Taking it Down a Notch

It feels great to slow slow the pace of life down a bit this week after our move and travel to the U.S. Here are some of our snapshots since we arrived:Strolling through the park in Buenos Aires

The expolit conference! Norberto was inspired, challenged, encouraged. Here's a picture with famous latin musician, Danilo Montero.
Seeing Julie's family in Orlando. Here we celebrated a birthday and went mini golfing in the rain!

Fishing at Tio Dennis' house Memorial weekend with our dear friends, the Briscoes in Virginia. Timmy caught his first fish!We are so grateful to special friends that have loaned us their vehicle during our stay here and friends who open up their home with loving hospitality. This week we begin sharing with churches, so thank you for keeping us in your prayers.

We're Here!

We're in the States, folks! We had a few crazy experiences in getting here. Especially hairy was the moment we were ready to check in at Buenos Aires and we realized that the customs official never stamped our passports into the country. That was a panic attack, for sure. Also another frustrating moment was when the official in Paraguay wanted to charge us a fee because I told him that a Paraguayan can also be a U.S. citizen and that we could call the US Embassy to prove it. That was a big mistake. They are NEVER wrong, of course. He told us to go out and show him all our documents and instead we just left!

So far, Timmy loves the States! He can't get over all the big construction vehicles and the tower cranes. He loves frosties and the swimming pool! He does have allergies though, which is something new. We're praying that they pass soon.

I believe we've made the transition back without much reverse culture shock (so far). Even after venturing into Target and Walmart we weren't too overwhelmed, but found some good clearance deals!

So far I can't handle air conditioning. I hate it. I think I'm the only car on I-4 that has the windows rolled down. I do like driving fast though. Something that's not done comfortably in good ol' South America.

Norb arrives tonight, so we're looking forward to being together again. He's had the camera, so we'll update pictures later in the week. We head up to South Carolina on Sunday, and we're so happy to spend time with our family in Orlando for a few days.

We're looking forward to a great summer and if it works out for us to connect with you, we'd love to see you!

On the Move!

We should be in bed by now, since we have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to leave for our flight, but we're STILL tying up loose ends with our move! We are first time home owners, folks! We were reminiscing about our apartments and how we've always lived in small spaces.

Our first apartment (in the US) was the size of some people's closets: 400 sq. ft.
When we moved to Paraguay we lived in a 630 sq. ft home for almost 5 years.
Our last apartment was 756 sq. ft.
This home (the part that is finished) is about 900 sq. ft. When we finish our entire home, it will be dedicated to hospitality (something that living in small spaces doesn't allow you to do well) and serving teams!

Here are a few pics of our last few weeks:


We have made what felt like hundreds of quick trips (our apartment is 200 feet from our new home) with "Blue Cruiser." Thankfully she hasn't sold yet, because she's been invaluable these past few weeks!


Here's our family celebrating four birthdays recently in front of our home.

Preparing mate tea in our kitchen for the first time! We got to sleep in our new home four nights!

Timmy can't stop talking about flying in the "avion"! We are all excited and ready to head north! SEE YOU SOON!

Challenges of Re-Entry

This picture was of us on our last furlough. We drove 14,000 miles in 3 months.

For missionaries, some of the most difficult times are those immediately before departure to and after arrival in the United States. For us, there is so much to do to get ready, and with our push to move into our first home, we are leaving Paraguay emotionally, physically and financially depleted. Now, we are in the final countdown before takeoff and every hour is critical.

Our first week in the U.S. we will be apart while Norberto attends Expolit, a conference for Christian Spanish Radios and Bookstores in Miami. Julie and Timmy will be in Orlando with family. I (Julie) will also teach a session in Missionary Venture's Missionary Training!

Please pray for us as we finish up, travel for 36 hours (including a bus trip to Orlando) and settle in to our ever-changing environment. This will be the first trip to the States that Timmy will remember. It may be strange or entertaining for him to see fast highways, big buildings, humongous supermarkets, parks, playgrounds, libraries and things that we don't have here. So, pray for his cultural acclimatization as well. We'll be on the road most days, so pray that we can have safe and fun travels too.

Even though adjusting back to the States has its challenges, it's totally worth it! We are so thankful for the opportunity to see you and thank you personally for all the sacrifices you make to help spread the love of Christ in Paraguay.

Thanks to You!

WOOHOO! We are so thrilled to share with you that YOU helped us raise $469 for the generator with your incredible bids on Paraguayan goods. You may have noticed that we have already updated the thermometer (on the right hand side of the blog). Thank you so much for helping us get that much closer to reaching our goal. We have contacted the winning bidders and we look forward to hand-delivering these beautiful gifts to you, our faithful friends.

Just a friendly reminder that you can still place an order for delicious Brazilian coffee at the winning bid price of $20/17.6 oz bag. Please contact us by Wed. morning with your order. We will have room to take many bags, so don't be afraid to request some, you won't regret it!

