Schedule

Here is a quick update of our schedule for the rest of August and September:

This weekend, we will be in Caruthersville, MO at First Assembly of God for the morning service and Holcomb, MO for the evening service. Both of these are the Assembly of God churches in those towns. If you are in the Bootheel of Missouri, please join us for the services. We are looking forward to being with Pastor Rob and family on Sunday morning and Pastor Richard and family on Sunday evening at 5.

August 29, 2010:  open

August 31, 2010:  7 p.m., Central Bible College, Springfield, MO

September 5, 2010:  Assembly of God, Stockton, MO

September 12, 2010:  Full Gospel Tabernacle, Sheldon, Wisconsin

September 19, 2010:  open

September 26, 2010:  First Assembly of God, Sparta, IL (a.m.)

September 26, 2010:  Bethel Fellowship, Florissant, MO (p.m.)

October 1 & 2, 2010:  People's Church, Arnold, MO (Mission's     Convention)

October 3, 2010:  People's Church, Arnold, MO (Mission's     Convention-a.m.)

October 3, 2010:  First Assembly of God, Camdenton, MO

October 10, 2010:  Trinity Tabernacle, Bridgeton, MO (a.m.)

October 1o, 2010:  open (p.m.)

October 17, 2010:  Northview Assembly of God, Joplin, MO (a.m.)

October 17, 2010:  open (p.m.)

October 24, 2010:  Tampa Assembly of God, Springfield, MO (a.m.)

October 24, 2010:  open (a.m.)

October 31, 2010:  open (a.m. & p.m.)

November 6, 2010: Grace Assembly of God, Florissant, MO (Mission's Convetion dinner)

November 7, 2010:  Grace Assembly of God, Florissant, MO (Mission's Convention/Faith Promise Service)

November 10, 2010: First Assembly of God, Nixa, MO

November 14, 2010:  open (a.m.)

November 14, 2010:  First Pentecostal A/G, Ottumwa, Iowa

November 21, 2010:  Orlando, FL

November 28, 2010:  Orlando, FL

December 26, 2010:  First Assembly of God, Buffalo, MO

So far, this is our schedule for the rest of they year. As you can see, we have several dates where we don't have anything scheduled (especially almost every Wednesday evening). If you could pray with us so that we can fill up our schedule with services. In order to raise our cash budget, we need at least 10 services per month. Right now, we are averaging 5 services per month. Please pray with us that doors will be opened for opportunities to minister.

God is moving during our itineration. So far, we have seen 250 people come to know Christ or re-dedicate their lives to Him in our services. He is touching lives and changing hearts as we continue to serve Him at each and every church. We thank God for working through us!

Please pray with us that God continues to work on our behalf. We still need to raise about $1,500 in new monthly support and a little more than $32,000 in cash offerings. As many of you know, we are living in a different time, but God is faithful. What is amazing is that with all of the support that has fallen off, God is bringing in new partners. Please continue to pray for us as we are "home" raising the necessary support to live and serve God another four years in Paraguay.

Blessings to all,

The Mattix Family

 

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

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

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

First Drama Outreach

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last blogged. A lot has happened since then. 

We went to our first church where we held the "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames" drama. The name of the church is Centro Cristiano de Adoración (Christian Worship Center). Pastor Prudencio Rodriguez and the church family are a very welcoming and friendly church. Above are some pictures from the drama.

The first picture is of the front of the church before setting up for the drama. The next one is Kaylee showing off the first sheet of Mylar before we set it up. The next one is the first and second sheet of Mylar going up to cover the high wall in front and to the left. The next picture is Chariti working hard at moving the cross where it needs to be. Then, you see Chaz with his new friend Alé. Then next one shows the front of the church during the first night of the drama. You can see the entrance into heaven and the angels and Jesus. The next one is of our Satan, Ivan. He did a really good job portraying Satan and ordering the demons to drag people off to "hell." The next picture shows the area for 'el infierno' or hell (you have to look at it side ways to get the full effect). The next one is of me giving the altar call (Yes, I still need to use notes to remind myself of how to say some things correctly in Spanish). The last picture is from the first night's altar call.

