What a day!! What started off as a normal Wednesday turned sour after a little bit. amber and I actually got up REALLY early to go jogging, and were feeling all pumped up from our self-discipline. Morning devotion and prayer went well, and the girls and I jumped right into homeschool full swing.

A little into the morning, we got a call from our mechanic that our vehicle was in desperate need of more repairs. We'd just sent the lawyer another lovely chunk of change to continue the legal proceedings necessary to force the car lot owner to give us our proper paperwork on this same vehicle, after a year with no papers. We kinda had a clue that we needed more repairs because cranking that thing every morning was nothing short of a disaster, complete with much lifting of the hood and tons of smoke. The neighbors were grateful because it helped keep the mosquito population under control, but it was starting to get old. That, and the fact that we have to put oil in it EVERY TIME we drive it. So we knew something would need fixing, but we weren't too excited about the call that said we owed more than a million guaranis (that's a bit more than $200, but doesn't it sound so dramatic to say a MILLION?!)

Since the repair shop is about 2 hours away (trustworthy mechanics are hard to find), we opted to put off taking the bus to retrieve it until the next day. That meant the trip to teach English class would be a motorcycle ride. The only way that made sense was for Ken to stay here with the girls and I'd drive the motorcycle and Amber a little piece down the highway and a long piece down the dirt road to where the class is held each Wednesday evening. No problem, right? Well, sand and motorcycles just don't mix.

We did well through most of the trip even in the difficult spots, until going through a REALLY deep sandy area, where I promptly lost control of the bike and it fell onto us. This makes the third time I've lost my "footing" in the sand, out of three trips. This is the first time I had a passenger, though. The folks from the nearest house came out to help and let me know that I shouldn't drive it through the sand ("Yes, I know, but there's no where else to go...") and that people fall here all the time. My previous two falls had been minor and at slower speeds, but this one did a little damage to the bike and scraped me up a bit. Some part of the bike landed on Amber's foot, and I could feel my knee hurting right away. The handlebars were bent out of shape, making it pretty impossible to drive, so I thought I'd better call Ken.

Let's complicate things a little. My cell phone wouldn't dial out, neither would it send a message or let me get online to even try sending him an email in hopes he was online. And since most of the people who live nearby are on the same cell phone plan, none of their phones were working either. How DID we ever survive before cell phones?

Ken was stranded at the house and had no way to get to us, but started working on a way. We started looking for a second driver and moto to taxi us home, and for someone to get the bike back in running order. Fast forward a couple hours and we were back home, nursing the wounds and telling the tale. All the neighbors had come out to see what happened (word travels fast here). Then a neighbor comes by to tell us that he just heard on the radio that the water is unsafe to drink right now, due to all the rain we've had. Now, when the municipality in a place like this tells you the water is unsafe, that means it's VERY unsafe.

Ken left on the moto ("No, I don't want to go along, but thanks.") to get a jug of water, at the moment that all the stores were closing. We have no all-night Wal-Mart in Paraguay. He found someone who'd let him in to buy some, and hooked it on the back of the motorcycle with his bungee-cord net, which popped on the way home, causing the water to fall onto the cobblestone road and burst. So much for clean water for the night.

Now, Caroline had been very sick with what we thought was a stomach virus (guess it was the water), a couple days before. She'd ended up in the ER, and Saul took his turn with it next. Ken had been complaining of some stomach pain, so he went to lie down and we decided we'd drink Coke instead of water (all the little stores in people's living rooms sell Coke, but hardly any sell water). So within a few hours, Camille and Ken were sick, followed by Amber. I seem to be the only one unaffected, but I'm the one who refuses to drink the water even on the "good days" here. I guess it paid off this time.

