Here are some random photos from all that we´ve been doing!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Games, Dances and Sunday Services
All continues to be well in Paraguay -- after a few days of rain which prevented us from doing the painting we were doing, the sun is out and today is beautiful. We spent the morning playing with the children. For many of us it´s the first time we´ve tried our hand, or I should say, our feet, at playing soccer, which is called football here! It´s a lot of fun and good exercise too! Some of us have even scored some goals for the first time! I have to admit I was a bit nervous because one of the boys on my team,Carlos, kept saying ¨Come on, Lindsay! Go down the field!¨ I would much rather play defense, but he insisted on helping me get a goal, and I finally did!
This week we will continue our painting work and in the late afternoons we will be doing our VBS for the kids at the Home. We also have some excursions planned to see a little more of the capital and also to visit the Medical Clinic.
Yesterday was jam packed! It started with a morning service here at the Villa Mora Corps. The Colonels Neusch who are responsible for this territory were here as well as the Commisioners Swanson. The children from the Home sang a song together, our group did a dance, and a group of children from Vinas Cue did a timbrels number. After the service, we had a birthday celebration. Every six month they decorate with balloons and have cakes for every one who celebrated a birthday in the last six months. They invite the children´s parents, and afterwards they have an afternoon of sports adn games.
The visit of the parents was very interesting to see. For some of the kids, it had a positive impact, but for others it was very difficult. then there were those whose parents didn´t come or who don´t have parents to come and I think for them it was somewhat depressing. One little girl, Miryan´s mom came, but it was obvious that she was trying to get out as quickly as possible. When she left, Miryan cried for at least an hour. As we consoled her, I noticed that she was clutching some money in her hand. Her mom had given her some money, probably to make herself feel better about leaving, but it was obvious that this was no consolation to a little girl who just wants a mom and someone to make her special.
the crazy thing is that so much of our ministry here is playing with kids and just being with them. This is what they need more than anything else. When I think of all of them not having one person in the world to call their own, to whom they are the most important in all the world, it makes me sad. It also makes me give thanks to God for my mother, and for the blessing of having someone who loved me and made me feel special.
In the evening we went to the San Lorenzo corps. It was a beautiful meeting with a lovely spirit to it. San Lorenzo is a corps that has seen a lot of growth. They have 40 adolescents and 100 children in their programs! God truly is blessing the work there! Commisioner Swanson gave the message and it was about suffering for the gospel -- which many of the people here do. It was definitely a call to serve Christ no matter what the cost and I thought it was very inspirational. The meeting ended with a Paraguayan dance with the young people in traditional clothing!
Speaking of dancing, one night we were coming home from our VBS in Vinas Cue and we passed a dance school with big windows where we could see a group of dancers dancing a traditional Paraguayan dance where they put bottles on their heads and balance them there. it was quite impressive and all of us took out our cameras to take photos. The Captain turned the car around so that we could get a better shot, and the cameras were flashing away as if we were the paparazzi!! The dancers became a little self-conscious and stopped dancing! But at this point Estith was already running up to the man at the front door and telling him who we were, etc. The next thing we know, we were all invited inside! There they did 3 dances for us -- and each one was awesome! But they said it was going to be a trade off, they wanted to see us dance too! So before they would do their dances, Leilani had to show a dance from Puerto Rico, and Ashley did a dance from TAM!!! As we were leaving, we went thru the line giving everyone the customary greeting of 2 kisses, one on each check. There were at least 20 dancers and 8 of us so as you can imagine it took a while! Only after we left did the Captain tell us that we didn´t have to give them 2 besos! He said that is only for people that you know really well. . Well, during our cultural orientation, we were told the greeting in Paraguay was 2 besos, no one clarified it by saying it depended on how well you know the people! So the Captain was laughing at all of us and saying that the dancers would never forget that group of missionaries who came and kissed all of them! We felt so embarrassed!
On another note, we all had the chance to try Mate, the traditional tea drink here. I think the reactions were mixed. I really liked it and found it to be much more flavorful than regular tea. Basically the people fill up an entire cup with herbs add a little water and drink it thru a special type of metal straw. It´s served very hot. This drink is a HUGE part of the culture. You see people everywhere with their mate cups and also with a special kind of thermos of water. The people even bring all of this when they go to the mall! It´s incredible!
