November 2011

Linn’s News November 2011

Thank you for all your prayers and support this month. Our staff retreat was wonderful, with perfect weather. So far, we are surviving the run-up to the end of the year. The weather has been glorious, with cool mornings and Spring temperatures, but we have been warned that the Summer is about to arrive, with high temperatures as from Saturday.

The Church
I am now participating in the English church here and I am enjoying it very much. This week I led the prayers. (I don’t know if they will ever ask me again. Ha! Ha!)

Some of our other congregations are making headway towards being  ´healthy churches`. I have heard good reports from Roque Alonso and Zeballos Cue, where communities are working together.

The Country

In the north of the country a search, organized by the Minister for the Interior and involving the Police and the Army, is on for the leaders of the People’s army. The region has become very insecure.

There is not much other news of interest this month. Life rumbles on.

The schools
We began this half of the term with a staff retreat at our school Sports Centre, out in the countryside. The weather was absolutely perfect. Bishop Greg Venables came to teach us. He was so inspiring and extremely relaxed. That rubbed off onto us all. We enjoyed a good barbecued lunch too. We came away spiritually refreshed and challenged, ready for the weeks ahead.

The Annexe School pupils have been busy writing poetry this year. Last week they launched a book of their work. The supervisor for the local school in the area was so impressed that she told the school headmaster to apply for free school meals for all the children. Next year they are planning to write a book of stories.

The children from our fourth grade celebrated their first communion this month. Mags Southern, Gwen Carlisle and I went along to our local Catholic Church show our love and support. It was a lovely family occasion.

  Last week the sixth form spent their last day in school. They now only come in for exams. They had fun on their last day, in keeping with tradition.

Prayer Points:-

1. We give thanks for the lovely weather and the beautiful blossom that has created a sea of colour in the city.
2. Please continue to pray for the government and for the security situation in the north of the country to stabilize.
3. Please pray for all the staff and children during this exam season, that they can remain calm. Pray also for the parents who become extremely nervous at this time.
4. Please pray for us all as we prepare for the shows and Christmas and Farewell services in all the different departments, at the end of the term. Pray for the Lord to give us stamina and to go ahead of us so that each event will be very special.

Linn Tedman working for the Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ email:- ltedman@hotmail.com

 blog:- http://www.linninpy.blogspot.com for more details of news in Paraguay

Linn's news October 2011

Thanks for all your encouragement, prayers and support this past month. Last week the sixth graders took their mock Cambridge Key English test. I had expected eight to pass, but to my delight thirteen passed well. They will move on to take the real exam in December and I will continue to coach them.

Now we are all enjoying a week of holiday. The weather has been glorious so far, praise the Lord.
The Church
The Cathedral continues to work on the course for building a healthy church.
Meanwhile I continue to attend the English church. Babs has had a rest from  preaching for a few weeks as she has been busy with exams etc in school. We have therefore had a variety of preachers from the congregation, which has been interesting.
The country
Problems within the country still show no signs of resolution. We have a few glimmers of hope occasionally but generally the news is full of doom and gloom.

There has been a serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Chaco and over 1000 cattle have had to be killed to try to contain the outbreak.  Cattle here are inoculated against the disease so there is speculation about what went wrong. It has led to suspension of meat exports, which will affect the country’s economy.

School has been through another busy time this month in the run-up to a Folklore evening. This was a wonderful evening. The parents set up stalls around the basketball pitch and the children performed Paraguayan dances in the central arena. They told the story of dance through the ages. They were all dressed up and very excited. The parents were out in force with video cameras at the ready. The evening was barmy and warm and there was a lovely. family atmosphere. Ben and Sam, my Irish neighbours, were very proud of their new Paragauayan national costume and they both danced very well.

We are now on holiday. Pat Chapman, a former missionary here has been back on a visit, so a group of us went to Aregua on Monday. The weather was glorious and we enjoyed being out in the countryside, away from the city.

On Tuesday Caroline and I went to Clorinda shopping. Over lunch we decided to move on to Formosa and to spend a night there. It was such a relaxing trip. I loved Formosa. The pace was slower, the skyline was lower and the people were very friendly. The city was clean, green and had lovely wide avenues and interesting streets. We spent some time by the river relaxing and enjoying the cool breeze.

On a personal level I am so enjoying having the Hickmott boys nextdoor. They are determined to water bomb me. We have a lot of fun. It is like having grandchildren around. They are full of mischief.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me and don’t prevent them. For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matt 19:14

Prayer Points:-

1. We give thanks for a time of rest and relaxation. And we thank Jesus for keeping us safe.

2. Please continue to pray for President Lugo and the government. There are many issues to deal with at the moment. God’s wisdom is needed to run the country fairly so that the poor and needy do not continue to suffer.

