Hola! It is nice and toasty here in Paraguay on this
wonderful Christmas day! That would not be because of the warm fire in the
fireplace but because of the relentless rays of sunshine and humidity that
don’t seem to know when to take a break.
Alyssa wishes they would take a break and knows that all things are
possible but I don’t think her prayers for snow on Christmas in Paraguay are
going to be answered any time soon.
Instead of waiting for snow to come down we shot fireworks up! A
tradition we began in our Argentine days is becoming a Paraguayan
tradition…shooting fireworks at midnight on Christmas Eve. You can find any fireworks you want all over
the city. I don’t think they have the
same codes as they have in the states on what
you should be able to buy and who
should be able to buy them... Needless to say, we had some awesome fireworks. It is such a fun way to celebrate the birth of
Jesus with our friends and neighbors.
2013 is almost history! It is overwhelming to us to look
back and think of all that has happened in this year and how fast it has gone
by. The Lord has been so faithful in every step of our journey and His presence
has been very powerful and unmistakable.
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to connect with so many of you
while we were in the states this summer. Home assignment is not always easy on
missionaries but every one of you that participated in ours helped to make it a
tremendous blessing! Thank you!
Barry is now working together with our regional
director, Christian Sarmiento, to lead the work of the church in Bolivia and
Paraguay. It has added a great deal to
both of our responsibilities but we have been encouraged, challenged,
stretched, and have learned so much watching what God can do when we are
willing to be molded and used in His hands.
It is a privilege to serve here and we look forward to all He has
planned for the year to come!
Andrew is becoming an Aussie…he has had quite an experience
living in Australia these last two years.
Seeing him only once in two years isn’t easy on any of us but we are
thankful for all the Lord has done and is doing through his life.
Alex is looking forward to graduating from
high school and going to college...hoping to be Trevecca bound. He is always such a joy to have around…not
exactly sure who is going to make everyone laugh when he is gone!? He has been a key part of building the youth
group here in San Lorenzo. It is always
a joy to see the Lord use our kids in the lives of others!
Alyssa is taking
piano lessons, reading books, and has a new friend (not the human kind). We caved in after hours of listening to the
meowing and crying out side of her bedroom window. Duchess, who was a lost and hungry stray
kitty, is now a part of our family. Alyssa 1 Dad 0….he didn’t want the cat but
Alyssa somehow gets her way with him. The score is actually WAY more than 1 to
0…not sure how much Alyssa has but Dad definitely has 0:)
On Christmas Eve we have another tradition that we started
while we were missionaries in Argentina…Baby Jesus doesn’t go in the manger
until after everyone is in bed. He just “appears” in the manger Christmas
morning. Well, last night, or rather, this morning at 3 a.m. when we were just THINKING
about going to bed after fireworks, putting Baby Jesus in the manager didn’t
sink into our tired brains. When our kids got us up this morning (yes, our kids
are high school and college age and they still wake us up at the break of dawn
on Christmas morning…and by the way, 9 a.m., when you have gone to bed at 4 a.m.,
is the break of dawn!) we realized He wasn’t there. It was the first thing Alex noticed. Not only
does it warm our hearts that it is the first thing our 18 year old son noticed,
but it made us pause and think... Can you imagine??
Where would we be if He hadn’t
come? Our lives, our work, our purpose here in this place would have no value. Many times when we place extreme value on
something we say that it is “priceless” but the gift God has given us did have
a price…His Son. We are SO glad that Christ did come and the amount of
gratitude that we have for what He has done for us and through us is more than
words could ever express! We are also incredibly grateful for each one of
you!! Thank you for your prayers and
support! The Lord uses each one of you, through all that you do, in more ways
than you will probably ever know.
Have a wonderful and merry CHRISTmas and a very happy and
blessed New Year!!
Barry, Charlie, Andrew, Alex, and Alyssa (and Betsy,
Leonard, and Duchess)
To help with the many needs on the field you can visit www.nazarene.org or you can donate directly to our deputation account online at web.nazarene.org/goto/carney.missions
