep, and horses, and just poked around for a few hours. And of course, ate.
  

Now I'm just hanging around and finding things to do, movies to see, books to read, people to visit, and sleep to catch up on, for the next few days until school starts again! Then it's time to start packing up the last 6 months of my life... please pray as the days start closing in! Pray for the people I leave behind, and for what lies ahead. And for a safe trip home! I'm kind of worried my awesome Paraguayan hat will get crushed. That would be tragic. I would also love to not have any problems changing planes or going through customs/immigration...

Ok, I promise to update again before I leave. Que Dios les bendiga!

Birthday and Back Aches

If you know me, you know I love birthdays. Especially mine. :) With this past week being my birthday week I was geared up for all sorts of birthday fun. But Sunday night I get a call that there is a medical mission group here for the week, could I PLEASE come help translate since no one speaks Spanish??

I have been praying for the opportunity to help with a medical team the whole time I've been here and jumped at the chance! I was expecting to learn new words and have a good experience, but as usual I can never prepare myself for the awesomeness that God has in store.

I went into it a little nervous that my Spanish wouldn't be good enough or that I wouldn't be able to understand the patients (and a couple of them were pretty difficult to decipher!). I was put with Shane Palmer, a chiropractor. I think he started out as nervous as I was... But we both did pretty well, even though we were unprepared for the whirlwind week that it turned out to be! They even had to hold some patients back from him, he was so busy!

It was amazing to witness the relief people felt when they realized that someone could help them. Years of harsh living and work conditions, with no chance to hit up the spa once in awhile like we do, or even just have a day of rest, (and in many cases terrible diets) take a serious toll on these peoples bodies. But I can't describe how it felt when we realized there wasn't much we could do.

We saw a 9 year old boy who had an infection in his hip several years ago and had surgery. Now the part of his hip that needs to grow is no longer there, resulting in one leg shorter than the other and not much anyone can do about it. He needs at least one more surgery in a few years and a possible hip replacement in his 20's. I was the one who had to translate that to tell his mother, who is probably struggling to survive week to week, and watched as she broke down. We all cried with her.

We saw a 27-year-old woman who had nearly unbearable pain from rheumatoid arthritis. She could barely hold her 2 month old baby.

There was a woman with pneumonia so bad she could barely breathe and should have been in a hospital long before she came to visit the clinic.

We saw a few people with herniated disks in their back but didn't know what it was and had gone untreated for years, doing irreparable damage to their bodies.

Janie and Renee, the 2 nurses pictured above, did an amazing job with triage and taking symptoms despite the language barrier, and prayed for so many of the patients. It was such a blessing that they were able to help so many people. In 3 1/2 days the doctors saw about 680 patients and gave out I-don't-even-know-how-much free medication, toothbrushes, combs, bible verses, necklaces and bracelets, and candy to the kids. They had church services every night. Another team from the same group helped build a new church building so the congregation wouldn't have to meet outside anymore and got it about 80% finished, and another team went to a daycare and did VBS there every day with the kids. This group from the Florence, Alabama area was amazing. They worked all day without complaining, and were a pleasure to get to know. They even sang me happy birthday and I shared my cake. :)

At the end of the week I was dead tired but completely inspired as well. It was an emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausting experience but one that left me just a little less self-absorbed and a little closer to the people of Paraguay. And although I still love my birthday, for the first time it took a back seat to the rest of the things going on around me and I was strangely ok with that. :) Dios te bendiga!

Oops.

So. It's been almost a month since I've updated this thing. Woops! So here are some updates/thoughts/prayer requests I've had in the past few weeks:

I've been sick 2 or 3 times since last updated. Apparently my kick-butt immune system continues to be a serious pansy in Paraguay. Hit up the ER 2 weeks ago with a fever, an awesome cough, and stellar headaches. Don't worry, I'm obviously fine. But I could definitely use some prayer for health! It's been very difficult me to be the sick one. I'm so used to being healthy and not needing to rely on people for things. It's been difficult for me to ask people for help when I'm sick, but it's been a real learning experience literally having to rely on others. Still stubborn though. :)

Speaking of health, I know I've talked about the health care here before and the hospital situations but every week it seems I'm learning more about it and becoming more horrified with the way things are done here. There is a girl in 7th grade at the school who has asthma problems that apparently are starting to affect her heart. But her family can't afford the medicine, and they can't afford the hospital care. She's out sick pretty often, and has made several visits to the hospital. Last week Sue and I went to visit her and pray for her, and she was sitting in a front room with only an IV for fluids since she'd been vomiting. They wouldnt do anything else for her unless her family could pay up front. We held a "Hamburgeseada" for her and sold hamburgers to help pay for her medicine. Please keep her health and family in your prayers. And definitely pray for the health care down here. There are just so many horror stories...

