December 9, 2010

Daniel

Naming children is both a great privilege and responsibility that is given to parents. After all, your name is a great part of what identifies you and is something that you keep for a lifetime. When we chose Cora's name, we wanted to honor our grandmothers with a namesake as well as give Cora a sense of permanence within our family. Her third name was added because it is Spanish and Donald had always liked it. Thus she became Cora Irene Pilar Paige.

With our new baby, we had decided to continue with the use of family names. Then, I had a brilliant idea. Of course it was brilliant, because it was really God's idea. "Why don't we ask God what He wants to name the child?"

At that suggestion we both closed our eyes and prayed, asking God for a name. After a few minutes, Donald asked me if I had been given a name. I told him that I had heard the name "Daniel." Surprised at my answer, he told me that he had received the same name. We both knew that it came from God because neither one of us had considered that name previously. In fact, Donald confessed to me later that he had not particularly liked the name and had asked God for a confirmation to make sure he had heard right. He wasn't expecting the confirmation to come so soon. He has since repented of his initial reaction and actually likes it now.

Daniel is Hebrew and means "God is my judge." When we were given the name, we knew that our child was a boy. Two weeks later an ultrasound confirmed that fact. It is also interesting that when I found out that I was pregnant, both Donald and I were doing a Daniel fast.

So, around May 20th we will be welcoming into the world our new son, Daniel Neil Edward Paige. The other 2 names are for our maternal grandfathers.

Please join us in thanking and praising God in the miracle of our son.

November 18, 2010

Paige Missions Request

Remember how it feels in June as the weather is warming and thoughts are turning from school and routine to the lazy days of summer? That is the feeling we have now in November. Cora has 2 weeks of school left before graduating from kindergarten and another school year is wrapping up at the New Horizon School. Donald’s filigree class will be taking a break for the summer as well.

As Americans, however, we are also looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with our fellow missionaries. On the 25th of this month we will be enjoying traditional Thanksgiving food “picnic” style by a local outdoor pool. We will also be taking the time to thank God for His provision and blessings over this past year.

We thank God for you; our friends and family. Through your prayers and financial support the Kingdom of God is being advanced in Paraguay in many ways. With one more year left before going on furlough, we are excited to see what else God has in store.

In our last newsletter we mentioned that our support account at The Mission Society has been declining. Part of this is due to increased expenses we had applying for our permanent residency (over $1000), but we have also had a noticeable decrease in people giving. Right now if things continue as they are, we will be in the red by January. Our mission will not allow us to go into the red and will ask us to go home.

Our goal is to raise the additional support needed to keep us here another year before going home in December of 2011. On average, we are about $1,000 short per month. That is $12,000 for the entire year.

In the midst of writing this letter we have already been blessed by a donation of $3,000! That means we need to raise about $9,000 more in pledges and one-time gifts to sustain us until next December.

With that said, we are standing on God's promise to provide for us. We know that where He leads, He provides. We feel strongly that He wants us to be in Paraguay for at least another year for several reasons:

  • The ministries He has placed us in will be more established by that time
  • Carol will have a new Paraguayan social worker working with her next school year (February to November) that she will be training to take over the job by the time we go on furlough.
  • Our residency process is still not complete, and leaving the country for a few months could jeopardize that, thus losing the over $1000 we paid.
  • God has led us to register Cora in a new school for next year. Leaving in December would allow her to complete a full year of 1st grade.
  • God has provided us with a miracle pregnancy. Giving birth here will be a lot less expensive than in the States. The baby will also have Paraguayan residency once born, alleviating the need to go through the cost and hassle of getting residency for him if born in the States.

If you are already supporting us, we would love to hear any ideas you might have. We are looking for other sources such as churches, Sunday school groups and new individuals that would be willing to partner with us for at least a year. If you could help advocate for us during this time by being our feet and our voice, it would be a huge blessing.

If you are not already supporting us financially, we ask that you prayerfully consider making a pledge or one-time gift.

