Cultural Lesson # ∞ + 4

Knowing when to be quiet


Those of you who know me know that this is one of my toughest cultural lessons.

You may have read that Jeffrey is now riding his new bicycle. When I brought it home from the store I realized that someone didn't put it together correctly or that it was manipulated on the show-room floor. The wheels were not turning correctly and the brakes weren't aligned so as to stop the bicycle. I'm sure I could have fixed this if I had the time, tools and patience. However, lacking some or all of the aforementioned, I dropped the bike off at the service center.

I'm always curious as to what was done to solve a problem. This characteristic probably annoys the electricians, plumbers, gardeners, and mechanics in my life.

When I returned for the bike and found it functioning perfectly, true to form I asked the service-tech what was the problem with the bike and how did he fix it. I kid you not this is what he said:

"Señor Spurling the wheel was on backwards. I took it off and put it back on right."

If I were in my own culture I would have pursued that conversation a little farther because about 3 other questions popped into my head. But I've learned here in Paraguay that when I receive a response like this the best thing to do is smile or give encouraging words and retreat.

Probably what took place here was that I was speaking to someone who had no idea how the bike was fixed. This young man probably just carried the bike to my car. If I were to have followed up with more questions like...

• Could you show me where the front of the wheel is and where is the back? (so that I don't have this problem in the future)
• Switching that one wheel fixed the other one and the brakes as well?
• Do you really believe that is possible?

... I would have embarrassed him and thereby offended him.

One of the Paraguayan cultural values is that of saving face. A person is expected to be given the opportunity to avoid embarrassment as well as offer other people opportunities to escape an embarrassing situation. This is not a problem for me in situations like that above, but I have struggled at times when a situation is connected to sin, especially when it causes division in the local church.

Please pray for me that I would continue to learn the culture and that I would learn to do what is right. The biblical mandate always supercedes the cultural mandate. Pray that I would be able to effectivey discern between the two.

Thank you for your support. We are TEAM.

Missions Trip Story 2

One of the things I enjoyed most about the short term trip was the ability to see the young people grow spiritually. I already shared what Josias told me about his first time leading someone to the Lord. There were several other experiences like that.

Jorge Ramirez
One day Carlitos, Jorge and myself were in the car going somewhere. Carlitos asked us the question "What characteristic do you like most about God?" I replied, "His Grace. I don't deserve what He's done for me, but He's done it and for that reason I'm available to do whatever I can for Him."

Jorge told me after the trip that my statement about grace is what enabled him to have a life-changing experience during the trip. He said that he was determined to do whatever was asked of him because of what God did for him (Jorge's personal response to grace). Jorge's focus was to be obedient.

After the trip was over he shared how he had experienced a joy and contentment that he had not had before. Jorge stood in front of our congregation and shared how he was going to commit himself to being fully committed to the pastors and their future plans because he has seen how God can use a life that is available to Him.

Carlitos Medina
Carlitos did something that I'm not sure I would have had the wherewith all to do (although after he modeled it, I hope I will be more apt to do so in the future).

During our trip the young people were staying up until 1, 2, or even 3 in the morning singing and talking. I went to bed every night around 11:30 or mid-night. I'm not that young anymore. I could tell this was having a toll on the youngens as they were drooping during their free time. The second day Carlitos pulled me to the side and asked if we could talk.

"Pastor, I don't know what is wrong with me but I'm experiencing a bad attitude right now. I was fine and then all of a sudden I became grumpy." I thanked Carlitos for sharing this with me and suggested that it could be his lack of sleep or maybe something else of which we are not aware. I asked him if I could pray for him, which he readily agreed to. As far as I know Carlitos enjoyed the rest of his day and went to bed at 1 a.m. the following morning.

What an excellent example of taking our troubles to the Lord. I don't think I would have done that if I were in Carlitos' shoes (especially when I was 19). But I'm going to try have that same dependency on my brothers and sisters in Christ the next time I face a crises, no matter how big or small.