It's been rainy and cold the past week or week and a half. And by rainy I mean crazy, torrential, rivers-in-place-of-streets type of rain. Something we have desperately needed but good grief... It finally got sunny today and it was gorgeous. And since we're in the beginning of winter down here, it's getting cold too! My apt doesn't have heat except in the bedroom (thank you Jesus for that!) so I keep bundled up most of the time. Since we had sunshine today its much more bearable, but I have a feeling its only going downhill from here! Should be interesting... Prayers for warmth! I'm mainly dreading showers in the freezing cold. eek.

This morning we had the land dedication for the Poliodeportivo the school is starting to build! It's a huge project that's been planned for years but they've been building in stages and then the price went up, but it's finally going to go up! It will have a gym area open to the community and more classrooms to expand to 9th-12th grade, something we desperately need. Still trying to raise funds for it, if you want to give, email the Director, Sue Givens, at sue@paraguayschools.org. Also, only 2 out of the 56 kindergardeners have sponsors to attend the school. This is obviously a big problem! We are working on getting sponsors now, so if you want to sponsor a child or know someone who might, email Sue at the email above! There is a website (it's poorly done, they're in the middle of updating it I promise!) at http://www.paraguayschools.org/. Feel free to leave me a message here and let me know and I can give your some more information!

Bendiciones!

*Here are a couple of pictures from the dedication this morning*

Here is the morning half of the school, there are about 260 in the morning and another 260 in the afternoon. You can see part of the school building behind everyone.

Diggin' the dirt!

Yes, they let me use the shovel! And then promptly asked me if it was my first time... humph. :)

El Campamento

This past weekend was a 4 day weekend for teachers and students in Paraguay. They had off Thursday for Teacher Day and Friday for National Workers Day. A little silly that they get off both days, but no one was complaining... except maybe Sue, the school's director. :) Thursday I went with Sue to visit a sentimiento (shanty town) about an hour outside of Lambare. If you remember, in the shipment from the states the school received new(er) computers and have been giving their old 90's version IBM desktops away to some schools Sue has connections with. VERY few schools have access to computers here, especially schools in sentimientos. It was an eyeopening experience. I had never actually visited homes in one before, and definitely not a school. You can see in the pictures what a dismal state these are in. The school only recently got water and electricity and has only 4 small classrooms for pre-kindergarden thru 8th grade (I think!). Since they got water access they are also finally putting in a bathroom. The teachers work hard but are poorly trained or equipped to teach with this kind of environment, although Im not sure how you would train anyone to teach like that. They have few materials and no money to buy any.

The rest of the weekend was spent at a weekend retreat for the "jovenes", or young adults (ages 17-39) at the campground an hour and a half outside of town that is owned by the Methodist Church here. I had a great time! Met lots of people from other churches, was thrown fully clothed in the pool twice, participated in crazy games, competed in the "mr./ms." portion and sang and danced my lil heart out in front of 50 people (no, this white girl did NOT win!), hardly slept at all, and we had lots of awesome worship and great speakers. Well, the parts that I could understand, that is. :) Yes, my spanish is much improved but when they start throwing Guarani in or talking 80 miles/hour I get a bit confused. It was great! Here are some photos for you!

Me and Willi, my dance partner!

La Fogata! Bonfire! It was kinda cold that night...

Perla and I, soaking wet

Surrender?

So I had a nice, easy going blog about my recent adventures in Paraguay but then I decided to check out some people's blogs that I hadn't read in awhile. One of the ones I read was The Bradburn family (www.thebradburns.blogspot.com). If you do go there, prepare to cry, be amazed, touched, etc. Theirs is an amazing story of strength and hope. The most recent blog spoke of surrendering. This family is battling every day to beat the cancer that has hit their son. His mom writes of struggling with really, truly surrendering HER will that her son lives for GODS will, whatever that may be. She has chosen God's will.
Just writing that sentence makes me want to cry.
If she can make that choice, how can I sit here and fight God on so many things? Things that do not include giving over the life of my child? As I sit here with no REAL worries, yet worried about so many things. The little things in life that I make into catastrophes in my mind. The things that I need lay down for HIM to handle. Because He can do a much better job than me. But still.......... I struggle to surrender. I struggle to surrender my independence. My work in Paraguay. My future. My relationships. Each day is a new struggle.
But each day, I will choose to surrender.
Our lives are not for ourselves. They're not to make sure that we live every day getting our way, getting what we want. And it's not easy. I'm pretty sure I make my life much harder than it needs to be. Definitely ready to change that.