Donations can be made by credit card or an electronic funds transfer at The Mission Society website: https://www.themissionsociety.org/go/give

In order for the donation to be directed to us, include our names (Donald and Carol Paige) and account #480 in the box indicated for specific missionaries.

Thank you again for your prayers and support. Our prayer is that God will continue to use us for His will and His glory and will continue to touch the hearts of others to join us in this journey.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Donald, Carol and Cora

November 4, 2010

Adoption is not 2nd Best!

I was just reading a blog written by another adoptive mom and was brought to tears by a statement she made about her 2 adopted and biological sons:

"I love that when looking at our sons I see two miracles, two children I thought my aching arms would never hold, two boys I never knew I could love so much."

The tears came because these words speak the feelings in my heart. As we celebrate the miracle of a new life forming in my womb and the fulfillment of our hearts' desire, I am flooded by the memories of our other miracle that came to us almost 6 years ago. Cora loves to hear the story of how we prayed and prayed for a baby and God brought us her. Her favorite part is when we tell her about the first time we brought her to church. It was communion Sunday and we were sitting on the front row. The church was full of tears of joy as everyone passed by us to see the long awaited answer to our prayers.

About a week ago during my alone time with God, He gave me a revelation on how the stories of our 2 children are so similar, and how both were clearly a part of His plan. Before Cora was born, God had closed all the doors for us to conceive. Before we conceived, God had closed all the doors for adoption. Both times, after recognizing that the doors had been closed and giving our will over to His perfect will, the blessings came.

It is my desire that Cora never sees herself as less or second best because she was adopted; that she will always feel secure and loved. After all, as someone recently told me, only adopted children go to heaven! (think about that one)

October 25, 2010

First Ultrasound


Here are the pictures from the first ultrasound done on 10/20. We were overjoyed to have the first glimpse of our little miracle and to hear the heart beating. The doctor allowed Cora to see as well. She is a proud big sister and already protective. The doctor was pushing on my stomach some to get the baby to move around a bit. After we left the room, we asked Cora what she thought. She said that she was happy, but was wondering why THAT doctor was pushing her little brother!

On the 20th I was 9 weeks 5 days pregnant with a projected due date of May 20th, 2011. That just happens to be the day of our 16th anniversary.

October 7, 2010

A Miracle for the Paiges

As many of you know, Donald and I have been married for 15 years and have never been able to conceive. In 2003 we tried fertility treatments without success. As the process was becoming considerably more frustrating and stressful, we decided to stop the treatments. That is when God put it on our hearts to adopt. Our daughter, Cora was born in October of 2004 and she was in our home by that December. She is a beautiful gift from God that was a long awaited answer to prayer.

As time went on we began to have the desire for another child. Between raising support as missionaries and going to Costa Rica for a year of language school we were never in one place long enough to adopt again. We fully expected, however that we would adopt once we got settled in Paraguay.

That is when all the obstacles began. The laws for adopting to foreigners kept changing. At first it was that we had to be in the country 1 year before we could adopt, then it changed to 2 years and now it is 3 years. We also have to have our permanent residency, which we still don't have yet. We even spoke to a woman who did private adoptions, but she was requiring a very large fee.

We had many people praying for us, that God would open the doors he wanted us to go through and close the doors that he wanted shut. An older man in our church, a prayer warrior, committed to praying for us every day. However, he was not praying for us to adopt. He was praying for us to get pregnant. I welcomed his prayers, but never quite believed that a pregnancy was possible.

I know that our God is the God of the impossible. Sometimes I just need to be hit over the head with a two by four to really get it. Anyway, this past July we were working hard to get the paperwork completed to turn in for our Permanent Residency status in Paraguay. Part of the process was a psychological exam. We had to do it in the public health center.

