God has given us the chance to be at the Johns Island church following the presentation at Smoaks. The Johns Island church is having a singing Sunday afternoon. The festivities begin at 2:00 pm. Pastor Michael Droze has invited us to come and share our mission vision to the cogregation to kick off the the afternoon singing event. So if you are in the area and want to hear some good singing come and be with us. Thanks.

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We're going to be visiting the Smoaks Church of God of Prophecy this next weekend, August 31, for their Sunday morning service. Smoaks is a small town located near Walterboro, SC (yes, it's still South Carolina!!), so we'll get the chance to visit with some of my (Christie's) family in the lowcountry while we're there. If you're in the area, come by!

If you've ever visited Paraguay, you know all about their special tea, a type of yerba mate called tereré (pronounced by us Americans as "teduday," more or less). It is a dry leaf ground up a bit, and sold in a bag like sugar.

Every red-blooded Paraguayan has his own guampa ("wampa")--a cup of sorts, or sometimes a hollowed out bull's horn, and a thermos. They put a bombilla, a metal straw with holes in the bottom for filtering out the leaves, into the guampa, then fill the guampa with the leaves. Next, they pour cold water from the thermos into the guampa. As the water flows over the leaves, it picks up the flavor and becomes a tea. You get a few sips from the straw and then need to refill with more cold water.

There are different flavors, such as citrus, lemongrass, or mint. It's reputed to have tons of health benefits, which is a good thing in my book. Certain herbs are added for their medicinal benefits, to help with things like headaches or stomach ailments. Apparently, there is some significant caffeine content, because workers take terere breaks like we take coffee breaks. Ken says the gas stations he saw had cold water refill stations by the gas pumps, so folks could keep their thermoses full enough for a sip of terere throughout the day. And with summer temperatures in the 100-115°F range, not a bad idea.

This is also a huge cultural thing in Paraguay. Usually, the youngest person in the group is the server. He fills the guampa and passes to the first person, who drinks and passes it back. Then the server pours more water and passes the same guampa and straw to the next person, and it continues. I'm not normally a tea drinker EVER, but I am told it is rude to refuse the terere. I'm trying to get used to it. Ken brought some back and got a refill from Bethany Maney, so he's sharing it with me sometimes. You can mix in some fruit juice and they call it Russian terere, but I sure don't want to look like a goofball in such an important custom. Haha! Maybe I can find a favorite flavor and stick with that, always volunteering to be the server!!

Today was the Mission Encounter, with booths/tables set up in a large room, one for each country represented at the Assembly. That meant a LOT of booths. I was privileged to get to work as the translator for the National Overseer of Peru, Bishop Rafael Alvino Vargas. The South American tables were all situated in the same area, which meant I also got to meet the Paraguayan overseer and the Chilean overseer, and their family members in attendance.

Bishop Alvino brought a traditional dress from the jungle area, complete with a feathered headdress and the tribal necklaces. Of course, I wore this proudly, and ONCE I was mistaken for a native Peruana. These clothes came from Iquitos, one of my favorite places on Earth! It was really cool until I realized kids wanted to take pictures with me (I'm not really fond of pictures, unless I'm BEHIND the camera!) I had brought my scrapbook from the 2006 trip and reminisced about the places we visited as I answered questions about Peru's people, churches, food, etc. It was quite a joy to get to know Bishop Alvino and remember how much I love Peru (like I needed a reminder!)

Camille and Caroline enjoyed going to each of the tables and speaking with the representatives, learning a lot about the churches in other countries around the world. Caroline spent a lot of time talking with the Bishop from Barbados (Bro. Edward) and was actually asked to "man" a couple booths while the participants ran to grab a meal.

We were all able to talk to people about our vision for the missionary training school in Paraguay. We handed out cards to lots of young people and pastors, with hopes that they'll remember us if they, or someone they know, decides they want to pursue a mission call.

What a great day!

