Hogar Unidos por Cristo Outreach

We head out early Saturday morning to Hogar Unidos por Cristo, a privately run orphanage about an hour away from the city of Asuncion.

The brightly colored car drives up and the children race to greet it shouting “Tio Jose! Tio Jose!” They are so excited for the upcoming ventriloquist and clown show. First the show, then the dentist, but for the moment the dentist is forgotten and excitement fills the air. As Tio Jose unloads the equipment, the older children discuss how he makes Toti (the dummy) talk... but they were careful not to spoil the secret to the younger ones who stand in amazement as the show begins. The music is full of praise to God and the children are clapping, laughing, and smiling all around. These beautiful children. 

 

The smallest is barely able to toddle in his line, his dark eyes shyly hide behind a pant-leg when he sees me. But then I see one smaller, carried on the hip of one of the older girls. Tio Jose captures their attention and his clown assistant brings out the smiles with hilarious antics. I see a little girl, not more than 3, peeking between taller children's legs to try and see to the front. I motion to her that I would carry her so she can see, but she shyly shakes her head no. I turn back to the show and not a minute later I feel a small hand on my leg, arms raised just waiting for me to pick her up. I scoop her up and hold her close as we laugh together at the silly clown. We watch together as the clown chooses a few children to come forward and be a part of the show.

Tio Jose introduces Toti the dummy.  

A boy is chosen and comes to the front proudly to answer questions. His name is Miguel and he is 11 years old. His face crinkles into a bright smile as Toti the dummy says “I am also 11!” Toti asks a few more questions about his favorite sports team, color, and food and Miguel and Toti have everything in common. Then Toti asks the question, “when is your birthday Miguel?” Silence. He asks again to clarify, perhaps Miguel didn't hear above the noise “when is your birthday Miguel?” Again, a blank expression on Miguel's face and time stands still for a moment. The seconds tick by... there is a long pause before he looks down and says “no se” (I don't know). Toti quickly chimes in “You don't know? I don't know my birthday either! We are brothers!” And everyone laughs as the dummy hugs Miguel and calls him brother. They carry on for a few more minutes until Miguel is laughing again and enjoying being the center of attention for a moment before going back to his spot in the crowd.

I can't concentrate on the show. I fight back tears as I contemplate just how this can be. How does an 11 year old boy not know his birthday? Was there never a birthday celebration? Never a song of feliz cumpleanos? No birthday cake, decorations, presents, friends and family gathered around? When will he say he is 12, and how does he decide when that will be? I know that all of these beautiful children around me either have no living parents, or have been removed by the government from their homes due to abuse and neglect. I know these things, but the reality of what that looks like, that Miguel has no one who remembers the day he was born... it breaks me.

I think of my own children at home and how happy they are when their birthday comes, the special celebration of their life as a precious gift from God to our family. And it is for Miguel, and all these children he represents, that I cry. I cry because as soon as I knew we were coming to Paraguay, I looked into the requirements for adoption... just to check. Paraguay is closed to international adoptions. Brant and I look around and smile as a boy running by us says “hola tio!” (hi uncle) to Brant... and we think, couldn't we just take a few home? I cry because I want to do something. I feel helpless. I want each of these children to know the love of a family who loves and cares for them, who remembers and celebrates their birthday.

My thoughts are interrupted a few minutes later when I notice that Tio Jose is holding up a heart-shaped whiteboard, marking it with black pen and talking about the sin and sadness in our lives. He asks how many of us have ever done something wrong, and every child's hand is quickly raised the air. How many have sadness and pain in the lives? Again, every hand is raised. I can only imagine the sadness and pain that these children have experienced... but the children are focused on the message, which is the good news of Jesus Christ. How He, being God, came to earth and lived a perfect life, died on the cross and paid the penalty of our sins so that we might be forgiven, cleansed and welcomed into heaven with God. Tio Jose illustrates his words with a simple swipe of his hand to erase the darkness on the white heart, to show that when we repent Christ cleanses us from our sins and gives us new birth. And that is when it strikes me, I am so focused on the past, what Miguel has lost, that I almost miss out on what is right before my eyes.  He can have a new birthday!

There are times when abandoned children are given names and birth-dates by Social workers in Paraguay, and Miguel may never know when his real birthday was. He may never know who it was that carried him for 9 months before he was born, he may never experience a healthy traditional family to grow up in. But Miguel can know his real Father, his all-loving Father God in heaven who desires to give him a new birthday through the forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ. And here, in this orphanage- so fittingly named “Home United by Christ,” he has the opportunity to hear, to receive God's word and grow in his knowledge of Jesus, surrounded by a family of brothers and sisters in Christ.

I pray that Miguel will remember a new birthday, a birthday when he began his new life in Christ. A birthday that far overshadows the moment of his birth, but recognizes his position as a child of the Most High God, his Abba Father.  I confess that my view is so narrow, that my idea of happiness is so limited to my own experiences, but as I look around at these children, I see joy.  Hope.  Life. 

