Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone! This year has been a year full of the grace of God. He has been amazing to this missionary family! We have seen His hand upon on our lives, protecting us, guiding us, and helping us as we learned to live and minister in Paraguay. He has now brought us back to the United States for a time of ministering in as many churches that will have us, visiting family and friends, and traveling across this great country meeting new people and making new friends.

To all of you who have been praying for us and supporting our ministry, we say a great big THANK YOU!!!! We pray that God blesses you for your faithfulness. There were many times, in the past couple of years, when we knew that you were praying for us. We felt your prayers when we went through difficult situations. I remember one time, I was struggling and nervous about giving the invitation after one of our drama presentations. It was one of those nights when the audience was cheering and clapping for the devil (in the drama, not the real one :), and it seemed like they were more excited to watch people being dragged off into hell than for those going to heaven. I didn't think anyone would respond to the altar call. As I stepped out to begin the invitation, a sense of peace and a calmness spread over me. I could feel God's presence. I could feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and I knew that you were praying for me. The amazing thing is that on that specific night, over 100 people responded to the altar call. Over the past two years, it was the biggest response, for one night, to the invitation to give their life to Jesus Christ.

That is just one example of God's grace upon our lives. This next year, we would like to visit with everyone, but we know it is not possible. Our plans are to post our schedule on Facebook, Twitter, and here on the blog. You can check out the schedule and if you are in a nearby town or in the area, please feel free to join us in that church. That way, we can visit and share what God is doing with as many as possible during 2010. As you probably know, our website is down. We have a MacBook, and I am trying to use iWeb to do a better website; however, it is not working too well. We do have our domain registered correctly, now. I just have to figure out how to get it published to the web.

Please continue to pray for us as we travel all over the United States. Currently, our van is broken down. It doesn't work, at all, and we don't have the money to purchase another one. For me, it doesn't seem smart to buy a new car only to try and sell it in a year. I would rather not have a monthly car payment, if we can help it. Please pray that our 2001 Pontiac Montana can be fixed well enough to last another 130,000 miles or so. Also, we will be moving back to the Springfield, MO area in February, and we need to make sure that our van can get us back their, safe and sound. Other prayer requests are: health, protection, rental home, raising funds to return to Paraguay, and that I don't gain any extra weight during itineration :)

Love to you all! Merry Christmas and may God bless you now and in the new year!

Charley

Website

Just a quick update: for those of you looking for our website, it is currently down. We are working on the situation and changing things to make it more user friendly and to be able to post video and pictures more easily. We are hoping that these changes will give everyone a better opportunity to see what is going on in Paraguay. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We hope to be up and running in early December.

Blessings,

Charley

What price are you willing to pay?

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to do the drama, "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames," again, in a church named Buenas Nuevas (Good News). I thought it was cool to share the Good News in a church named Good News.

Anyway, it was a rather unique experience for us. The cast, this time, was the Bible school students where I teach. Normally, we go into a church that has invited us, and we choose the cast from the volunteers that show up. Members or attendees in the church who want to share what God has done in their lives with others through this powerful drama. So, we went into this drama not knowing what to expect because we didn't get to meet with the church members or talk to the pastor too much beforehand.

The pastor of the church is an amazing person. He is the National Treasurer of the Assemblies of God in Paraguay. He opened the doors of his church to us, allowing us to use the facilities to do this outreach. Not only did he open the doors, but he encouraged his people to get involved in the discipleship process. They caught the vision of the drama and began inviting unsaved people. They put together packets of information with an invitation letter to a brindis or fellowship the following Monday after the drama. It was awesome!

Over the 3 nights of the drama, we saw 150 people come forward to give their lives to Jesus Christ! Now, Pastor Nery (the pastor's name) and I feel like there were more than 150 people, but we only have 150 cards filled out. The church people and some of the Bible school students worked hard at consolidating or following up on our new brothers and sisters in Christ. On Monday night, 50 people returned to the church for the fellowship and Pastor Nery gave them their first discipleship class. Also, thanks to the Arkansas and Southern California districts men's program, Light for the Lost, we were able to purchase a complete, hardback Bible for each and every one of them and all the others who have given their lives to Christ. We thank all of you who support Light for the Lost! Your new brothers and sisters in Christ thank you, as well.