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in the knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ" Phillipians 1:9-10

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" Luke 9:25

I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within
I lay it all down for the sake of you my King
I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life

And I surrender all to you, all to you
And I surrender all to you, all to you

I'm singing You this song, I'm waiting at the cross
And all the world holds dear, I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You for the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain

Fuggedaboutit...

I think that you can really see a person's character when they get in a tight spot. Whether that's trouble with friends, jobs, finances, whatever the problem. What is your first inclination when something doesn't go as you expect it to? Do you try to find something or someone to place the blame on? Personally, I often go into pity-party-woe-is-me mode. And I have to talk everything out. I think that with all this financial stuff in the US things aren't going the way most people would like them too... Lives so full of panic that we no longer know how to function without it.

There is a whole heck of a lot of stuff in the bible about worrying and times of trouble and trial. Matthew 6:34 says, "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I think that may be one of the hardest things the Bible asks us to do- not worry. I know I fail at it constantly, probably daily. I'm sure there's a statistic somewhere that some smarty-pants somehow discovered that gives us an estimate on how much time- days, weeks, months- we waste worrying throughout our lives. I don't really care to see that number, I already know its big.

How do we solve this giant worry that infects our lives? If only I had an answer for that! The best thing I can come up with is to just forget it. Forget it and remember God. He is a God bigger than our car problems, bigger than our human relationships, bigger than our finances. Heck, He created every single person, animal and piece of nature you can see, and even more than we can imagine that we haven't seen!

Easier said than done...

My biggest worry right now is what to do with my life and finding a job when I get back to the states at the end of July. The END of JULY... FOUR MONTHS and I'm already in pre-panic mode. Hidden fairly well, but oh its there. So here's my plan/hope/prayer. I'm not going to worry about it. When I start freaking out- that's my cue to fall on my face and pray. I'm fairly certain my life will be one giant prayer for the next little while but I hardly think that's a bad thing! It's a giant, and incredibly difficult, leap of faith for anyone trying to just let go. And I can't expect things to go the way I want them to... they rarely do... when I stop relying on myself they usually turn out better. :)


Here are some other verses I found that talk about trials:

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may recieve mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Phillipians 4:6


I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:4

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. Psalms 118:13

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Romans 5:3-5

Semana Santa

So this past week was Semana Santa, aka Holy Week, which means time for a week long break! Some schools actually even get 2 weeks. Not us though. :) The first part was very low key for me, I went to dinner with some people and we tried to go see a movie but we got there too late. Generally just a lay-around-and-do-nothing kind of thing. But Wednesday morning at 3am- no, that is NOT a type- I left with Andrea, her husband Charli, their son Thiago, and her mom Sara, to Ciudad del Este. It's a border town about 5 hours from Asuncion, where there is plenty of black market goods and a terrorist training camp (WHAT.) It's also 20 minutes from Brazil and Iguazu Falls. The Falls are one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world, and they completely deserve that title. They were AMAZING. Absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous. I only wish there were less people there so I could have enjoyed them more than trying to fight against people. But it was fabulous! We also did some shopping and visited Itaipu, which is apparently one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. So many wonders in that neck of the woods... Itaipu is the world's largest hydroelectric hydroplant in operation today. It's pretty amazing, we went on a tour during the day then saw it lit up at night- which was surprisingly beatiful. I am currently downloading the 210 pictures that I took to my computer and will post some below! But I know they won't do these places justice... We went to the Guarani museum and the zoo, and hit up some awesome grocery stores- yes, I said grocery stores! Brazil has food in their grocery stores that Paraguay couldn't even IMAGINE. I bought twix and gatorade and nutella and M&Ms. Ahhhhhh American goodness.

Overall, a great trip and I spent about the same there in 3 days as I do here in 3 weeks. Hm. So worth it though...

Iguazu Falls:

Itaipu:

Recent Adventures- Abridged version

Well last week I, Emily Elizabeth Milner, was a 6th grade field trip chaperone. Lord, help them. And me. But it turned out to be a lot of fun! My group kept running away, but we saw some fun stuff! Here is a picture of my group (count 'em- all 6 at once!) at the first train station in South America, and a picture of a plaque given to Paraguay by the US (woot!) that is hanging with maaaany other plaques in the Parthenon.