I must say that I am so proud of my family. My wife, Sherry, worked tirelessly decorating, setting up, running the sound, lights, and video, and doing so much more. Chariti was in charge of all the props and costumes. I never even had to think about either of these the entire weekend. She did an amazing job. Chaz' job was to run up on stage in between scenes and get all the props off the stage and put other ones on for the next scene. Again, I never even noticed him doing it. He did well. Kaylee ran the spotlight. She was always on time and knew when to turn it on and off. They all worked just as long and hard as we did at setting everything up, taping wires down, putting up Mylar, decorating the front, running wires, plugging things in, and general running errands and cleaning up. I must say that I received many comments from church members and the pastoral staff about how hard our children worked this past weekend. Everything they did was worth it, and they played a huge part in seeing people come to know the Lord.

I am also grateful to God for His mercy and His help. We were able to witness 50 in the altar the first night with 31 signing cards saying they accepted Christ, 30 the second night with 21 signing cards, and 80 the third night with 31 signing cards. Now, many of the people in the altars left without signing cards. I tried to explain, in my limited Spanish, that they were not joining the church by filling out the cards, but I think it scared a lot of them off. It is something that CCA, the church, wanted to do. Also, it is a way to follow up and help disciple people after they accept Christ. So, for sure, we saw 83 new brothers and sisters, but it could have been as high as 150 or more souls. God knows for sure, but we are hearing many reports of changed lives. On the first night, we saw four young Catholic members come to receive Jesus as their personal Savior. They all told us that they loved God, but they never really knew what Jesus had done for them until they saw this drama.

I will leave you with this one story. One of our actresses is the widow of a very famous Paraguayan actor. I still can't spell his name. So, I won't try. She was not a Christian, but before the first night, I asked all the cast members who wanted to accept Christ to raise their hands. She did, and she is now our sister. That is not the end of the story. She invited her children to the drama. The first night, her son, also an actor (TV and movie), and his family came to the altar and all accepted Christ. The second night, one of her daughters and her family all came and accepted Christ. The last night, the rest of her children came, with their families, and they all accepted Christ as their personal Savior. You should have seen the tears of joy that this special lady had after the third night. She told me that she is happier than she has ever been because she knows that her entire family are now Christians.

The weekend was difficult. We had many problems with lights, video, sound, and most of the equipment. It never went as smoothly as we wanted it to go. But it was all worth it! For me, it would have been worth all the work just to see this widow, mother, and grandmother see her entire family come to Jesus. Our God is bigger than any difficulty, any language barrier, and any thing that tries to get in our way to spread the message of Jesus Christ. Thank you to all who have been praying for us and supporting our family as we serve Him in Paraguay. Your faithfulness has seen many people come to know the Lord. 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Blessings,

Charley

Pictures of Food :)

I decided that I would put some pictures that we have of different foods here in Paraguay. Hopefully, you will enjoy the pictures. For some of these pictures, we want to thank the team that came down from Oregon for taking them for us and allowing us to use them to show life in Paraguay.

