Fiona@FEISA

New blog

2009-07-19T02:13:00.003-04:00

For new posts by Fiona, please visit anhelando el cielo© Fiona L Cooper 2009

The Last Post

2009-07-09T23:06:00.003-04:00

As of Friday 3rd July, I no longer work at FEISA.A number of funding difficulties at FEISA have led the Anglican Church in Paraguay (the body financially responsible for FEISA) to carry out a restructuring of the institution. As part of that restructuring, several jobs have been eliminated and mine was one of them.I feel privileged to have been part of FEISA for these three and a half years. I

FEISA Graduates

2009-07-01T21:02:00.003-04:00

FEISA's vision is to train early years teachers to the highest standard in order to develop in children their full potential and so generate a transformation of society. Our graduates are working in many different contexts. Some of them are at the frontline of the struggle to transform Paraguay by giving children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to high quality

Aim Lower, Think Smaller...

2009-06-12T00:42:00.004-04:00

"How to Not Mess Up the Great Commission Too Much"This video was shown to us at the end of the conference in Lima. It really demonstrates the high priority children's ministry should have, the world over:© Fiona L Cooper 2009

SIM Children's Ministry Conference

2009-06-11T21:51:00.004-04:00

We gathered together from different countries in South America, with one purpose; to enrich our ministries amongst the children of our continent. From Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Paraguay came national children's workers and missionaries, to learn from the wisdom and experience of Betty and David Constance, our speakers for the week. We met in a lovely old hotel in Lima, under the grey skies of

Ted Dekker on Christianity

2009-05-15T11:28:00.004-04:00

Ted Dekker has written a blog post about his perspectives on Christianity. It explains neatly how I feel about my faith too:SCOURGE OF THE EARTH or compassionate lovers of human kind? Depending on where you live and what your experience is, Christians may be identified as either one, and, much to the chagrin of those who use the label to describe themselves, legitimately so. It all boils down to

Oh Dear...

2009-04-25T12:38:00.003-04:00

More revelations about Lugo's past... see the BBC articles below:Paternity Claims Harm Paraguayan LeaderSex Row Paraguay Leader to Stay© Fiona L Cooper 2009

Besos (the joys and pitfalls of greetings in Paraguay)

2009-04-19T22:19:00.004-04:00

One of the aspects to living in a Latin culture that sometimes takes a bit of getting used to for those from more reserved parts of the world is the touchy-feely nature of greetings. You have to get up close and personal!In Paraguay that means, as a woman, you get to kiss other women on both cheeks and shake hands with the men (and in more familiar settings, you kiss the men too). The kissing

Celibacy, the Priesthood and Paraguay

2009-04-15T00:42:00.008-04:00

I've been pondering the subject of celibacy since Lugo's admission on Monday of fathering a child while he was a Catholic bishop (see previous post). Priests in the Catholic church are committed to celibacy. Yet there are so very many stories of priests who have affairs, and others who abuse boys, that I wonder just what proportion of the priesthood do actually make it to the end of their life

Lugo - Just A Man After All

2009-04-13T18:03:00.008-04:00

I am dismayed to discover that the new President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, has admitted to fathering a child while he was a (Catholic) bishop.The accusation was made last week by the child's mother and when I saw the headlines, I imagined it to be a plot by the opposition to attack the government. You know, find a girl who's got a child and pay her to go to the papers with her "story." The

Technology- friend or foe?