3. Pray for us on Monday (3^rd Oct). This will be a staff retreat day at our Sports Centre. Please pray for good weather, which is not too hot. Pray that we will all be touched by the Lord and that we will feel renewed by the Holy Spirit.

4. Please pray for the coming term with the run-up to Christmas and for the preparation for the final exams of the year in November and December.

5. Please pray for our safety around the city, especially for the Lord to protect young Hannah as she returns from friends at night in taxis.

Linn Tedman working for the Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ email:- ltedman@hotmail.com

blog:- http://www.linninpy.blogspot.com

Linn's news September 2011

Thank you for all your prayers and support this past month. All of our new teachers are settling in well to life in St. Andrew’s. The Hickmott family have been busy setting up their home in the house behind my flat and they are proving to be lovely neighbours. They have a car and we have enjoyed some good outings to the nurseries for plants for our patio gardens. There has been excitement this week as my pineapple plant is producing a baby pineapple.

The boys are a bit confused about my being a friend at home and “Mrs. Tedman the teacher” at work, but we are getting the boundaries defined. Ha! Ha! On Sunday they all came round for “Panchos on the parilla” (a hot-dog barbecue).

The Church
In the cathedral the congregation is continuing to work in groups on developing a healthy church.
Many of you will know that I am partially deaf. My hearing aid has given up the ghost and I have not been able to cope with the group sessions. Consequently I have moved across to the English-speaking church next door
for a while. It is very refreshing and great to see many old friends and to make new ones. The congregation there changes from week to week as it attracts people, from English-speaking countries around the World, who are visiting Paraguay.

The Country
The weather has been a main talking point this month. Last week we went from 2 Celsius on Tuesday to 40 Celsius on Saturday. Now we are experiencing pleasant Spring like days in the twenties.

The weather has helped to create a sea of colour in the city as the trees have burst into blossom. My walk to school is wonderful at the moment as I pass through an Avenue of both pink and white Orchidilia trees covered in orchid-like flowers.
Political rumbles continue. The campesinos have been on the march again. Money was promised for the purchase of land for the campesinos to settle on, but this has not materialized so their battle for their rights continues.
This week President Lugo appointed a new Minister for the Interior to work on making outlying areas safer against the Peoples Army and land invasion etc.
In fact most of the news this week focuses on International problems like the USA hurricane.
School
This has been the month with the second set of exams so life has been full of pressure for the students and for the teachers who are marking.

We had some light relief on Childrens Day when the Primary children all went out to our Sports centre for a morning of fun and games.
Meanwhile the Pre-School department entertained the pre-school children from our Annexe School for a morning of fun.
Today the Primary children are back at the Sports Centre to begin the first round of competitions prior to their main Sports Day when the parents will come to cheer on their children.
Three classes had an English Grammar exam for the first hour. That is their final exam, so they can relax and have fun after that.
Some of the secondary pupils have been busy with business enterprises. On Monday afternoon they set up stalls to sell their goods. There was some good sales patter going on as they tried to promote their wares.
In the library we have been promoting bilingual reading. The children are now reading well in both Spanish and English. They come into the library regularly to change books and work towards gaining certificates.
Prayer points:-
1. We give thanks to God that we are enjoying the beauty of his creation here with all the blossom brightening up the city. We also give thanks for our new teachers.
2. Please continue to pray for President Lugo and the government. There are many issues of insecurity in some areas that need to be brought under control.
3. Please pray for the health of our staff in the school. Pray especially for the Primary Music teacher who had a minor stroke recently, that he will return to full health and come back to school soon.
4. Please pray for the sixth grade as Babs and I prepare them for a mock Cambridge KET exam at the end of this month. Please pray that they will learn and apply the knowledge that we have taught them ready for the real exam in December.
Linn Tedman working for the Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford,
OX4 6BZ
email:- ltedman@hotmail.com 
blog:- http://www.linninpy.blogspot.com

Linn's News August 2011

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matt 11:28-29

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the name of the Lord. I hope all is well with you. This is the month when we celebrate Friendship Day, so Happy Friendship Day to all of you. It has also been our holiday, a time for rest and recuperation in mind, body and spirit.
Thank you all for your prayers. The Lord is busy answering.

The last three months have been very busy with all the Bicentenary celebrations. This was a time of encouragement and hope for the future of the nation. The celebrations brought a long weekend of respite from the reality of day to day struggle for most people. We are told constantly that our economy is strong but the reality is that prices are continually rising and it becomes more difficult for the average family to put food on the table. The problems here continue. The news is so depressing and there is very little good news in the media.

At school life is more cheerful. The Bicentenary celebrations were swiftly followed by the first exams of the year. Students were very busy, studying and working hard. They still found time for fundraising. Each class supports a project to help others. They have been fund raising by selling cakes, crisps and barbecued hotdogs.

