Six months ago...

A real concern with short term mission trips is that they can have a short term impact. A group of people go to a foreign country, leave a lot of donations, organize a lot of activities and, seemingly, do a lot of good. But as soon as they leave it all collapses. There is no follow up or fruit or continuation and the locals are left with a feeling of dependence and disappointment.

This has not been the case with our trip to Paraguay.

By God's grace and through your generosity, the work at the El Puente Home in Quyquyho has absolutely flourished since our departure. A few highlights:

1. Using the projector we donated, the Home has started a bi-monthly Film Club which is open to the entire community. They screen Christian or educational films, after which there is a lively discussion. The Home sees this as an opportunity to reach out to the community, and they have already been invited to several school for more screenings. Additionally, the girls have been performing traditional dances at these schools, at the end of which they get to share their testimonies.

2. The older girls at the Home took a course on Basic Level Computing using the laptops we had left. They all had assignments to do as well as an exam, which they all passed with top grades. Now they are able to teach the younger girls as well as the rest of the community. All of them were awarded certificates:

3. Most recently, there was an unexpected but perfectly-timed donation to the Home from our church. The money was used to purchase much needed items: mattresses for five newly admitted girls (they had to share beds before), an industrial-sized fan to quell the sweltering heat of the Paraguayan summer in their living room and a portable fumigator to spray their crops, animals and houses.

But the best part is that they were able to purchase a ton of food, canned goods, candy, cookies and other supplies, which they put in Christmas bags and handed out around the poorer neighborhoods. How incredible to see these girls serving and loving their community.

Exactly six months ago the ten of us were boarding a plane to head to Paraguay, never imagining that our two-week investment would yield so much fruit even to this day. And isn't it just like God to take a feeble human effort and multiply it ten-fold? He gets all the credit for His perfect provision.

A key role of this provision was played by our donors and supporters. Whether you know it or not, you have been an instrument in God's hands to abundantly bless the lives of these girls. Your generosity has touched not only them but all the surrounding communities in Quyquyho as well. For this, we are immensely thankful to you, and God is pleased. 

I write this from El Salvador, waiting for my connecting flight to Lima with a final stop to Asuncion. I am flying home to see my family, but also to seek God's will regarding our future involvement with El Puente Home. The idea of returning has been in our minds, and the excitement has not waned, but we want to follow His lead. 

Would you pray for God to guide us as we explore the idea of another trip there? 

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)