Ken's anxious for me to get back on the motorcycle and practice more in the sand, but I may be hanging my helmet. My knee is a bit swollen and I'm not fond of this soreness, and I bonked my head quite firmly on the ground going down. Amber is very sore but came out well for the wear. We're both very thankful we always use the helmets, and aware that God is very good to us. Thank you all for the daily prayers for our family. I just wanted you to know that they are needed and they work. :)

Oh, how spoiled I am! The past couple weeks, our washing machine has been out of order. Searching for the replacement part was an adventure in itself, but that's a whole new story. Ken finally gave up and rigged the contraption in some sort of homemade, but very functional, fashion. He's so handy that way!

In the meantime, I became well-acquainted with handwashing. I thought many times of my technology-resistant Granny who, in my childhood (it wasn't THAT long ago, okay?!) had a big metal tub wherein she washed her clothes, using a cool scrub board. It was the just like the scrub board our pastor played on Sunday mornings with a thimble, if I remember correctly. We have lye soap in bars here because lots of people (most) wash by hand, but you know how sensitive my girls' skin can be. So lye didn't make the cut. I ended up using the powder (no liquid Tide here, ladies) to make a soapy mix in a big bucket, then rubbing the clothes together with my hands or a brush, if very dirty. Nothing really got very clean.

Granny's other advantage was that she had this thingy that looked like two metal papertowel cores stuck together. The wet clothes were placed at the meeting of the two metal cylinders. Then she'd hand crank those cylinders while the clothes went through them, wringing out the water. See how dangerous that wringer looks below? I had this horrible fear as a child that I'd end up feeding my FINGERS through as I fed the clothes, so I didn't help Granny often. I imagined my fingers popping off or being forever flattened....
Well, these last few weeks, I did the wringing out without the aid of the scary papertowel thingies, which was much less intimidating but not very efficient. And I never could get all the soap rinsed out. So when the (really hot) sun baked the clothes dry, they had a soapy, gritty feel. Needless to say, a shout of joy rang out from the household inhabitants when Ken announced he'd fixed our good ole' washer!

(PS-This is NOT my Granny, but she was a knockout in her day, too!)

(DISCLAIMER TO OUR MOTHERS/CAMILLE AND CAROLINE'S GRANDMOTHERS: READ THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK...) You may remember that we're in Phase I of opening the youth center in the large room downstairs, which means that we're inviting young folks over each weekend, or anytime there's a big soccer game on tv. While we're getting the premises ready and doing the work on the actual building, we wanted to acquaint people with us and the place, and get them comfortable with visiting. This past weekend Phase I was in full-swing.

We had about 20 people over, in the front room and spilling over onto the front porch. The house across the street from us puts a tiny tv in its doorway every weekend and sells alcohol to the men from the community who gather there. There's always a crowd. Well, some of the guys on OUR front porch were taking turns with Ken's guitar, and before long, we had a mini-concert going on. Several of the men across the street gathered in front of our house, and a few neighbors came on over to hear the acoustic praise and worship that lasted several hours.

During this time, three children were sitting on the grass across the road from our house. We'd invited them over (normally they're hanging out all over this same porch), but they were nervous with all the "big guys" here. In the middle of one of the songs during which Ken happened NOT to be playing drums, he heard some commotion over there and sprinted over. As I write this with chills, I am still acutely aware of how bad this could have gone not only for my husband, but for those children, and I am profoundly grateful for God's protection over all involved.

We didn't know what was happening until the children were screaming and Ken kicked a long, angry snake into the road. To my dismay, he had a stomping fight for several long minutes with the snake, who hissed and raised his head striking at Ken over and over. Now, back in the day, my man worked for a company that had him tromping through the woods, and he's stomped a snake or two when needed. He happened to be wearing high-top leather steel-toe boots at the time. This weekend, he was wearing shorts, tennis shoes, and ankle socks. The snake was rearing up to the level of his calf, and at times, his knee. It was quite nerve-wracking to watch, to say the least. He said he just kept thinking about how fast the snake moved, and that the house across the street was open enough that he could slither right in, even if the children got enough out of his way. Ken finally got the best of the snake and stomped his poisonous head to death (sorry, animal lovers...), becoming the champion to this set of kids and something to talk about amongst the gathering neighbors. Not exactly how we were seeking to "get the word out" about the youth center, but it works!