During this time the children invited their fathers to come in for breakfast to celebrate Father’s Day. They entertained their dads with poems and songs.

Exams were followed by meetings with parents and handing out reports.  This is always potentially a difficult time, but this time around it seems to have gone smoothly with mainly happy parents.

Finally the winter holidays arrived (2 weeks of bliss), and just before, we were delighted to have a visit from Murray Metcalfe. (Murray and Penny worked as SAMS missionaries here for several years and they set up a home for children awaiting adoption.). Murray came out here to redecorate and review the Esperanza home.

Many children left school early for the holidays to fly after some sunshine in places like Miami and Santa Catarina in Brazil. The rest of us have stayed home for a quiet break, in the rain and cold weather. I have been quite busy, visiting friends and entertaining others to meals in my little flat.

I recently received a family from school for homemade Cornish pasties and an English cream tea. They had taken me out for a meal a few weeks ago and had asked for my “story”. This was an ideal situation in which to evangelize and to speak about Jesus. Now the mother wants to attend a Bible Study. I am not a natural evangelist so I have been very encouraged by this one to one encounter.

Last week a group of us went to Clorinda, in Argentina (one and a half hours away) to shop in the local supermarkets and to try and make our salary stretch, as the exchange rate is currently in our favour. The market there was very colourful in the sunshine. We bought as much as we could carry. Many things were much cheaper there. I returned with a huge bag of heavy washing powder, toothpaste for three months and lots of cheese to put in the freezer.

We loved the trip and saw some lovely rustic sights along the way. It was so liberating to be out across the other side of the river Paraguay and in the countryside.

Just out of town the big Agricultural Exhibition is taking place. Several of our children’s families are involved , with their ranching businesses. There is a big show of animals , rodeo, motor cycle displays etc. all day to keep families entertained.

Yesterday I spent most of the day gathering all my information together to fill in my UK tax form. The job hangs over my head ever year. It is a task that I hate doing. This year I prayed for the Lord’s help and eventually it all slotted into place. Now I just need to find somebody reliable to take it back to UK for me. My online link failed.

A lovely, new family has arrived from Ireland, Matthew, Kim, Sam and Ben. Matthew has come to teach science in the school. We are also hoping that he will become part of the leadership team in the church here. Matthew was here 20 years ago as a Gap year student. Yesterday I took them to Aregua and for a walk along the beach by lake Ypacari.

In our church we have started a month long course on building a Healthy church. Looking in, as a foreigner, I see quite an insular church. Hopefully the course will enable us to reach out more, which will enable growth.
As funding is down, mainly due to exchange rates dropping drastically, the Bishop is trying to persuade the Paraguayans to be more resourceful and less dependent on help from outside. They have some successful sewing groups but they need to look at marketing.

We have all been watching the football Copa de America. Paraguay has not yet actually won a match but they reached the finals on penalties. As I write they have arrived in Buenos Aires for the final against Uruguay. By the time this goes to press we will know the worst or the best. Either way it will be a just result, I am sure.

God bless you,
Linn
Prayer Points:-

1. Pray for the Paraguayan government. There is an air of unrest. In some areas the poor have set up camps on private land, so ranchers are not happy. In the city indigenous people have been camped out in some of the squares, in the very cold weather. They want better living conditions and work and help from the government. Pray for President Lugo and the government to address the needs of the people.

2. Pray for the staff and children of St. Andrew’s as we return for the next term. Pray for health and strength to see us through. Pray particularly for Matthew and his family as they settle in and learn Spanish. Pray for Joyce, a local teacher, who will be joining us part time in the primary English department, that she will settle quickly.

3. Pray for the churches here as they learn to depend more on Christ and to become more self sufficient. Pray that they will all become healthy churches, reaching out and growing, bringing more people to know the Lord and His love for them.

Email:- ltedman@hotmail.com

Blog:- http://linninpy.blogspot.com

Linn's News July 2011

Linn’s News July 2011

Thank you for all your support this month. It has been a busy month for staff in school, but exams are now done, the reports are finished and they were given out to parents last Friday.

The country

Switching on the news these days is so depressing, rather like in Britain, so I do not want to dwell on it. Suffice to say that nothing much has changed and the government still comes under fire for not doing enough about law and order.

We are currently experiencing very cold temperatures. It was one degree Celsius this morning, with a ground frost. Many children are living on the streets and the television news was distressing tonight, seeing them trying to survive in flimsy clothes and bare feet or flip-flops.

The Church

This coming month will see the arrival of a Mission Paraguay team, who will be coming to work on projects in various communities in the Diocese. Claire Holmes and Murray Metcalfe are returning here with them. Claire will go to Concepcion with a group.

The School

This month the children celebrated Father’s Day. Their dads were invited in for breakfast and then each grade gave a presentation of poems, songs and things that they had written about their dads. There were a few tear-jerkers among them.