There was one particular salvation that I thought was just amazing. It was amazing because of how God did it. We arrived early on Saturday evening before the 2nd night of the drama. There was a gentleman asleep on the ground in front of the church. Two of our students went up and talked to him. He was a homeless gentleman who didn't have a job, money, or clothes. It looked like he hadn't bathed in a while. The students and I invited him to come inside, and we would get him something to eat. He said that he was fine, and he wanted to come in, but he didn't have the proper clothes to go inside a church. We told him that it didn't matter what he was wearing, but he couldn't do it. He promised to come back the next night. We weren't sure that he would; however, as we were getting ready to start prayer time before the drama on Sunday night, in walks this man. He looked the same as yesterday, and he really felt uncomfortable. One of the students had brought some clothes for him with them. We took him to the shower. He showered, shaved, and ate some empanadas that we had purchased for him. He looked like a totally different person. He sat through the drama, and at the end, he came forward to accept Christ.

I often wonder, "What price do we place on a soul? How much would you give or pay to see one person saved?" Did we spend that much, really, to make him feel comfortable enough to enter the church and attend a drama that ended up changing his life forever? How much would you give in order that someone could hear the Gospel and be given the opportunity to meet Jesus? I know that I am willing to give my money, my abilities, my time, my love, and my life.

Oh, by the way, this man now has a job and is living in a small apartment while he is trying to get his life back together. If you don't think that Jesus can change lives, here is living proof that He CAN and WILL.

Blessings,
Charley

What is holding you back from running the race?

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to minister to a youth group in Capiatá, a city about 45 minutes from our home in Asunción. Chariti and Kaylee traveled with me, and we had a good time talking and visiting. They are good girls with great hearts and an amazing love for everyone we come into contact with here in Paraguay. Let me give you a glimpse of what it is like to travel, minister, do things with family, and other daily things that we do in Paraguay.

During the girls and my trip to Capiatá, we were driving along the road, encountering smells, sights, and sounds that just a little over 2 years ago, were so unfamiliar and even unknown. The smell of burning rubber or trash mixed with the smells of chicken cooking on open flames, pizzas in the traditional brick ovens, or chipa baking. The sights of children begging, teenagers attempting to wash the windshields of vehicles stopped at lights, families selling trinkets, toys, clothes, or whatever they can just to survive, jugglers with balls or fire-sticks trying to earn a few coins, homeless children with no shoes and torn clothes coming to your car window, putting their hands around their eyes, trying to peer in and ask for a coin, and many other sights. The sounds of cars honking, children crying, vendors selling their wares, policeman whistling and directing traffic, people watching and cheering for their favorite soccer team, etc. When driving in Paraguay, there is no end of sights, smells, or sounds.

Chariti, Kaylee, and I were talking about different things like that as we traveled to the church. We have come to love all of these different sights, smells, and sounds. Some, of course, are more enjoyable than others. We started talking about going "home" in December. We can't believe that our first term is almost done, and it is time to head back and visit churches, family, and friends and allow God to minister through us as we attempt to raise our second budget. Paraguay, already, has become our home. Don't get me wrong. We love the United States, and it is our home, our country, our flag, our people, and our nation. However, God has given us such a great love for Paraguay and the people that it will be very difficult to leave here, even for such a short time to itinerate. We have learned so much in our short time here, and we are anticipating learning so much more when we return.

As we made our turn off of the main highway onto a side road to the church, I made a phone call to the pastor because I didn't know where the church was located. It was a dark road, paved with stones, and we were wondering if we had made a correct turn. The pastor told us to come eight more blocks and turn right. As the girls and I counted the blocks, we came to the eighth one and turned right. We drove for a while but never found a church. In fact, all we saw were homes. It was too dark to take any pictures of the houses, but my heart broke as I looked at some of them. Our home is a mission's owned home. It is nice with lots of space. Some of the homes that we saw were so small and so poorly constructed that I wondered how they stood up in a storm. Sometimes, twenty people will live in one of these tiny homes. It really makes you think about complaining about anything in your lives.

I have learned that when serving God, we never really lack what we need. Being in Paraguay has taught me to rely on God even more than ever before. Every time I speak, minister, or preach, I can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as He ministers through me. At the youth service, after we finally found the church, I preached from Hebrews chapter 12. It follows the faith chapter in Hebrews. It talks about the great cloud of witnesses and putting off all thing that hinder us in running our race. Sometimes, we are more worried about the witnesses and what they think than the race we are running. I brought a large backpack to the church and several bricks. I asked a young person to run around the church with the backpack on during the entire sermon. I talked about the things that take our eyes off of the goal, the end of the race, the finish line, which is Jesus Christ.

There are things in our life that take our eyes off of the prize, the goal, Jesus. Simple things like tv shows, girlfriends or boyfriends, friends, materialism, etc. None of these are sins, but they can take time away from our relationship with Jesus. For example, I could complain or worry about things that go wrong in our house (i.e. pipes bursting, roof leaking, yard eroding, security), but then I must remember homes like we saw that night. Sometimes, our enemy takes simple things in our lives, problems, complaints, worries, lack of something, desires, etc., and uses them to take our focus off of Christ.

