It’s been a while since I wrote anything here. I don’t know why. Maybe I’ve been extra busy with school, exam season having just finished up this week. Maybe I haven’t been in a writing mood. Maybe there’s just not that much to say. Whatever the reason, I’m in a writing mood today, so here we go.

I’m starting to get to a point where I see the end of the road here in Paraguay, at least for the time being. There are still three months left of school, but we’ll probably finish our book material before October. That’s sort of exciting but also daunting because it also means I need to fill two months of school with invented material. Jason Steidl, you can be expecting an email from me soon for ideas.

The kids are generally doing well with some outstanding and some not really getting it. I suppose that’s the life of a teacher. It really sucks to give a kid a D when I see they actually try really hard in class. With my grading system, it’s really hard to get an F unless you just never do ANYTHING. It’s getting tough these days with some classes because the material is getting more complex. The 6th graders are learning more grammar and less vocabulary, so the exams are harder as well as my instruction. Sort of the same with the 1st graders, but at least they can still use pictures to relate material (“How many trees are there?”). I am really enjoying being with the 3rd graders because they’re getting out of the basic basics and entering into a bit more complex material, and most of them seem to be picking it up.

One of my favorite things I’ve experienced is when I see the spark of understanding go off in a kid’s brain. I have one student, Carlos, who at the beginning had no interest in English and figured he’d never understand so he didn’t want to try. These days, he’s one of the first in his class to raise his hand to try to read and answer questions. He says he likes English now. With others, I can see at the beginning of new material the confusion on their face. Then all of a sudden as we’re working, they breathe in real quick, their face lights up, and they throw their hand in the air to answer a question. And then they answer it correctly. I think those are my favorite moments.

Please pray for someone to be convicted to come for next year. It would be great if they could come very soon to be in class with me and get to know the kids. So far we haven’t heard from anyone. Also pray that Spring Fever doesn’t drive us all crazy (Friday was *really* difficult for all of us) and that discipline can still be maintained in the classroom. Finally, pray that I can find material to do with the kids to use up the two months we’ll have left. Thank you all for your support for me both financially and spiritually. It means a lot and is felt profoundly.

-j

August 16th is Children’s Day in Paraguay. It’s a national holiday that is more precious that I at first knew. The short story is that during the War of the Triple Alliance in the early 1900s, children from ages 6 to 14 were deemed able-bodied enough to serve. They were killed just like anyone else. Some hundreds of thousands of children were killed during this terrible war. To pay homage to the fallen niños, Paraguay celebrates Children’s Day. Our church decided to take the celebration to four different outreaches including a new one my local church has just above our neighborhood.

I regret I didn’t take any photos, but it was amazing. There’s a severely poor neighborhood about a 10 or 15 minute walk from church that we did a VBS type activity with during winter break, and we came back on the 15th to sing songs, share the Gospel message, and give out presents to the kids. I don’t know how many showed up, but I’m sure there were close to 100 if not a bit more there.

I sang a few songs with the kids, and then after that a few of the youth from church did a really outstanding job on a skit they put together which ties the Gospel in with five different colors (yellow, black, red, white, and green). After the skit we served chocolate milk and handed out goodie bags with candy, cookies, and a sweet illustrated New Testament to the kids. It was really cool seeing the kids sit down and start reading their Bibles right away. I have a feeling they probably don’t own too many books.

I pray for the kids there. We can tell the Spirit is speaking to some of them and many of the parents. They’ve asked us to come back for more activities, and it’s cool having the kids know who you are and be happy to see you. Please pray for the neighborhood that they would continue to receive us well and that they remain open to the Love of Jesus Christ.

-j

This is officially my favorite Psalm.

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

-j

I have a student in 6th grade who I love dearly. She’s an incredibly sweet girl who I get along with splendidly outside of the classroom.

Inside the classroom, she can’t seem to stop talking and disrupting my class.

Last Friday the entire school put up stands and talked about several of the 16 different Departamentos in Paraguay (sort of like a Province). The 6th grade stand was amazing, and Sofia pulled this out. I didn’t know she could sing, but she’s been asking me for guitar lessons for a while. I think she needs to give me some. I almost cried because out of a mouth I have to beg to keep closed came something so beautiful. I’m so proud of her.