Last night, we celebrated Saúl's 28th birthday with about 40 of our friends. We had the little salon packed full and spilling onto the porch, but all had a great time. After a photo show, various people came forward to say a little something to the birthday boy, and then we cut the fabulous cake that the Pastor's wife (known as the Pastora, and pictured here) made for him.

We are thankful that Saúl is part of our family here. He's been living with us for a lot of months now, and he is an integral part of what we do. He is quite gifted in making contacts, and definitely an evangelist at heart. He guides us in our cultural blunders and encourages us in our victories. He gets a lot of flack from the local folks, who can't understand how he can tolerate my cooking or hearing us converse in English. Because he's a pale fellow, lots of people think he's actually a blood relative and are surprised to find out he's Paraguayan. (That element of surprise comes in handy sometimes....) We think every missionary family needs a Saúl!

If you're older than 30 (It's okay...raise your hand. Be proud.), you may remember Sunday School consisting of a Bible story told by your teacher and then "acted out" on a flannelgraph board. We were a small church, and my Granny was my teacher. I remember that she had cut out solid backdrops of felt, to which she stuck the little figures that came with the Bible study booklets. We had paper versions of Noah and Joseph and even some of the animals. If she didn't have something, she made it from scrap pieces of felt. I never knew there was any other way to do it.

Fast forward to 2010, and we received a huge box of a deluxe flannelgraph set, complete with the backgrounds, extra scene props, and a whole bunch of characters to cut out. The set also included two books--the English and the Spanish version of Old and New Testament stories, with lists for each of which figures and backdrops you should use to illustrate the story. WOW! What a great idea for a donation! Thank you so much for thinking of the children here and wanting to invest in their Bible learning!

We put this kit to use in La Hora Feliz, the weekly children's Bible study time on Sunday mornings, in our home. The kids were amazed at the bright colors and realistic scenes, and the visual display helped with the language barrier. Flannelgraph has come a LONG WAY, Baby!

And as you can see from this photo, even the teens find entertainment in the felt....

I finally "bit the bullet," as Mrs. Donnelly used to say, and bought the tickets for our furlough later this year. We will be landing in Atlanta the last day of September, spending all of October and November visiting churches, seeing family, and bopping around local Goodwills and Taco Bells, then heading back to Paraguay the last day of November. We arrive in Asuncion on Caroline's birthday, December 1. I planned that just right so that she could receive the children's ticket price. Haha. (It's a spiritual gift I have--the gift of cheap. They call me "Economista" here.)

So this is the official notice that comes before the official emails, to let you know that we will officially be in the States later this year. Please try not to drink all the root beer before we get there.

We'd love to go ahead and schedule some visits to speak to your church, Bible study group, Sunday School, Ladies' Night Out, homeschool co-op, whatever. If you'll drop us an email (hagerman100 at yahoo dot com), we'd be thrilled to put you on our calendar. We really look forward to seeing everyone and are excited to have finally clicked the "buy tickets now" button online. Until October, there's work to be done here and we'd love for you to be a part of it. Drop on by Carapegua when you're in the area, and if you can't make it, maybe we'll see you later this year at YOUR place.

A kepi is a ballcap, and each year, churches in the nearby town of Quiindy host Ballcap Night. I'm not really sure why they call it that, because only a few people wear hats. However, there is a prize given each year for the most original hat.

This year, Camille, Caroline, and one of their friends all decided to wear crazy hats. Caroline's was a huge foam fish, which she almost chickened out of wearing once she got there and realized hardly anyone even had on a normal hat. Her braveness won her first prize, which turned out to be a little foam soccer ball.

Ken chose a foam pig's face and put a wire in the tail that curled out of the back of it. He received a lot of funny looks and brought home second prize. Okay, the second prize was a tiny pair of stretchy shorts, Caroline's size.

Camille wore a cowboy hat with wildly colored stripes. She has a unique style anyway, and doesn't mind a bit of attention. She took third prize, a sparkly belt (which she is waving around in the photo). I just wore my WonderWoman cap and didn't intend to participate in the competition, but since there were only a few hats, the emcee insisted ALL hatted folks come forward. I left with forth prize--a goodie bag with hairbows and little toys, and a pair of basketball socks with Michael Jordan's number.

The actual event was really fun, with a guest band, a special speaker, and several church groups performing skits or songs. We got to see lots of people we know, enjoy the cool breezes, and bring home prizes! Did I mention that 14 of us crowded into a van to get there, and I rode in Ken's lap the whole way? Nice way to greet Valentine's Day, huh?

Let me just add here that it's nice to have a personal photographer around. I'm guilty of living in the moment more than preserving it, so many Kodak memories pass us by as a family. Hollie and Amber have been good boosts to our photo collection, and once again, this photo is being shared with you because the real camera people are nice enough to share. Thanks, Hollie!