Now that the main Independence celebrations are over, our school assemblies are about Heroes of the Faith from the Bible. Staff are leading these and they are all proving to be lively and interesting. We are focussing on the character values that can be an example for us. It was my turn this week, with the story of Ruth.

The Primary staffroom was a manic hive of industry last week as reports were being finished and printed. Parents came to collect them on Friday morning.

On Wednesday there was a school dance competition. This was held in a Japanese cultural centre, in a lovely theatre, in another part of the city. It was a good evening, full of colour and great competition. Dance is considered to be a very important part of the curriculum in Paraguay and everything is choreographed and quite professional. They take it all very seriously.

On Thursday there was a Parents evening meeting to launch a new drive for the children to read more books. We need parental encouragement. It was interesting to hear that the average household in Paraguay reads  . 25 books per year. Books here are very expensive and most families simply cannot afford books, so they do not read. There is no reading culture. Our school library is steadily increasing the number of new books available, because we want the children to read more. It is also interesting that they read better in English than in Spanish. We are now pushing them to read more books in Spanish.

In the library the children are being travel agents, selling trips to European countries.. They are having a competition to see if they can persuade me to visit “their country” (the one that they are studying.) They are very competitive. It is interesting to see what they think will attract me to go there. (and it is very amusing at times.)

As the term ends we are saying farewell to our volunteers, Jo Miller and Zoe Eves. They will be returning to UK to take up places in university. Jo will be studying education to become a teacher so her time here has been good experience for her.

Beth Bridgewater who came to teach with us has also decided to move on. She is staying in Paraguay and she will be working with another organization that works with street kids, not an easy move.

Prayer points:-

1.    Please continue to pray for President Lugo and his government to have wisdom as to how to deal with the problems here.

2.    Pray for the poor children and families who are trying to survive in the intense cold that we are experiencing. Pray that the Lord will meet their needs for warm clothing and a roof over their heads.

3.    Please pray for all the staff and children of St. Andrew’s as we take our two week winter break. Everybody is very tired after a busy term. Pray for rest and refreshment for us all. Pray for safety for those who will be travelling.

Pray for Jo, Zoe and Beth who will be leaving us, that their futures will be secure in Christ.

Pray for the new science teacher and his family who will be joining us later this month from Ireland, that they will arrive safely and settle in quickly. They have two boys aged five and eight years. Pray that they will learn Spanish quickly and that they will be welcomed into school.

4.    Please pray for my health as the holiday comes. (no more broken arms or legs, Ha! Ha! and a chance to rest.) At the moment I feel too tired to go travelling in the cold weather.

Linn Tedman working for the Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ

email:- ltedman@hotmail.com 

blog:- http://www.linninpy.blogspot.com

Linn's News June 2011

Thank you once again for all your support over the past month, both through prayer and in other ways. In answer to prayer, Angela has settled into her role very well. She and Santi are working really hard as a team, cataloguing books. We discovered that many of the Spanish books had been classified incorrectly in the dim and distant past, so they have a major task on their hands checking all the books in the library.... a few thousand! I help when I can. There is only one computer with the catalogue programme so we cannot double the speed. It will take a few months or so to do the job.
The dengue epidemic is still with us but not quite so bad. My doctor said that they are seeing less cases at the hospital. I am still using repellent on exposed areas, but when I saw it take the polish off my shoes, I became rather worried about what it is doing to my body. There has been an explosion of mosquitoes around our property and today there were a lot in school. There has been very cold weather and now it is suddenly warmer again, so out they all come.

The Church
Since I last wrote we had the joy of a visit from Revd Andy Lines, director of Crosslinks. Andy was the pastor of the English church when I first arrived here. He and Mandy, his wife were the first people to invite me round for a meal. For once I attended the English church to listen to Andy preach once again. It was a lovely service, quite like old times. It was also good to hear something in English again.

The Country
This month has seen the official celebration of the Bicentenary of the Independence of Paraguay. We had a four day weekend off school so we could attend things. It has been a spectacle of colour and there was a real sense of unity over the offical long weekend when the main celebrations occurred. I went into town one evening with Mags and Gwen. It was wonderful to wander around and to see the sights all floodlit. There were huge crowds in the street outside the Pantheon de los Heroes, which had been lit with a continuous sequence of colours, red, then white, then blue. It was quite beautiful.
I also walked around Asuncion for nearly three hours on the Saturday, enjoying feeling safe for once as the place was swarming with police and it had been closed to traffic.
There was a mega programme of events all over the city, ranging from marches, carnival parade, concerts (including one with 250 young harpists), markets, light projections on buildings, military parades, theatre and spectacle, and a massive fifteen minute firework display on the Saturday at midnight. The calendar of events has extended well beyond just the weekend.
Last Saturday I went to the Municipal theatre to watch the Ballet company in a Bicentenary production of "Madame Lynch." Fortunately we have been overdosed with the history of Paraguay this year so I knew the story. It was a simple but magnificent production in the refurbished theatre. The costumes were wonderful and the orchestra played the specially written, expressive music superbly.

