Good Times

Wednesday morning we left for the capital. It took us 2 buses and about 3 hours to get there. Once there, we walked through the bus terminal, across the street, and caught another bus which took us to the mall. At the mall I was able to open an account at the bank so I can cash checks there. Then we had lunch in the food court. I had something very different but very tasty, apple ravioli. And I had a few fries from Burger King. I miss my BK Joe! The coffee at the BK here is not the same as at home. From there, we caught a few more buses and walked several city blocks to take care of some other things there in Asuncion. I was feeling horrible! If you’re not used to it, it’s very hard on your body….the heat, all the walking, bus after bus after bus, all the noise and commotion. It can be very tiring and stressful.

Finally, our last bus for the day dropped us off in Itaugua. I’m so thankful for our friends, Shaun & Sara, who let us stay the night at their house! They run Hogar Ganar, a home for abandoned and abused children. Heather, my new friend and traveling buddy, is staying with them, teaching English classes and various things there. She gave me a tour of the grounds. It’s so beautiful out there. All the kids were outside playing basketball, volleyball, or just running around. I sat down to watch and it wasn’t long before I was surrounded by kids. They were all so sweet!

After dinner, I got to do what I enjoy most, bake cookies. I was a little disappointed at first because they didn’t look pretty. But they tasted great! I doubled the recipe and we were still eating cookies for breakfast the next morning. We were up really late that night, playing games and talking. It was so much fun! I really needed that!

Yesterday we stayed in Abi’s little 2-foot pool for about 2 hours. That felt so nice! Last night all the boys there were camping outside while the girls had a slumber party at Sara’s. When the girls first got there, Heather & I painted their fingernails. They were all so cute and sweet!

It was late when we left there to head back to Carapegua. We had to wait about 50 minutes for our last bus. We finally got home around 11:40. I was so tired, I decided to go to bed without showering. When I got up this morning, there was no water. That’s a lesson for next time. I did get to shower around 1:30. It took awhile because they water was cutting in and out the whole time. But at least I’m clean….for now.

Looking forward to a busy weekend. Tonight we will be showing a movie in the youth center. Sunday we will start La Hora Feliz (The Happy Hour) for the kids in the neighborhood ages 4-11. That will be at 10:00. Our lesson this week is on creation. Also on Sunday, we have our ladies study group at 2:00. Please keep those in your prayers!