As I was preaching, I asked the pastor to add bricks to the backpack each time I mentioned something that can take your eyes off of Christ. It became harder and harder for the young man to run around the church as more bricks were added. I asked some of his friends to help carry the backpack and run with him. Sometimes, our friends help us carry the weight instead of get rid of it. Then, I asked a couple of the youth leaders to stop him at the altar, pray for him, and remove the weights from the backpack. As they removed them, they placed them on the altar. I told him that once we give God something, we shouldn't go back and don't need to go back to get it. It's placed at Jesus' feet, and we don't need to carry it around any more. Then, for the altar call, I asked each young person to take a brick and allow it to represent something that is taking your focus off of Jesus. Then, take the brick, place it on the altar, and give it to Jesus. It was amazing to watch these young people, crying as they placed the bricks on the altar, as Jesus ministered to them.

Is there something in your life that is taking your focus off of Jesus? Allow Him to take if from you. Allow Him to minister in your heart and life and be the main focus of your life and family. If you do, I promise you that your life will be so much happier.

Blessings to you,
Charley

Picture from our latest drama!

Here are some pictures that I promised to put on our blog from our last drama. The first picture shows as we were beginning to set up for the drama. As you can see, the church isn't very big. It was really tight, but it worked out. They were a great group of people to work with.The next picture shows Kaylee's buddy, Spot;) She does a great job running our spotlight for us. In fact, the whole family does a great job.
Our equipment in the church waiting to be opened and placed where it needs to be. Lots of work still left to do.
Me, trying to figure out how to get the computer, video, and sound working. Sherry and Chaz offering moral support :D
This is a picture from the first practice. I am trying to explain something to the angels and other actors.
Part of the first practice. This is the opening scene as they are beating Jesus (the actor who plays Jesus, not the real Jesus :) and getting ready to crucify him.
Our actor, who played Satan, laughing up at heaven. He did a really great job during the drama. He was focused, kept praying and seeking God, and he wants to do the drama, one day, in our large national soccer stadium.
More of the first practice with Jesus entering with the cross.
The day after the first practice, we began to set up the scenery. Nery and Pastor Francisco are trying to figure out how to hang the mylar.

The first piece going up.

Starting to get everything covered up.

This is how we laid it out before putting it all up.

Sherry and Chariti working on the entrance to heaven. They and Kaylee did such an awesome job decorating the scenery.

Here is how it looked. The finished product. Sherry and Kaylee working on the microphones. We had one broken after one of the actresses decided to throw it down on the concrete, tiled floor. Emotion and excitement got the best of her, I guess.

Taking a break while waiting for the electrician to finish up his work so that I could get the lighting all set up.

Here is the light switches for our drama, here in Paraguay. Our dimmer pack fried during our first drama. So, we had to rig up something new.

The other end of the lighting solution where we plug all of the lights in.

Chaz, taking a break with Vicente, drinking some tereré and chatting.

Sherry all smiles because the sound, video, and lighting are all working. Charit took this behind-the-scenes photo of Satan telling the audience that he hates them. Dramatic, but effective.
Praying before our first or second night of the drama. The prayer time was really amazing. This church knows how to pray. Thus the reason for 120 new believers in God's family.
Sherry painting our devil's face while everyone else is praying.
Praying for the devil :D
From left: Chaz' profile, Nery, & Vicente. Vicente cooked up some ribs for us on Thursday afternoon to thank us for doing the drama at their church. YUMMY!
The first night, old lady scene in heaven.
The reason why we do the drama. This is a picture of the altar call from the third night. I had to climb the steps into heaven so that everyone could fit in the front. It was so awesome to see people weeping before God.

Third Night

I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to God for all He did for us, this weekend. This was the third night for our drama presentation of "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames." The crowd starting arriving around 6:00 p.m. By 6:30, it was full. In a building that can only hold about 80-90 small chairs, 200 people crammed into the small space to watch the drama. This church went all out inviting unsaved people. I couldn't believe the effort that these amazing people went to so that their family and friends would have an opportunity to know Jesus. 

We actually started this one at around 7 p.m. People were still coming, but we started the drama. It went really well. We didn't have any major glitches with the technical side, and everyone did really well. It went really smoothly. I attribute that to the constant prayer by all of the actors, pastors, and lay people of the church. There was always someone in the back room and in the front of the church, praying. It was what really made this drama, successful.