Before starting my exam the psychologist asked me how many children I had. I told her that I had one. She then asked if I wanted more children. I explained to her that Cora was adopted and that our desire was to adopt again in Paraguay, but that we were encountering many roadblocks. At that moment the other psychologist who was sitting in the room got up, came close to me and declared:

Her: "No, you are not going to adopt in Paraguay. The Lord just told me that He is going to give you two children of your own."
Me (in shock): "God just told you that?"
Her: "Yes, He told me that just now."
Me (still in shock): "Really?"
Her: "Yes, really."
Me: "Um, Praise God!"

A couple of days later I shared with a friend about what the psychologist had said. She then shared with me that she had been praying one evening and asking God why it was so difficult for me and Donald to adopt. She had felt God say to her, "Why am I going to allow them to adopt if I am going to give them children of their own?"

When we shared what had been said with the prayer warrior in our church, he asked why it took a complete stranger to get me to start believing what he had been proclaiming all along. He then went further to say that I would be pregnant by August or September.

Donald and I began a 21-day Daniel fast a little over 2 weeks ago in order to grow spiritually and pray for specific breakthroughs in our lives. Last week all the food that we could eat was becoming really unappealing to me and I started feeling nauseous. Yesterday morning, on a whim, I decided to do an at-home pregnancy test just to confirm that I was not pregnant (oh the unbelief!).

When I got out of the shower I did a double take as I looked at the positive result on the test stick. My first thought was, "This can't be right!" I then showed Donald. His first reaction was to pray and thank God.

Well, a blood test later that day confirmed the positive result. I am about 7 weeks pregnant. Glory be to God!

He is always faithful to fulfill His promises in His time even despite our periods of unbelief :-)!

July 6, 2010

April to June 2010 Update


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Two Years in Paraguay!
July 1st marked the 2 year anniversary of our arrival in Paraguay. We have not been back to our home in the States during this time. We truly miss all of our family and friends, but have also been blessed by the home and “family” that God has provided for us here. Every day we see His confirmation that we are where He wants us to be.


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Donald has built true friendships with several of the silversmiths he works with. This has allowed him to be a positive influence in their lives and to share the truth in love during challenging circumstances. One example of this was when prostitutes were hanging around the shop and offering their services to the men. Without saying a word, they could sense Donald’s disapproval, and in the end he had the guys praying for the young women!

Carol continues to work at the Nuevo Horizonte School in the mornings while Cora is in class and all day on Wednesdays. She has done some individual counseling with parents and students and holds a weekly Bible study for the 9th grade girls. However, she spends most of her time doing home visits with the school’s chaplain. Even though Nuevo Horizonte is a Christian school and the children are constantly surrounded by the love of Christ, the majority of parents are not believers. It has been amazing to see the way God has opened doors to witness to and pray with these parents during the home visits.


Every day we are witnessing the miracles of God. One of our missionary friends recently wrote that the miracle of a transformed life is just as amazing and glorious as the blind receiving sight and the lame walking. What a miracle it is to see men praying for the women they once saw as purely sexual objects. What a miracle it is for an unbelieving grandmother struggling to raise 4 grandchildren to witness the power of prayer as her daughter contacts her for the 1st time in 3 months and sends her the money she needs.
Please continue to pray for us and that the people of Paraguay will be open to the miraculous power of God’s love. Our prayer for the people these days is based in Acts 16:26:
“Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.”

Lord, let it be so!

Links to photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=66200&id=1332236838&l=f243e03a4a
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=66190&id=1332236838&l=6d785de8cf

April 19, 2010

Another Prayer Request for Mingo's Family

It has been a little over a year since we first sent out the email requesting that you pray for Mingo, a 19-year-old member of our church in need of a kidney transplant. As many of you know, he passed away last November. It was a difficult time for his family and the members of the church, but we were also able to rejoice in the knowledge that he was no longer in pain and that he was ready to meet Jesus face to face.

