Many good things

It has been quite a while since I wrote a blog and we've been busy - but with such GOOD things!!  I am feeling truly blessed as I sit down to write this long-overdue update on our family and ministry.  

First of all, on May 2 the Williams family arrived in Asunción.  They will be taking over as the new cluster support family for the 4040s.  Ryan and I have been so busy with our church-related positions and activities that we've at times felt like we were neglecting the 4040s.  Cole and Kelly are awesome and will be a great addition to the team!  They have two kiddos - Teddy is 4 and Reese just turned 3.  Landon and Teddy are already good buddies :)  You can check out their blog here.

A few days after the Williams arrived and we helped them furnish their house (finding them an apartment was an adventure!!  MUCH different here than in the States or even Peru), the boys celebrated Paraguay's Independence Day at school.  Both classes did a traditional dance and Landon was chosen to recite a poem with 3 other boys.  It's fun to be learning more about this new culture and country!

 Although Mother's Day in Paraguay was officially on Thursday May 17, the church celebrated on Sunday. I worked with the Sunday School teachers to help the kids learn a song and motions and they performed it during the service.  It was neat to see how proud they were and how much fun they had!
The church is growing so much (and we had a short-term team of college students here) that we had to hold the service outside.  What a blessing!  We are currently looking at putting up the roof for a new building so we can transition services outside, but I think we have officially "outgrown" the current church building.

 Here's a picture of Landon with his new buddy, Teddy :)

 So, as I mentioned above, we were very blessed to be able to host a short-term team of 24 college students for 2 weeks.  They were AMAZING!  They came with such energy and encouragement for us.  I also have to say that our 4040s did an extraordinary job of planning and leading the events that the short-termers participated in.  They worked in schools, plazas, soccer fields, and the street.  They painted and cleaned up the church grounds.  They helped us make new relationships and build upon existing ones.  Our hearts are filled with gratitude for these young people from Trevecca, Olivet, and Mid-America!
Below is a picture of the one event I was able to participate in (I was mostly locked up with the money and receipts!)  We went to a nearby school and spent 3 hours with the kids (kindergarten through high school) - playing soccer, painting faces and nails, jumping rope, and sharing our love with them.  At the end of our time, Felipe spoke to them about God's love and invited them and their families to church.

If you want to see more pictures of the events in Asunción these last two weeks, check out Extreme's Facebook page.
Isaiah made some special friends too :)

So,all in all May has been pretty wild but we are encouraged and ready to face the new challenges of a growing church and ministry!