Tonight we met part of the family we'll be working with in Paraguay, Dan and Gwen Miller. We had a great time getting to know them and I was relieved to find out they're just regular old folks like us--silly, God-loving, regular folks. I'm sure we'll be having a great time together in the future. (Ken spent time with them earlier this year, but it was the first time for me and the girls.)

Their sons Kyle (17) and Daniel (21?) stayed in Canada. Knowing that the Millers are used to BOYS and we're coming in as an estrogen-heavy bunch, we hope they know what they're in for! I doubt Gwen has had to sit still for the boys to braid her hair put it all up in clippies and paint her toes and ... well, you know. (Daniel, you didn't paint your mom's toes, did you?)

They told us about all the girls at the children's home, though, and mine were quite excited to hear that those gals in Paraguay are eagerly awaiting Camille and Caroline's arrival. I think the count is 11 girls, 8 guys, so we'll tip the scale even farther in the feminine direction.

The more we learn, the "readier" we are to jump on that plane!!!

It's been a really busy weekend!! We had youth activities Friday and Saturday nights that got us in bed around 2 AM each night, but it was great to be with those guys. Camille and I had a yard sale Saturday and are a little bit closer to being rid of some stuff, and raised enough money to get our shots! YAY! (Camille wasn't as excited about that news as I was, of course...)

Sunday morning, we traveled about 30 minutes to the small town of Central, to speak at the COGOP there. Pastor Lonnie Donald was MY pastor as a young girl, and I loved being able to see his wife, Faye, his daughters Loretta and Lahoma, who are both grandmothers now, and the extended family. Their church was also very welcoming.


We got to see old friends there and meet some new ones. The service was very refreshing for our family, as everything from the Sunday School lesson to the song to the sermon was dead-on what we needed to hear right now. We were reminded that no matter what happens around us, no matter where we are, God is in control, and He is GREAT! When it came time to give our presentation, the girls had both practiced a little "speech" to give. Then Caroline sang a song in Spanish and English while Camille played the cajon (box drum). We were SOOO proud of them for stepping out of their comfort zones. Right up until the second she began her song, Caroline was asking me, "Do I HAVE to do this?!?!" but later agreed that she was glad she did. I guess we're all stretching a little out of our comfort zones these days.

That evening, we went to Ken's home church, College Park. Most people there are practically family, and some actually are family. It was good to be back with them all. And imagine my surprise when my old friend, Sara (Hill) McCoy showed up! I hadn't seen her in at least 10 years, but we were great friends in middle school (we went through girl scouts together--haha!) She and her family came to offer me some much-appreciated moral support and touch base with us again. It was very obvious that God is working in their lives, and SO wonderful to get to spend time with them.

The church service that evening was DYNAMIC and very powerful. As always, praise and worship is an event at College Park. The Spirit of the Lord was present and working, and we spoke after everyone had enjoyed a good bit of time basking in that. This time, Camille told a bit about the country of Paraguay, Caroline spoke a little in Spanish, and then they did their song. Again, proud parents here.

It was really wonderful to be able to share the vision the Lord has given us with so many people in one day. We love to talk about what's going on anyway, but to actually be INVITED to speak about it was such an honor for our family, and one we don't take lightly. Thank you, Central and College Park churches, for your wonderful welcome, your prayers and support, and your spirit of missions! Que Dios le bendiga! (God bless you!)

Things are getting a little crazy here! We're still trying to get rid of as much stuff as possible, deciding what we'll do with our house, and speaking at a few churches. The girls are boning up on their Spanish studies, and I'm trying to get homeschool plans made. We're going through our things and trying to decide what we will choose to pack in our suitcase.

Here's the list of where we'll be over the next few weeks. If you happen to be nearby, stop in and say hello!




Sunday, August 10 -- College Park Church for their evening service

Wednesday, August 13 - Saturday, August 16 -- General Assembly of the COGOP in Nashville, TN


Keep us in your prayers as we go through these times of planning and deciding what steps to take. :)