This is very common to see. Many people sell chipa on the streets and highways. Some cities are known for making really good chipa. It's bread with cheese mixed in to the dough.
This is a pretty common lunch after church service in Paraguay. I forget the term in Spanish that they use, but it is basically a way to get together, eat spaghetti with big chunks of meat and bread, and chat. I think we call that "fellowship" or "afterglow" in the States.
Yes, we have ice cream, and it is good. It doesn't cost much, either. We can get cones with three flavors for a little more than a dollar. That is the price for the large cone. The small cone with two flavors is 60 cents or so.
At a church in Aregua, the children all get a snack and milk or juice after the service. They can't wait to get their two cookies and glass of juice.
Now, you may look at this and wonder what this has to do with food. This is a picture from Chaz' birthday. This is a thermos and "mug" for drinking TERERÉ, an herbal tea that everyone drinks. They say that it cools off your body, but it doesn't help me (at least not yet). Everytime I drink it, I have to go to the bathroom more. It has a lot of caffeine and other herbs in it. To me, it looks like someone picked a handful of grass, put it in a mug, added water, and drank it. Oh well, when in Rome.... No, it's not that bad. I can handle it. The hardest thing to get over is the sharing. We drink it through a metal straw with a sieve (sp?) on the end, and everyone passes it around. So, you would have to get over the fear of drinking after someone else. I really believe this is the reason that many people stay ill all winter long. When one person in the family is ill, the rest seem to get ill later. I wonder why.Here is another picture of Chaz. Now, I absolutely love this place. It is an open air place that serves meat on a stick. Chaz has given it the name: "the Stick Place." You can order steak, chicken, sausage, pork, cheese, garlic bread, and other meats. It comes out on small skewers. It is well-seasoned and usually grilled to perfection. They don't cook it until you order it. The best part is that each "stick" costs 2,000 Guaranies (about 50 cents or a little less). We can eat at this restaurant for less than 20 bucks! I love it, and so does our budget!
Okay, here is something that is very popular here. It is called either Sopa Paraguaya or Chipa Guazu. To be honest, Sherry is not here beside me as I am typing this, and I can't remember which it is. Either one is really good. Both are eaten at most of the meals in the home and especially in restaurants. Our first night here, we ate this. It's not too bad, but I am not a big bread person. I figure why waste space on bread when you can fill it with meat :)

I guess I don't have pictures of the meat here. There are great, cheap steak houses here that we enjoy. Sometimes, it is cheaper to eat out than to buy groceries because most of the restaurants are "all you can eat", and if we bought that amount of food every time, it would really add up.

Hey, if you have any questions, or just want to chat, drop us a comment or an email. We would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Charley

Family Update

I just wanted to let you all know a little bit about what is going on in the lives of the family. 

Sherry has been really busy. She is taking some Bible school classes with a few of the pastor's wives at the Bible Institute. Sherry took that picture above with all of the pastor's wives sitting around the table with the red tablecloth. Those are her classmates. She decided to take the classes to get a better understanding of the culture here, the language, and to learn more about how to minister in Spanish (Bible terms, as a woman in Paraguay, etc.). She is doing really well. Her first term she received all A's. Not bad for trying to learn in Spanish! All of her classes, homework assignments, test, projects and quizzes are in Spanish. I am so proud of her. Not to mention, we helped in a medical clinic in July (during the time of some of her classes), and she didn't miss a beat. 

The other pictures are of the kids (thanks to Don David) working in the medical clinic with us. They did really well. They interpreted for the team from the U.S., and I am so proud of what they did. They are truly an asset to the mission field here in Paraguay. We are proud parents of three amazing kids (young people).

Chariti turned 15 on September 11. She had a great birthday, celebrated with "Uncles" and "Aunts" and friends. Most all of the Missionary Kids call the other missionary adults, "Aunts" and "Uncles." Being so far away from home, it helps us to feel like a family. It's nice when some of the other MK's call me "Uncle."

Kaylee is doing well. She has jumped right in and done whatever has been needed to be done. She was a trooper at the medical clinic. She would listen to everyone's complaints and try to translate it into English for the team. She did a great job!

Chaz, well, Chaz is still Chaz, and he loves it here. It hurts him when people make fun or talk bad about Paraguay or Latin America. He loves the people here, and they love him. I don't know of anyone that he has met, so far, that doesn't ask me (the next time I see them), "How's Chaz?" Everyone wants to talk more with him. That's a good thing. He's a good boy.

Well, that's a little update and few more photos for you. Hope you enjoy. Also, those of you on our newsletter list (supporters, family and friends), be on the lookout for the next edition of "Mattix Family News" available, in print, early October:)

Blessings,

Charley

Catching Up

I have been slow in writing blogs the past couple of months. The only excuse I have is that I feel like I have not been doing a lot. As I thought about the past couple of months, I realized that we have been pretty busy. Let me catch you up!

I finished teaching my first class at the Theological Institute of the Assemblies of God of Paraguay. It was fun, challenging, exciting, difficult, rewarding, hard, and a great learning environment. I learned so much about Spanish that I never knew before. Also, there are some really great people that God has called to be ministers in Paraguay and around the world. It was amazing to see that I have a part in molding them into the leaders of the Assemblies of God in Paraguay.