Here you have the return of the famous Sue Givens, the director of Escuela Nuevo Horizonte, the school that I'm working at. They had a surprise program for her the day after she got back, and one of the classes had her help them with a traditional Paraguayan dance. Precious.

And HERE is Andrea's, one of the secretaries and a good friend, idea of a good time. If you aren't already aware, I have a deep, intense love of Guacamole- a type of food that is completely foreign to Paraguay. I find it sad and they find it hilarious that I am slightly obsessed with this food that sounds so disgusting to them. Another teacher at the school, Margarita, brought me an avocado from a tree at her house and when I walked into the office that afternoon Andrea had dressed it all up. And yes, I sang "Guacamole...mole...mole" to them several times.

Here is Margarita and I at one of the student's quincineras. Turning 15 in Latin America is a very big deal, kind of similar to a sweet 16 in the states. They served dinner and had music and it was a lot of fun! I think this one was pretty calm compared to most I've heard about. TONS of people, dancing until 2am. This party was pretty tranquil in comparison, but still great! :)

"!Siempre estas cansada!"

Learning a new language is exhausting. Living in 100 degree heat with almost no relief is exhausting. Living in Paraguay is exhausting. But I love it (95% of the time!). That's how I know that this is where I'm supposed to be right now. It is kind of funny when people come up and ask me how I am, and I- being a truth-teller- often reply with just how tired I am. And they, often being equally direct, usually say, "!Siempre estas cansada!" (You're always tired, for those of you non-spanish speakers).

Sue, the director of Nuevo Horizonte, came back last week. She's been raising support for the school in the states for the past 2 months. She gave me a book called "Foreign to Familiar" by Sarah A. Lanier. It's not a very long book, and I've only just started it but it's already fascinating. It goes through some cultural differences and why people often have a difficult time understanding and adapting to other cultures. I am EXTREMELY grateful that I have come from a warm-weather climate (SC) to another warm-weather climate. While there are obvious cultural differences, there are more than enough similarities so I don't feel completely lost. I cannot imagine how exhausted-and friendless- I would be if I had to adapt to an incredibly different culture as well as all the other things. My hat goes off to all the people that stick it out in cultures so unlike their own. To people who step outside their box to understand how another culture works, instead of having people work only around their culture. I know you're probably "siempre cansado" as well.

Sangre.

This past Tuesday I gave blood. Now, giving blood in a third world country was most definitely NOT on my list of "things to do while in Paraguay". But here is what I have come to understand about the medical system here, whether right or wrong: Like most everything else here, it is just one more thing oppressed by the corrupt governmental system. Therefore, I want to do what is in my power to help, however small that is. For the majority of the country there are few options for medicine. Either go untreated or sit in a dark, old, and dirty hopsital with hundreds of others waiting for days to be seen. This is the scene I walked into on Tuesday.

First, you should know how I got to be in this situation! A girl from my church, Diana, who is also in our women's bible study, has an older brother who got in a motorcycle accident in October. (Motorcycle accidents are all too common here, as people drive like maniacs and no one wears helmets). I think what happened was he shattered his ankle and it was never set properly, so he has been hobbling around on crutches for months. He probably needed surgery then, but it's gotten infected and he definitely needs it now. Because there is such a severe shortage of blood, in order to get the blood you need to have surgery you have to bring people to give blood in your name. Thus, when we were both asked, Tim and I decided that there was no way we could say no.

This hospital's blood bank is the best one in the country. That's not saying a whole lot but it really wasn't that bad. Clean and well air conditioned, and everything sterile. But still a far cry from what you see in the states. We waited for about an hour, and all that was required was to fill out a questionnaire. There was a slight concern that they wouldn't let me give because I forgot my ID, but they never asked for it, all they wanted were the numbers. After getting that done we decided to go visit Diana's brother.

I wish I had pictures for you to see.

We walked through hallways filled with people. Sitting on the floor, sitting on wooden benches lining the walls. Plaster and paint are peeling off everywhere, people are just looking at you with stoic faces- broken bones, infections, who knows what else. Diana's brother had been sitting on half of a wooden bench on the second floor with no windows and his swollen, infected foot propped up, for a day and a half. There are food vendors lining the sidewalk in front of the hospital because people stay there for so long, and they have to have food. And apparently there are bigger, older, and dirtier hospitals. I had to keep myself in check not to start crying at these people's conditon that they have no choice but to accept.

