The Virgin of Caacupe

Earlier this week the annual pilgrimage to honour the Virgin of Caacupe began. Thousands of Catholics have begun the long walk to the city of Caacupe where they participate in masses held outside the cathedral.

Many take prayer requests to the Virgin and then return the following year to fulfil promises that they make in return for their prayers being answered.
The main fiesta will be tomorrow, when the country has a public holiday.

I wrote the story attached to this celebration on my blog last year in December. If you wish to find out more about it you can look it up. (December 2010 - National Holiday).

The pilgrimage has begun.







Even the police are on their way. (Are they trying for the Guiness records?)

The first aid stations are being kept busy.

For some it is just too much.

Meanwhile the city is preparing for the influx of pilgrims.

The chiperias are cashing in and providing sustinence, (Chipa - cheese flavoured cornbread biscuits)

and street vendors abound.

This year the Bishop has spoken out very strongly against a proposed new law to make divorce easier. He has spoken about how important it is to maintain family life in Paraguay. I hope the politicians take heed.

Baby on the way

On Friday we held a Baby Shower for "Auntie" Carol. We had great fun giving her advice (some amusing), playing guess her size (using loo paper measurements) and sharing home baked goodies. It was a fun afternoon together and Carol was showered with gifts.

Final service

On Friday morning we held the Primary department final service in the Cathedral for the children and their parents.
Babs Owen led us for her last time. At Easter she had used Profe Diego as a  "prop" and she had cut up his tie. Once again she invited him up onto the platform, ready to deliver a visual message. The children waited expectantly for something funny to happen. Instead she gave Profe Diego a gift. The problem was that he had to unwrap it and take off the layers to reach the gift (a cake).
Babs then talked about unwrapping the true meaning of Christmas from all the trappings. She also talked about giving Christmas away and giving to the less fortunate. Pastor Ronnie gave a talk where he unwrapped the meaning of Christmas for us.

The sixth grade then graduated, ready to move into the secondary department next year. They received their reports and certificates from the heads and the Bishop.

This was a sad occasion for the school because it was time to say "Farewell" to two much-loved teachers. Babs Owen feels the Lord calling her back to UK. She is not yet sure what He is calling her to, but she is trusting that he has something new for her. Diego has been studying to be a pastor and now he feels called to mission. In February he will move to South Africa (an unexpected calling), to Pretoria, where he will be studying and working with OM. He is very excited but a bit worried about his English. He understands English but does not choose to speak it.
Please pray for them both, that they will find perfect peace as they move forward with the Lord.

The Primary Show

Each year the Primary English department is expected to produce a show at some point in the year, no matter how few teachers we have. In the past we have done mega productions of Joseph, The Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate factory and so on. This year a staff of three English teachers put on a show with only about six hours of rehearsals. The children worked so hard, even though they were tired. They were still doing exams and swatting at every opportunity, under pressure from their parents.

The show was a great success. It was written by Laura Ashmore, our South African teacher. She is so talented at writing scripts, with  Christian values. The story was about some Paraguayan children who were fed up with Paraguay. The script took them around the World looking at problems in other countries (enter song and dance acts and video clips). Finally they realised that Paraguay is not such a bad place to be and that they and our children are the key to a better Paraguay in the future, with the Lord's help and guidance. They realised how blessed they are to be in Paraguay.

The show was colourful and the parents heard and welcomed the message. The children did two performances, one in the morning and one in the evening. They deserved the thunderous applause at the end.

Happy Birthday!

There was a bit of light relief amidst all the mayhem in the staffroom as we celebrated the birthdays of Laura and Rocio. We all enjoyed a cake made by Kim.

One down, still some to go.

This morning the Pre-school department held their Christmas Clausura (end of term Christmas concert) as they broke for their holiday. It was absolutely delightful as they retold the story of Christmas and did some local dances. Here are a few pictures.

A brave friend

Yesterday I visited my indigenous friend, Fermina and I realised that it would probably be my last visit. I would have stayed with her but the hospice kept me to visiting hours yesterday, my not being blood family. They told me that her community would be sending a truck today to take her back to her village in the Chaco. Chaco Indians like to die on their home territory. Fermina was agitated by this news. I knew that Fermina would never make the journey in the state that she was in, but it is good to know that her remains will be taken back to her community village and laid to rest. At least she did not die alone and she was loved by those in the hospice.
I am just thankful that Jesus took her home with him and that she is spared anymore suffering. I am absolutely certain that she is with him now and that she has found true peace.