Early Saturday morning we hopped a few buses and arrived two hours later at the home of the mechanic who had our truck. He'd just found another problem and said it wouldn't be ready until the evening, but we NEEDED to do things in Asuncion. So what's a gal to do? I threw all our stuff in a backpack, handed the pack to Ken, and we started hopping more buses.

Now, for those Paraguayans who do this regularly, the bus system can be a good thing. Fifty cents to a dollar per person, per ride, to various stops throughout the city isn't so bad, right? Well, it adds up when you don't know exactly which bus to catch, and exactly where to get off to arrive at the desired locations. Let me just say that we walked a WHOLE lot of miles and rode a WHOLE lot of buses, but we had a good time in the process. It was an adventure, and one we were thankful didn't come with rain or too much heat.

(Photo from NRCSA.com)I found that I prefer the ghetto buses that resemble old-timey school buses, because they have plastic seats, frilly tassels hanging from the windshield, and pictures of Jesus all over the place inside. The nicer buses have the padded seats, and while that may SEEM more comfortable, I didn't have the nerve to lean back (think lice), and rode with my head forward on those types of seats. Poor Ken, who gets a little motion sick when he's not driving, had several opportunities to ride standing up because there weren't seats available. Bless his heart...I married a gentleman. We walked no less than 50 city blocks, sometimes uphill, and he never once allowed me to carry the backpack. What a fella!

I want to share with you a little of Amber's most recent blog post. You all know Amber, the wonder-intern, who has been with us since July. Well, I recognized the "look" in her eye a little while after getting here, since it's what hit me not long after my own arrival. I could compare it to that feeling you get when you graduate from college and get the first job in your field, and realize that all you've learned was only the BEGINNING of what you NEED to learn to be successful. Getting on the mission field full-time was the same thing--all I've known and learned was just the start, and in myself, I'm inadequate for this job. It is like a "fight or flight" reaction, where I can pack up and go home or dig in and go deeper. It wakes up a hunger for more and more of the Lord, and the NEED to know more and more of Him and His ways. It was so cool to see that light come on in her. She has been studying, asking questions, and reading, reading, reading; and putting into practice what she's finding out. What a blessing to be able to watch this part of her life unfold! In her words:

After two weeks, today, I finally finished a small goal that I set for myself: reading the entire New Testament of the Bible! I have learned so much that I didn't know, and the stories I did know, I got a better insight on. I have also been reading another book called "For Such a Time As This," by Lisa Ryan. It's a book about Esther and how to be a "modern day Esther," and do things that aren't always easy to do, but you do them because God wants you to. It's been a wonderful book so far, and I feel like I have a better idea of Esther and her life, and how she might have felt back then. The Bible is so much bigger than I ever imagined, and every day I see more and more that there's more to this Jesus thing than the ten commandments and Noah's Ark...

Little Niko has a name and is doing well at adjusting to being a Hagerman. We're having fun housetraining him (if I tell myself that enough times, I may start to believe it). Thanks for all the votes for his name. We almost changed it the day after choosing Niko, after Ken went on a campaign to call him Rocky. :)

Today, we'll be driving the SUV about an hour and a half away, to leave it with a mechanic. It is overrun with problems right now (leaking fuel pump, brakes giving way, vibration underneath, to name a few), and we can't put it off any longer. It'll be fun to catch the bus back home. We're praying for honest, economical fixes, and for the upcoming court date concerning this vehicle to go well. We have an appointment next week with a judge to try to settle the paperwork issue I've told you about.

This past Saturday night, we had about 25 young people packed into the living room to watch the soccer game. It's really funny to drive around during one of the games, as every home with a tv has it propped up in the front yard, and everyone is sitting in front of it. Every restaurant or bar has the tv on, and no one does much of anything until it's over. Every time Paraguay scores, people set off fireworks. When the game ends in a win, major explosions. It's quite fun! So we're taking advantage of that to get people inside the house. We're calling this PHASE ONE of the youth center: "Open the doors and bring people in."