Well, that´s all for now! Thank you again for all of your prayers! God Bless You All!
Lindsay
This week we will continue our painting work and in the late afternoons we will be doing our VBS for the kids at the Home. We also have some excursions planned to see a little more of the capital and also to visit the Medical Clinic.
Yesterday was jam packed! It started with a morning service here at the Villa Mora Corps. The Colonels Neusch who are responsible for this territory were here as well as the Commisioners Swanson. The children from the Home sang a song together, our group did a dance, and a group of children from Vinas Cue did a timbrels number. After the service, we had a birthday celebration. Every six month they decorate with balloons and have cakes for every one who celebrated a birthday in the last six months. They invite the children´s parents, and afterwards they have an afternoon of sports adn games.
The visit of the parents was very interesting to see. For some of the kids, it had a positive impact, but for others it was very difficult. then there were those whose parents didn´t come or who don´t have parents to come and I think for them it was somewhat depressing. One little girl, Miryan´s mom came, but it was obvious that she was trying to get out as quickly as possible. When she left, Miryan cried for at least an hour. As we consoled her, I noticed that she was clutching some money in her hand. Her mom had given her some money, probably to make herself feel better about leaving, but it was obvious that this was no consolation to a little girl who just wants a mom and someone to make her special.
the crazy thing is that so much of our ministry here is playing with kids and just being with them. This is what they need more than anything else. When I think of all of them not having one person in the world to call their own, to whom they are the most important in all the world, it makes me sad. It also makes me give thanks to God for my mother, and for the blessing of having someone who loved me and made me feel special.
In the evening we went to the San Lorenzo corps. It was a beautiful meeting with a lovely spirit to it. San Lorenzo is a corps that has seen a lot of growth. They have 40 adolescents and 100 children in their programs! God truly is blessing the work there! Commisioner Swanson gave the message and it was about suffering for the gospel -- which many of the people here do. It was definitely a call to serve Christ no matter what the cost and I thought it was very inspirational. The meeting ended with a Paraguayan dance with the young people in traditional clothing!
Speaking of dancing, one night we were coming home from our VBS in Vinas Cue and we passed a dance school with big windows where we could see a group of dancers dancing a traditional Paraguayan dance where they put bottles on their heads and balance them there. it was quite impressive and all of us took out our cameras to take photos. The Captain turned the car around so that we could get a better shot, and the cameras were flashing away as if we were the paparazzi!! The dancers became a little self-conscious and stopped dancing! But at this point Estith was already running up to the man at the front door and telling him who we were, etc. The next thing we know, we were all invited inside! There they did 3 dances for us -- and each one was awesome! But they said it was going to be a trade off, they wanted to see us dance too! So before they would do their dances, Leilani had to show a dance from Puerto Rico, and Ashley did a dance from TAM!!! As we were leaving, we went thru the line giving everyone the customary greeting of 2 kisses, one on each check. There were at least 20 dancers and 8 of us so as you can imagine it took a while! Only after we left did the Captain tell us that we didn´t have to give them 2 besos! He said that is only for people that you know really well. . Well, during our cultural orientation, we were told the greeting in Paraguay was 2 besos, no one clarified it by saying it depended on how well you know the people! So the Captain was laughing at all of us and saying that the dancers would never forget that group of missionaries who came and kissed all of them! We felt so embarrassed!
On another note, we all had the chance to try Mate, the traditional tea drink here. I think the reactions were mixed. I really liked it and found it to be much more flavorful than regular tea. Basically the people fill up an entire cup with herbs add a little water and drink it thru a special type of metal straw. It´s served very hot. This drink is a HUGE part of the culture. You see people everywhere with their mate cups and also with a special kind of thermos of water. The people even bring all of this when they go to the mall! It´s incredible!
Well, that´s all for now! Thank you again for all of your prayers! God Bless You All!
Lindsay
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
El Redil Childrens Home
We are currently in Paraguay at El Redil Childrens home. We have been here for about 5 days now (15 more days here) and we have learned so much about the terrible conditions the children from this home have come from and are going through.