You also have to go buy all your supplies for your surgery and bring them with you. You get a list of things you need and without all of them, they won't operate. I can't imagine being in charge of getting my own supplies for my own surgery- I would have no idea what things were, if I was being overcharged, and if I was missing something. Money is simply not being given to medical needs here. The medical problems of the poor are probably at the very bottom of a very long list. Last I heard, Diana's brother was supposed to finally have surgery Thursday and he was at home waiting instead of at the hospital- but that was after 2 days of exhausting disappointment.

This is a great reminder of just how important blood is for us- in surgery, in life, and most importantly- through Christ. Where would we be without it? What an awesome way to help minister to someone! I have always felt very strongly about giving blood- when I finally turned 17 and was able to give, I went to the first blood drive I could find and lied about my weight so they would let me donate! :) (Don't tell the Red Cross... or make fun of me for being really skinny!) But in all seriousness, how can we deny someone something so important that is so easily given? Especially when Christ gave His blood and His life to save us from receiving the same fate. He didn't make excuses, how can we?

Please pray for the medical system here and that somehow things will be able to improve. Pray for the people that need medical attention and have to sit on the floor of a dirty hospital for days. Pray for the corrupt government to end. Pray that we can somehow help, even if it is just giving blood for someone who needs it.

And go give some blood!!

Buses, Bottles, and Bags

Sorry it's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted! I've been busy and have been waiting for some good pictures to put up. But I'm back now!

This past Friday Escuela Nuevo Horizonte, the school that I am working at, closed for the day. In the previous week there had been reports that Dengue Fever had once again begun to spread through Lambare. Dengue Fever is a disease spread through mosquitoes, and has the potential to be fatal. Although it is fairly rare that it kills, apparently you at least feel like you want to die. There is no vaccine and no medicine that can prevent it or help stop it. Learn more about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/world/americas/04paraguay.html and here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/. If you look at the first article, you can see that 2 years ago it was a very serious problem. People are trying to keep it from getting to that point again. Therefore, when schools around the area heard of several new cases, many closed on Friday and sent students and teachers out to gather trash in the streets that could collect water and hand out information on this illness.

Escuela Nuevo Horizonte brought all of its 7th and 8th graders out and broke everyone up into groups. Each teacher had about 3 or 4 students in their group and an area of the neighborhood they were assigned to visit. The picture on the left shows 4 of the groups sent out. Raul is the teacher on the bottom left, he does something in Administration, Perla is in the middle and Andrea is on the far right. They are the secretaries at the school. Marlena is on the left of Andrea, she is the fifth grade teacher.

As you can see in the first picture, we took the bus! Some other teachers made fun of us, but we had to go to the back of the neighborhood and it was HOT. :) And they let us on for free. Tough decision? I think not. We split up when we got to our stop and I went with Perla's group and played photographer. I wish I had a picture of some of the houses we stopped at, but I didn't want people to feel I was making a show of their way of life.

This was an area of the San Antonio neighborhood that I had not been to before. I am slowly making my rounds and seeing places, but it's a process! Some of these houses were in true third world condition. San Antonio is such a strange mix of middle class and extreme poverty. On one corner you see a house that you think, ok that's not so bad. Then you turn around and you see a shanty made of splinting wood that's about the size of a slightly-bigger-than-average bedroom in the United States. The amount of trash is unreal to me. People in the states get so angry about litter, but here people just don't understand the concept. You sit on the bus and watch people drink and coke then casually dump their bottle out the window.

It was sad because we picked up SO much trash- bottles, cans, jars, etc- but had to leave more than I think all the students in the school could handle. There are certain roads that seem to be the trash dump. Trash was piled up everywhere, some places we just didn't even get near. I can't wrap my mind around people simply dumping bags of garbage on the street around the corner, and not thinking twice about it. *In the picture above, you can see Enzo, a 7th grader that had the misfortune of being stuck with 4 girls. :)

Fortunately, as we were walking around and speaking with people, several were in the process of cleaning. Nothing can stir a cleaning spree in your front yard like the threat of a potentially fatal disease... The kids that came along were amazing and handled everything like pros. Not once did anyone in our group complain, even though it was about 90 degrees, 95% humidity, they had their hands in other people's trash, and had to carry a heavy bag of garbage around. I continue to be more impressed with the school and the students. And here you can see Andrea, oh-so-proud with her groups bag, that was literally trying to burst open.

So please pray against another Dengue outbreak, and pray for the ones that already have it. I went with Carol and Zuny to a student's house last week who they believe has Dengue and we prayed with them. Let's hope we won't have anymore.

Fuerza!

Things I Love About Paraguay...