This weekend will be the first children's ministry event here, which we'll do in coordination with our friends Adolfo and Silvia. Team Metamorphosis focuses more on youth ministry, but the word MITA (MEE tah) is how children are referred to in Guarani, so MITAmorphosis is the children's division. We're thinking along the lines of Bible School--you know--songs, story, scripture, game, snack. In Paraguay, it's most often called "La Hora Feliz" when kids ministry takes place. Yep, that DOES mean Happy Hour. We won't be serving drinks, however!! Silvia and Amber will be teaching, and Camille and Caroline will help as needed. They're excited to hand out the flyers and invitations this week.

Okay, just wanted to catch you up and solicit your prayers in these situations. We're excited about what God is doing, and confident that He's got His hand in every area of our lives. Thanks for your support!

Well, Camille and Caroline are getting taller, Ken is growing smaller, and I guess I'm not growing much in either direction now. But that's not what I mean. Yesterday, we found the long-awaited newest member of the Hagerman clan--a 6-week old boxer puppy still waiting for a name.

I read a fellow missionary's blogpost before moving here, about a time when their family dog protected the children from an attempted break-in. Mind you, we don't leave the kids home alone (don't get worried, grandmothers), but it stuck in my mind. And when we left behind our beloved Levi, we told the girls we'd try to find a new dog when we got "settled." The definition of that word has evolved to finally mean, once we moved into our own house. So renting counts, I reckon.

We picked him up yesterday, and I spent his first night totally awake, as he had diarrhea and vomiting every 15 minutes or so. When 7 AM finally rolled around, I found a veterinarian in town here and took him right in. It seems to be a reaction to the vaccination he received just before we took him on the 2-hour car ride home from the capital, or a combo of the medicine and the trip. Either way, he was quite dehydrated and running a strong fever. The vet gave him two injections, told us to buy some suero (sugary water mix like gatorade, basically), and we have been feeding him that through a syringe all day. He is coming around and the vet said this afternoon that he will probably be just fine. Prayers are appreciated, as we've already become attached to the little fella.

He doesn't look like much of a terror right now, but in the future we're sure he'll make a great guard dog for the home and the girls. We're deciding on names... please leave your vote!

Zeus, probably the family pick right now, but it changes often
Mate (MAH tay), for the popular tea here
Niko (NEE koe), a soft drink brand SIDENOTE: The Mortons named their female Simba, which is also a soft drink here, so the breeding possibilities make this name appealing...
Nacho, in honor of the movie all our neighbors now declare their favorite (Nacho Libre); not really "scary" sounding, but cute, huh?
Lugo, the president's last name. I thought this might be offensive, but I've mentioned it to a few Paraguayans who laughed, so maybe not...

Which do you like?

...but we're ever so glad you did! I want to throw out a public THANK YOU to Garden of Life, the company founded by Jordan Rubin. Our friend Christine was concerned about our maladjustment to the food and water here, and contacted them to ask if they could recommend a supplement. She described our situation, and they GIFTED US with a box full of vitamins and supplements for the whole family. What a blessing!

Christine went to the trouble of shipping it all to us, along with some letters to the girls (which they were very excited about), POP-TARTS (hallelujah!!), kool-aid, and grits. Ah, yeah, it's gonna be a southern feast around here! I'm trying to hold back and not eat breakfast at every meal. My mom also sent an unexpected box of pop-tarts and grits, which oddly enough, arrived the same day. It was quite a celebration here in the Hagerman house. Funny how much the "little things" mean.

Christine and family sent along some books--Christian living books for us in English and children's stories for the library we're beginning of Spanish books. Amber's already read through one of the English books, and we have made plans on how to use the others. My mom sent CD's of our state convention so we can hear some of the goings-on in our neck of the woods. We had a storm that dropped the temperature today, so it's felt a little like Christmas in October here... Thanks, y'all!