Sherry has been really busy lately. She has enrolled in the Theological Institute and is attending a 24 hour session every Wednesday to Thursday with some of the Paraguayan pastor's wives. She is totally immersed in Spanish for 24 hours every week. In addition, she will complete 3 college Bible courses (all in Spanish). So, she is really busy with that and being a wife and mother. I don't know how she does it, but she does. 

The kids finished their respective grades in school with great report cards and even greater testimonies. Due to the many problems the school they were attending is having, we will be homeschooling them this next year. They are sad, but excited as well. It is our job to protect and nurture our children, not the school's job. In addition, our children will be able to travel with us as we minister in medical clinics and with the drama, "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames."

This past week has been really busy. Every one of us has been translating for a medical team that came down from Oregon. We worked three days in Aregua at a church for children who work in the streets of the capital city of Asunción. They are very poor children with poor health, nutrition, and home life. It is so heart-breaking to see and hear the stories of the people who came to the clinic. 

Chaz interpreted for the man who was administering eye exams and giving out glasses. Kaylee worked at registration and had to listen and write the names of about half of the patients that came to the clinic (there were only 2 people working at registration). Chariti interpreted (all by herself unless they spoke only Guarani) for a nurse. Sherry interpreted for herself. She had both jobs. She was all by herself at one table taking care of patients. I interpreted for another nurse. He and I had a lot of fun together. I am so proud of my family. You should have seen the kids as they were working and playing with the other children. One national pastor, Camilo, told me that he has never seen missionary kids like ours. I asked what he meant, and he told me that he has never seen MK's who jumped in and talked, played, and socialized with the other children here in Paraguay. At first, I thought, "How sad!" Then, I beamed with pride that God is working through our children to touch the children (and adults) of Paraguay. You should all be proud of your missionary kids here in Paraguay. They are a testimony of Jesus' love, and you helped send them here and keep them here.

Yesterday, we went to a really poor part of Asunción and held an outdoor clinic at a really small, dirty park. It was windy and dusty. At first, there weren't many people there. Then, a lot of people showed up. We saw mostly people who needed teeth pulled or filled, but there was one lady who came to our table that I will never forget. She brought two little girls with her. One was her grandaughter. She was holding her hand and showing love to her. The other was this beautiful 7-year old little girl with big brown eyes and short brown hair. She looked so sad and lost. The lady told me that her parents had abandoned her and her three younger siblings. She said that she didn't know why but she's always crying. I told her that she just needs to know that someone loves her. I had already picked her up and put her on my lap. I kept telling her that Jesus loves her, that she was beautiful and smart, and that I loved her. After about 30 minutes, she looked up at me and smiled a beautiful smile. At the end of treating all three of them, the lady who brought them looked at me and asked me if I wanted the little 7 year old girl and her 3 younger siblings. My heart broke. She was serious! She didn't want them. I sure wish I could have taken her home with me.

I share this story to let you know that there is a huge need for children's homes here in Paraguay. There are thousands upon thousands of abandoned, abused, and neglected children here. Our dream is to one day have a home big enough to take in as many children as we can. We want to feed them, clothe them, teach them, and show them the love of Jesus. Please pray with us for the children of Paraguay. By ministering to the children, we can change this country for Jesus.

I will post more blogs this weekend. We have two more days of clinics. My camera is not working, but one of the gentleman from Oregon has a Nikon. He is taking pictures for me to use.

Blessings to all,

Charley

Happy Father's Day from Paraguay

A couple of months ago, I told you about the opportunity I had to teach in the Assemblies of God Bible school here in Asunción, Paraguay. Well, I just finished my first quarter, and all in all, it went pretty well. The students seemed to enjoy the class, and I learned a lot of Spanish and became more comfortable with my communication skills. Do I have more to learn? I really don't think I will ever stop learning. Communication, in any language, is very important. Sometimes, I have to talk "around" an idea because I don't know how to say it in Spanish, but I have figured out that the key to communicating effectively is to try. All of my students were very patient with me and very encouraging to me. They helped me grow in my language skills, and I pray that I helped them grow in their evangelism skills. I am taking this quarter off, but I will be teaching our Fundamental Truths in the fourth quarter. Also, there is a Bible school retreat in August that we will be going to attend along with the other professors and students.