1. Cows. In my front yard. When I walk outside to go to work. Buen dia, vaca!
2. The people. Never have I met so many people who genuinly care about everyone around them. Not just me. They'll help anyone out!
3. The air conditioning unit in my bedroom. I don't think there's a day that I don't thank the Good Lord Above for it. True story. May be slightly selfish of me, but you can't make me feel bad about it!
4. The buses. Many people are terrified of them, as they roar through streets barely pausing to pick people up and let people off. I think it's kind of fun. Like a really cheap amusement park ride. It does often hurt the bum, however.
5. The green. Yes, there IS a lot of brown. But the green is unbelievably green. The trees are incredible. Even the grass. If I wasn't scared of what had just pooped in it, I would lay down in it every day.
6. Their history! Yes, I am part nerd. This country has some amazing history, much of it tragic. It's fascinating to learn about!
7. The electricity that randomly turns off when it gets too hot. Yes, it scared me today when I thought I would have no air circulation. But it keeps things interesting.
8. Their yogurt. People- I am obsessed with this stuff. You buy it in a bag, cut the edge, and put it in a pitcher. It's like a delicious drink! USA-where has this BEEN all my life??? I currently have three in my fridge. It will not last long.
9. The way that God obviously has such a hand here. People are trying to change things. Churches aren't just sitting around watching. Everyone is INVOLVED in the COMMUNITY. Not always an easy task. But God is kicking some butt around here and it is awesome to watch!
10. Lastly, empanadas. Fried bread with meat inside is a VERY important part of a balanced diet around here. And I AM trying to be a local......

Sending love and 100 degree heat your way!

Un Desafío/ A Challenge (I hope that's the right Spanish word!)

Yesterday I went with Tim, an English teacher at the school and another missionary, into downtown Asuncion. He goes most Thursdays and I'm trying to learn as much as I can, so he graciously allowed me to tag along. We went to a couple of artisan stores and I bought some gorgeous cards, hit up the post office for some stamps, and he showed me some historic buildings around town. It's tragic because most of the old buildings were destroyed over the years as the city was torn apart through wars. But the ones that are left are beautiful. We went to Plaza Independencia, which is along the river and close to where their declaration of independence was signed.

The picture to the left is the President's Palace. He doesn't live there, but that is where he works. behind it is his landing pad (ha!) and a view of the river. Below you'll see a picture of the very modern and shiny Legislative building. It's a pretty impressive building and stands out among the typically rundown buildings throughout Asuncion. The thing that really got to me, though, was you see both of these beautiful buildings, and you walk through the plaza- all within a few blocks- but then 150 feet behind it all is a shanty town (see last picture). Literally. An entire town, with hundreds of "homes" made from tin and wood, trash scattererd everywhere and people's clothes hanging on lines to dry. And behind that is the river. I was amazed! It was probably one of the most bizarre setups I've ever seen. But what made me pause even more is that this has apparently been this way for quite some time, and this is the view that the President, Legislature, and staff have when they look out their windows- poverty-stricken Paraguayans struggling to make it, 150 feet away from designer suits, plush offices and air conditioning. I don't know how I could sit there and just do nothing. Do they simply close their blinds? Immune to the "typicality" of this style of living? I'm sure there are good-hearted people who help out when they can, but I honestly wasn't sure what to think.

But then I felt convicted. How many times do I pass a homeless person on the street and think, "well, I'm sure that was their choice. They'll probably just use any money for alcohol". What horrible stereotypes we've attached to certain groups of people, and with those stereotypes comes a lack of compassion. And even more everyday, I'll see someone who might be having a rough day or struggling with something, but somehow I have better things to do, or I just can't take the time to see how they are. One thing I HATE is when people come up and ask how you are, but don't really want an answer. Sorry, I know I'm kind of running off on a tangent now...

But ok, challenge for the week: invest in someone. Whether it's helping a little old lady with her groceries or donating money to a battered women's shelter or calling a friend who's having a rough time and buying them dinner. Take that money you were going to use on music or computer upgrade and use it for something that can benefit people's lives, not just our own wants. I know I can definitely use a kick in the pants over that, I do that all the time...

Too often we sit back and do nothing. Find a passion for people- do something!