There are so many testimonies to share, but it would take up a lot of space and time. I will be sharing more, later this week, but I am exhausted, tonight. Suffice it to say, for now, that the total of salvations came in at, officially, 120 people. 66 more salvations, tonight. What is amazing is that out of that total, 30 are family members of the cast!!!! Praise God!

Blessings to all,

Charley

Second Night

Tonight was the second of three nights. I am learning that nothing goes as planned here. When we arrived, we set up all the equipment, and everything was working great. The microphones all worked, the lights all worked, sound and video was all working great. I was encouraged to find everything working fine. When prayer time came, I went to the room where all of the cast was supposed to be and found about 10 people there waiting for prayer. I became a little discouraged. Oh, I forgot to mention that it was raining. When it rains in Paraguay, normally noone comes to any type of service. I began to wonder if that meant that the cast wouldn't come, as well.

We were supposed to start the drama at 6:30, again. 7:00 p.m. came around and we were still missing the dad from the Christian family scene, one of our secerataries, a businessman, 2 teens, a drug addict, our satan, our head angel, and 4 or 5 angels. I was beginning to wonder what was going on. How could I question what God was doing? At around 7:15, a group of about 20 people showed up, filling up the rest of the space in the auditorium. They were all friends of our devil. Every last one of them were unbelievers! He had invited them from his neighborhood. God knew that if we started at 6:30, they would have missed almost all of the drama. And wouldn't you know that every last one of them came forward to pray to accept Christ as their Savior.

Also, we had a huge crowd, tonight. I think almost every seat was taken. When I first gave the invitation, no one came forward. I inwardly prayed. Talked some more. Gave another invitation, and no one came forward. I prayed some more. Talked a little more, and gave another invitation. One gentleman came forward. I looked him in the eye and told him thank you for coming. Then, it was like a floodgate opened. More than 40 people, in a tiny church that can hold about 80 people, came forward. It was all I could do to keep from crying as I watched this miracle displayed before me. I sure am grateful to God for this opportunity to serve Him. It is so awesome! That makes for a total of 54 salvations in two nights! Can't wait for tomorrow night!

Oh, by the way, another testimony from last night. I told you (or you can read about it) about the police officer who gave his heart to the Lord. Well, I just put it together today that if the microphone would not have been broken by the young lady last night, I would not have walked around the church to tell Sherry that it was broken. Then, I would never have seen the officer crying, and I wouldn't have asked the pastor to go and talk to the officer. Who knows? Maybe he wouldn't have asked Jesus into his heart. Who knew that a broken microphone could be used of God to make sure that someone is given the chance to accept Christ? I promise to look for more "broken microphones" the rest of my life. 

Blessings to all,

Charley

First Night

Tonight was the first night of our latest drama. It was very challenging and amazing. I am always amazed at how God works no matter how much goes wrong. One of our guardian or centurion angels didn't get to the church until 30 minutes after we were supposed to start the drama. The hour to start was 6:30 p.m. We started at 7:30 p.m. In the opening scene, one of our drug addict girls, twisted her leg and had to be carried out by one of the other actors. She still did her scene, and she seemed better after the drama. She got so excited and emotional about being dragged off to hell that she forgot to gently place her microphone on the tile floor. She threw it down, instead, and the microphone didn't work the rest of the night. So, some of the actors had to yell our their parts instead of using a microphone. We are dreaming of some day having the headsets or lapel mikes for the actors. If someone has any spare lapel mikes or headsets, we would love to have them in Paraguay. We will be home for itineration in 2010, and we would love to help you get rid of some old lapel or headset mikes (hint-hint:D). The rest of the drama went well, and the church is really excited. One of the pastors came to me and said that they have never seen anything like this before in their church.

God worked some amazing things. 10 people responded to the altar call. There were only about 30 in attendance. Hey, I just realized, 10 is pretty good. 1/3 of the audience accepted Christ! Awesome! WOW! God really is good! After I sent all of the group back with the cast so that the cast could meet them, pray for them, and help them in their new lives, a young couple came forward and asked me to pray with them. They didn't want to miss heaven, and they wanted to accept Christ. I prayed with them and sent them back to meet the cast and pastors of the church. 

Then, pastor called me over as I was re-setting the mikes, lights, props, etc. to talk with a man. As I got close, I smelled a really strong odor that almost knocked me over. I realized, immediately, that this man was as drunk as a skunk. I think I might have become a little tipsy just from the smell. He began quoting scriptures and talking about what Jesus and Peter did and said. I couldn't understand half of what he said, but he started crying and talking about how he appreciated me so much for coming and doing this drama. He knows that he needs Jesus. I asked him to be honest with me and tell me if he wanted to live for Jesus. He said, "Yes!" So, we prayed together and he asked Jesus into his heart. He talked for several minutes more about MANY different things. Pastor Francisco and I hugged him (getting the remains of vomit transferred to our shirts -oh, the joys of ministry:), and we prayed for him, again. He walked out a little straighter and with a little more of a smile. I am praying that God work a miracle in his life.