2009-03-07T23:42:00.011-03:00

Technology. It's a huge blessing in my life. I can get in touch with my friends and family thousands of miles away in an instant. There is an enormous, seemingly infinite library of information on the web, which means I never have to wonder for long about something without being able to find the answer, or at least, someone's interpretation of the answer. I can buy things without leaving my

Training Teachers in the Chaco

2009-03-01T18:45:00.004-03:00

The river Paraguay splits this land-locked country in two: The eastern half is lush and fertile, while the western half is a dry, flat and harsh region they call the Chaco.There are indigenous communities in both parts of the country, speaking a variety of languages. FEISA has had links for a number of years with indigenous communities in one particular part of the Chaco. The college has run

Successful "Fun English" Workshop

2009-02-14T18:46:00.010-03:00

Following on from the success of my workshop erm, two years ago (!) I once again offered my wisdom and experience to any and all teachers who were interested in teaching young children English in a creative and fun way.We'd done the publicity for the workshop, and asked people to sign up if they were interested, so that we knew how many people to expect. By yesterday evening, we had a grand

Flying visit to Iguazú

2009-02-09T21:08:00.004-03:00

This weekend just gone I went with 3 colleagues to Iguazú Falls on the Brazil/Argentina border, to the East of Paraguay. It was great fun and the weather was beautiful. The rivers were high so there was a lot of water coming over the falls and it was awe-inspiring to experience all that stunning scenery. We saw some beautiful butterflies, interesting birds and even a group of monkeys who were

Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for Gaza

2009-01-27T13:17:00.006-03:00

The BBC has refused to air the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for aid for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The broadcasters say it will compromise their impartiality. A respected politician, Tony Benn, says the BBC is bowing to pressure from the Israeli government. I think that the appeal for help has nothing to do with politics. The fact is, there are people dying, people without homes

Transition Blues

2009-01-26T16:06:00.008-03:00

I went home for Christmas. I only told a very few people because I knew I wouldn't have time to see anyone else. I was in the UK for a month. I spent Christmas with my family in Newcastle, had a couple of wonderful days in the Lakes with a friend for Hogmanay and briefly saw other friends on my way down south to Heathrow and the journey back to Paraguay.Now I'm back in Paraguay, where I belong

God in the unknown

2009-01-14T20:25:00.004-03:00

I recently got an email from a dear friend, about searching for God's will. I wanted to share her beautiful and encouraging words:"Who wants what God does not? I don't. Only His perfect will will do!! Right? So, back to the beautiful place of waiting in wonder for that very will to unfold.""God makes all things beautiful in His own time. God's ways are perfect and if you sit with an unknown

Season's Greetings 2008

2008-12-18T18:50:00.003-03:00

Walbottle Village First School 1980 Class 2

2008-11-19T21:40:00.005-03:00

Dad found this in the attic the other day and sent it to me and my brother (who are both in the picture). Isn't it wonderful? I would have been about 7 and Keith would have been about 6. Keith and I spent some time yesterday on Yahoo Messenger identifying as many of our old classmates as we could. He was really good, I was well impressed with his recall of names. I was rubbish - I could only

The Joy of Singleness

2008-11-06T02:38:00.005-03:00

I'm done with self-pity.I'm over feeling sorry for myself.I've had enough of wallowing.It's time to challenge the assumption which is prevalent in society and the church that marriage is inherently better than singleness. It's not. Look at what Jesus and Paul say (Matt 19:11-12; 1 Cor 7:27-28 & 32-34). Jesus himself was single, in a culture where it was by far the norm to marry. In our

Teaching and Learning in the Chaco

2008-10-30T21:31:00.012-03:00

Last week I had the privilege of accompanying the third year FEISA students on a trip to various communities in the remote and inhospitable Chaco region of Paraguay. The purpose of this yearly outing is to give the students who are about to graduate the opportunity to see different kinds of educational projects being run in indigenous and Mennonite communities. Most of them only have experience

Friendship

2008-10-29T22:27:00.005-03:00

Here is a tribute to three beautiful women who have blessed me with their friendship over the past three years and who are all heading in new directions very soon. Alyssa, Kelly and Stacy, this is for you:Friendship is the warmth of a long hug.Friendship is long conversations about God and life.Friendship is praying together.Friendship is the challenge of a new way of understanding the