The school
 We have been excited in the school library. Our school adviser took a trip to Buenos Aires to purchase books in a book fair. A few hundred new books were purchased in Spanish to cover all the departments, in an attempt to get the children reading in their own language. They read better in English than in their first language. We needed to classify and catalogue the books before the children could norrow them. In the meantime we put them out on a table and allowed the children to look at them in the library. The response has been fantastic in the Primary department. The children were all crowding in at lunchtime, squashed onto the sofas and even sitting on the cold floor, reading and enjoying the new books. Now that many have been put on the shelves they are borrowing them to take home. Some bookworms are coming for books twice a day.
Just before the long weekend break we held a beautiful bicentenary service in the Cathedral. It was packed to standing room only. It had been prepared very thoughtfully and it was a serious occasion. The theme was about God being the carer of the nation. The reading were given in Enxtet, Spanish and English. Bishop Andres from Concepcion gave the address and he began in Guarani.

Afterwards we all moved out into the grounds to witness children, staff and parents placing their hopes and dreams for Paraguay into a time capsule. This has been interred in a special plinth, upon which an ex-pupil has placed a sculpture of doves of peace. Bishop Andres, Bishop Peter and the head of the school,unveiled a plaque explaining what the plinth is.

A group of secondary children has just returned from a wonderful trip to enjoy sport with Brazilian schools at a centre in Brazil. It was a time when friendship meant as much as taking part in the sports. They came back full of stories of the good time that they had experienced.

Prayer Points:

1. Give thanks for the sense of unity that there was during the Bicentenary celebrations. Pray that the hopes and dreams of people for a better Paraguay will be fulfilled.

2. At the moment there is a huge drugs problem here, with all the associated problems of robbery and violence. The average person is tired of it and they want to see the country change. They are looking to the police and government to take control and to bring change. Pray for those in authority in the country to take up the challenge and for God to guide them.

3. The school exam season is with us followed by a Parents' Day and reports. Please pray for everybody in the school at this time. It is a stressful period.  

Linn's News May 2011

Thank you all for your prayers this month. Although lots of children and some staff have had dengue fever, all of them have recovered. It has taken a while for some to get all their strength back.

The church

At the beginning of the month our church held a successful Bring and Buy lunch again. Also, some of the ladies set up stalls to sell some of the goods that they have been making in the ladies sewing group.

Both St. Andrew's churches were busy over Easter. On Good Friday Mags and Gwen led a reflection on the Cross, in the English chapel. It was a beautiful service. It was followed by Mags' delicious homemade hot cross buns. On Easter Sunday there was a full congregation, with many newcomers in the English-speaking church. In the cathedral we had a lovely service, focussing on the resurrection.

The Country

The economy is said to be on the rise here but so are the prices. Every week we have new surprises as inflation continues to be felt in the shops and the local market. Some families are struggling so hard to feed everybody. Now there is pressure to increase bus fares. That will affect a lot of the people who have to use buses to get to work, Some can barely afford the current fares.

The government announced a rise in the minimum salary. People are so desperate for work that they will work for whatever they can get. More and more children can be seen working on the streets.

On the television there have been some sad reports of old people living in subhuman conditions and of the children being exploited. There is also an increase in violence in many areas, especially among schoolchildren. It is a worrying trend. These children need to know Jesus and to feel His love.

Funigation continues against dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Along with it there has been an increase in people with respiraotory problems, which are allergy-related. The hospitals have been working flat out to meet everybody's needs. My doctor was exhausted last week when I saw him.

The school

I am delighted to have a new librarian, Angela. She is a breath of fresh air and a wonderful Christian, with an amazing testimony. She is Chilean. It is good to have somebody who really knows the job. We have started reorganizing everything.

School has been very busy this month, so it was a relief to have a week off for Holy week.

Two groups from the secondary department went to the Chaco helping in the indigenous communities, but when a child returned with dengue the third group's trip was cancelled.

Those who went gained so much and came back with changed attitudes, having experienced working with poor, humble, marginalised Paraguayans for the first time.

The first term ended with a fun day on the Thursday as the Primary department held their annual hat parade. This year the theme was the Bicentenary of Independence so all hats were very patriotic, the majority being red, white and blue. Of course everybody received a prize of an Easter egg.

On the final day we all congregated in the cathedral for an Easter service. The focus was "Jesus is alive!" It was a beautiful service with a fun spot when Babs Owen cut up the second grade teacher's tie and then fed him dog food. There was a good message with it, which the Bishop followed up in his talk. The sixth form gave a moving presentation of God creating, ending up with a jig-saw picture of Christ.