We attended a parade in honor of spring, hosted by the town's high school. We walked there just after dark with several families from our new neighborhood, and found a place to sit on the sidewalk. The cars were decorated much like what we're used to, although there were a few trucks driving BACKWARDS so that the flower-filled bed with the princess or "Miss 9th Grade" was seen before the cab of the truck. I kept the girls well away from the actual road, needless to say!

Did I mention that the parade only lasted a city block? There were bleachers set up on one side of the road, the judge's table directly across from there, and the rest of the block was open sidewalk for those of us who couldn't find space in the bleachers. The emcee called for "next carrosa" and the next vehicle would drive that block.

All the floats were themed and presented a short play in from of the judge's table. Most talked about some way to better themselves so that the country is better, such as wearing helmets and reflective vests when on motorcycles, or not getting caught up in drinking alcohol, or not littering. Many of the skits resembled the kind that are now popular in youth groups, with a song about temptations youth face. You know the kind--someone is smoking or drinking or a prostitute, and Jesus or a Christian dressed in white comes along, fights the bad devils, and the person throws down their vices for a new life. Well, imagine that sort of skit, except instead of Jesus, the confused youth chooses to "change his wicked ways" for the flag of Paraguay. I kept feeling deja-vu in a weird way.

One of the first few floats included a horse, which promptly deposited a steaming pile of solid wastes in front of Ken, complete with the stench. Every time someone walked or drove through it, the smell was renewed with a fresh funk. Not the best way to welcome spring, but we enjoyed the traditional dances and costumes, and spending time with some new friends.

Last Friday, Saul was at a pastoral conference and the joy of teaching the little people of the local elementary school fell on us. I've mentioned that these classes take place in Guarani, right? Well, I did my best to at least include SOME words in their language.

Ken and the girls handed out notebooks while I tried to keep the class's attention (notebook time is often chaotic). I thought I'd goof off a little and read the contents of the blackboard in my best "teacher voice" and act it out, while they awaited their notebooks. So I turned around and began, only to realize two words into it that they'd been studying the male anatomy, complete with many Spanish words that resemble the English ones enough to make me blush. So much for that idea.

We opted to talk about our day instead, until each student had his respective drawing notebook. Then I began to tell the story of David and Goliath, taking (drafted) volunteers from the class to be Samuel, the brothers, Jesse, sheep (I was the bear and the lion), King Saul, and little David. I chose the smallest boy each time for David, as the point was that little folks can do big things.

They were super actors, including Ken who, of course, was the giant. Here's a picture of our smallest David preparing to behead Goliath with the plastic sword of our resident dragon-slayer, Caroline. I got a laugh out of the chalkboard, the teachers got a laugh out of my attempts at Guarani, the kids got a laugh when the giant fell, and hopefully all learned that we come not by might, but by the spirit of the Lord.

I wish I had one of those night vision cameras that could snap a photo in darkness and it actually come out, because I'd love to show you what I saw last night. Imagine driving to the middle of nowhere down dirt roads, then turning onto a smaller dirt road, and driving some more. Then turning a few more times until the last road turned into a cow field.

That's what we did to help out at a youth night being hosted by our friend Fredi, in his home community. I've talked about their church before, and shown you a few photos of the church building in the process of construction. They've been busily raising funds (picture pasta dinners and sales of homemade bread and such) to buy material, and building as they go. One of the ladies told me last night that all that is lacking now is the money for the roof, which equates to a little less than $1500.

The church has been meeting in the front yard of Fredi's parents' house, and the members REALLY are evangelizing their community. Last night, in the middle of NOWHERE, no less than 70 young people showed up to watch a Christian movie we projected, followed by a message from a visiting pastor, and some music. One gave his heart to the Lord, and many responded by coming forward for prayer. I so wanted to take a picture for y'all, but the people were sitting on makeshift benches (picture two stumps with a log or board across them) underneath trees, and it was almost too dark to see them even without the camera. It was quite a sight, and a pleasure to project the movie onto the side of the house of people who are reaching out to their neighbors.