"This won't make you fat..."

If you haven’t already noticed I have been trying to post a blog every week. While not all the information may be “wow” and “aha” moments I feel it is important for me to be able to share with everyone that is supporting me in both prayer and financially as well as a place to share special prayers for the many different things we face daily and praise for those victories as God works in our lives and in the lives of the many Paraguay people. I have come to realize that prayer is so crucial and important and I didn’t do a very good job of keeping you updated while I was in Peru and therefore missed out on so much prayer, sharing, and praise along the way. Because of this I have purposed myself to have a blog once a week describing my week and sharing any prayer request/praise reports I might have.

Monday was our day off and I did nothing, but it was a day of nothing that was needed and ended up being a very good day. A Day that was very needed! Tuesday was also a fairly light day of organized work and was spent as a preparation day for the rest of the week.

Wednesday we met with Patricia whom we have had a few meetings with before. We showed the Felix Vargas movie, which shares Felix’s testimony and how God has transformed his live. Patricia watched it along with a gentleman who lives in the house with her. Over the past few weeks this man has not been real interested in God or the devotionals we have shared so it surprised me when he came in, sat down, and watched. Unfortunately after watching the movie he wasn't all “gung-ho” about accepting Christ like we had hoped, however I am not discouraged because I believe a seed was planted that night and we will continue to do our part to nurture it as we allow the Holy Spirit to draw this man to the Lord. After the movie as we were talking Patricia offered us some food and remember the rule of thumb on the Mission Field is “if food is being offered you eat.” So Yoli and I agreed and joined in eating one of the best meals I have had in a contact’s house - lentil soup and onion rings. We had just finished our food and then they offered us more. Yoli wanted more but I didn't, as I was really full, so when they brought more out I said that I did not have any more room but thanks for the food. They quickly replied to me: “this won't make you fat so you can eat a lot of it” and then gave me more to eat. I thought that this was one of the funniest things I have heard since being in a different country - well that and “is everyone in North America big like you?”
Thursday we went to the cell group hosted by Gerardo Gordo. We call him Gerardo Gordo because there are two of them - one is on our team and Gerardo Gordo who lives here at the church with us. By the way it is not bad to call him that in Spanish here. We thought we were going to be leading a cell group this night but we ended up being there as participants in his cell group. It was a blessing and a great learning experience for us because we got to be a part of a group that has been led by Gerardo for a few months which allowed us to learn from someone who has been doing cell groups here in Paraguay for a few months.
Friday we met with another cell group hosted by Lula. I find this group to be very frustrating for me because while Lula has a passion for her neighborhood and she wants to bring the light of God to all her neighbors there is not headway being made. We talked this week and decided that we are going to start going door to door in her neighborhood, getting to know people better and sharing a brief devotional if they are open to it. We are praying for this to work and if not then we will look for other ways to continue moving forward in this area.

Saturday was the Youth Service which is growing, slowly, but it's growing. We seem to have more people come each week, but they are different than those who was there last week so we are praying for more consistency of those who come so that the base can continue to grow. Leon preached and I have to say that it was one of the best sermons I have heard and it seemed that most of the teens were really focused and listening. It was a very good night and a end to a pretty good week.

Prayer Requests:
1. We have a Kid’s Event planned for this Saturday, which is right before the kids go back to school. Pray that this event goes well, that we have sufficient help, and that we can make many more contacts and connections with the community around us.
2. Please be in prayer for the cell group at Lula's house. There is a lot of possibility of this group growing however we need some additional inroads and contacts in the neighborhood.
3. We have a pretty busy schedule this week, which makes this a praise and prayer request. It’s praise as we are starting to meet with two more cell groups this week. Please be in prayer for these two new cell groups that we are beginning to work with.
4. Continue to pray for our relationships down here. In case you haven’t heard living on the Mission Field in a different country and culture with a group of different people you didn’t know before you arrived can have some challenges. Please pray for the Paraguay 40/40 team as a whole and for each partner group: Mike & Felipe, Leon & Gerardo, Emily & Patty, and for Yoli & myself we continue to figure out how to work together as partners and a team.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all...

