Hello to all our Project Paraguay friends and family! Exciting things are happening this month in the heart of South America. The El Renuevo youth group just got back from their mission trip to the lovely and long neighboring nation of Chile, where they encouraged youth groups and promoted evangelism efforts in various churches. The Barrio Parque church, comprised originally of 25-45 children, has now gathered its own youth and adult following. Pray that this church can be a source of community blessing, materially and spiritually, as it grows into the community, and that the brothers might truly share all things, like the church in Acts.
As El Renuevo and Barrio Parque continue to grow, the church faces the difficulties of promoting peace and love between brothers and sisters of different socioeconomic backgrounds and religious pasts. The former gang-members and the doctor's children must all love each other in Christ, and if you would join with us in praying that new and old members would love and welcome each other alike, you would be participating in a quest of the highest good. The Psalmist writes, "how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in harmony." Please, please, please pray that harmony might prevail--the greatest enemy to the church in Paraguay is petty rivalry.
Many of you have long prayed and hoped for another church plant to spring out of the red earth in Mario Roque Alonso, and "Aslan is on the move!" There is a house church taking root there, and adult members already attending. El Renuevo is starting a missions' school to better enable its members to reach out to their communities, and many of the spiritual strengths students develop there likely bless the new Roque Alonso church. Pray for this, too?
As spring spreads its tendrils across the United States, fall awakens in Paraguay. La Escuela Presbiteriana right now maintains; please pray that this would change. Pray that the school would become a huge force within the community, and that maintenance of the status quo would disappear beneath the power of the risen Christ as He brings education to a nation that needs technological and medical advances like a growing child needs vegetables. $200 covers a scholarship for a child to attend this school. For Paraguayan families, this amount seems crippling, but how hard does it seem to you? Students in the Paraguayan public school system often do not receive an education sufficient to send them to college, and there is little hope that they will be able to make advances to support their nation without higher education. Pray for education in Paraguay!
I have something REALLY exciting to report! This summer, there are TWO mission teams going down to Paraguay--one, from July 21 to 31, leaving from First Presbyterian in South Carolina, and another leaving from New Life Community Church in Virginia from July 31 to August 10th. They will work in construction, VBS, and possibly also evangelism outreach. They will hopefully bring with them supplies such as clothing and medicine that the church can distribute.
I believe I have covered everything that I have learned about Paraguay this month. Check back in a month for another update! Keep Paraguay in your prayers!