Felix is 9 years old and is diagnosed with scabes. When he first arrived at the home in February he had all open wounds all over his body and they almost couldn´t let him live here because they thought it would be contagious. Now after a few months his skin is still red and swollen all over his body but it´s not as bad. He has to get special treatment done which is very expensive and there is no money in the Army in Paraguay so they struggle to get the finiancial help necessary to help his condition.
Sylvia and Librada are sisters at the home. Their mother left them when they were very young and they were extremely malnurished to the point where they didn´t even know how to chew. The captain acutally had to grab their jaw and their head to show them that they were able to chew. Slyvia´s case was so severe that she can´t walk properly and her condition is irreversible. Librada is 13 and looks 8 because of her malnutrition and she has kidney failure and she needs open heart surgery but it´s very dangerous and very expensive. They both have lice and the staff had to cut their hair really short. Because their hair is so short many of the children make fun of them calling them men.
WHen Felix and his sister Miriam arrived here they didn´t speak any spanish (only the native Guarani) and had no shoes and had never seen silverware before. They didn´t know how to eat. And when they were given a plate of food they only ate the yuca (which is a plain starchy potatoe that just makes you feel full, it´s not very nutritious and tastes gross).
THese are just a few of the many stories we have been told about the children in this home. It´s so devastating to see. We have been working on repairing the building but it still needs a whole lot of work.
Every day we drop off the children at their school which is the worst school in the area, nobody wants to put their kids in that school. But the home is forced to make them go there because they have no money to put them anywhere else. The teachers at the school don´t even call these children by their names. They just say "hey kid from the home." One kid from the home actually got sliced in the head with a scissor by another kid from the school. It is just terrible. The education there is corrupt, the kids will graduate from a grade even if they fail. So kids can be in 6th grade and not even know how to read. There is a better school close to the home but it costs ten dollars a month per child.
There is also an outpost that the officers who are stationed at the home run. Since there was no money for the outpost some of the people in the community had to help build it. They got the supplies donated from various companies. It doesn´t even have four walls. It has three walls and half of a roof. Half of that roof is filled with holes (which is metal sheet) The ground is made up of broken slabs and dirt. The bricks that make up the walls are all different shapes and sizes. It´s in a very poor neighborhood. We walked around inviting kids to vacation bible school and saw some of the homes that they live in. Most of the kids either have sandals or no shoes and we were wearing like 5 layers and we were still cold! Though there is a great language barrier between us, all they want to do is be hugged and loved. It breaks our heart.
We are telling you all this because we want to do something about it. We feel it is our duty to reach out to these kids and the country of Paraguay.
Allison, Lilybeth and Ashley
Felix is 9 years old and is diagnosed with scabes. When he first arrived at the home in February he had all open wounds all over his body and they almost couldn´t let him live here because they thought it would be contagious. Now after a few months his skin is still red and swollen all over his body but it´s not as bad. He has to get special treatment done which is very expensive and there is no money in the Army in Paraguay so they struggle to get the finiancial help necessary to help his condition.
Sylvia and Librada are sisters at the home. Their mother left them when they were very young and they were extremely malnurished to the point where they didn´t even know how to chew. The captain acutally had to grab their jaw and their head to show them that they were able to chew. Slyvia´s case was so severe that she can´t walk properly and her condition is irreversible. Librada is 13 and looks 8 because of her malnutrition and she has kidney failure and she needs open heart surgery but it´s very dangerous and very expensive. They both have lice and the staff had to cut their hair really short. Because their hair is so short many of the children make fun of them calling them men.
WHen Felix and his sister Miriam arrived here they didn´t speak any spanish (only the native Guarani) and had no shoes and had never seen silverware before. They didn´t know how to eat. And when they were given a plate of food they only ate the yuca (which is a plain starchy potatoe that just makes you feel full, it´s not very nutritious and tastes gross).
THese are just a few of the many stories we have been told about the children in this home. It´s so devastating to see. We have been working on repairing the building but it still needs a whole lot of work.