I have now been in Paraguay for about three weeks and this was our second full week of work. Sunday the 15th was our second Sunday here and I was actually able to be in the Service. Since I have been on the mission field there haven’t been to many services that I had not been actively involved in so this was a good change of pace. I have noticed that one of the coolest and most different things I have seen in church so far is seen during worship. First of all I love the worship music because it is almost always LOUD and is always pretty upbeat. Secondly is the way people worship unhindered and freely here. We have a man in our church who loves to praise the Lord in his own special way - he is literally dancing up and down the aisle with his whistle praising the Lord. I know it sounds crazy right? However part of me is jealous because he can, or I guess I should say he chooses to put himself out there and really get down to praising God which is something I continue to pray for the Lord to give me strength to do.
Monday was our day off so we decided to do something fun and relaxing – WE MADE COOKIES, or as I seem to say them calletas. (Look that up in Spanish - not how you say cookies but that is the way I pronounce it – should be galletas) It was a little difficult to makes the cookies because our oven does not have a temperature setting so we were not sure how they would turn out. But they turned out well and I was happy to just be able to relax and have some fun.
Tuesday we got to visit with the lady that I wrote about in my last blog. The meeting went well and we are hoping to show an outreach video this Tuesday when we visit again. She also has some neighbors that she is inviting to the next meeting so we hope to be able to connect with them and invite them to the church.
Wednesday I had the opportunity to go into the actual city of Asuncion, we live in a city close by called Fernando De La Mora, with Mike, Felipe, & Gerardo. Asuncion is very different then anything I saw in Peru. Even though there is a South American feel to the city it is almost like walking through a big city in the states, as there are many big buildings and skyscrapers. We visited a couple of History Museums, saw the building where the President works, and also got to see the river. It was a good day getting to know more about the area and city God has called us to minister in during this coming year.
Friday we had a meeting for another small group. This time before the small group we went and invited the neighbors and anyone else we saw on the street. Even though we spent time inviting people no one came so we will continue to ask week after week praying that someone responds to the invitations. It seems to be the way a lot of the work here is. We just keep extending invitations and sharing over and over again until there is finally a response.
Saturday we had the youth group meeting. This time the teens took a passage of the bible, created a scene, and then acted that scene out. Let's just say when you use Revelations to choose that scene from the acting is interesting. It was great to see all the teens working together and we are praying for this unity among them as Christians to be a changing force in this community.

Before I go I wanted to share some prayer requests:
Every time we have a group we ask for Prayer requests and while I am not able to share these request I ask that you be praying not only for these cell groups but also for the people and their requests that attend.
I also ask that you pray for me. The devil likes to use the little frustrations I encounter day to day to get me down or discouraged. During this past week or so there have been many of these “frustrations” and the devil is doing all he can to twist and turn them to discourage me. Please be praying that I will continue to push forward through these frustrations, be thankful for the opportunities within these frustrations, and by God’s power be able to work within these situations instead of dwelling on them. Pray that I can be thankful for the moments I have in the midst of everything and really live 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”


Thanks for all your continued prayers as they are felt! I also ask that you prayerfully consider joining my support team through prayer or financially or would like more information on how to join the team click the following link: Kelsey Extreme Paraguay Click to donate or join the prayer team and follow the steps provided. The most efficient is direct withdrawal from a bank account, credit cards have charges so not everything you donate will make it to the field with me. Thank you

It's the Start!

