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.

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 :-)!

Mama Helen Book

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April to June 2010 Update

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Two Years in Paraguay!

July 1^st 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 9^th 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 1^st 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

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.