Pastor invited us to eat some hot dogs or panchos, as they are known here. They are not quite the same as in the States, but they aren't too bad. As we were eating, Pastor Francisco mentioned that a police man had accepted Christ, as well. Yesterday, Pastor went to the police station to let them know what was going on at the church. They offered to send a policeman to guard the church during the drama. He came, and I noticed that he was really watching the drama. One time, as I was running around trying to fix things and send cast members in to do their part, I noticed that he was crying. I asked the pastor to talk to him during the altar call. Pastor asked him what he thought about the drama. The policeman said that it was beautiful and amazing. They talked some more, and the policeman asked the pastor if he could accept Christ, too, even though he didn't go down front with the rest of the people. Pastor prayed with him. After I have my 2 panchos, I went out and asked the officer what happened to him tonight. He said, proudly and with a big smile, "I accepted Jesus as my Savior!" We talked, I prayed for him, and he allowed me to hug him. He was so proud to be a Christian! It was such a privilege and so awesome to see it happen!! 

The last thing about tonight, and I will finish. One of the other pastor's came to me, and said that in all they years he has been there, there has never been 10 people accept Christ in one service. Wow! 25 years of this church, and never have they seen 10 people accept Christ at one time. I actually felt a little defeated because ONLY 10 came forward. I learned a big lesson tonight. Even if it is only 1, it is still 1 soul that will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. 1 soul is worth all of the sweat, stress, work, problems, and everything!!! Thank you to all who are praying. The struggle begins anew tomorrow night at 6:30 (maybe :D) east coast time! Please continue to pray so that the enemy won't have a chance to keep away those who have their appointed time with God. We want more souls won for Jesus!!!!

Blessings to all,

Charley

Challenges and Salvations

It is time, once again, for another drama presentation. This one is at a very small Four Square Church in Barrio San Pablo. The title of this blog is "Challenges and Salvations." First, I will start with some of the challenges we have faced with this specific drama. The lighting has always been a problem, but on this one, it wasn't the only problem. The sound and video didn't work for the longest time until I was told by the electrician that we have too much stuff plugged into our transformers. Who would have thought that this would affect the sound and video? Well, I always learn something new each drama. The pastor of this church called in a professional electrician to help, and he has done a good job. The lights work with all the switches that we put in, and we should have lighting this weekend. The other problem, which we can't figure out, is the sound. In order to hear the sound from the computer, we have to crank it all the way up. Then, we we add the microphones for the actors, we get a nice big sound of feedback. Oh, well, we will try to work with it. Sherry is really good with adjusting on the fly. She will have her work cut out for her, this weekend. Please pray for all the technical problems!

Depsite all these problems, and a few more, God is really working overtime on this one. Thursday night was the dress rehearsal. After the rehearsal, I gave an altar call for salvation and rededications. 25 members of the cast rededicated their lives to Jesus. As we were praying with them afterwards, a young girl came up and asked if she could go to heaven. I asked her how she can get to heaven, and she said by asking Jesus to be the Lord of her life. We prayed and she asked Jesus into her heart. It was a beautiful God-moment. It was awesome! Her name is Monse (pronounced MOAN-SAY). Please pray for her new life. It is difficult to serve the Lord when the rest of your family are not Christians.

Tonight begins three straight nights of doing the drama. We are anticipating that God is going to do great things. The cast and crew are prayed up and ready to serve the Lord. They are ready to receive the new converts, and we are excited to see what God is going to do. Tonight, following an hour of prayer with the cast, we will begin a battle for lost souls. Please, please, please ask the Holy Spirit to take control of the entire weekend. There are many diving appointments that we would love to see happen. Please pray that God continues to speak to hearts and souls as they enter the church and are given the chance to either accept Christ or deny Him. Please pray that they accept Him!!!

Blessings to all,

Charley

Visit From Family

We had the amazing experience of my parents coming to visit us here in Paraguay. They came down on June 2nd and left, yesterday, June 17th. It was a nice visit, but it was way too short. While they were here, we took a trip to the east, crossed two borders, and went to visit Iguazu Falls in Argentina. Above are a couple of pictures of them with the kids and one with Sherry and I. In the background is Devil's Throat. It is amazing the amount of water that comes over these falls. What is really amazing is the difference from November to June. There was not near the amount as their was in November. Here is a picture from the same angle, but this picture is from November. Look at the difference in the amount of water.Amazing, isn't it? If you ever visit Paraguay, northern Argentina, or southern Brazil, you have to go to Iguazu Falls (spelled Iguacu in Brazil). It's truly breathtaking.