Beautiful Buenos Aires

2008-10-15T22:03:00.004-04:00

I got back yesterday at about 9am from a crazy weekend in the capital of Argentina with a group of SIM-Paraguay friends. Three of the group are energetic types who had decided to run the BA marathon, which took place on Sunday. The rest of us went to give them encouragement, and to see a different part of the continent while we were at it.The weekend was crazy for many, many reasons, the first

The Shack, a follow-up story

2008-10-09T22:29:00.006-04:00

I read this novel by William P. Young a couple of months ago and was blown away by the freshness of a new vision of God and Christianity that I found there. I know it has caused A LOT of controversy, but I loved it. I won't go as far as saying everyone should read it: If you don't want to, that's fine. However, please don't criticise the book unless you've actually read it. There's nothing

warm the cockles of your heart

2008-10-07T20:35:00.002-04:00

with a story about... ice!You know how on a hot summer's day there's nothing better than an iced drink? Well here in Paraguay, there are lots of hot days. One of the ways Paraguayans keep cool is by drinking an ice-cold "tea" made with a native herb. The drink is called terere (pronounced teyreyrey, sort of!) and is drunk by first filling a wooden beaker with the herb, pouring iced water from

Teacher Training

2008-10-04T21:57:00.005-04:00

Did you know that for every time you say something critical to a child, you need to say six positive things to counteract the bad feeling caused by that one negative comment? I found it very useful when I was told that during my own teacher training and I tried to put it into practice, though I must admit to never making it to that ratio. When you think about it, though, even as adults we feel

Teaching News

2008-09-25T21:46:00.009-04:00

Yesterday was the final exam for the English part of the new degree extension course. Hooray that it's finally over! Not that I didn't enjoy teaching it, but on the whole, this new 2 year program has been extraordinarily badly organised. Things seem to get started without enough thought as to how exactly they're going to work out, then when problems begin to appear, changes are made in haste

Introvert or Extrovert? THAT is the Question!

2008-09-22T23:53:00.011-04:00

The world can be divided in many ways; between women and men; singles and married; those who love Marmite and those who hate it; those who live in the country and those who live in a town; the list is endless. But one of the more significant divisions is that between the extroverts and the introverts. Here's a conversation I overheard between "Ida" the introvert and "Eve" the extrovert, who

Letter to the discouraged single girl in search of a husband

2008-09-09T21:09:00.015-04:00

Dear friend,You and I both grew up, as all girls do, assuming that we would get married one day. At first I thought that maybe I would marry one of the boys at school... I'd probably meet my husband at university... Then my friends started getting married and I knew my time would come soon... When I reached my late twenties and there still wasn't a husband on the horizon, I really thought God

Crazy Weather!

2008-09-05T19:18:00.008-04:00

As you know, Paraguay's winter months are June through to August, more or less. The temperatures have been known to go as low as 0ºC during the night, though I'm pretty sure it's never snowed! This year, we had a cold-ish June but then July, which is usually the coldest month, was beautiful, with temperatures around 25º during the day. August was pretty variable, but generally cool to warm, no

A Historic Day

2008-08-15T23:58:00.010-04:00

"Today marks the end of an elitist Paraguay, a secretive Paraguay, a Paraguay famous for corruption. Today marks the beginning of a Paraguay in which the authorities will be relentless against thieves."*Fernando Lugo, the former bishop who won the presidential elections on 20th April, was sworn in today as the first non-Colorado Party president for 61 years. In a break from protocol, he wore a

Perichoresis

2008-08-02T17:53:00.009-04:00

I have been reading several books recently that have deeply affected the way I see God and have had a profound impact on my relationship with him: Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell; Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, by Eugene Peterson; The Shack, by William P Young and Song of Songs, by God (!). I have also been spending time with my friend Kelly and our conversations have deepened my perspective

Fun English on the web!

2008-07-21T21:49:00.005-04:00

I've just uploaded my guidebook for teaching English to young children to a site called Scribd. There's a Spanish version and an English version, both available either to look at online or to download as a pdf.Here is the English version for you to read right now! If you want to see it full-screen, click on the small rectangular icon on the top right of the viewer.It is the product of many

Celibacy In Print!

