Hola amigos,
We trust that this comuniqué finds you well. Karen, Jeffrey and I are always very thankful when we think and pray about you all.
Permit me to give you an overview of our time so far since leaving Florida after our brief visit after language school.
On August 30th we left from the Tampa airport in the late afternoon. My parents helped us get there on time, remained with us as long as they could without us being late to the gate, and then we said our goodbyes. Such goodbyes are always difficult as we never know what the future will hold. Needless to say that after our goodbyes were made in Tampa we have been anticipating our next reunion.
We flew to Miami where we met up with our teammates, the Schells (Forest, Sarah and Caleb). We were supposed to have left Miami around 11:30, but we were delayed a couple of hours due to plane repairs. After an eight hour flight we arrived in Sao Paulo, just as our flight to Asunción, Paraguay was taking off. So, we missed that
flight. American Airlines was gracious and put us up in a very nice hotel for 8 hours so we wouldn’t have to wait at the airport (this was a blessing as J and Forest wanted to see a little bit of Sao Paulo... that’s the spirit of the missionary living itself out).
We finally arrived in Paraguay around 11:30 p.m. on August 31. There was a fairly decent crowd that met us at the airport (around 25 people). However, I understand that there were 3 times as many earlier in the day when our plane was supposed to arrive. The people here are very warm and receiving of us. Our calling to this country is being confirmed to us through the nationals.
We have been staying at the home of our Field director and boss (Bob and Brenda Boston) since arriving here. They have a large home which affords us our own space when needed. But, we are looking forward to finding a home and settling in as soon as possible. During this time we have been processing through our orientation every morning from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. This includes such things as reviewing the rules of conduct, processing our residency forms, obtaining drivers licences, discussing cultural differences and other information. The afternoons have been filled with doctors appointments, vehicle research and search, house shopping and child care.
With regard to the house search: We think we’ve found a home. Tomorrow (9/11/06) we are supposed to sign a lease on a house for three years. Our house search has been interesting. The first day we were in Paraguay, Bob took us out house shopping. I told him (half jokingly) that we didn’t have to look any further after the first house that we looked at. In my opinion, the house was probably too large for us. It did have plenty of space for visitors and short-term mission teams. It would have been a great house to minister in as it had plenty of space for small groups.
The house had a large front and back yard, which is something we want for Jeffrey. And, guess what? It had a pool. This would have been a great ministry tool and a great way for us to relax. However the people were asking $120 more than the mission had budgeted to pay. We continued to look at several other options. A couple of the options were acceptable and some were not. We gave the realtor our preferences and the amount of dinero we had available to us. Wouldn’t you know, the realtor came back after two days and told us the first house with the pool is a possibility. The owners dropped the price to fit our budget. We have not signed the papers as of yet. So, anything could happen. Our prayer is that the Lord would go before us and open and close the doors of opportunity so that we will be in the center of where He desires us to be. Now, if we get this house, pool party at our house!.
With regard to the vehicle search: Please pray. It’s somewhat of an overwhelming task. Many of the cars are different down here. So, I’m not as familiar with what I’m looking at. You can find Jeeps, Fords, Chevy’s, Hondas, and Nissans down here, but you need to be careful to buy a car that can be repaired easily. The money we’ve raised, and you all so graciously helped us with, must last us 10 years. And we also must leave some of the money in our vehicle fund so as to have money to make repairs
in the future as needed. So, I’m thinking and praying about leaving $7,000 in the account and finding a new model second hand car that will last. Thankfully, we have a national that is searching for us. He has brought me one car so far (Mitzibishi Montero) to look at. It was a nice car, but it was an older model. Currently he has another car that he thinks might more closely fit our needs. I just ask that you would join us in prayer. Pray that the Lord, again would guide us in this process.
Jeffrey is doing fairly well. There are some situations that we are dealing with because of the transition. For instance, he has regressed in his potty training. He is wetting himself more often than he is using el baño. But, he also has a new babysitter in the mornings (in the same house we are doing orientation) who only speaks Spanish. Rosio is really sweet and Jeffrey is always glad to be with her. Karen and I are trying not to discipline him too harshly during this time because he is experiencing transition. Please pray that he will return to his normal activities when we become more settled.
On a positive note, Jeffrey is enjoying having Caleb here. Those two boys are always so excited to be together. Praise God for this blessing.
Karen’s pregnancy is plugging along well. We met with two doctors and both concurred that her health and the baby’s is excellent at this point. We will have the second sonogram, which will determine the sex, on the nineteenth or twentieth of September. We’ll be sure to send you the news. Karen is experiencing pain in her pelvis. This happened with Jeffrey as well. So, be in prayer that her exercises and the Lord would help to alleviate any discomfort.
We ask that you would always pray for the unity of our team. Currently, we are learning about one another and how to best communicate with one another. Pray that we would all be patient, gentle, kind... basically pray Galatians 5:23 for us as a team.
Again, we want to thank all of you for being there for us. It means more than you may ever know. We know we are blessed through you and we can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate it.
Love,
J, Karen and Jeffrey Spurling
Recently I’ve come to enjoy Paul’s letters, such as: 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. These letters have taken on a different significance since arriving in Paraguay. I’m sure the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, planned for me to read these letters beforehand so as to give me encouragement and exhortation as we began our missionary career. 