The history presentations continue, with each grade taking a turn. This week the second grade gave a very interesting presentaion of the Chaco Wars. They brought in artefacts and family photos of grandparents, to talk about. Afterwards their teacher talked about the importance of forgiveness aftyer the war and also when we fallout with friends and family. The Biblical base was there again.

Today the Brits were up early to catch the Royal Wedding on television before the day began. we then went in to a celebration for Teacher's Day and Workers' Day. The children entertained us and presented each teacher with a certificate. (Mine was for being the teacher famous for her special stickers). It was all great fun with many laughs.

Later the parents came to give us a "merienda" (snacks) and we were presented with gifts.

I was stacked high with presents, much to my surprise. The children were wild with excitement.

Finally the staff had a wonderful lunch together before leaving early, with yet another gift, of a new shirt/blouse each. It was a lovely day and we felt well appreciated.

Prayer Points

1. Please give thanks for the Lord's provision of Anglea in the library. Pray for her as she setlles into the school. She has a few health problems at the moment so please pray for the Lord to deal with these. Pray for young Santi as he helps us both.

2. Please continue to pray for the continuing battle against the dengue epidemic.

3. Please pray for the poor and infirm here. Pray that their needs will be met. Pray also for the children who have to work to help their families or to merely survive themselves. Many are so young (about five or six) and they have no childhood as we know it.

4. Pray for the churches as they struggle to help those in need. it is not easy, when poverty is all around. Pray for those with the means to have generous hearts to help those less fortunate, so that God's love can be shared and felt.

5. Continue to pray for President Lugo and his government as they work against corruption and to improve the economy. Pray that they will fulfil promises made to the poor here, to improve their lot.

email:- ltedman@hotmail.com

blog:- http://www.lininpy.blogspot.com

Linn's News April 2011

Thanks for all your prayers. Life is extremely busy in school this year so we appreciate your help through your prayers for us.

The Country

The big news at the moment is the dengue epidemic which is raging all around us. This year has seen a huge increase in dengue-carrying mosquitoes. We really need your prayers at the moment, that the Lord will keep us freee from dengue to carry on His work. We are all plastering on repellent at the moment and praying.

Large numbers of people have been going down with dengue everyday and the public hospitals are full of the worst cases. It is called "Break bone disease". Haemorrhagic dengue can also be a killer. Several people have died already.

On Thursday the public hospitals stopped all surgery as all the beds were full of dengue patients.

The wife of our head of the school maintenance team had a very bad case of haemorrhagic dengue. It was the worst case that the Baptist hospital had seen and they documented the case with photographs. With lots of prayers she pulled through and she was able to attend her daughter's wedding last Saturday.

The Church

In our church we are having a Bring and Buy lunch tomorrow to raise funds to help those in need in our church. Last week there was a terrific sermon on How to be responsible with finances. It was basic but Biblical. Many here find it difficult to budget on their small incomes. It was a helpful sermon.

Bishop Peter and his wife Sally arrived back from UK this week.

The School

The school has been really gearing up for the Bicentenary of Paraguayan Independence. In the Primary department classes are leading assemblies, informing us about different periods of history. This has been so interesting for us foreigners to learn about. The children have been wonderful as they have acted and performed dances from the various periods of history.

The first graders gave us a presentation about the indigenous people here. Some indigenous ladies came to give demonstraions of how they make their wares to sell. There is so much work that goes into their handicrafts. The children listened, spellbound.

The sixth grade informed us about the Colonial settlers and they performed some typical dances from that era.

This month sixth grade team captain candidates were busy campaigning for a week, which ended with elections, all run as the national elections are run. The children enjoyed participating in the secret ballot.

In their Bible classes the children have been looking at the characteristics of heroes of the Faith, but in the library we have been making books telling the stories of Biblical Heroes of the Faith.

Last week there was a prize giving for the winners of a competition to photograph and paint pictures of famous buildings in Paraguay.

My classes have now moved into a room near to the library. We will continue my programme from there but the children will still have access to the books in the library. The idea is for the library to be used more throughout the school. It is an important resource and I will be happy to see it develop and grow. A new school librarian will be starting on Monday. Santi, my helper, will continue to assist and to prepare the new catalogue of books. Our old catalogue was full and the computer jammed up, so we have received a new computer and programme to start again. It will probably take a year to complete the catalogue. It took almost a year the last time that we did it.

Prayer points

1. Please pray for the people in the country who have dengue fever. There are many areas where there have been floods and there is now stagnant water, a haven for mosquito reproduction. Pray for the weather to become drier. We have had a lot of rain this year. Pray for the local councils and the government as they try to inform about cleanliness and as they fumigate areas. Pray for more people to seek God's help and wisdom in dealing with the situation.

