PARAGUAY MISSION MONTHLY REPORT SUMMARY

Missionaries: Troy and Andrea Spradlin Mission Field: Asuncin, Paraguay Date/No. of Report: November 2011 / Vol. 3 No. 11

CONGREGATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INVOLVEMENT

Name of congregation: Address: Year established: Present number of members: Avenida Sacramento Iglesia de Cristo Avenida Sacramento 650, c/ Espaa - Asuncin, Paraguay September 2004 41 Family Units (79 Baptized)

Average Bible classes attendance: Sunday 45 Midweek 22 / Other - 6 Worship attendance: Sunday am 52 (6th); 27 (13th); 55 (20th); (27th) 72 Sunday pm 27 (6th); 33 (13th); 27 (20th); (27th) 26 Recent Bible classes: We recently began using the book, Buscando la Verdad as a study guide with the congregation. We watch the video on Wednesday evenings and then break into different Olga Gonzalez de Ugarte about to be baptized by Jorge Vera (R) with the help of Roberto. study groups on Sunday mornings, which allows different men to lead the study. We also role-play various situations to help the Paraguayans become more comfortable sharing this information with their neighbors. Please pray that this useful tool will help them to grow spiritually and be more evangelistic minded. Recent Preaching Opportunities / Topics: I have been developing a series in Spanish under the topic of What is the church of Christ? and preaching regularly on the various characteristics of the church. Recent congregational developments: The church now has all the neccesary drawings to begin construction on the facility, so they are seeking estimates from various general contractors. The men have also decided to go ahead and install the fencing out front in order to prevent misuse and vandalism of the building during late night hours. Recent conversions / identifications / restorations: Baptized! Juan Carlos and Olga Ugarte. She was the childhood school teacher of our brother, Jorge Vera, who is the preacher at Iglesia de Cristo Centro. She recently came into contact again with Jorge, but this time, he became her teacher. After several months of study and attending assemblies, she and her husband both obeyed the Gospel call on November 12, 2011.

Our new brethren in Christ, Olga and Juan Carlos Ugarte

Contacts / Bible studies: Please continue to pray for our current Bible study contacts and visitors: Pedro Escobar, Jose Sanchez, Sara Sanabria, Mabel Ortiz, Ignacio and Mercedes, Hector and Patricia Paredes, Juan Carlos, and Marcelo and Sara. Please also continue to pray for our regular, weekly Bible study groups. Pray the groups will grow and that they encourage our members to invite their family, neighbors, and friends. Evangelistic efforts: Prisilia Santander is searching for the truth! She is the mother of four beautiful children and she wants to find a place where they will all learn the truth of God's word. Her daughter found us on Facebook and asked some very specific doctrinal questions on our page. She liked the responses she received so much that they came to visit! The next day, we went out to their house to study and get to know them better. A neighbor of theirs, Isabelino, also came over to inquire about this new church they had found. We are now praying that the studies will continue and they will come to know the Lord! Steps toward mission goals: The mission team recently updated their Mission Strategy Document that is used to help maintain the mission focus. It is the same strategy document that the team before us developed and we have now adapted it to the current situation with the work. One of our main goals has always been to maintain close working relationships with other congregations in Paraguay. There is currently one other congregation in Paraguay, the Iglesia de Cristo de Centro. They meet in the home of our brother and Paraguayan preacher, Jorge Vera, in the downtown area. We have been visiting with them regularly and attending their Bible study classes. Jorge even came over to preach at Sacramento this past month. It is a real joy to see the harmony and unity that exists between the congregations in Paraguay. Meetings/Efforts with fellow missionaries: Thanksgiving Dinner! Paraguay may not have any idea what this holiday is all about, but we missionaries from the USA certainly haven't forgotten! We planned for this event months in advance and even had some of our fellow Americans bring stuff down when they came to visit. After all the food was prepared, the team sat down and enjoyed a little taste of home. It was a wonderful meal and a great time of fellowship! What a pleasure it was to see and visit with Vanessa and Josh Hardin recently! They came back to Paraguay for a visit and they joined us for our Thanksgiving dinner. Vanessa was part of the original team that planted the church in Paraguay and then married Josh while still on the mission field. Josh led singing during services while they were here and Vanessa was able to attend one of the Ladies Teas.