Also, today is Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. I hope and pray you have a great day. I have already had breakfast in bed, some nice cards from my children, and received some long-sleeve shirts and a jacket from them. My family is truly a blessing, and I am so honored to be their father. 

One other thing, today, yes, on Father's Day, I will be preaching for the first time in Paraguay. This will be my second time to preach in Spanish. I am extremely nervous, but I am also looking forward to this opportunity. Our schedule is starting to fill up. I will be preaching two Sundays in July and the first weekend in August. Two other weekends in July, we will be helping another missionary as she hosts a team from the States. Sherry will be working in the medical clinic, translating and nursing. I will be translating, preaching, getting supplies, and helping out in whatever way possible. Our kids will be with us helping out the team as well. Please pray for God's help in ministering to the people of Paraguay. We will be working in a very poor community. The people that live there are they people who bus into Asunción every day to sell fruit, wash car windows, beg for money, etc. Please pray for God's blessing to be upon the ministry and the team that is coming down to serve the people of Aregua, Paraguay.

God is good. Our equipment that was shipped from the States for the ministry of "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames" will be here this week. One major prayer request is for the customs process. So far, we have had to pay $1,500 for the custom's agent and custom's process. It is possible that we might have to pay another $2,000. Please pray that this will not happen. We need God's help to make sure that everything arrives safe, intact, and secure with minimal cost.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support. You are truly a blessing to all of us.

Blessings,

Charley

Home in Paraguay

Many of you probably know by now, but we had a little setback in the process of moving into our mission's home. Just in case you don't know, the day before we were set to move in, the pipes in an upstairs bathroom broke and flooded the entire house. The kitchen had a lot more damage than other rooms. This picture is what the kitchen looks like now. 

Just below the window on the left is where the sink was and hopefully will be again soon. The wall, straight ahead, is where cabinets and the stove/oven will be. There are men here, six days a week, working on the bathroom upstairs, the kitchen, and several other places that had a lot of water damage. It has been quite an adventure.

Although frustrating, we are doing fine. A really nice missionary family that is home on itineration is allowing us to use an apartment at their house while we are waiting for the repairs to be done. As soon as the bathroom is finished and some painting is done, we are planning on moving in. It really is a nice house, but with all the mold and mildew, we couldn't move in, yet. I never knew how much damage water could do. It was all in the walls, cabinets, floors, pipes, and electricity. 

In spite of not being in our home, the work goes on. Life goes on. The kids are in school, we are meeting with pastors and leaders of the church here, we are finalizing plans for a shipment from the States of much needed equipment from Reality Ministries, and I am preparing for my first class at the Bible school. God is faithful, and He is helping us through this time. We are starting to make many new friends, and we anticipate this circle of Paraguayan friends to grow after we move into our home.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. You mean so much to us, and we thank God for you every day. Please continue to pray as God is moving in our families lives. Pray that God will make us a blessing to the work here in Paraguay.

Blessings to all,

Charley

New Member of the Family

I just thought I would introduce you to our newest member of the family: Zoe. She is a Labrador Retriever, and she has quickly become well-loved by everyone. Sherry took a picture of each of the kids with Zoe on a Sunday afternoon. 

We bought a dog for protection, and she has also added joy to our family. She has a unique personality, and she is growing fast. Hopefully, in the next few months, we will be able to get our other Lab, Sydney, and our chihuahua, Bruno, from the States. They make our family bigger and give us a feeling of home. We miss them.

Anyway, it may seem strange to some of you that I would put our new pet, Zoe, on a blog. I just wanted to show you that life in Paraguay still goes on even though we are far from home. We still have the everyday living, work, school, cleaning, cooking, etc. that we always had in the States. So, we wanted to make Paraguay a little more like home. We all love dogs, and they also give us some more added protection.