La gente. (The People)

Like any good, obedient, and oh-so-holy missionary, my focus in Paraguay is on the people. :)Getting to know their culture and customs, learning about their lives, and building relationships. It's a process, to be sure. Right now I'm still learning about culture, customs, and, on a shallow level, of their lives here. One custom I've learned is that no one knocks on doors here... they clap. Yes, clap. I thought it very strange, but I've already gotten used to it. My theory is that all the houses have fences and gates, so you can't really knock on doors- thus, the clapping. I think I might bring it back to states... start a sensation. :)

Last Tuesday Carol, another missionary who I work with at the school, was telling me and Aubrie, an exchange student from George Fox U. helping at the school, about Sentimientos (anyone who knows what this is here, sorry- I probably spelled that wrong, or got the wrong word!). If you look at the picture next to this, its the best I could do from the car! This is a big piece of dirt property, where a bunch of power lines run through. It also happens to be home to apparently hundreds of people. They literally find any material that would work to make a shelter- tin, wood, plastic, aluminum- and build their home their. No locks, not really any doors, definitely no A/C... and someone needs to be there all the time or everything they own risks getting stolen, and at times people come in and simply steal their home as well. This place is probably 10 or 15 minutes from me, in my neighborhood. Alcoholism is also a big problem there. It's looking at places like this that make me question so much. Why do people have to live this way? Can't God snap his fingers and help them? How can I sit here in my apartment with all my clean clothes and computer and iPod and still think I need more? How can other people? How can I even be of help to these people? I don't have answers and I don't really expect them for most things, but it is difficult at times to reconcile the idea of our loving God with the people beaten by poverty and a useless government, as it is in so many places. But at the same time, I hold out hope that something, somehow will touch the lives of these people, even in the smallest of ways.

On a lighter note... I went with Christian and his wife, Angelica to the Interior Thursday. They are missionaries who have been here for 6 years- well, Angelica is Paraguayan, but they have been on the field for 6 years. The Interior is basically any part of Paraguay that is not along the border, where most of the population is concentrated. It's a whole different world out there! We stopped at a "lumber yard' on the way in (it took 3 1/2 hours to get to the village they work in). You can see in the picture why I loosely refer to it as a lumber yard... they do everything by hand, no safety anything. When it hasn't rained they can't cut the wood because they use that water to cool their equipment, and when it rains too much they can't cut because the logs are wet! It was fascinating.

Forgive me for not remembering the name of the village we went to but believe me when I tell you I loved it. The landscape on the way out was gorgeous. Only in the last 5 years or less has this town gotten electricity. The people all know each other and look out for one another. And they speak Guarani. Only some speak Spanish, and even then very poorly. Angelica is the director of a school there and has been for the last 2 years. They have made some incredible improvements to the facilities and to the education. Most people there have not been educated at all, or if they have it was to a low level.
Christian has been working on the Agri-missions building there. It's a great space, they have rooms where people can hold meetings, missions groups can come and stay, and a big kitchen. They have planted fruits and vegetables and sesame seeds and other things. They keep on trying new things to improve the lifestyles of the people. I wish I knew more! They are doing an awesome job out there.

Quick picture here, on the way back we saw an awesome thunderstorm ahead so we stopped to put the bags inside the car, and I snapped this photo. It was gorgeous! You could smell the rain from miles away. A welcome relief to the 100 degree heat. Anyway, I know this post is ridiculously long, as you should probably come to expect from me now. I ask that you keep praying for me, as I keep on learning more Spanish, finding my place in the school here, and building relationships with people around me. And if you want to mail me something, that would be ok too. :) My address is:
Escuela Metodista Nuevo Horizonte
Attn:Emily Milner
Chaco Boreal Num 9978 esq.
Ruiz Diaz de Guzman
Lambare - Paraguay

Bendiciones! (Blessings!)

Nuevos Amigos.