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Our local church is hosting a campaña this week, which is a series of nightly services (We'd usually term it a revival.) This campaña is being held outside at a recreational area. The field is full of guys playing soccer, of course, and older men playing volleyball, right up until the services start at 8:00 PM. There are a couple pieces of playground equipment to one side of the field, so little people are swinging and sliding and climbing trees (just like Zaccheus) throughout the services.

The location is terrific, right smack-dab in the middle of a crowded neighborhood. And since most people practically live outside anyway, there are folks in chairs in their front yards listening to the singing and preaching. Most of the visitors from the neighborhood who actually come close enough to sit in the chairs we've set out, are children. It's quite precious to see them respond each night in the altar call. The first night, I had the wonderful privilege of leading a group of kids in a prayer to invite Jesus into their hearts. When we finished, I asked if I could pray for each of them. One sweet little fella (10 years old or so?) burst into tears when I started the prayer for him. I asked him if there was anything in specific I could help him pray about, and he said, "For the whole world, that it will all be good and the people will be good and the families will be good and the world will be good. And that God will help us and won't leave us." So many people know about God but don't know Him enough to know He won't leave. I'm glad we have had the opportunity to help spread the word of His faithfulness to this community.

Yesterday started out just like normal, really hot and the air heavy, kinda suffocating. About 2 PM, an intense windstorm passed through. Wait, did I mention it was a SOUTHERN WIND?!?! YAY! Remember, we're below the equator, so the further south you go, the cooler the temps are. And when the wind blows in from the south, it's a happy day. It brings a refreshing nip of cold, even in the summer. They call it the viento sur (south wind) and it makes everyone happy. Yesterday, in the course of about 15 minutes, the temperature dropped 30 degrees. It was HEAVENLY!

I was reminded in the wind--which blew in dust like a storm from those movies set in the desert--that so many things depend on perspective. Normally, going south means you're heading to Florida, and you'll be needing some sunscreen. Here, you head north for the warmer weather. Perspective changes everything.

We read this morning about Paul's decision to be content in all circumstances, in Philippians 4. He was the ultimate missionary, standing in the gap to keep Christianity from becoming a mono-cultural religion. He had to deal with quite a bit of culture shock, to be sure, and his visits weren't always met with welcoming receptions. But he said he had learned to be content in all circumstances. Even if it was too hot. Even if he couldn't find Reese's peanut butter cups and root beer at the local market. Even if he didn't know what the people on the street were saying about him as he walked by. Even if his day didn't go as planned. Even if.... Help us, Lord, to always be content, even if. (And thanks for the viento sur!)

These past few days have been a whirlwind! We spent two days at the end of last week running here and there in Asuncion, not really enjoying hopping buses in the heat, which was over 100* both days. However, we did get some needed things done, and it seems that our immigration paperwork is finally nearing an end. We also were able to visit the supermarket that gets a once-per-year shipment of imported groceries from the US, and I loaded up on pop-tarts. **Okay, those of you parents who read this aloud to your kids, use your judgment on my next sentence. We were delighted that the typed-out price tag for one of the boxes didn't read "pop tarts," but actually said, "pops farts" instead. I had to explain to the check-out gal why we were in tears.

Moving along. This weekend, we opened the youth center for a hangout/movie night, and had a good turnout. Everyone seemed to like the paint makeover. The next evening, we attended a youth gathering in Carapegua, which included a 15th birthday and a fresh batch of brownies. Even in unbearable heat, warm brownies are always in order.

Afterward, around 10 PM, some of us went to bed and the rest went to a vigilia (all-night church service). I have to confess that I only lasted until about 12:30 AM, then came home to sleep until 4 AM, when I was awakened by a couple girls who wanted to spend the night--well, the rest of the morning. So I walked a few blocks to meet them, then tried unsuccessfully to go back to sleep. Because the heat is so bad right now, we are all piled up to sleep anyway, so we can at least SLEEP in the a/c. Thank God again for an air-conditioner in the bedroom.

At 10 AM, Hollie and the girls had La Hora Feliz, with about 10 children from the neighborhood in attendance. They used the VERY DELUXE flannelgraph set that was donated recently from partners in SC, and the kids loved it. Then at 2 PM, the young ladies came over for our weekly Bible study. We talked about the origin of the lies we hear from the enemy, then begin to believe, and finally act on. It was great to hear the testimonies that came after I read the scripture

John 8:32 "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free."

It's always good to be reminded that we don't have to walk around in chains, although sometimes we choose to.

After the gals left, we got ready for a visit to a church we'd never been to. Thank God this was one of the times we had water, because by now we were all drenched and in need of showers.

What a blessing it was to be refreshed in worship and the Word. Caroline and I had to step out once to "breathe" because the heat was just horrible, but even outside it can't be escaped right now. The rumor is that rain is on the way this week. We meant it quite literally tonight when we sang, "Send the Rain."

Lord willing, tomorrow (well, later today) will involve a bit of rest for us all, and some wet towels applied to the face under the shade of the mango tree. Sometimes the hectic pace is a bit much, and I whine about the heat. But even in times like this, I just love my life. Thanks again, Lord.