Every day, it feels more like home here. We are adjusting quickly to the culture, food, and lifestyle here. It is totally different than anywhere in the United States, and it is fun learning how to live in Paraguay. Our family has made many new friends, and we are all enjoying times when we meet new people. Now that we have been here a couple of months, we are starting to fit in and beginning to get to the task at hand. 

In a couple of weeks, our shipment should be sent from the United States, and we should be able to start the drama soon. In the meantime, we are practicing Spanish, getting ready to teach in the Bible school, trying to get our house finished so we can move in, attending meetings, and going to as many churches as possible to meet more pastors and members.

Blessings to all,

Charley

Visiting Parents

The last couple of weeks have been very busy. As I announced on our last blog, I was going to write several blogs and post them. Well, I did write several blogs, but I failed to save them. Now I have figured out how to set the automatic save. Hopefully, there won't be anymore mistakes like those. I am planning on posting some more this week. So, please keep checking back.

My parents flew into San Jose, Costa Rica on July 9th and stayed for 10 days. This is a picture of them with our kids at the Cataratas La Paz, the Peace Waterfalls. The river is called La Paz, and in this area it has a lot of waterfalls, hence the name.

Anyway, we had a really good time. My dad loves to take pictures as well. So, between the two of us, we have a lot of pictures. I hope to get some more posted on our website soon.

During my parent's visit, we went all over this country. Well, not entirely, but we went a lot of places. They were able to visit the volcano, Arenal, downtown San Jose, Cartago, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and many other locations. My dad's favorite part of the trip (besides spending time with the grand kids, of course) was the time the entire school went to Cafe Britt. Cafe Britt is a place that makes coffee. They harvest the cherries, separate and classify the beans, roast, package, sell, and deliver them to stores. It was a neat experience, and my dad, being a coffee-lover, loved the entire time we were there. I enjoyed it as well, and I learned what a really good cup of coffee really tastes like. The picture on the right is Sherry holding some seeds that can be planted, and if they are watered, fertilized, and have the correct temperature, you might have 25 pounds of coffee per year starting 4-5 years after you plant them.

Anyway, we really enjoyed our visit, but we miss them greatly. It was hard saying, "Good-bye" at the airport. When you think about, we are not promised tomorrow. So, will we ever see them again? I sure hope so, but if not, then we have tremendous memories. My dad is fond of saying, "Go make some memories!" I think he is wise in saying that. It is important to make some good memories with the ones you love.

Go make some good memories today with your family and friends,

Charley

Chaz's Birthday

Greetings to all! Sorry that it has been so long since I last posted a message. The last couple of weeks have been very busy for the Mattix gang here in Costa Rica. We had AGTS classes, where Sherry and I learned more about how to minister effectively in the Latin American culture. We have been very busy back at work in our Spanish classes. Also, the kids had their last chapel of the school year at Sojourn (this is the name of the school they attend here in San Jose). The girls were part of a puppet team, and they did a really good job. You couldn't tell that it was fifth, sixth, and seventh graders behind the curtain. It was really nice. Chaz, and his age group of students, quoted a few scripture verses and did motions to some of the praise and worship songs. You could tell that they worked on it for quite some time.

Speaking of Chaz, you have probably noticed from the pictures that he had a birthday. Yes! Chaz turned 10 years old on May 19! He is officially in double digits. For his birthday, we celebrated by going to Feria (spelling?). Chaz took his dad, along with "Uncle" Nicky to the market, similar to the Farmer's markets in the States. He purchased a pineapple, a handmade wooden car, and some other toy cars. He had a good time. Later, he opened his presents, and we had Sherry's lasagna (it was so tasty). Then, we cut the cake. We forgot to purchase candles. So, Sherry, being creative, had Chaz blow out the lighter. Chaz thought it was great, and he had a really good time. Of course, Chaz had to have a lemon cake with white icing. I think his Granny got him hooked on lemon cake.

Well, we are all learning and growing in our Spanish. Thank you all for your prayers and support. God is good, and His mercy endures for ever. I thank God for His mercy, especially with Spanish.

Blessings,

Charley