TrewsNews

Last July a team from Ireland came out to visit us and start work on a church extension at Zeballous Cue, an Anglican Parish on the outskirts of Asuncion. It was a community that suffered much in the Supermarket fire disaster in 2004. The extension was recently finished. The team were delighted to see the finished results of the work they helped to start.

We started back to school after a week's holiday. We had a very relaxing week that included a fishing trip where we actually caught one. Easter Sunday was good. The highlight was the kid’s illustration. We have a hollow stone that kind of looks like a tomb and it was used as a display at the front of church. Using a Playmoboil figure as Jesus we rolled toilet paper around it to represent the burial clothes. Just before placing Jesus wrapped body in the tomb I slipped the figure out. Hannah, being one of the women, came forward first to look in the tomb. She looks in, then turns and announces totally spontaneously, "He is not here, he is alive!". The boys came up next to examine the wrapped body. When they did not see the Playmobil figure they said in genuine surprise, "He's not here! Did you take him, did you do magic?” We think they understood the point. Afterwards we saw many of the street kids the Spanish speaking church is ministering to. Our church bought a ...

This morning Eileen went to the Toy Library run by the Teacher Training Faculty attached to St. Andrew's school. They bring loads of craft, toys, games, and dressing up clothes to the church hall and children from the nearby shanty town communities come along to play and simply have fun. These children literally have nothing - they are othen dressed almost in rags and normally play with rubbish. So to give them a chance to play with educationally stimuluting toys is really worth giving up a Saturday morning for. Some of the same children are coming along to the Spanish speaking congregation on Sundays. They are given breakfast and go to the Sunday School. If they want they can have a change of clothes and their filthy clothes are washed. It is such a great work the Faculty and church are doing for these kids. Really the kind of service Jesus would do.

Today was a half day in school - the Easter holidays start. We have all of Holy Week off. We finished with an Easter Service where each year in primary did a reading or drama. It was a great service - Patrick gave talk on how the disciples saw what, for them, was a tragedy on Good Friday turned into a victory on Easter Sunday. This is something God can do for each of us when we allow the Cross to bring a change in each of our lives. Next week we are just taking it easy and getting some little jobs done around the house or head out of the city for a picnic.

In school this week there is a poster campaign to educate everyone on the dangers of Dengue - a disease carried by mosquitoes. The students have drawn posters and put them up around the patio. The disease causes a severe fever and terrible aches and pains. In rare cases it can cause cerebral haemorrhage! We have the mosquito repellent out and mossie killer is at the ready. You can pray that none of us catch it!

We are planning a trip to the Chaco in May to dig a water storage well - an aljebe. A well is dug near a building and guttering funnels rain water off the roof into the well. It is stored in the well for the dry season. There have been severe droughts in the last couple of years and Aljebe's provide a constant supply of water in difficult times. The final years students will start digging and it will be finished off by Indian workmen. I shall be going with them to document the progress and challenge the students about their Christian commitment, so start praying now.

The other day I was taking Elijah to the opticians when it started to rain. The roads again flooded and we ended up driving through floods about 20-30cm deep. We almost gave up as we have heard of people literally getting washed away in these kind of rains.

Last Friday it was my turn to take assembly in secondary. I asked the students if they were ready to take a step and make a 100% commitment to Christ. Many of the students here come from very religious homes, most of them Roman Catholic. Lots are Christians to a certain degree, but most still lack that real total commitment. My real prayer for this year is that some students might decide to take that step to 100%, and then to stand up and testify about it. Keep praying for that.