And that is why we are here.... That is why Hogar Unido por Cristo exists. It is why Tio Jose, 2 volunteer dentists, 1 dental assistant, a missionary couple and their daughter, orphanage workers, and an American couple from Washington state came to this orphanage in Paraguay.... so that Miguel will hear about the chance to have a new birthday, to be born in Christ, leaving the old behind and welcoming the new.   And to have his rotten teeth pulled out before they infect his entire mouth (more about the specifics of that later).

And while my heart is still broken for 11 year old Miguel who doesn't know his birthday... I have been freshly reminded by a gospel presentation to a group of children, the importance of remembering that this earth is not our home... that the day we arrived on the planet is not the most important day of our lives... it is but a milestone marking the beginning of God's plan for us. That plan may include immense suffering, pain, and sadness. But there is hope. There is the opportunity of forgiveness and a new birthday.    For Miguel.  For all of God's precious, beautiful children. 

Brant made fast friends with the orphan boys who taught him all about their fruit trees. 

Iguassu Falls

My first glimpse.  Absolutely breathtaking.   I stand in awe of my Lord God- creator of the heavens and the earth!


For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

Today all I could do was stand in awe. I have never in my life seen anything like it. We hiked for a short distance through the jungle and I caught my breath as I first saw the falls. Judah smiled at me and said “just wait.” We kept hiking and around each corner, through each break in the trees, there was a new waterfall.  A new moment to praise God for His awesome creation.  As we got closer to the main falls the roar of the water grew louder, until we were so close the mist was enough to drench us.   Someone please pinch me, am I seriously in Brazil taking in such a beautiful, powerful work of creation that God spoke into existence? I love nature and am so often in wonder of God's creation and the work of His hands... but I can't put this experience into words, I will let the pictures and God's word speak for me... I am awed to silence. 

But first I have to tell you about the butterflies, because the pictures of them didn't turn out. As we sat at lunch I saw what looked like yellow, orange and red lights dancing in the sun off in the distance. I got up and walked over to the edge of the deck and saw them- hundreds of beautiful butterflies fluttering in a circular pattern like a whirlwind a short distance through the trees. Amazing. Again I stood in awe. Then a waiter came over and pointed to the ground- what I had thought were leaves were hundreds more butterflies on the ground just below the deck in front of me. I was amazed. Then he threw a rock off the deck and before my eyes they all took flight. It was beautiful.

This day was a gift from God, displaying the work of His hands in nature. I am in awe.   

The pictures of the butterflies dancing sadly didn't turn out.  

This was them on the ground before they all took flight. 

I can hardly believe we are here!

The little Coatis (raccoon like little animals) are friendly and everywhere looking for a handout. 

I thought Joshua would like this lizard. 

The Coatis are so close I want to pet one but I heard the word rabies on the bus ride so I think I'll just admire their cuteness outside of biting range.

 One of the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" – Iguassu Falls, Foz, Brazil

"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" Exodus 20:11

"Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen." Psalm 72:19

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand." Job 38:4

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11

"Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:2

"How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!"  Psalm 47:2

Let them praise your great and awesome name-- he is holy." Psalm 99:3

"Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth." Psalm 96:9

"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens." Psalm 8:1

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." Genesis 9:16

"Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name." 1 Chronicles 29:13

Thank-you Judah and Mary for an incredible day!

Paraguay Day One

Our plane touched down in Paraguay after 22 hours of traveling. And the adventure of two weeks in Paraguay begins. As we stood up to stretch the first thing I noticed was that the only black bag in the overhead compartment didn't look like Brant's. But I motioned for him to grab it anyway as we were nearly the last ones off. It didn't have a tag, and definitely wasn't ours. Immediately I thought of his contact lenses (probably the only thing we wouldn't be able to replace, and his glasses were giving him headaches...) and so I prayed that we would be able to find it. Thinking that someone unknowingly had grabbed it, we stood for a minute trying to figure out what to do, but I knew that we should keep the wrong bag in order to trade if we did find our bag. A pilot de-boarding confirmed my feelings and said to go look through the line and keep the bag to barter with if needed.

People in line probably thought I was some crazy white girl who didn't have a clue what I was doing, weaving in and out of the line searching intently. But then I spotted what looked like Brant's bag and asked the lady holding onto it to look at the tag (my first attempt at spanish of the trip- it was pretty rough!) and she definitely looked at me like I was crazy. But I was persistent and she finally realized what I was saying and was apologetic- she hadn't noticed she had grabbed the wrong bag even after opening it to stash her sweatshirt. We switched bags and got back in line. Praise God for answered prayer... even in the little things, He proves His goodness to us again and again.

While spending 2 hours in line for a Visa witnessing a super-slow and inefficient process, I was reminded of my time in Ecuador with the feeling of “we aren't in the U.S.A. anymore...” as things are just done so differently here in South America. For starters, you can't flush toilet paper. It goes in a little trash can next to the toilet. Now that may not seem to be a big deal, but it takes some getting used to! And then there is the language- even the Spanish here is quite unique as they mix in Guarani, the native language. But in line at the airport, the lack of efficiency that we are so used to in the US is what we noticed the most. We paid our almost $400 visa fee and watched the guy slip the cash in his pocket, something you would just never see at a government office in the states, one would think they could invest in a cash box? But we were safely on the ground after many hours of traveling, and for that we were very thankful. And while we were in the long line, a man brought us all 3 of our checked bags intact, which was another answered prayer!