Ignacio and Mercedes are new to the area and they have been visiting us regularly

Jorge Vera preaching at Centro church of Christ in downtown Asuncion.

Former missionaries to Paraguay, Vanessa and Josh Hardin came back for a visit.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INVOLVEMENT

Personal HIGHLIGHT(s) of the Month: Family Vacation time! Every year around this time, we try take a week off for vacation. This year, we decided that we wanted to get to know Paraguay a little better. We feel much more comfortable with the language now, more confident about driving in the interior, and we have always loved a good adventure. So, with that in mind, we set out on what turned out to be a 2400 km tour that took us to some of the most beautiful areas of Paraguay and some of its most intriguing cities. We also included a stop at Igauzu Falls, but this time, we went to the Argentine side. It was an adventure we will certainly not soon forget! If you would like to watch a video of our little adventure, here is a link to it: http://youtu.be/mMQjxJ2soo0 Personal study: I am currently reading: o The Original Bible, by Randall Price; o Church Doctrines, by Stafford North; and o Christ in the Home by Robert Taylor, Jr. I am also developing a Bible study website in Spanish to provide easy access to some useful resources for the Paraguayan brethren or other Spanish speaking brethren in the kingdom. Andrea has been preparing for her devotional lesson she plans to extend in December at the monthly Ladies' Tea. Family activities: We attended two special concerts this month, both of which included the performance of our sister, Nati Mendoza. She is very talented and the orchestra was just outstanding. Andrea and I went on vaction this month (mentioned above). We took more than 2500 photos because the sights were so beautiful and interesting! We attended an artesan's fair at the US Embassay. Culture and language study: We got an eye and ear full of culture during our family vacation. Traveling through Paraguay and across international borders has given us a lot of confidence in our Spanish communication skills. Visitation: We were blessed to have dinner with the Yegros and Vera families at the same time. We enjoyed fellowship and a Thanksgiving left-overs meal together. Plans for the near future: We are starting to put together our plans for Furlough 2012! We hope to come home for about 7 weeks beginning about April 20th. Notes:

Family Vacation time! We went on a tour of orthern Paraguay and also stopped at Iguazu Falls.

Our sister, atalia ati Mendoza (far right) playing contra bajo at a recent philharmonic concert

We had a special Thanksgiving dinner with Las Amigas club of Paraguay. Andrea is the vice-president and helped organize and emcee the event. I was given the priviledge to lead the prayer for the meal.

Andrea emceed the Las Amigas Thanksgiving Luncheon a fundraising event for local Paraguayan nursing school scholarships.

PARAGUAY MISSIO
Asuncion, Paraguay South America Troy and Andrea Spradlin
Casilla de Correo 13092 Shopping del Sol Asuncion, Paraguay (595) 0981-630-886 We seek to "equip the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:12)

Our Mission Team Goals for 2011:

Evangelism: We plan to make evangelistic efforts as a team through personal Bible studies from contacts generated by public advertising, targeting specific neighborhoods, hosting special events such as Teaching English Using the Bible campaigns, and Special Interest Seminars. We also want to encourage and develop a more evangelistic spirit within the congregation utilizing Friends and Family Days, VBS, Prayer Vigils, Anniversary Service, and Personal Evangelism Training. Elders (Formal Leadership training). We plan to mentor our elder candidates through personal one-on-one meetings with elders visiting from the USA, and through Skype calls. We also plan to study with them on a regular basis, as well as, mentor other promising brothers for leadership positions such as deacons, or evangelists. We hope to develop deeper relationships between the missionaries and the church leaders through regular meals and social gatherings. We will also be developing a Leadership Manual for Elders in Spanish. Edifice (Building Construction): We hope to complete all legal paperwork for construction and secure a loan for the Sacramento congregation. The Paraguayan brothers will have the responsibility of repaying the loan over the next 10 years. We will also assist them in developing detailed plans and construction phases. We also pray to begin construction on phase 1 this year.

Visit us at our websites: PARAGUAYMISSION.COM thespradlins.blogspot.com

OUR SUPPORTERS
Margaret Street church of Christ (Sponsoring Congregation) 6745 Margaret Street Milton, FL 32570 Central Avenue church of Christ Valdosta, GA Dripping Springs church of Christ Dripping Springs, TX Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ West Palm Beach, FL Poolville church of Christ Poolville, TX Clay Bond Family Chet Brown Family Virginia Guess Family