One of Mingo's sisters, Norma, had the same condition and had a kidney transplant almost 10 years ago. Over the past few months her "new" kidney was progressively getting worse. She went to Sao Paulo, Brazil last month where she could stay with her sister and receive better medical care. We were told that she was first on a waiting list to receive another kidney. We helped her mother buy a bus ticket so that she could make the 20 hour trip to be with Norma.

Sadly, yesterday we found out that Norma had passed away. She was 30-years-old and leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter, Leidy. Please pray for this family! It has only been 5 months since Mingo passed away.

Right now the mother is still in Sao Paulo with one of the sisters trying to figure out how to bring Norma's body back to Paraguay for burial. They were told that it will cost around $1,700 to do so. This is a very poor family and they obviously do not have that kind of money. They will be visiting the Paraguayan embassy in Brazil today to see if the government will be able to help in any way. Please pray that a solution will be found.

Also, please pray for consolation for the family members. Pray that their faith will continue to be a source of strength during this difficult time, especially when they cannot be together. Pray for a safe return for Norma's mother and her daughter, Leidy. Leidy's home was already with her grandparents, but please pray for her little heart as she learns to live life without her mother.

We know that your prayers were a source of strength and comfort for the family while Mingo was sick. We will be visiting with them today, and will again share with them that they are being lifted up by their brothers and sisters in Christ across the miles.

If you feel led to send a note of encouragement to the family, send it to us by email. We will translate it and give it to them.

Thank you for your love and support.

This picture is of the whole family at Romina's (Mingo's sister) 15th birthday celebration. Norma is on the far left next to the sister holding a picture of Mingo.









In this picture Norma is sitting on the bench beside Donald.




March 3, 2010

Important News From the Paiges

Dear friends and family,

This past Sunday we had the opportunity to speak live via web cam during the 10th anniversary services in our home church, New Town UMC. It was such a blessing to share that special day with so many who love and support us in many ways.

During that time we were able to share the way God has used and is using New Town church to impact our lives. Truly, though, God has used all of you, our friends and family, to touch our lives in different ways. We did not have a chance, however, to share about our ministry and financial needs.

Since our arrival in Paraguay in July of 2008, God has continued to confirm that this is indeed the place where He has called us. The fruit is in the ministry. Carol has started her second year at the New Horizon School and is gaining more respect and trust from both the teachers and parents. Her goal this year is to get the social work department set up within the school and to define the role of the social worker. She is also visiting more homes with the school chaplain to pray with parents and will be offering weekly parenting workshops.

Donald continues to visit with the silversmiths on a daily basis and many of them now turn to him for spiritual support. He will soon be starting a Bible study in our home for them. He is now helping out in one of the shops and will be learning how to make filigree from the silversmith there. Donald is also looking to buy some tools in order to start his own workshop in our home.

As most of you know, ALL of our financial support comes from the monthly pledges and one-time gifts of individuals and a few churches. When we came to Paraguay a little over a year and a half ago, we had enough money pledged to us in order to sustain us for 4 years (3 years in Paraguay and 1 year of furlough in the States). When the economy took a turn for the worse, we suddenly lost several supporters without explanation. Over the last 6 months we have consistently been receiving less than our actual monthly expenses. Our budget has not changed and we are actually spending less many months. What has changed is the amount of money coming in.

Now, we have reached a critical point! If we continue to receive less than we are spending, our mission agency, The Mission Society, will not allow us to stay on the field.

It is our desire, and we believe a call from God, to complete our 3 year commitment here. There are so many things within our ministries that have been started and would be left incomplete if we were to return early. We truly do understand the financial situation that is affecting the US and the entire world. We are also deeply grateful for those of you who have been supporting us through your prayers and finances.
If you have never given or have not given in awhile we ask that you prayerfully consider giving through a pledge or one-time gift.
In order to make a gift you can print out the attached form or click on the following link to give online: https://www.themissionsociety.org/forms/onlinedonations/39/
Please specify it as "Paige Support 5/480"
Thank you again for your love and support!

Blessings,

Donald and Carol Paige