Yoej here! June has been a good, eventful, humbling month for us. Arah, the Chos youngest daughter graduated high school...
Of course I can't forget to mention the awesome food... (recurring topic)
Also, we were invited by Pastor Charles and his son to attend a qualifier game for the Copa Mundial (love adding spashes of Spanish here and there hehehe). Paraguay vs. Chile.
It was slightly disappointing as Paraguay pretty much had no chance of going to the World Cup... but it was a fun experience nonetheless. Here is a glimpse of what the night looked like for us. Paraguay about to score... but... doesn't....
Fuerza Paraguay!
As you guys may already know, Paraguayans love to party. Therefore, Dia del Padre (just like Dia de la Madre) was a big deal at Cerritos and Marangatu. Not so much for the rest of the country, though. Here's why:
I recently learned that a Paraguayan household is 10 times more likely to have a maternal figure than a paternal figure (whether it be a mother, aunt or grandmother). I'm not sure exactly why this is (it may be due to early passing of the father, or the probability that many of them leave their wives and children). Regardless, I was moved all the more to pray for fathers, both mine and those of my students. It was also a beautiful reminder that we indeed have an eternal and perfect Father, who loves us and will never abandon us... amazing faithfulness.
And I think God's love is ultimately why Cerritos and Marangatu celebrated.
There were festivities at Ytororo and Escuela Dominical (Sunday School) as well. However, Ytororo was where I felt the absence of fathers the most. None of them came that day and only a few mothers showed up with their children. I felt a whole bunch of different emotions: sadness, disappointment, anger... But when I was again reminded of the complete satisfaction we have in our Heavenly Father, I was overjoyed. True story. David Lugo led the children in a time of prayer for their fathers as well as for their mothers. One of the students caught my attention and I was able to snap a quick picture of him.
His name: Junior. Age: 7
This morning was the Dia del Padre event at Escuela Dominical, where many fathers did show up. Our prayer was that they would be all the more encouraged to exemplify the love of Christ in their families.
Please pray that the Holy Spirit would bring more and more people to the understanding of God's glory and love.
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba Father!'" Romans 8:15
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| Pastor Cho and Arah sharing a father-daughter dance. |
Of course I can't forget to mention the awesome food... (recurring topic)
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| Can't even explain this delicousness in a caption so not going to. |
Also, we were invited by Pastor Charles and his son to attend a qualifier game for the Copa Mundial (love adding spashes of Spanish here and there hehehe). Paraguay vs. Chile.
It was slightly disappointing as Paraguay pretty much had no chance of going to the World Cup... but it was a fun experience nonetheless. Here is a glimpse of what the night looked like for us. Paraguay about to score... but... doesn't....
Fuerza Paraguay!
As you guys may already know, Paraguayans love to party. Therefore, Dia del Padre (just like Dia de la Madre) was a big deal at Cerritos and Marangatu. Not so much for the rest of the country, though. Here's why:
I recently learned that a Paraguayan household is 10 times more likely to have a maternal figure than a paternal figure (whether it be a mother, aunt or grandmother). I'm not sure exactly why this is (it may be due to early passing of the father, or the probability that many of them leave their wives and children). Regardless, I was moved all the more to pray for fathers, both mine and those of my students. It was also a beautiful reminder that we indeed have an eternal and perfect Father, who loves us and will never abandon us... amazing faithfulness.
And I think God's love is ultimately why Cerritos and Marangatu celebrated.
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| A pretty bad picture in terms of quality (my fault), but for the student (Emanuel) in the middle, so worth putting up. |
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| 1st grader, Camila, dressed as a princess (her true identity) for her performance. |
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| Preschool performance. They had to wear their dad's shirts and ties. So cute. |
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| 2nd grader, Fernanda Arami. Her heart accidentally rubbed off on my face afterwards. LOL |
There were festivities at Ytororo and Escuela Dominical (Sunday School) as well. However, Ytororo was where I felt the absence of fathers the most. None of them came that day and only a few mothers showed up with their children. I felt a whole bunch of different emotions: sadness, disappointment, anger... But when I was again reminded of the complete satisfaction we have in our Heavenly Father, I was overjoyed. True story. David Lugo led the children in a time of prayer for their fathers as well as for their mothers. One of the students caught my attention and I was able to snap a quick picture of him.
His name: Junior. Age: 7
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| His earnestness was a huge encouragement and blessing for me that day. |
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| Please continue to pray for the children and their families at Ytororo. That they would continue to feel and experience the love of God in their lives, regardless of their situation or circumstances. |
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| David praying for the children and mothers that came out. Our desire is that Ytororo would grow not in numbers, but in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. |
This morning was the Dia del Padre event at Escuela Dominical, where many fathers did show up. Our prayer was that they would be all the more encouraged to exemplify the love of Christ in their families.
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| Luis and Luis. Father and son. One of the most encouraging relationships I have witnessed here. |
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Please pray that the Holy Spirit would bring more and more people to the understanding of God's glory and love.
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba Father!'" Romans 8:15
