Hi everyone,
We´re finally in a hotel which has a faster and better internet. We´ve had some long but exciting days.
We’ve talked about how we can possibly share the story of what we are seeing in Paraguay. We were met at the border from Argentina by the CCCC project director in Paraguay, Juan Hamann, from Hohenhau and the CPTLN Project Director from Ascuncion, Victor Varruck. Both are outstanding men. They drove us in a pick up to Hohenhau and told us to be ready at 7 AM to go to the school after getting in at about midnight. We asked if they could wait until 8 AM, so at
8 AM we went to Santa Cruze School, a 12 grade which serves 460 children. This school is most modern, well run, and has existed for 16 years and was built with the help of the LWML or Synod from America. It is running completely on its own, and its director, Sonia, has been with the school the whole time. She is a loving, organized and effective director. They had a large program, and then we met with the well organized CCCS committee. Then we met with each scholarship student in the church and took their pictures. Many of the parents were there, and a widow with tears in her eyes thanked us for helping her three children. We were most pleased with how they were running everything. Then Pastor Norbert Gert took us with Victor to the first site. Eighty-six children are in this two room school, which has classes morning and afternoon. It is a public school which allows the church to have classes each Friday. I was surprised they allow the church to do this, but they have a good relationship. Victor said they are using CCCS funds to provide some of the supplies needed. It was amazing, and we gave, with careful explanation, Nancy´s bracelets to each child. They were thrilled.
We stayed with a family in San Bienavntura that night, and at 8:30 this morning we were at the Sunday school room behind the church with 38 children for their Bible School. It was amazing. The Bible School was from 8:30 until 11:30 with songs, great organized classes, etc. We were amazed at the teachers and their lessons. Then we had a great dinner before we left for the next Bible school. This was so incredible I can´t describe it. The church had two teachers and a member of the community. These children were Guarani and spoke the Guarani language. Poorest of the poor cannot describe it. Forty children (ages about 3 to 15) were sitting quietly on home-made benches waiting for us. Several girls under 15 were there with babies, one nursing. A Guarani dad was helping and gave legitimacy from the community. They sang and had folders with stories and coloring pictures for each child. Although many of the children were attending the small school, most could not even sign their names. They had a snack and played games afterwards behind the school. I have never seen any situation with children so depressing. The teachers from the church have such love, but they are not well-trained and need prayers. Victor is helping and using CCCS funds to provide materials. The main teacher, Mirta, invited us to her home for ¨Merienda¨ afterwards. Then back to Hohenhau for the evening church service. I was able to give a short talk about the CCCS goals, purposes etc. after the service. The Pastor´s wife and another member came up afterwards with a picture of Jim and me standing behind the CCCS booth at the Minneapolis LWML convention with them. That had such a memory as that was 10 years ago, and she recognized us as spoke at the church. She even had a picture of us. The world is so small. We leave early in the morning on a bus for Ascension with Victor as a guide.
Marilyn is great. It will be hard to describe to anyone what we have been through, but we are again humbled by what the CCCS funds are doing.

Love to all, Edie, Jim and Marilyn