Every day we drop off the children at their school which is the worst school in the area, nobody wants to put their kids in that school. But the home is forced to make them go there because they have no money to put them anywhere else. The teachers at the school don´t even call these children by their names. They just say "hey kid from the home." One kid from the home actually got sliced in the head with a scissor by another kid from the school. It is just terrible. The education there is corrupt, the kids will graduate from a grade even if they fail. So kids can be in 6th grade and not even know how to read. There is a better school close to the home but it costs ten dollars a month per child.
There is also an outpost that the officers who are stationed at the home run. Since there was no money for the outpost some of the people in the community had to help build it. They got the supplies donated from various companies. It doesn´t even have four walls. It has three walls and half of a roof. Half of that roof is filled with holes (which is metal sheet) The ground is made up of broken slabs and dirt. The bricks that make up the walls are all different shapes and sizes. It´s in a very poor neighborhood. We walked around inviting kids to vacation bible school and saw some of the homes that they live in. Most of the kids either have sandals or no shoes and we were wearing like 5 layers and we were still cold! Though there is a great language barrier between us, all they want to do is be hugged and loved. It breaks our heart.
We are telling you all this because we want to do something about it. We feel it is our duty to reach out to these kids and the country of Paraguay.
Allison, Lilybeth and Ashley
Monday, June 23, 2008
El Hogar de Ninos El Redil-- Paraguay
We are now staying at the Children´s Home Ël Redil in Asuncion, Paraguay. The Captains here are Leonardo and Evangelina Fernandez -- they are a wonderful couple with 3 children -- Javier, Marcos, and Leonardo, who is known as Lelu. We have really enjoyed spending time with them and they are so hospitable to us. Each night we have dinner together and it´s so fun sharing with them. We are definitely in good hands and are being well taken care of!! I wouldn´t be surprised if our team comes back a little heavier than before with all the delicious food we have been served here!
We have learned so much about Paraguay since arriving. The literacy rates here are very low with only about 30% of the population being able to read and write. The educational system isn´t very good and children leave school often before graduation. Others are passed to the next grade even if they fail. No one repeats a grade -- so there are many kids in upper grades who can´t even read. There is a big divide in Paraguay between the rich and poor -- and there really isn´t a middle class. It´s very apparent just how wide the divide is because the children´s home is located in one of the best neighborhoods in Asuncion (there are extremely expensive shopping malls here, expensive restaurants, etc.) while the Outpost Church where we went on Sunday, which is only about 5 minutes away by car, doesn´t even have a complete roof. the children came to church yesterday in sandals despite the cold temperatures and the houses are very, very humble. I´ve done a lot of travelling and I´ve never seen anything quite like what I saw yesterday -- it was heartbreaking. On top of that, we´ve learned that the government in Paraguay is very corrupt -- and instead of investing in the country and the people, most public money is used to make the government officials even richer.
Sunday´s church experience was very humbling -- the people there really are seeking God. So many of them have such difficult lives -- domestic violence and abuse is very common here and we met a woman named Guillermina who almost has no teeth left because her husband has abused her so much. It was very heartbreaking to see -- and yet she was in church yesterday with her youngest son and she refuses to give up hope. Captain Fernandez is so amazing with these people -- he walks thru the neighborhood and seems to know and have a good relationship with everyone . Oftentimes, h e has to confront these spouses who come home drunk and abuse their wives. He says it is a major problem here. Under his leadership the Outpost church has really grown. In Sunday´s service, Lily and Leilani lead worship, Raquel and Leilani gave their testimonies, the whole team did a drama together and Lindsay shared the devotional. The Holy Spìrit was clearly present and we had the amazing experience of praying for these beautiful people.