Act Now, While Supplies Last

Sorry, that title is so infomercialish. Just a friendly reminder that bids will close on Sat at noon EST! We will email the winners and give payment instructions on May 10. The winning bidder will receive tax credit for their donation! We will either hand deliver or ship (if you live somewhere we won't be visiting) this item to you when we head to the U.S. on May 14.

Please note: We will give an opportunity for anyone to purchase coffee at the winning bid price, so be ready to make your order before we leave.

These are the current bids:

Macá Rainbow purse $32
Macá Blue/White purse $40
Orange Ñanduti Doily $22

Antique White Ñanduti doily $25

Leather Thermos $200

Brazilian Coffee (17.6 oz ground) $20.00/each.
Hurry and email us your bids! All proceeds will go to help us raise money for our much needed generator at the radio station! Your bids are helping us spread the word of God.

MISSION: Kingdom Building

It all started when this woman shared with our women's group that she had a vision to share Jesus with a small village 10 minutes south of town called, "Cerro Corá" She said she'd be starting a Bible club there on Saturday mornings and invited us to come help her. That was two years ago. Now, she has a thriving children's ministry and adult Bible study. The faithfulness of Elena, one of my close friends, to love these poor children and their families is because of Elena's love for God. She spends her afternoons visiting the children and their families on her moped bike, praying for them and their needs. She gives out clothes, food and distributed blankets from our project to the poorest families.

Her Bible club meets in a church member's back room. It's 6X18 ft and the children are squeezed into the room like sardines. There were 36 children present when I was there two weeks ago, but last week there were 56! Elena (in the black coat) told me that their big problem is that there is no more room or chairs. I counted at least five little ones without seats and my heart went out to them. When it rains, they can't meet because they do their craft and snack outside because of the space issue. Now, Cerro Corá is praying for their own church. There is no evangelical church in their town and we are praying that they can buy land to build a church building and serve more people. Friends have already donated $2,000 toward a piece of property and they still need $1600 to buy a big lot (40x135ft). They already have the metal structure donated to build the church and once they buy the lot, all they need is to buy bricks and cement to have their own church!

If you or your children's ministry would like to help Cerro Corá build their church, or buy chairs and benches, please click the orange "Donate Now" button on the right hand side of the page and designate your tax-deductible gift to: Paraguay Projects- Cerro Corá.

Wrapping Up and Packing Up

Friday was Labor Day here and we celebrated with a cookout with all the radio staff and their families in our "quincho" or thatched hut. We also transported 15 youth to a national youth convention in Encarnacion on Friday. Norberto preached on Saturday night and we picked up international guests from Ciudad del Este yesterday. Did we mention that we're in the midst of moving too? Busy times in the Kurrle household! We would appreciate your prayers for "wrapping up and packing up" before we head to the U.S. on May 14. We are moving at a fast pace right now and we don't want to abuse our bodies or our spirits. Also, thanks for keeping Radio Alternativa in your prayers and don't forget that the auctions close on May 9!

Run for the Son

On Saturday, May 2nd, the Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA) kicks off their 22nd annual Run for the Son event. This is typically a 100 mile group ride where individual bikers seek supporters to help them raise money to help missions worldwide.

We have six applications for motorcycles from diverse Paraguayan ministries in our hands right now. These hard-working servants do not have any vehicle to utilize, and most have to use public transportation, ride a bicycle or walk to their destination, often miles away. The funds from Run for the Son, will help secure brand new motorcycles for these servants, which are used for years. In fact, the first motorcycle given out in 2000 is still being used!

Last year we gave a motorcycle to a 61 year old pastor. It was the first time he'd ever had a motorcycle and he was overjoyed. For 30 years, this man walked everywhere he went: to visit families, to encourage pastors, to preach in churches. We thank God that this church overseer will be able to do more because of his new wheels!

Two years ago we gave a motorcycle to a food kitchen for street children and they continue to bring the daily bread to 200 children with that motorcycle (which has a travel box behind it).

We've also been able to bless 2 Wycliffe Bible translation projects among the Ache and the Toba Moskoy indigenous people groups with motorcycles. This is a CMA team praying for the ACHE chief, Timoteo (in yellow).

This year's ministry applicants include:

a Christian elementary school in San Antonio
a Baptist pastor in Ita
a Church of God pastor in Santa Clara
a Christian church pastor in Asuncion
a Pentecostal Missionary church in Obligado and
a church plant in Triunfo 43

We are hoping and praying that each one of these ministries will receive their needed ministry tool to spread the Gospel further and more efficiently. We are so grateful for our partnership with CMA and we pray for a tremendously successful Run for the Son fundraiser for missions and to spread the message of hope to millions of lives.

We know what a tremendous impact CMA has had on Paraguay and through your loving efforts in CMA and the Run for the Son, millions of Lives have been changed in the United States and worldwide. We are so thankful for your partnership; you are truly changing the world, one heart at a time! We pray for your safety tomorrow and for awesome results. We love you, CMA friends!