My first weekend in Paraguay is over! And it went pretty well, actually. I was a little nervous about what I was going to do, but another missionary couple, Carol and Donald, called and offerend to take me around Saturday and then I could stay the night at their house and go to church with them Sunday. I, of course, accepted. They are a really fun couple in their mid 30s and have the most adorable 4 year old daughter, Cora. She is a talker for sure. :) I'll try to get pictures soon and put some up. We spent Saturday driving around and we found some lotion for me, one of the things I forgot to bring with me. Then we went to a rural church they have been attending. The church had an emapanda dinner and we watched A Walk In The Clouds with Keanu Reeves! Happy Valentines Day to me! Haha! :) I'm pretty sure Christy used to love that movie and we watched it all the time, but that was years ago. Anyway, that was actually a lot of fun and I met some sweet people.
Sunday I went with them to a different church, they have been swapping between 2 churches. The pastor introduced me and I stood at the front while everyone prayed for me. I love the way people pray here. It doesnt have to be flowery or pretty, and honestly, most times you have no idea what anyone is saying because everyone prays aloud at the same time! Its fantastic! Its like their prayers just wrap around you. They all stretch out their hands towards you, much like in the states, but then they all start praying at the same time. And it starts out normal sounding, semi quiet, but then it builds until in the middle of it some of the people are practically shouting, then it slowly gets quieter until somehow they all know exactly when to stop and everyone says "Amen". I love it.
After church we got some lunch, which was also strange because all of the grocery stores have food courts in them. Not just the malls. The grocery stores. So bizarre to me, but they arent too bad, its just a bunch of buffet-style Paraguayan food that you load on your plate, then you pay by the weight, not the type of food you buy. They actually weigh your plate when you check out. :) Oh, and I've taken up hot sauce on my Milanesa (Martin, you would be proud... although it is kind of wussy hot sauce, I like the flavor!) Then we went and I got a watch, which I never thought important before the loss of my cellphone, and a digital alarm clock, which I never thought would be hard to find but it was.... and I went to a grocery store that gets an american shipment in once a year and they just got it in! I bought peanut butter! And ziploc bags! And REAL salad dressing! Praise God. ;) Seriously though, they dont make that stuff here.
I went to church with another missionary that teaches English at the school, Tim, last night. He spoke because their pastor was doing something else. I met a teacher at the school, Margarita, who is the leader of a woman's group in Lambare, where the school is, and I'm going to try to start going to that!
School started this morning! We had devotions at 7:15 and the kids got here at 7:30am. I'm starting to meet more people and already am understanding Spanish a little better. Still working on the speaking though. But its so strange, because I've started thinking in Spanglish in my head. Most thoughts are in English, but then some will be in Spanish. It's so weird! But I'm counting that as a positive step in speaking fluent Spanish. :) The people who work here are just now starting to get organized, so I didn't have much to do today, but apparently there is a ton of stuff to do, they just have to find it or something. So I'm waiting patiently, content to use the internet in one of the offices instead!
No good update on the internet in my apartment. I finally got the password, and it tells me I'm connected, but then something, for some reason, still won't let me connect to the internet. If there are any computer wizards out there who have a clue, help me out!!!! Perla, one of the secretaries, is supposed to be trying to find someone who can help but she's pretty busy. Although I think I found a friend in her! She's 19 and hilarious and puts up with my lousy spanish. And she lives around the corner from me. So yay for friends!
Anyway, I think this post is long enough..... One of my biggest prayers as I got here was that God would give me a passion for this country and the people and I think that He has been. I'm starting to look forward to what He has in store for me while I'm here! Keep on praying!

Hasta.

Estoy aqui.

Well, I´m here! For those who haven´t already heard, the first adventure began when I missed my flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Asuncion, Paraguay... thankfully I FINALLY found a Delta representative who could help me, so he got me on the next flight an hour later. Yay! When I was flying over Asuncion I noticed that everything is either very green or orangey-brown... trees and grass or dirt roads, basically. It is a big city, with your basic modern conveniences- malls, restaraunts, grocery stores. If you´ve been to any Latin American city it´s very similar. Children crowd your car begging for money or selling things, dogs roam everywhere. But thats just in the heart of the city. You get about 5 miles outside the center and its people living in poverty for miles and miles. I have cows that like to walk around outside my apartment, grazing in the street. :)
The school is called Nuevo Horizonte, or New Horizons. It is well organized and everyone is incredibly friendly. I did teachery things today like make bulletin boards and cut foam letters... so strange for me, Steve! School starts Monday and it looks like for now I´ll be helping with the English class, they got very excited when they found out I can sing because neither of the English teachers can and dont want to subject the kids to their voices but they love it. I´ll also be working with the children to send letters to their sponsors. Every child is sponsored, mostly people in the states, since the parents cant afford an education. Right now it goes up to 8th grade, but they´re adding a grade every year so this is the first year for that grade.
Its already been a difficult transition, living alone, no one speaks English and my Spanish leaves much to be desired. But I can sense, even now, that it´s going to be life changing. It definitely won´t be easy, but it will be worth it in the long run.
My apartment doesn´t have internet yet, Im waiting on a password that no one seems to know, but when it does I´ll be updating this thing pretty regularly. Right now I´m relying on the internet cafe around the corner... In the meantime I´m asking for prayers! That I will make friends here, learn the language quickly, learn my way around, stay safe, and ward off the homesickness. Oh, and double prayers for internet access in my apartment, por favor. :)
Muchisimas gracias!