Thank you for your support. We are TEAM.

Family Night

Last night we had family night (something we need to guard and do more regularly).

Jeffrey was able to ride his new bicycle successfully because Dad (me) got it fixed at the manufacturer. It seems whoever assembled it at the showroom didn't do it correctly. On Christmas Jeffrey was frustrated because the wheels would not turn freely. The manufacturer told me the wheel was put on backwards. How do you put a wheel on backwards?

Jasmine has been getting a lot of use out of her new birthday gift. (Jasmine turned one on January 16th). She used to push our furniture around, but now that she has this toy our living room is able to maintain it's feng shui ambiance.

We had a first this evening. We made pizza together. (Brenda if you are reading this we don't suggest using the food processor to make the dough. We think it is too heavy a job) When Karen wasn't looking I put sugar in the sauce. She then added sugar to the sauce. Needless-to-say, the sauce was a little sweet, but I liked it. I'm sure we will be making more pies again soon.

We finished off the evening watching a new Hermie video (Max Lucado) we purchased for Jeffrey. We didn't realize until we put it in the player that it was only in Spanish. It kind of felt like our family fun night was turning into a homework assignment for Karen and I. Jeffrey doesn't seem to notice the difference when switching from English to Spanish.

Thanks for your support. We are TEAM.

Missions Trip Story 1

Carolyn and Joann
Every morning during A.L.A.S. 2008 our group went out two-by-two (or as was my case three-by-three) into the community around the Alliance church in San Antonio. The first morning was a "casting-the-seed" event. We walked through our designated section, greeted everyone, gave out invitations to V.B.S. to all with children, and also distributed a booklet by Billy Graham Ministries entitled Cómo obtener paz con Dios (How to obtain peace with God).
There were ladies talking at the gate of the first house we passed. We gave each lady a booklet and told them about the events that would be taking place at the church. I didn't give these ladies much thought. The following day as we walked the same route in search of familiar people to follow-up with and share the gospel, I almost passed the house with the ladies, thinking that I would not find receptivity there. However, one of the young people in my group of three was Noemi. Noemi urged me to follow-up with the lady of the house. To my surprise the lady (Cristina) welcomed us in to her house to talk.

Cristina told us her story. Her husband passed away from cancer 9 months ago and she had a new born that died less than a year ago. We could hear and see the sadness of this woman as she shared. I took her through the plan of salvation and in the end she told me she already had made the commitment to Christ. There was a need for follow-up as she made reference to a reliance on "saints." But, I knew that we were there for that moment to comfort her and show her the unconditional love of the body of Christ. We made plans to come back for another visit.

During the day I thought about Cristina, and then I remembered that there were two widowed ladies visiting in our home from our church in the states. "What a great opportunity for these women to minister to Cristina. They would certainly be able to understand her situation better than I could" I thought. That afternoon I returned with Joann and Carolyn, my wife and pastor Vicente (pastor of the San Antonio Alliance church).

Joann and Carolyn explained to Cristina that now Jesus was her husband. He would take care of her, protect her, and comfort her. They told Cristina that they would pray together for her everyday and they would maintain contact with her with letters. Prior to leaving they stood along side of her and held her while pastor Vicente prayed over her. Cristina began to cry... but it wasn't so much tears of sadness as I believe they were tears of freedom.

"To weep is to make less the depth of grief." ~William Shakespeare, King Henry the Sixth

After the prayer Cristina told pastor Vicente that she would be open to having a Bible study in her home. God ordered our steps on this day with Cristina by enabling us to share with her through people who understood her situation. They truly ministered to her greatest need.

I'm amazed at the "God-things" in my life in recent days. It's not so much that I didn't have these opportunities in the past, but now I'm recognizing the opportunities more and more as ways that I can experience the Glory of God.

Continue to pray for Cristina. Pray that the church in San Antonio reaches out to her and that she responds to the church and to the Holy Spirit's drawing in her life.

