Dear Friends & Open Door Family,

Greetings from the warm Filadelfia, in the Paraguayan Chaco (aka hot-and-dry), where we are currently staying with Daniela's parents! They have no internet access, so it's been quite a weaning experience for us, and made it more difficult to stay connected to you in the northern hemisphere. We still do check our mail occasionally, so you are welcome to drop us a line! jerald@opendoorchurch.ca So here's to let you know we miss you, and hope you all can experience the warmth of family and God's love through Jesus as we do during these Christmas days!

One big highlight for me was co-leading worship in German and Spanish in our church here. We had a reunion of sorts, with my cousins from Hillsong Australia and the US - both also on the worship team here back in the day. Together with the current band we were quite the team! With the intense heat we were sweating like crazy; in more ways than one it was hot worship. But all that matters is God was there, and as we drank deeply we were refreshed in his presence!

In the midst of all the family time and re-connecting with old friends, I made a blitz trip on Monday the 21rst to Asuncion my with parents, who had come to visit for the weekend. This was the only way I could spend some time 'in the middle of all the action' with Wendy in Dulce Refugio "Sweet Refuge", a ministry reaching out to kids infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

What a great opportunity to see the whole High Refuge center in full operation! I was amazed at the quality of the construction of the new building, as well as how clean everything was. The staff and volunteers obviously took great pride in 'their' center. It was also evident the space was tight already in places, especially in regards to storing and distributing incoming donations.

I was able to sit down and have a great chat with Wendy about her challenges and opportunities. Some of this I recorded on camera, and will be compiling it soon.

As we were chatting, we were frequently interrupted by mothers requesting milk or other articles for the kids. One woman came in and said she loved what was happening here, and wanted to know how she could 'collaborate'. One little boy came in who was very sad. Wendy told me later he had been abandoned by his mother when her new lover didn't want him in the house. He had always adored his mother, and the sense of rejections was heartbreaking. Wendy just held him close for a long time. Later his grandmother - now primary care giver - said he had recently had a birthday and had waited expectantly all day for the call from his mother... which never came. So Wendy called upstairs and had a volunteer prepare a gift package. He unpacked it right there in
Wendy's office, and his face just lit up! Very powerful to observe.

Tuesday night I jumped on the bus back to the Chaco after spending the evening with Wendy, Mom & Dad, for what turned out to be a 9 hour ride. Now we're here with family for the Christmas days, and then we'll be going to the east side where my bro Anton and Faith live.

I'm thinking of you especially tonight as you have your candlelight service. We'd love to be there too, but are enjoying every moment here as well. Congrats to James & Candice and Jack & Esther on the new arrivals. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Jerald for the Schmidts