Judah was waiting for us with open arms and it was just a short car-ride to their house. They live in a relatively safe neighborhood with a rugby club just across the street. Workers were out hoeing the field by hand. Judah parked the car behind a tall iron gate in front of the house, and we went inside to unload our bags and have a snack. Even though we were tired, after eating and chatting for a while we decided to stay awake for the day and head to bed early that night. So we drove to Judah's office, met some of his excellent staff, and then headed out to one of the community groups.

As were were driving through the city, the mayhem that is normal traffic is difficult to describe... no lanes, with roadways and walkways often intermingling with piles of rubbish and construction materials, busses, motorcycles, cars, horse-drawn carts, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, did I mention motorcycles? The hand-laid cobblestone streets are everywhere, almost all of which are in dire need of repair. A short distance up the road from Judah's office we see 2 cows running loose down the street with a few dogs chasing them. Tree-lined streets wave palm branches, the people are friendly, they sit and drink Terere (local cold tea) out of thermoses, nobody too concerned about two cows on the city street. Palm trees always make me feel like I'm in an exotic place... here in Paraguay with cows on the street, it's just another day in paradise.

As we drove the roads got progressively worse. From pavement, to cobblestone, to dirt with huge mudholes. The living conditions matched the roads. From relatively clean and maintained homes and yards to a neglected, littered, smelly area full of shacks and standing water. I especially noticed the standing water as we had been warned about mosquitos carrying Dengue fever. And I notice the shacks where families live, the walls not tight enough to keep out mosquitos. We had entered what is considered a “squatter zone,” land owned by the government with limited services. There is electricity and running water recently installed, but no sewage system as of yet. A few of the houses stood on stilts... Judah mentioned that during the rainy season the entire area floods. Often people move their belongings to a soccer field on higher ground and wait for their houses to dry out. And the sewage? Yes, it floods too. You can only imagine the smell. This is the face of poverty.

As we step out of the car we carefully avoid mud and step over trash. My white flip-flops are too white and out of place against the mud, just like my white skin under this hot sun. I feel so out of place... but only for a moment. We walk a short distance around a tin roof shack with pallet board type walls, one of the more sturdy homes of the area, and the first thing I notice is her smile. Dona Lina is the president of the community group, and this is her home. She greets us warmly and then hurries to get chairs for us out of the sun. She makes us feel welcome immediately. We squeeze into her tiny covered area, and the first words out of her mouth are Gracias a Dios, thanks be to God. She describes the great help that Diaconia has been to her personally and also to her group of women.

She runs a small store out of her home and sells empanadas. Her loan from Diaconia made it possible for her to grow her business and purchase a rotisserie machine for selling chickens. But her business was considerably set back when her mother unexpectedly passed away. The funeral expenses were staggering. She brushes away tears as she tells us about losing her mom. I tear up too, her pain is so fresh, it reminds me of my Grammie who is now with the Lord. Dona Lina's story is one of difficulty, but also one of perseverance and hope. She speaks of her God who has provided for her and will continue to do so, and how thankful she is for the help of Diaconia. She also talks about how the nutrition center and community group has brought the women together, how people are going to church and interested in hearing about God who previously would never have walked into a church. And it is an opportunity for her to serve alongside other Christian women in her community.

What a beacon of light in this place. I immediately thought of Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.”

Dona Lina personifies this verse in her life. Her first words... Gracias a Dios. Thanks be to God. I don't feel out of place anymore because I am in the home of a fellow sister in Christ. She is the leader and backbone of this community group, and her church. Her living conditions are not easy. The neighborhood she lives in is a tough one to reach with the gospel. But her light shines so brightly in the way she lives, runs her business, and reaches out to her community. Her light shines brightly in the way she serves meals to children, runs her business with integrity, and encourages the women in her group. Diaconia has been a bridge between her neighbors and the church, and when we visit to ask her how things are going, her first words are “gracias a Dios.” What a testimony.

Judah, Dona Lina, her Daughter, Brant

Judah prays over her and her home, we say goodby and we get back in our car. A little muddier, quite smelly, but touched by a woman who is full of grace in serving her Lord. I take her picture. And I take a picture of a man outside with a horse-drawn cart. But I don't take any more pictures... even though I probably should have to give you an idea of what it was like there... but I want to remember it not as a filthy place, but as a place where God's grace and providence brings hope. And I am so thankful that I am in this place, at this time, to hear this story that God has written and is allowing me to watch as it unfolds.

We head back to the Mooney's, Mary made us a delicious chicken dinner with spaghetti and home-made sauce. What wonderful hospitality. We head to bed at 8:30 and sleep for 12 hours straight. What an amazing first day.

One of the horses bought with a Diaconia loan.  They use this horse and cart to collect recycling.