After the missions trip I returned and gave Cristina a Bible that Joann and Carolyn wanted her to have. Unfortunately she was away from the house when I passed by. I'll continue to make periodic trips to follow her progress.

Thank you for your support. We are TEAM!

Field Forum and Short Term Missions Trip

My reason for not blogging recently? We have been very busy! But it is a good type of busy.

We've had our Missionary Field Forum, a Short Term Missions trip, and visitors. Next week the activities will continue as I will be away ministering in our youth camp. Between responsibilities I have a few days to catch you up on the goings-on, so be sure to check back here soon.

Field Forum

This was a time when we came together as a team of missionaries to discuss the past year and plan for the future year, as well as be ministered to by someone outside of our immediate context.

This year Chuck and Dale Hughes (district superintendent couple from the Southeastern district) came to Paraguay to share with us. It really was a time of refreshment. The time of the retreat was right after a busy time (Christmas) and right before what I am learning to be the busiest time for us as ministers here in Paraguay (Paraguayan Summer, January-February).

Chuck shared from 2nd Timothy 2 (Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus) and from John 11 (If you believe, you will see the glory of God). The Lord prepared me for the busiest time of the year by encouraging me to BELIEVE, OBEY, STAND FIRM and JOIN IN WHAT GOD IS DOING while DEPENDING UPON HIM FOR THE RESULTS. When we respond to Him in this manner we will see the Glory of God.

Dale encouraged us all throughout the week as well as ministered directly to the women of our group (Brenda, Sylvia, Sarah and Karen).

Chuck and Dale then stayed several days in our home. This was an extra blessing for us as they continued to encourage us as a family. (Hint, hint to those considering a trip to Paraguay).

p.s. Jeffrey still remembers uncle Chuck and aunt Dale.

Short Term Missions Trip

That's right! Our church here in Paraguay went on a short term missions trip January 15th-18th to a smaller town with a newer Alliance church.

The event was called A.L.A.S. 2008: from Asuncion to San Antonio (which means WINGS in Spanish). The acronym stands for: Reaching to Free Souls for Salvation. What a blessing this event was!

Thank you to all who helped us with the funds to be able to hold this event. You can pray that this next year the members of our church will raise monies throughout the year to do A.L.A.S. 2009 with more of their own funding.

We started out every morning at 9:30 by going door-to-door sharing the gospel. Two weeks prior to the trip I taught a simple method of evangelism (the one verse method, using John 3:16). We canvased the same areas every morning with the same pairs in order to build a rapport with the folks within our individual zones. We experienced many people making first time decisions to be Christians, many more people recommitting their lives to the Lord, an opportunity to encourage and lead to the Lord a young lady who appeared to be close to dying, an opportunity to encourage a recently widowed woman who was experiencing depression, and a miraculous healing (We definitely experienced the glory of God).

Personal Testimony

A particular encouraging experience for me during this time was when Josias (a young man in our church) came to me and thanked me for the opportunity to lead his first person to the Lord. He told me, "Pastor, I was coming on this trip more for the adventure and for the ability to make new friends. I've never had success in personal evangelism and wasn't expecting any during this event. But God gave me the opportunity to lead my first person to the Lord. Thank you Pastor. God has taken away my fear and doubt."

During the afternoons we held a Vacation Bible School that was organized by a young lady in our church, Joanna. Joanna's abilities to organize and head up an event of this size was very impressive. God has blessed our church with a wonderful worker. The first day we had 140 children in attendance, the second we had 120 and the third was over 100 as well. The children enjoyed songs, choreography, puppets, a clown, a bible lesson that explained in detail the plan of salvation, and a time for snacks. In the evening we opened up another time with a Praise and Worship service, which then split off into two groups: 1) those involved in a futbol (soccer) tournament and 2) those who wanted to watch a movie. We were excited to see 7 different teams made up of those from the community that were not church members. This afforded the church in San Antonio at least 35 new contacts that are unchurched.

Be sure to check back here in the next several days as I will share more stories from A.L.A.S. 2008.