2008-07-02T23:20:00.004-04:00

It's very exciting because I've just seen my article, Sex and the single 30-something, published in the July edition of Evangelicals Now, a monthly magazine from the UK. It is my blog post (see the link on the right), adapted slightly. They kindly sent me a complimentary copy and there's a lot of interesting stuff in it.Here's a quote from a book I'm reading at the moment, which sums up the

Work Update

2008-06-21T14:17:00.005-04:00

This photo shows students during a games afternoonMy different roles at the college are very much a challenge this year, particularly as Head of English. The situation with English is complicated and involves unhappy students, staff shortages and over-demanding teachers. I’m not enjoying the responsibility at all. I'd appreciate your prayers for the wisdom to know what to do, the courage to do

The Big Fat Lie About Romance

2008-05-28T00:52:00.004-04:00

I'm going to have a bit of a rant now. Well, after all, this is my blog and isn't that what these things are designed for?I am FED UP with the lies that we are constantly sold about romance. They come from television programmes, advertisements, films, books and magazines. But we get them most from the telly that we all spend so much time watching. There's an advert here in Paraguay for a body

Singleness on the Mission Field

2008-05-03T16:01:00.005-04:00

Following my blog on Sex and the Single Thirty-Something, I was asked to write an article for Oscar, the online mission resource site. Find it here

Dawn of a New Era

2008-04-26T21:25:00.003-04:00

There's a new hope in the air after last weekend's elections. Many could hardly believe that the reign of the Colorado Party was finally over. The atmosphere at work on Monday was reminiscent of the 1997 defeat of the Conservative Party by Labour in the general elections. Everyone was smiling and no-one talked about anything else. Newspapers are calling the 20th April 2008 the second most

New President for Paraguay

2008-04-20T23:09:00.003-04:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Fernando Lugo en Trinidad, originally uploaded by Fernando Lugo APC. This is Fernando Lugo, Paraguay's newly-elected president. He was a priest and then bishop for many years in a very poor part of Paraguay. He has gained

"This is your year!"

2008-02-21T23:49:00.003-03:00

"Este es tu año" (This is your year), said Gloria, the Head of the Academic Dept at FEISA, just after she'd suggested that perhaps I should take on the role of Co-ordinator of the English Dept. It was not the first time I'd been approached about the role, but the last time had been over a year ago and I'd put the kibosh on it quite quickly and effectively by stating my lack of experience, which

Sex and the Single Thirty-Something

2008-02-03T17:37:00.004-03:00

This is an issue I have been dealing with for many years and here are some conclusions I have arrived at:What God saysIf you are not married, God says you should abstain from sex. Why? Because God designed sex as a covenant act between a husband and a wife, a gift of intimacy with the person you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with. It is a physical act and a spiritual act and the

fiona & helen

2008-01-03T19:57:00.002-03:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } fiona & helen, originally uploaded by fiona cooper. On top of the tower at Capernwray Hall in Lancashire, where we were staying for a New Year holiday with 175 others. This was taken during a rare hour of sunshine - it

family portrait

2008-01-03T19:53:00.002-03:00

Season's Greetings

2007-12-19T20:34:00.001-03:00

a refreshing few days

2007-12-19T20:14:00.004-03:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } arantxa & fiona, originally uploaded by fiona cooper. I got back yesterday from a lovely time visiting my friend Arantxa in Salamanca, Spain. It was the first time in three years that I'd been back there and I loved every

me and mum

2007-11-15T23:30:00.002-03:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } me and mum, originally uploaded by fiona cooper. I just found this photo again, taken when Mum and Dad were here in October; I love it! We were messing around with the photo booth programme on my computer. (on the bed in

a busy couple of months

2007-11-08T23:12:00.002-03:00

It's been a while, I know. There has been a lot going on at work but nothing new or unusual enough for me to feel the urge to write about it. I did workshops with the 1st and 2nd year teacher trainees on how to teach English to young children. The second year group are a lovely bunch of girls; we are blessed to have them at FEISA, and they were very enthusiastic from the beginning. The first