Blessings to all,

Charley

Why We Are Here!

Last Sunday night, we had the opportunity to minister at a small four-square church in Asunción. The people in this church are hungry for a move of God. They have been praying for over a year for God to bring a spiritual renewal and revival to Asunción. They have asked us to bring the drama, "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames," to their church. On July 4th, we will meet at their church and show the DVD of the drama, select the cast, and begin one month of fasting and praying for lives to be changed by the love of Jesus Christ. 

During the service, one of the pastors announced that they will be continuing the prayer for the drama outreach on this Thursday evening. I asked them how long they had been praying for the drama. They informed me that they started praying two weeks ago. I was so impressed and humbled by the faith of this small church. I really believe that God is going to honor their prayers and commitment to bring revival to their church and to Asunción. Would you pray with us that God will bring revival to Paraguay? This nation is ready for change. They so need what we offer. Many here are looking for something, but they will never be satisfied until they accept Jesus.

The only reason we are here in Paraguay is to tell people about Jesus. Yes, there are many ways that we do this, and there are more ways that we can. However, the main objective is to show them who Jesus really is, and that He loves them and wants to save them. Sometimes, we can lose our focus and forget why we are here. I was reminded, again, of why we are here on this planet last Sunday night. It is the small, simple things that God uses to show us how much He loves the unsaved, and how much He desires that everyone comes to know and believe in His Son.

Blessings to you all,

Charley

Mission's Conference Banquet Night in Nicaragua

I have finally gotten around to downloading the pictures and video I took from my trip to Nicaragua. Again, it was such an honor and blessing to be there and witness what God is doing all over Latin America. A group of 20 different nations assembled together for one week in Managua, Nicaragua to be encouraged, to share experiences, to learn more about missions, to grow, and to meet other mission's organizations. The Assemblies of God is growing rapidly all over Central and South America. God is moving and people are responding to His call to become missionaries. The second quarter just started at the Bible school here in Asunción. Last night was my first night with my new students. Two of them feel called to Africa. Another student is a lawyer by profession, and he started taking classes at the Bible school because his wife is called to the mission field. He told me, last night, that he had better get on board with his wife's call, or she will leave him behind (he smiled as he joked with me about it). Then, seriously, he added, "My wife has a strong call, and I believe that God is calling me, as well. I realized that I had better prepare myself before God really calls me."

This video shows a little about what God is doing in Latin America. These young people are deaf. They attend, during the week, a deaf school in Managua, Nicaragua. They blessed us with a song called "Enciende la luz." Basically, the song is about bringing or turning on the light in the darkness because when the Light shines, it chases away the darkness. There are still many tribes and nations who need the Light to be shined in their lives. Here, in Paraguay, there are still unreached people. Oh, be sure that the Mormon church and Jehovah's Witnesses have a presence there, but there is no Evangelical message, the true message of Jesus Christ, being given to them. We must spread the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever we are and whenever we can. There is no greater message.

I am challenged today with this thought. Someone wrote on their Facebook status this quote: "How come we invite people to church, but we never invite them to Christ?" Isn't that so true? It seems, today, that it is much easier to invite people to a church service rather than show them who Jesus really is, and that He loves them. I want to be a person who shows people the love of Jesus! Help me, Lord, to invite people to meet with you!

Blessings,

Charley

MEC-Misiones en Conjunto (Missions Together)

I find myself in an intersting place this week. Our general superintendent, Pastor Estanislaus Candia, and our field moderator, Frank Kendrick, asked me if I would like to go to a conference in Managua, Nicaragua and represent Paraguay missions. Frank and I left Sunday morning from Asunción, Paraguay and arrived in Managua last Monday evening. We have attended almost 2 days full of meetings and heard from the director of missions in Argentina, Venezuela, Spain, and several superintendents and missionaries. The superintendent from Spain spoke today about the spread of Islam all over Europe. He talked about how the only place in the world that has gained any "territory" from the Islamic religion is in the south of Spain because a pastor and his church have taken upon themselves to win Muslims for Jesus. What is interesting is they are giving Bibles to Muslims who are reading them and converting to Christianity! The Word of God has they power to change lives! I am pumped!

Many people are sharing their testimonies and reports about what God is doing in the world. The Latin American church feels a strong call to reach Muslims and the Chinese. Paraguay has a family in North Africa ministering to the Muslims. I really believe that God is doing something amazing in Latin America. It is so cool to be a part of it at this time in history! 

