Mission Newsletter May 09

My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun… Malachi 1:11

Carapegua, Paraguay, South America WEBPAGE: www.hagermans.blogspot.com EMAIL: [email protected]

May, 2009

What a great month April turned out to be! Cooler temperatures (we’re in the 80’s and 90’s now!), doors opening, new friends, and the opportunity to reach out to more people. We were able to purchase 48 Bibles this month, with the intent to hand them out as the need presented itself. One night, we were playing UNO with a few of our “young adult/youth” neighbors when a young lady noticed the box of Bibles. I explained what they were and asked if she and her new husband had a Bible in their home. When she said not yet, my heart went into overdrive. She eagerly accepted our gift, as did each of the others visiting with us. We went over some possible reading plans and shared what our own favorite scriptures were. Several similar opportunities have arisen since getting the Bibles, and it’s a thrill to be able to give them to people hungry to read God’s Word. We’re making inserts to tape on the front and back inside covers, One shares a simple explanation of salvation and the sinner’s prayer. The other has basic information about the Bible, such as reading plans, where to find Jesus’ life stories, and suggested scriptures for circumstances. Help us pray that these Bibles will not be dust collectors in the homes, but that they will open hearts and change families. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the South American version of Spring Break, except no one goes to the beach! Wednesday and Thursday of the week were spent making chipas (a type of bread made without yeast and baked in an outdoor brick oven) in preparation for Friday. Good Friday was a relatively quiet day, supposedly spent in contemplation of the Crucifixion. It seemed for some this was the case, for others, it was spent sleeping off the hangover from the parties the night before. We introduced a few Easter traditions that Sunday, giving a short lesson about eggs symbolizing the new life we receive as a result of the Resurrection, just before sending off the excited egg-hunters. They’d never searched for dyed eggs before (and weren’t sure they could be eaten in that state), but they caught on quickly. Then we all shared a piece of Resurrection cake before a good, old fashioned dinner-on-the-ground, Paraguayan BBQ style!

Saturday night is now officially YOUTH NIGHT here in Arazaty. We are focusing right now on attracting the neighborhood youth who hang around but don’t actually attend church here. The young people who DO attend church have been helping get things ready each Saturday, and in the afternoon, we start soccer and volleyball games near the church building. After an hour or so, it’s too dark to continue, so everyone moves inside for popcorn, kool-aid, and a movie. We’ve enjoyed the Narnia movies and The End of the Spear, all of which have powerful messages about God’s love. Attendance has been great so far, with more coming each week than the week before. Please keep the evolving youth group in your prayers. English classes are also underway, twice per week. We are incorporating scripture memorization into the lessons, which include children, youth, and adults.

FIRST SESSION BEGINS JULY 1st! Located in the heart of South America, Tapé Mission Experience is a practical discipleship and missions training program in the country of Paraguay. The Guarani word "Tapé " (pronounced tah-PAY) translates as a road, or a path. This facility seeks to be the path to a lifetime of service in God's kingdom. Young adults spend six months or a year in Paraguay gaining practical experience "on the field," while building a deeper relationship with God and honing the personal calling He has placed on each of their lives. Those participating in the program will be immersed in many aspects of mission work including but not limited to church planting, worship and praise, youth and children’s ministries, camp ministry, rural and urban evangelism, and self-sufficiency farming. Through the community atmosphere, the hands-on ministry training, the practical living skills, and the classroom time, each student will leave prepared to enter the mission field abroad or locally, or to return home with an enriched vision for his future.

Find more information and begin the application process at www.tapemissions.org

Project: Puente is in full swing right now, with active penpal communication and several community projects. Those children who have been emailing their pen pals (all girls so far) are SO excited to hear from their new North American friends. We print off the emails and translate them before hand-delivering each one. The smiles as they read these letters are priceless. We took sketch books to each of the 86 children at the elementary school, to be used in the Bible study we help with each Friday. The children listen to a lesson about Jesus and draw pictures as instructed by the teacher. In this way, they can take the sketchpads home and share the story with their families. The next project is getting blankets to the most needy homes in the community. In the weeks to come, the temperatures will dip into the 30’s at night, with what the locals describe as cool, damp winds. Most of the homes have holes that act as doorways and windows, but no actual door or glass in those openings. We found a lady in town who makes warm blankets and offered them to us at $4 a piece, so thanks to a special donation to Project:Puente this month, we will be distributing the blankets as she gets them made. We’ll also carry the Bibles with us, in case we find homes who don’t have one.

As always, we pray you are continually blessed, as you have blessed us. We appreciate so much your encouragement and support as we follow God’s lead in Paraguay. You are a part of every work we do for the Kingdom, and we’re thrilled to be your partners in God’s plan for this country. CONTACT INFORMATION

---Ken, Christie, Camille, and Caroline

Mailing Address in Paraguay: Hagermans c/o Dan Miller Casilla de correo 13035 1749 Shopping Del Sol Asuncion, Paraguay, South America Telephone: 011-595-985-782-928 Donations are received through our local church: Carolina Heights CoGoP 2900 Anderson Road Greenville, SC 29611 (Please write “Hagerman Missions” on check memo. All donations are tax deductible.) Email: [email protected] Webpages: www.hagermans.blogspot.com www.tapemissions.org

God bless you! ¡Dios le bendiga! (Spanish) Ñandejára tanderovasá! (Guarani) **(If you are receiving this through the US Mail and have an email address, please send it to us so we can get our newsletter to you in that way. It is much quicker and more efficient. If you don’t have an email address, or if you just prefer the regular mail, don’t worry. We’ll keep sending it to you that way.)