Today we began our work in the children´s home. We are sanding the outer walls to prepare them for painting. We are also cleaning and power washing an area in the back which we will then paint so that the kids have an area to play volleyball, soccer and other sports. This afternoon we will have our first day of Vacation Bible School in the Outpost -- we are expecting between 50 and 60 kids!!! It should be quite an adventure!
the kids at the Home are beautiful and full of energy! The Captain has told us some of their stories and it truly is sad. Many of them have been completely abandoned by their parents or other family members. Before coming to the home, some of them were living on the streets. The children eat 3 times a day here and also have a snack. However, the Captain told us that many of the children, especially the new ones, will ask repeatedly --Äre we going to eat tomorrow? Captain continues reassuring them that yes they will eat -- but in their families and where they come from they aren´t used to this so they would be afraid another meal wouldn´t be provided. Also, m any of the children are used to eating yucca (a type of potato) in their families -- it´s something that makes you feel very full so poor families often eat it -- so the kids would fill up on that and then they wouldn´t eat the good, nutritious food that is cooked for them here. For awhile they had to stop serving the yucca at meals so that the kids would get used to eating other foods.
Another problem here is hygiene. The children don´t grow up learning how to bathe and take care of themselves, their clothes, etc. Many of the little girls have lice because they don´t wash their hair. It´s a constant battle for the Captains adn the staff to get the children to practice good hygiene. IN another story we were told, one group of 3 brothers and sisters here had never used underwear. The Captains bought them some and explained how it s hould be worn. But a few weeks later Captain Evangelina noticed they still weren´t wearing it -- when the Captains asked where their underwear was the children took them to their little closets and showed them a neat pile of underwear neatly stacked up. It was too nice for everyday use they had decided and so they were keeping it in a safe place for special occasions. These stories are just a few of many that exist here. It´s hard to imagine children who have lived and experienced what these children have -- yet they are all so beautiful and loving and bring each of us so much joy. For the next 2 weeks we will get to take them to school, eat lunch with them, help get them ready for school and play games with them. Next week we will do VBS with them as well.
The team is doing very well! I am very proud of each member! I know God is doing great things in each life here, and it´s such a joy because we are having so much fun at the same time! We have shared many great moments of laughter and fun! We are also thankful that the Holy Spirit has been with us and has been blessing our ministry! Please continue to pray for us ! Pray for our ministry and also our health and safety. It´s actually winter here in Paraguay so it´s been a bit cold. Today was the first day of sunshine we had so I´m hoping the temperatures are going to get warmer. but in general we have stayed bundled up. some people have begun coughing adn sniffling --and much of what we do is outside, so please pray that God would give us health and not allow these little symptoms to develop into anything that prevents us from accomplishing all that God has for each of us here! To the family members of these great girls -- thanks for sharing them with us this summer!
They are truly a blessing to us!
In Him,
Lindsay and Estith
We have learned so much about Paraguay since arriving. The literacy rates here are very low with only about 30% of the population being able to read and write. The educational system isn´t very good and children leave school often before graduation. Others are passed to the next grade even if they fail. No one repeats a grade -- so there are many kids in upper grades who can´t even read. There is a big divide in Paraguay between the rich and poor -- and there really isn´t a middle class. It´s very apparent just how wide the divide is because the children´s home is located in one of the best neighborhoods in Asuncion (there are extremely expensive shopping malls here, expensive restaurants, etc.) while the Outpost Church where we went on Sunday, which is only about 5 minutes away by car, doesn´t even have a complete roof. the children came to church yesterday in sandals despite the cold temperatures and the houses are very, very humble. I´ve done a lot of travelling and I´ve never seen anything quite like what I saw yesterday -- it was heartbreaking. On top of that, we´ve learned that the government in Paraguay is very corrupt -- and instead of investing in the country and the people, most public money is used to make the government officials even richer.
Sunday´s church experience was very humbling -- the people there really are seeking God. So many of them have such difficult lives -- domestic violence and abuse is very common here and we met a woman named Guillermina who almost has no teeth left because her husband has abused her so much. It was very heartbreaking to see -- and yet she was in church yesterday with her youngest son and she refuses to give up hope. Captain Fernandez is so amazing with these people -- he walks thru the neighborhood and seems to know and have a good relationship with everyone . Oftentimes, h e has to confront these spouses who come home drunk and abuse their wives. He says it is a major problem here. Under his leadership the Outpost church has really grown. In Sunday´s service, Lily and Leilani lead worship, Raquel and Leilani gave their testimonies, the whole team did a drama together and Lindsay shared the devotional. The Holy Spìrit was clearly present and we had the amazing experience of praying for these beautiful people.