2. Please pray for the staff and children in the school. Several have dengue and one boy was in hospital with it this week. There are several types, some more serious than others, but all are very debilitating and painful.

Please pray for the older secondary students. A trip to the Chaco is planned for next week to help the local communities by digging wells etc. Pray safety over them. Pray also for the staff who will accompany them.

3. Pray for the poor. The economy of this country is generally on the rise but that has brought inflation, which is hitting poor families really hard. I met an ex-Annexe school pupil this week who has had to drop out of university to work and help to support his family. It is sad to see such problems around us. He is desperate and he is talking about leaving the country to find better work. He ahs no idea of the reality of life in other countries, where there is high unemployment. These people clutch at straws.

4. Please pray for the Bishop Peter as he settles back into his role in the Diocese after furlough. There is much work ahead so pray for good health, for energy and for wisdom for him. Pray also for Sally, his wife, as she visits various groups in the communities in and around Asuncion.

email:- ltedman@hotmail.com

blogsite:- www.linninpy.blogspot.com

Linn's News March 2011

Thank you for your prayers. My hip healed well and I can now walk to school with no problems. The healing in my arm seemed to have reached a plateau, but a visit to the surgeon a fortnight ago gave me the go ahead for physiotherapy. This has helped, but the physiotherapist said that I have to be more patient and not expect too much too soon. After two and a half months, my patience has been wearing thin. However, I have seen some progress in the last two weeks and I have a bit more strength back.
The churchesThe pastors are now back from their holidays and the churches are getting back to having services again. The congregations are happy to be back to fellowshipping and worshipping together.
The countryThis has been an extremely wet month with some flooding in places.
Everywhere we look there are notices announcing things to do with the bicentenary celebrations. Many of the billboard adverts are displaying the bicentenary logo along with their persuasion to buy whatever.
President Lugo has been out and about and he is looking much better as his hair is now growing back after his chemotherapy.
The local news is depressing, with so much violence reported that I have given up watching for a while. There does not seem to be much reported in the papers at the moment other than news from other South American countries.
SchoolThe staff started back quite early this year, at the beginning of February. Our first day was spent at a retreat centre in the countryside. It was a beautiful place and a truly wonderful spiritual start to the year.
Back in school there was a lot to prepare ready for the Bicentenary celebrations in May. This is all reflected in the decor of the school this year. Our art teachers are having a wonderful time. Profe Ceci has painted a huge mural on the Primary patio area. It depicts the history and culture of Paraguay. There is also an exhibition of local artisan work, pottery, carvings of animals and weaving feature at the moment. We all worked very hard over two weeks and the school looks lovely.
We also had some in-service training and we have been planning our work for the year.
In assemblies we are all learning patriotic Paraguayan songs, a bit of a challenge for we English-speaking teachers. This week we celebrate the day of the Heroes of Paraguay, so the children in sixth grade gave us a presentation about the wars. The boys loved coming in with ragged t-shirts after they were torn in battle!
The sixth form came in style on the first day. This year they came on the back of an old army truck, with as much noise as possible to announce their arrival. There was a small band blasting and several fireworks added to their grand entrance, leaving us in no doubt that they were back with us and that this is their last year in school.
In the library I arrived back to discover that my librarian assistant had left. I was desperate for a replacement as I could do very little without help. The Lord responded to prayer and a pupil who left last year has come to help me. He needed a job and I needed a librarian. He was a tremendous help moving books around. The library was moved in December so a new floor could be laid. In moving it back all the books were in the wrong order or on wrong shelves so Santiago’s help has been invaluable. We now have things back in their Dewey order.
Fermina. Many of you have asked how Fermina is. She had a blood analysis two weeks ago and it was positive. She has one more chemotherapy session booked. Her hair has already started to grow back and she has been without her headscarf for the first time in several months. Please continue to uphold her in prayer.
Prayer points:-1. Give thanks for the Lord’s healing. Give thanks also for the provision of Santiago to help me in the library. Please pray for Santi to cope with the quietness of the library. He is naturally gregarious and he likes to have people around him.
2. Please continue to pray for Paraguay. There is still a huge problem here with drugs. The drug squad has been finding and destroying huge hauls of marijuana, but there is also a lot of cocaine becoming easily available. Pray for the government and police to gain good control over this. So many young lives are being destroyed by it.
3. Pray for the churches here as we get back to worshipping and praying together. Pray for more outreach so that lives may be changed by the Good News of Christ.
4. Pray for the school as we all get into the rythmn of work and study. Pray for good health and for stamina for the staff. Please pray for the Christian camps that start this week with the fifth and sixth grades. Pray that the camps will bring a time of bonding between staff and pupils, but most of all pray that each child will receive a spiritual awakening as they have Bible studies and learn more about heroes of the Faith. Pray for protection and safety for everybody. Pray for new arrivals from UK, Beth (for 2 years teaching), Jo and Zoe (volunteer helpers for a few months). Pray for them to be very happy here in Paraguay. Pray for their protection.

