Dinner with the Britez Family
We had a chance to see family life in Paraguay.
Host families were recruited to welcome us into their home and become acquainted.
We had a wonderful evening with the Britez family. Father - Guido was an independent
consultant, educated in the United States, who did very similar work to Gary.
His wife Marisol was trained in accounting but preferred to be a homemaker
and
loved
sewing
and
other
crafts,
so Rose felt very at home with her. Their four children, Maria Paz (14), Guido
Jr. (13), Mauricio (8) and Belen (6) made us feel right at home.
 Gary with Guido, Marisol and the two youngest children. They live in a lovely home near downtown Asunción they built about 10 years ago. Like many Paraguayan homes, it opens on a lovely courtyard to take advantage of the warm weather. However, in August it is winter and we dined inside at the family table. |
 Gary and Guido had much in common. Both are independent consultants who do corporate training. They shared many strategies over dinner. |
 Anna Rose and Maria Paz. Maria had just returned from a trip to Disney World in celebration of her 15th birthday. |
 We sat at the table and chatted till well past the children's bedtime. This is a photo of our group sent to us by Guido via e-mail. Our world is getting so much smaller and this technology will have a phenomenal impact on places like Paraguay. |
Project for the People of Paraguay
For the nearly 10 years, our family has sponsored a Paraguayan girl named Maria del Carmen. She and her family have few resources and were accepted into the Project for the people of Paraguay - a program that provides sponsors for families in poverty and supporting services such as dental and mental health care, job training and the opportunity to participate in Habitat for Humanity. This project was founded by Sherri Bitzen, who we met in Paraguay in 1989 when we both were adopting our sons. The goal is to deal with the conditions that created the need for children to be adopted, and help keep families together. For years we have felt that Maria was a part of our family. We receive photos and updates on her progress from the project several times a year. We have watched her grow and are proud of how well she is doing in school. We know that our support has provided Maria and her family with some of the help they needed to make changes in their lives that benefit their children. We looked forward to meeting Maria in person and for the chance to give her some gifts from the United States.
 Our family with Maria. She had been at the PPP office since 8:30 that morning. We didn't arrive till 11. The office is a 1 hour bus ride from her home. She had permission to miss school that day so she could meet with us. |
 Paul, Anna and Maria outside the Project for the People of Paraguay office. Paul and Anna Rose had a lively conversation with her and we appreciated their skills in Spanish. Maria told us she is interested in finishing high school and becoming a policewoman. Go for it Maria! |
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