Today we began our work in the children´s home. We are sanding the outer walls to prepare them for painting. We are also cleaning and power washing an area in the back which we will then paint so that the kids have an area to play volleyball, soccer and other sports. This afternoon we will have our first day of Vacation Bible School in the Outpost -- we are expecting between 50 and 60 kids!!! It should be quite an adventure!
the kids at the Home are beautiful and full of energy! The Captain has told us some of their stories and it truly is sad. Many of them have been completely abandoned by their parents or other family members. Before coming to the home, some of them were living on the streets. The children eat 3 times a day here and also have a snack. However, the Captain told us that many of the children, especially the new ones, will ask repeatedly --Äre we going to eat tomorrow? Captain continues reassuring them that yes they will eat -- but in their families and where they come from they aren´t used to this so they would be afraid another meal wouldn´t be provided. Also, m any of the children are used to eating yucca (a type of potato) in their families -- it´s something that makes you feel very full so poor families often eat it -- so the kids would fill up on that and then they wouldn´t eat the good, nutritious food that is cooked for them here. For awhile they had to stop serving the yucca at meals so that the kids would get used to eating other foods.
Another problem here is hygiene. The children don´t grow up learning how to bathe and take care of themselves, their clothes, etc. Many of the little girls have lice because they don´t wash their hair. It´s a constant battle for the Captains adn the staff to get the children to practice good hygiene. IN another story we were told, one group of 3 brothers and sisters here had never used underwear. The Captains bought them some and explained how it s hould be worn. But a few weeks later Captain Evangelina noticed they still weren´t wearing it -- when the Captains asked where their underwear was the children took them to their little closets and showed them a neat pile of underwear neatly stacked up. It was too nice for everyday use they had decided and so they were keeping it in a safe place for special occasions. These stories are just a few of many that exist here. It´s hard to imagine children who have lived and experienced what these children have -- yet they are all so beautiful and loving and bring each of us so much joy. For the next 2 weeks we will get to take them to school, eat lunch with them, help get them ready for school and play games with them. Next week we will do VBS with them as well.
The team is doing very well! I am very proud of each member! I know God is doing great things in each life here, and it´s such a joy because we are having so much fun at the same time! We have shared many great moments of laughter and fun! We are also thankful that the Holy Spirit has been with us and has been blessing our ministry! Please continue to pray for us ! Pray for our ministry and also our health and safety. It´s actually winter here in Paraguay so it´s been a bit cold. Today was the first day of sunshine we had so I´m hoping the temperatures are going to get warmer. but in general we have stayed bundled up. some people have begun coughing adn sniffling --and much of what we do is outside, so please pray that God would give us health and not allow these little symptoms to develop into anything that prevents us from accomplishing all that God has for each of us here! To the family members of these great girls -- thanks for sharing them with us this summer!
They are truly a blessing to us!
In Him,
Lindsay and Estith
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Parque Carpenter and Bus Ride
After our five and half hour lay over in Georgia, we finally boarded our flight to Argentina. The flight was mostly uneventful and lasted 9 hours. At customs our bag of materials for vacation bible school was almost confiscated. After a brief interrogation they decided foam materials and construction paper weren´t going to do their country any harm. We were met at the Airport in Buenos Aires by Captain Willie de Jesus. And immediately went to the Salvation Army´s Parque Carpenter. We shared a room with a team of 5 girls from the Western Territoy who were going to southern Argentina for their missions trip this summer. After settling in, we prepared for our first open air (inside) with the Western Team. We went to Del Viso, a brand new corps where we met Majors Ramos. It was a very powerful experience. Ashley gave her testimony, Lily and Leilani sang a duet, all of us did a choreodrama, we did a dance, and Estith gave the message. There was a group of young boys at the meeting who the Major told us were gang members. When he first arrived at the church, he would find them sitting on the front steps drinking coke mixed with alcohol. Slowly he has developed relationships with them and it was really nice to share the gospel with them.
The next morning we did some handy work. We sanded down rusty doorways and repainted them. After that we had lunch with the Territorial Commanders, Colonels Nuesch. The Majors Villaroel took great care of us at Parque Carpenter and we were very well fed.