The leaders of the different mission's departments have reported how God is sending more and more missionaries to Africa, Europe, India, Australia, and China. God is calling Latin Americans to countries where many North Americans cannot go. We have missionaries in the middle East and North Africa, Spain, and Asia. It's amazing how God is moving people all over the world. What's even more amazing is that He has sent and is sending missionaries from countries that used to be the places that only missionaries from the U.S. went to. Now, God is sending missionaries from there. In other words, former "receiving" countries have become SENDING countries! Isn't God so amazing!?

I am hoping to post some pictures from the conference soon. I have been getting to know many people here who have amazing testimonies of God's grace and calling upon their lives. As I post pictures of them, I will try to share their testimony or story with you.

Blessings to you all,

Charley

Bible School Mission's Convention

A couple of weeks ago, it was mission's convention time at the Bible school. Up front, you can see missionary, Frank Kendrick, in his Tunisian garb teaching about the Muslim world and how to minister to them. He put some rugs on the chapel floor and had everyone sit as they do in a mosque. It made it a little more real to all of the students. This is a picture of the afternoon class chapel. 

During mission's convention week, there are four services, each with a different focus. Monday night, a new missionary spoke. Tuesday night, Frank showed a video of a muslim man accepting Christ and the struggle he has to live with in an Islamic nation. Wednesday night, Frank preached the service seen in the picture above. Thursday night was the faith promise service.

It is amazing to watch as every young person in the Bible school filled out their faith promise cards. It humbled me to watch young people, who can barely pay their tuition (about $30 a month) to attend Bible school, make faith promises for $200 or $300 over an 8 month period. What is even more amazing is that God meets their faith promise every year, and He blesses them with even more. I could share testimony after testimony of how God has blessed the students lives, but what is more important is to know that if these students, from a very poor country, can make faith promises and give to missions, then we all can.

I am proud to say that these students have taught me more than I can ever teach them. I enjoy going to class and teaching Evangelism and Theology I, but what I enjoy more is listening to the students' stories and seeing God work through them. I can't wait to see what the future will bring here in Paraguay. I really believe that God has His hand on Paraguay and is raising up a generation to lead this country to Him. I am excited!

Blessings,

Charley

Cool Story!

Here is a picture from the drama in Paraguari. This is the opening crucifixion scene. The lighting worked really well. But the story goes like this. Again, we had problems with the electricity. After I received several "shocking" moments, I realized that the surge protector was not "protecting" me. Man, it made my heart race faster each time I touched the metal case that holds the equipment that we plug the lights into. It was not fun! Thank the Lord that Sherry asked me if the surge protector was bad, or not. She is so smart. 
Here is the young man who played Jesus during the drama. He did well, but I thought maybe he was kind of young. He is only 16 years old. We had a lot more young people than adults at this church.
Here is the gentleman who played the devil for this drama. Sherry did another wonderful job putting his makeup on. This "devil" did really well. He was scary and convincing and had an "evil" laugh. Again, Sherry ran the microphone and changed his voice, very effectively I might add.
The next two pictures are what made all the "shocks", people quitting the drama the night before we did it, and the heat, all worth it. The first night, the altar was FULL of people coming to Christ. It was so fun giving the altar call that night. God is so good and faithful. He can take a midwestern U.S. missionary, send him to Paraguay, and still communicate His love through this crazy missionary. 
It is such a joy to be able to pray people into His kingdom. I love watching their faces as they pray the sinner's prayer and realize for the first time that Jesus is their Savior. The tears of joy, the smiles, and the looks of contentment make all the struggles, language barriers, frustrations with electricity, the heat, and sometimes illness all seem trivial and insignificant.

Before I end this blog, let me share a story with you about a young man who came forward to accept Christ the first night. You can see his back in the above picture. His shirt is either white or light blue with a strip across the middle of his back (running left to right). He is right in front of my right arm. Pastors, teachers, leaders, and mission's committees, please feel free to share this story with your church, youth, sunday school class, small group, or wherever you are. We all played a part in this story.

I wish I could remember his name. I believe it was Juan Carlos, but I can't remember for sure. Anyway, after the end of the altar call, his grandmother brought him to me. The reason she brought him to me was because he is blind. He has been blind from birth. When I looked at his face, I could tell he was blind. I asked him if he had prayed the prayer and meant it with all his heart. He said, "Yes!" I asked why he wanted to speak to me. He asked me if he goes to heaven, will he be able to SEE Jesus' face. I told him that if God did not heal him here on earth, the first thing he would see in heaven will be Jesus' face. I told him that he WILL be healed as soon as he enters heaven's gates. He started to cry and then the coolest thing happened. Without anyone telling him to, he began to thank and praise God for healing him. It was awesome! I started praising and thanking God for healing him, as well. He told God that he could live the rest of his life as a blind person if he knew that he would see Him when he got to heaven. I tell you what. I cryed like a baby after hearing that.