Cynthia's Story

2007-09-02T12:56:00.000-04:00

In order to give you a view of how FEISA is impacting lives, here's the story of one student, who was in my English class last year: (photo of Cynthia at a play scheme this year)"The love of God called me in 2006 when I was lost in the world, in religiosity, empty and with serious problems in my marriage. That January, I saw an advert in the newspaper for the Early Years Teacher Training course

giving blood

2007-08-17T10:44:00.000-04:00

I was sitting on my sofa at 11pm one evening last week. I'd just watched the latest episode of my favourite Brazilian soap opera (dubbed into Spanish, I particularly enjoy the fact that these stories differ from Eastenders and Coronation Street by having an end; they last a few months, are on every night for an hour each, and you watch the story with all its subplots developing, knowing that

Hillsong Disappointment

2007-08-07T23:57:00.000-04:00

I arrived at the stadium hot and sweaty after the 15 minute walk from work with my friend and colleague, Noemí. We had made our excuses and left work early for the concert that was due to start in 2 hours' time and I had misjudged the weather yet again in this Paraguayan winter, wearing warm clothes on an afternoon that turned out to be warm and muggy. Hillsong, the Australian worship team,

half way through the year already!

2007-07-06T15:05:00.001-04:00

How time flies! We're just about to start our 2 week winter break and I'm quite amazed at how this first semester has sped by.We had the exam for the 3rd years' course on teaching English to young children and I was very impressed with how well all the students did. They had to teach an activity to the rest of the students, as though they were doing it with a class of 5-year-olds. I was really

corruption deep and widespread

2007-05-28T21:08:00.001-04:00

One evening as I was watching the news, three stories caught my attention:The first was about a project the government set up to provide a glass of milk a day for the poorest children in Paraguay. It was discovered that some of the milk the children were being given was practically devoid of any nutrients, having been made up from milk derivatives instead of being pure milk. The second story

college life continues...

2007-05-28T21:06:00.002-04:00

“We want to have fun!” said the 3rd year girls when I asked them what their expectations were for the course I’m teaching them on how to teach English to very young children. It was the beginning of the first lesson of the module and it was really not the kind of response I was expecting at all!! They obviously remember the workshops I did with them on the same topic last September and were

Fame at last!!

2007-05-19T23:10:00.000-04:00

"Ah, you're Fiona Cooper, I've heard about you!" So said Nelson Aguilera, a university bigwig and author, when he read my name badge as the conference speakers were having lunch on Friday. It was the Paraguayan conference of the Association of Christian Schools International and I was there to do two workshops on teaching English in a fun way to 3-11 year olds. I'd heard a lot about him, he's

Wish you were here?

2007-04-15T15:22:00.000-04:00

"I wish it was me!""It's so exciting what you're doing!""My life seems very ordinary in comparison."Those are quotes from people in the UK on hearing about what I'm doing here, on the other side of the world. It's true, it is exciting for me to be here, using my gifts and skills in this work I've been called to. However, I think the key to my joy is in the last few words of that sentence; the

Drenched (doesn't come close to describing it)!