We have now finished out first week of ministry here in Paraguay and I wanted to give you a brief update on what the week was like:
Saturday, the 7th, the teen's small group from our church met and had invited another group of teens to join them so we had a ton of people there for the service. Our team put together a skit and after that we were there to experience and participate in the service. It was a great service and the Lord was really present and working. This group of teens is on fire for Jesus! A pretty good way to start of the week, right!
Sunday I was able to be with the kids. It was great for me and felt a lot like being in church at home. I am excited to see what is happening with these kids and potential in what it could become. Being the daughter of a Children's Pastor I am excited to see how I can help be part of this ministry growing and becoming as on fire as the teens were from the previous night.
Monday is our free day so we went to Pastor Felix's house to swim and just hang out. We left at 5 expecting to get there at about 5:30 however we took the wrong bus. We ended up with about an hour walk to the Pastors house which put us at his home at 7. We finally got there and were able to jump in the pool and swim for an hour or so, building our team as this was a great time of fellowship with each other. We left his house and I am happy to say we made it safe and sound back at our house without any wrong bus rides.
Tuesday Yoli, my partner, and I had our first cell group meeting. We met a women who had broken her leg. The father of her children is living with her to help take care of her yet during this time there was a lot of yelling and conflict going on. However the meeting went really well and we will lead our first devotion with this cell group this coming Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday we did not have anything organized going on as we were still trying to work on getting connected with all the people we will be having cell groups with.
Friday night we had a meeting with a another new family. They attend the church yet feel they are not quite ready to lead a cell group on their own. We will be working with them, helping them get started, and growing in their faith so that they can then learn to lead a cell group themselves. I am very excited for this family because I believe they are not to far away from leading a group on their own.
Saturday we had another youth service however this one was not as big as the first one. This group is in just the beginning stages and had just started on Saturdays so it will take some time to grow. But, I can see now how big this group, with God's blessing could and will get.
God is moving here in Paraguay and I do not think this blog could really express how much work God is doing and yet how much is still to be done. This is why I encourage all of you to join me in prayer and also consider coming to Paraguay for Love Extreme this August.

Prayer requests for this week:
Please be in prayer for our cell groups as we real feel that God is using these groups to grow His Church here in Paraguay.
Pray also about what role you can play in Paraguay Love Extreme this August. AND THEN ACT AS GOD LEADS!!!!
Prayer for me and the rest of the team as we try to learn Gurani. It is difficult for me to learn but I am trying. Everyone here in Paraguay generally speaks two languages, Spanish and Guarani, so it is good to be able to greet a person in Guarani because it helps build friendships and opens ministry doors with many people. So please be in prayer that my team and I will be able to learn Guarani in the midst of our ministry work.

I'M HERE!!!

I AM IN PARAGUAY!!! It is crazy to think that just a year ago I was getting ready to go to Peru for training. That means that a year ago I didn’t speak or write Spanish, I didn’t know the things I do now know about being a missionary, and I wasn’t the same person that I am now. These are all crazy things for me to think about!
I sat down to write a year-end blog about how 2011 went, all the changes in my life, and to just kind of sum up the year. However, when I started to write that blog all I could think about was how awesome it is that I am finally here, in Paraguay, on the mission field where God had called me. As I was trying to write about the last year I find myself getting too wrapped up thinking about the work we are going to do and celebrating the fact that our team is complete – That’s right - Our team is finally complete with 4 pairs (1 North American & 1 South American) of missionaries!!!
What I will say about 2011 is that it was an exciting year with many changes and challenges. I grew a lot in my walk with Christ. I learned to trust him as I felt his presence close during many rough times as well as times of celebration. I trained hard to learn Spanish and in Missionary Training so I could be prepared to succeed in what God has called me to. I also made so many great friends and got to know some great teammates.

Now to get to matters at hand: I AM IN PARAGUAY! I mean how cool is that. Mike & I arrived this last Wednesday afternoon to find four of my teammates (Leon and our 3 new Venezuelan partners) here ready waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. Felipe arrived a day later and then our team was completed today with Emily arriving this morning.

So we are all here, anxious and ready to push forward to start our work in Paraguay. We are all starting to adjust to Paraguay and all the differences it has but are excited to move forward.
In closing I would like to share some praise and prayer requests:
PRAISE: Our 40/40 team is complete! All of our team is here which includes 4 North Americans, 1 Brazilian and 3 Venezuelans.
PRAYER: Because we are a complete team now we will start our work in pairs. This means adjustment for everyone so please continue to pray for our team as we go through what is commonly called "partner shock" in the midst of culture shock.
PRAYER: The request is for the country of Paraguay itself. It has been said that Paraguay is the missionary cemetery. This is not because they die but is because when missionaries have worked here nothing sticks and the seeds of faith die away. Please pray that God will use us and win Paraguay for the Lord.

Thanks for all your continued prayers as they are felt! I also ask that you prayerfully consider joining my support team through prayer or financially or would like more information on how to join the team click the following link: Kelsey Extreme Paraguay Click to donate or join the prayer team and follow the steps provided. The most efficient is direct withdrawal from a bank account, credit cards have charges so not everything you donate will make it to the field with me. Thank you