Amazing, isn't it? Some of the things I complain about are really insignificant to what this young man is going thru. I am praying that I can keep the same attitude as him. I want to tell God all the time that I can live with whatever problem there is, whatever illness I have, whatever shortcoming I have, or whatever financial issue I am facing, just so long as I can see Him when I get to heaven. 

Blessings to you all,

Charley

Ministry in Paraguari

It has been a long time since I last blogged. I hope that you all will be able to read this one sometime soon. I will attempt to do more blogging this week as we are preparing for another drama, and I am preparing to teach Evangelism to some amazing young people who are preparing to enter the ministry here in Paraguay.

The first picture above is of me, preaching in a small church in the interior. The city is called Paraguari. It is in a beautiful area of Paraguay that has "mountains." I wrote mountains in quotes because they are really just small hills. The people there love to climb them and picnic on top. It is much cooler up there than it is down below. Notice the towel in my hand. I have handkerchiefs that I carry, but they are not sufficient. I sweat a lot, normally, but when it is over 100 degrees and 80% humidity outside, and I am preaching inside a church with a metal roof, I sweat even more :)
This picure is of Chariti with her new friend, Bélen, the oldest daughter of the pastors of the church. It was fun watching them talk and visit in Spanish. All three of our kids are doing well in Spanish. The girls are a little more timid to speak to people in Spanish. Chaz, of course, can communicate in whatever language. He is even able to communicate a little in Guarani. Chariti, again, handled all of the props for the cast. She did a wonderful job keeping everything in order and ready for the next person in the drama.
Here is Chaz with the pastor's son, Silas. They spent the night together at his house on one night, and Silas spent the night at our house. They had a lot of fun. We are planning to take a trip up a river with them to visit little island villages where they don't have much. Chaz and Silas will be running all over together and making friends wherever we go. Chaz ran all of the lights, except for the spotlight, this time. He did a great job!
Here is Sherry getting ready for the first practice. She is amazing! She ran the video, sound, and kept Chaz on point with the lights. I could not do any of this ministry without her. She is doing well! She is still attending classes with the pastor's wives at the Bible school. She is making a lot of new friends, and God is openning up more places to minister and ministries to get involved with through this valuable time at the Bible school. All the pastor's wives just love her, and they enjoy spending one day a week with her as their classmate. I miss her when she is gone, but I know that God is really using her and helping her to make a lot of new friends.
Here is Kaylee. She is such a trooper. She was up high, in amazing heat, running the spotlight. She climbed up that ladder for the final practice, and the three nights of the drama. She did a great job, and she survived. The last night was really hot. She wasn't feeling too well. I was worried that she might not make it. Before we started the drama that night, we prayed for her, and she made it through. God is good, and He helped us all during this one.

I will update more on the drama in the next blog. Thank you all for your continued prayers. We really do feel them. I remember, as I was growing up, I would hear missionaries tell us that they felt our prayers wherever they were. I never understood what they meant until the past couple of years. EVERY time something difficult comes up, we really can feel them. We feel God's hand working through us and for us. So, I want you all to know how much we appreciate your prayers. YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PARAGUAY!

Blessings,

Charley

A Short Video

Just thought I would post a little video of Iguazu Falls. We traveled there in November and were amazed at the amount of water that comes over these falls. They are huge and beautiful. You can definitely see the hand of God at work on this one :) 

The last couple of months have been pretty fun for our family. We had a great Christmas. We really missed our family and friends in the States, but we had many new friends here that helped us celebrate Christmas and New Years. It is hard to celebrate Christmas so far away from what we were used to, and it is strange celebrating Christmas in 100 degree weather. God has given us other things to celebrate and focus on. We paid a lot for an 8 pound turkey, but it helped us feel more at home. Some of the other missionaries here came over after Sherry cooked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, and dessert. We couldn't find pumpkin pie filling, so we missed that tradition.

As far as traditions go, we kept to what we would have done at home. We got up, gathered in the living room, I read the Christmas story, we sang some Christmas carols, prayed, and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. Then, we opened gifts. Afterwards, Sherry made a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, onions, and spices all together in a sandwich. Then, we played games, enjoyed the day together, and had the aforementioned dinner later that night. All in all, it was a nice day with the family. 

We hope and pray that you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. We love and miss you all!

Blessings,

Charley