2007-04-02T16:41:00.001-04:00

On Saturday 31st March I went to a concert by an Argentinian group, with the youth from church. The concert was organised to promote a "Paraguay without drugs or violence", in remembrance of some youth who had lost their lives when they were fired upon at a peaceful demonstration against the government in 1999. The event was held at a football stadium. It rained the morning of the concert,

Fun English for Kids

2007-03-07T12:23:00.001-03:00

My workshop on Saturday was a success!Thank you to all who prayed. It was a miracle, but everything got done in time and I was only a little bit nervous! I spent last week running around doing last minute things like getting my flashcards laminated and recording the songs onto CD (yes, I am officially a Recording Artist!) and supervising the printing and photocopying of the booklet (see the

English teaching workshop

2007-02-17T13:37:00.000-03:00

On Wednesday this week, I went with Ana, the head of teaching practices at FEISA, to a meeting with the director of ACSI Paraguay (the Christian schools network), to ask for ACSI's help in publicising and organising a workshop for people who teach English to very young children. It was a great meeting, Esteban, the ACSI director, was very positive about the idea of the workshop and the materials

wildlife

2007-02-17T13:16:00.000-03:00

This is an insect (some kind of cricket?) that spent a week on (the outside of) my kitchen window, munching away on this plant that had grown up from the ground below over Christmas. It's body is about 3 inches long. I could see it breathing! I was very glad that we were separated by glass!

Dengue fever

2007-02-17T12:55:00.000-03:00

I arrived back in Paraguay at the end of January to find the country in the middle of an epidemic of dengue fever, which is a disease carried by mosquitoes. There has been a lot of rain recently, which has led to an increase in pools of standing water in gardens and gutters all around. The mosquitoes have taken advantage of these new breeding grounds and are multiplying like crazy! The

Reflections on a year in Paraguay

2006-12-22T09:01:00.000-03:00

This first year in Paraguay has been one of great highs interspersed with some lows. Getting used to a new culture is never easy; there are too many things you take for granted in your own country and adapting to new ways of doing things always takes time. Yet it is a wonderful thing to know that you're doing what God's called you to do and, of course, there have been many blessings along the

Learning Guaraní

2006-11-16T13:41:00.000-03:00

Mba'eichapa! I'm doing an intensive 3 week course of Guaraní at the moment. It is the first language of the majority of Paraguayans and is known as their "heart" language. It's the language of poetry and humour and, if you want to get to know Paraguay well, it's a great insight into the culture.Learning Guarani is great for me as a Level 1 English teacher here at FEISA, the teacher training

End of year show in the indigenous community

2006-10-30T16:59:00.000-03:00

In the vast, inhospitable part of Paraguay known as the Chaco, there is a community of indigenous people who have been receiving training from FEISA staff this year. The purpose of the training has been to improve the standard of pre-school teaching in the community. It has involved several of the women committing themselves to the monthly training sessions and helping out in the pre-school class

Mobile Play Scheme

2006-10-19T17:57:00.000-03:00

"I don't have a home" a little boy said to Noemí, one of the teacher trainers at FEISA (St Andrew's Early Years Teacher Training College). The college runs a mobile play scheme, which entails taking a whole load of donated toys to churches and schools and inviting disadvantaged children aged 3-8 to play freely for a couple of hours. This month, we've been taking the toys to charity schools, where

English Teaching Workshops

2006-10-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

I've now done workshops with the first and second years on how to teach English and other languages to young children. I'm very pleased to say that they went well and the students all gave me positive feedback. I taught them songs and games and gave them advice on how to read a story, give instructions, structure a lesson etc. Here are some comments from the students:"I liked the variety of

Mum & Dad in South America

2006-10-10T18:35:00.000-04:00

Here's a photo of my parents' visit to the Iguazú falls, on the Brazilian-Argentinian border. Mum and Dad came to visit me for nearly three weeks and seem to have enjoyed their time very much. We did many of the touristy things, and even got to see a real live monkey in the rainforest! It was really great to have them here and show them where I live and work, and also for them to meet many of

What?Who?Where?Why?

2006-09-21T15:29:00.000-04:00

Here's an introduction into what I'm doing here, so far away from home!To transform the lives of children by training and equipping teachers who will teach with creativity, integrity and love. That’s the vision of “Formación en Educación Inicial San Andrés” (St Andrew’s Early Years Teacher Training College, or FEISA for short) in Asunción, Paraguay. We aim to provide high quality teacher training