John and Judie Ellison
John and Judie Ellison keep us informed about their work in Paraguay.
As Britain tightens in a wintry grip so Paraguay melts in the sticky heat! Life is on the fast track as the school term draws to a close, the Christmas activities begin and the summer holiday season is about to commence.
The nation of Paraguay is as volatile as ever and economic growth just not there. The new tax laws are beginning to bring some order but corruption is very deep rooted. The increased violence has meant a much greater police presence on the streets and armed guards abound, from outside hairdressing salons, to schools, bakers, supermarkets and more obvious public buildings. !
We still yearn to see more of our church leaders taking greater responsibility in the diocese and are grateful to God for auxiliary bishop Andres and his wife Estela. At present however Andres does not believe that he is the right person to be a diocesan bishop and we are continuing the process of looking for the man of God’s choice through prayer and discussion. Meanwhile John celebrates his 65th birthday on Christmas Eve and we commit the future year to God’s control. We are thankful to have good health, apart from the obvious creaks and tiredness and grateful to God that through so much travelling he has kept us safe.
Another heartfelt desire is to see more young people study the Scriptures and equip themselves for ministry in the church with all its diversity. The Anglican Theological Seminary in Chile has given us open doors but it is not easy for our Paraguayan brethren to spend several years abroad given their family responsibilities. We have had two excellent teaching visits from the Director of the Seminary, César Guzman, which have stimulated us and opened our vision. We are also grateful to SAMS Ireland for sponsoring Raquel Greco for studies in the Belfast Bible Institute & parish work this year and look forward to her arrival back in January.
Our family continues to grow and it will be a wonderful family Christmas this year, hopefully, most of it spent on the beach. Strangely, even after 29 years in South America, it still doesn’t feel quite right to combine Christmas with the summer holidays!
As we review the year we are again impacted by God’s grace and faithfulness to us and we look to Him for 2006. Before we close we want to thank you for your support of the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund which enables us to meet so many diverse needs including treatment of eye cataracts and support for TB patients, to cancer treatment, surgery, medicines, fares and food for patients and family members, repairs to storm damaged houses, mosquito nets and blankets, and help with educational needs. It is always awe inspiring to see how God stretches our “cruise of oil”!
John and Judie Ellison.