Señor es fiel. /God is good.

It´s been a while since my last post because I have been so busy! Before I came to Paraguay, I was a little worried that I would spend a lot of time alone. I prayed that God would give me friends! He answered my prayers. Not one day has been spent alone. I can hardly keep up with all the invitations to go places! Even with the language barrier, there are still many people here with whom I have formed amazing friendships. There are times when I wish I could fully express my thoughts or feelings, but I am unable to because I don´t know the right words in Spanish. That is the most frustrating part about my relationships here. There is so much more I want to say! Even still, my Spanish is improving day by day. I think I will be speaking a lot more in a few months. It´s a constant challenge to translate words and decipher the meaning of conversations! God is good. I will get there.

One of my favorite things to do here is sing with the church´s worship team. They are an incredibly gifted group of musicians. I am always so impressed by their talent! It is truly a privilege to sing with them. We have been practicing for an upcoming event with musicians from the sister church in Posadas, Argentina. I look forward to singing with them every week! It´s a lot harder to sing in Spanish than in English, but I love to hear praises sung in other languages.

I am continually amazed at the generosity of the people I know here. People treat me as if I were their own daughter, granddaughter, or sister. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who truly love me and care for me. I am so humbled that so many people are constantly thinking of me and working to ensure that I have everything I need. I pray that I might be able to extend that same kind of generosity and selfless love. The people here are so open in their relationships with one another. Generally, people in the U.S. are a lot more private. It´s easier to develop good friendships here...and a lot more quickly, too! People meet you once, and they treat you as if you are one of the family! These are good lessons that I´m learning. There is no reason to withhold friendship and love. I am to ¨live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ.¨ (Eph. 5:2)

Work at the school has been so busy! I recently changed my schedule, so I´m working a couple hours less each week (a nice break!). I have been teaching English after school several days a week to some of my friends in the church. I now have two separate classes going...beginning and intermediate. Between school, English classes, Ita Paso, music rehearsals, church activities, traveling to events in Argentina, and invitations to people´s homes...I have little time to be lonely! There are days when the work is tough, but I am continuing to rely on God for the strength to do it well.

I am SO encouraged to hear that so many of you are praying for me DAILY! Wow! Your prayers are the best gift that you could give me! I am learning a lot about prayer and believing that God is faithful to fulfill His promises. Your prayers are not in vain. I can see how He is already answering so many of them! I am expecting even more from Christ. I know He has much more in store for me, for you, and for His people here. I´m continually praying to see God in new ways. He is certainly doing just that. I pray that YOU might be able to gain encouragement from your time spent in prayer. I believe that lives can be transformed...here and there. Have faith. He never fails. I think we´re going to see some incredible things. ¨As surely as the sun will rise, You´ll come to us.¨-Hillsong
¨This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.¨I John 5:14

Doni, the pastor of the church here, and his wife Silvia are in the United States this week. He will be preaching at my home church in West Palm Beach this Sunday. I´m thrilled that many of you will have the opportunity to hear him speak. He and his wife have greatly influenced my life, and I admire them both so much.

I am going to add a few pictures tomorrow (hopefully!) .
Blessings,
Emily

¨I pray that this will be my ministry: to join people on their journey and to open their eyes to see You.¨-Henri Nouwen