News January 2011

Linn’s News January 2011
Thanks to everybody who has been praying for me. God has been wonderful to me with His answers. This has been one of my most testing times since I have been here, but my Heavenly Father has been with me all the way.
For those who do not know, I fell on the first day of our school holidays and I broke my right arm badly enough to require surgery. (I am right-handed.) I also damaged muscles around my left hip and leg. This put paid to all my plans for a much-needed holiday away from Asuncion.
All my British colleagues went back to England on deputation. As I live alone I was totally dependent on the Lord to provide all that I needed by way of help. The Lord is full of surprises! Paraguayan colleagues, whom I hardly knew, came to my assistance and are now good friends. Nurse Beryl Baker, who normally works in the Chaco, was around to help me soon after I came out of hospital. My American friend, Sharon, who lives opposite has been around almost every day to keep me laughing. Lorenzo, one of the school maintenance team has sneaked in when I have not been looking and he has kept an eye on my garden for me. I have wanted for nothing and I have felt so humbled and so loved.
Four weeks later, I am now making good progress and I should be able to return to school on time. I was extremely tired at the end of last year, but I have had enforced rest. God knows best. Although I have felt frustrated, doing my normal travelling and hiking would probably have exhausted me physically.
I had a different kind of Christmas and New Year, quiet but good. I also had a lovely time celebrating my birthday, with lunch in a nice restaurant with Sharon. To my delight one of my pupils even came over and sang to me.
Normally I spend part of my holiday preparing for the year ahead. I also Spring clean the flat. This time I had planned all my school work before the term ended. I could not clean the flat so the Lord sent a lovely lady to clean and iron for me. I have been able to really relax (to the point of boredom). The weather has been very hot and humid so I have been stuck indoors in the air-conditioning, but I am not complaining.
Having time on my hands has meant that I have been able to become a little more involved with Sharon’s ministry. She has a house down the road that was a drug rehabilition centre for men. Now the ministry has changed and the house is a home for teenage girls sent by the courts. They are there for a variety of reasons but they are all damaged and suffering emotional pain. I spent New Year with some of them. They have found it difficult settling into our church, but hopefully I can be a bridge to help them to get to know people.
Some of the recovering drug addicts have also been visiting Sharon. I already knew some, whom I had spoken to in church on occasions and for whom I prayed. I have also had the opportunity to meet and pray with others recently. Two shared their sad stories. They are “damaged” lads, who are struggling with their habits. They are desperate for Jesus to help them to fight their way out of the trap into which they have fallen. At Sharon’s they experience the Lord’s love and compassion. Many tears are shed as they come to know Him more through Bible studies.

The churches
The church pastors have been taking a holiday through January so the English chapel has been closed. However, there has been a morning service in the cathedral each week.
The country
Over the Christmas period there has been a dramatic increase in drug related crime.
The recession is biting hard in Paraguay as poor people are losing jobs. Prices are constantly rising at an alarming rate. Some people have been desperate. I have met people I know, cleaning car windscreens at traffic lights in order to put food on the table for their families. Also, there seem to be more children working on the streets. In contrast, some export businesses are booming as Paraguayan prices are lower than Brazil.
This year the country celebrates the 200th year of Paraguayan independence from Spain. It started with a wonderful show in the square next to the Congress building, depicting the history and culture of Paraguay.
Prayer points
Give thanks to Jesus, for his faithfulness, love and care of each of us wherever we are.
Pray for President Lugo and his government in this 200th year of celebrations. Pray for the economy to be boosted as more tourists visit to shop in Paraguay. Pray for wisdom for the government. Pray for the needs of the poor to be met each day.
Pray for all the Anglican churches as we work together in unity to bring the Good news to others. Pray that we can reach out and that there will be growth as more people come to know the Lord’s love in their lives. Pray that more will trust the Lord for their daily needs. Pray for wisdom and encouragement for Bishop Peter and his wife Sally as they lead the churches here.
Pray for the children and staff of St. Andrew’s school as the holidays end and a new academic year begins. Pray for everybody to return refreshed and pray for stamina and good health as we face the coming year. We will be busy with 200th anniversary celebrations as well as the normal curriculum.
Finally, please pray for my health and strength this coming year. Each year I seem to struggle more with the difficult climate. Pray for my hip to be healed sufficiently for me to cope with walking to and from school and managing the stairs round school.
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:3,4
More detailed news of my exploits can be found on my blogsite:- http://www.linninpy.blogspot.com/
Email:- ltedman@hotmail.com