Prayer Requests

• Pray that the encouragement that our church in Asuncion and the church in San Antonio received would carry over to renewed involvement and passion in ministry. Pray that we would want to continue to see the glory of God in our own ministry contexts.
• Pray that the seed for missions that has been planted would grow in the hearts of our people so that the value of a missionary church would become part of our DNA.
• Pray for Pastor Vicente (pastor of the church in San Antonio). He is 25 years old and single. At times he feels alone in his work. Pray for his encouragement and our ability to be more involved in his development as a leader.
• Pray for the upcoming youth camps that will be taking place all of next week (beginning Monday and going through Saturday).

Thank you for your support. We are TEAM!

Prayer Requests for the week of Jan 7-11

This week I will be away from my Internet connection. Our missionary team is holding our annual retreat with our guest ministers Chuck and Dale Hughs (District Superintendent couple from the Southeastern District of the C&MA).

When we are away our church in Asunción will be organizing the final details for our missions trip that will take place January 16th through the 18th. We are going to a smaller Alliance work in San Antonio (a small town here in Paraguay). The name of our trip is A.L.A.S. (which means wings in Spanish). The acronym stands for: Alcanzando Librar las Almas para Salvación (Reaching To free the Souls for Salvation).


Please pray:

• That during this busy time, as a missionary team, we would be refreshed. Every couple will be increasingly more busy on our return to ministry. Pray that God would give us a new word and renew our strength. Our teammates are: Bob and Brenda Boston, Bruce and Sylvia Harmon, Forest and Sara Schell, and please don't forget us.
• That Joanna Gavilan will be able to head up the organization of our missions trip in my absence. Pray that those involved will learn/memorize the evangelism method that I taught them this past weekend. Pray that all involved would have the proper focus: This is all for His Glory to win as many as possible.

Thank you for your support. We are TEAM.

Cultural Lesson # ∞ + 3

I've had a passing twinge of guilt here in Paraguay from time to time. As missionaries we are expected to work full time. In the past I've had jobs in which I've punched a time card at the end of a pay period and could see how many hours I was actually "clocking." Or I've had jobs where I'm in at 8 (which means 7:45) and I'm free to go at 5. But here in Paraguay as missionaries we are pretty much on the honor system.

I can attest that I'm working between 60-70 hours a week. But I still have this twinge of guilt that I'm not working enough.

I now realize from whence that twinge comes... it is totally cultural. In Paraguay the country by-and-large closes down at 1 o'clock until 3 or 3:30 for siesta. I've learned not to call on Paraguayans during this time. I try not to call my partner in ministry, Pastor Daniel, during this time. I can't walk to the corner and get my CokeZero during this time because the corner store is closed.

So, what do I do?

Sometimes I surf the net, IM with my folks back home, watch a TV show, read a book, clean the pool or go for a dip. Rarely will I take a nap... it's just not in my nature. This is my down time. I'm not doing as the Romans do, but I'm making lemonade from "lemons." However, I've found myself feeling so very guilty for this because this is typically the time that has been most productive for me in the states.

Tonight I realized something that puts things in perspective. Typically I do not finish my day before 8 o'clock and very often (as was the case tonight) I go until 10:30 pm. This time is usually interpersonal. Tonight I began discipling someone at 8 and we wrapped up at 10:30.

Next time I hear that accusing voice in my ear I'm going to ask "Who are you that accuses the brethren?"

Thanks for your support. We are TEAM!

Please Pray for Us Tonight

If you read the blog today (January 2nd), please join me in prayer for this evening's prayer meeting in Asunción. Tonight I will be sharing from my heart what I believe the Lord has for our church.

If you are interested in the specifics, drop me an e-mail and I will share how you can pray more specifically.

The following is a quick overview:

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:31-32.

Pray that the Asunción church strives to:

• believe the truth
• be His disciples
• follow His teaching

Pray that the members of our church listen to the Holy Spirit's promptings in their lives.

Thank you for your support. We are TEAM!