That afternoon we left on an overnight bus for Asuncion, Paraguay. It was an 18 hour bus ride with comfy seats that folded into beds, stewards with good food, and aVERY small bathroom. Lily was traumatized by the bathroom experience. She came out yelling down the aisle that her arms touched the walls. At 9 am we walked across the Argentina-Paraguay border where we reloaded the bus and continued our journey.
As you can see we have been traveling a lot which is why we haven´t been able to update the blog until now. Stay tuned for pictures and Paraguay updates.
The next morning we did some handy work. We sanded down rusty doorways and repainted them. After that we had lunch with the Territorial Commanders, Colonels Nuesch. The Majors Villaroel took great care of us at Parque Carpenter and we were very well fed.
That afternoon we left on an overnight bus for Asuncion, Paraguay. It was an 18 hour bus ride with comfy seats that folded into beds, stewards with good food, and aVERY small bathroom. Lily was traumatized by the bathroom experience. She came out yelling down the aisle that her arms touched the walls. At 9 am we walked across the Argentina-Paraguay border where we reloaded the bus and continued our journey.
As you can see we have been traveling a lot which is why we haven´t been able to update the blog until now. Stay tuned for pictures and Paraguay updates.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Orientation and Delayed Adventures
We spent this past week at the Salvation Army's Star Lake Camp preparing for our 6 week mission trip to South America. The week consisted of intense planning, prayer, discipleship training, devotions and getting to know each other. Although shy at first, we began to have fun and quickly grew close. Our leaders, Lindsay and Estith, made us tell our most embarassing stories (we won't scar you with them), which brought us closer together. We spent the spent the week with the Estonia team (we love them), and can't wait to hear their stories and see their faces at the Old Orchard Beach Camp Meetings. We spent many hours preparing our Vacation Bible Schools, choreodramas, dances and songs. Our team has such a spirit of Joy which makes it easy to work together even if we have uncontrollable laughter. :)
We attended Commissioning Weekend and were part of the Discipleship Conference where we had our first encounter with the Spanish language. The track we attended was "Discipulado en grupos pequeños" (Discipleship in Small Groups). While some of us understood what was going on, others struggled to understand. We had a great time at the Gospel Arts Celebration and were presented, blessed, and sent off for the summer.
We had a late night yesterday packing up our things (some struggled to let go of unnecessary items), and we woke up early this morning to have breakfast, devotions with Major Munn (he rocks!), and head to the airport. When we arrived at the airport, we discovered that due to unforseen weather changes in Georgia, our flights were cancelled. So, we spent our last lunch together with the Estonia team and saw them off through the security checkpoint. Some got emotional as we saw off our sisters in Christ. So after we wiped away our tears we repacked our vans and headed to the Hampton Inn. After checking in we rushed to our rooms to take a much needed nap.
We would really like to express our thanks to Major Groff and Becki Phillips for their selflessness, encouragement, and for being there at any hour to help us.
Please pray that we will be able to have a safe trip tomorrow.
We attended Commissioning Weekend and were part of the Discipleship Conference where we had our first encounter with the Spanish language. The track we attended was "Discipulado en grupos pequeños" (Discipleship in Small Groups). While some of us understood what was going on, others struggled to understand. We had a great time at the Gospel Arts Celebration and were presented, blessed, and sent off for the summer.
We had a late night yesterday packing up our things (some struggled to let go of unnecessary items), and we woke up early this morning to have breakfast, devotions with Major Munn (he rocks!), and head to the airport. When we arrived at the airport, we discovered that due to unforseen weather changes in Georgia, our flights were cancelled. So, we spent our last lunch together with the Estonia team and saw them off through the security checkpoint. Some got emotional as we saw off our sisters in Christ. So after we wiped away our tears we repacked our vans and headed to the Hampton Inn. After checking in we rushed to our rooms to take a much needed nap.
We would really like to express our thanks to Major Groff and Becki Phillips for their selflessness, encouragement, and for being there at any hour to help us.
Please pray that we will be able to have a safe trip tomorrow.
Hands On Trip To Argentina
WELCOME!
This is the official Hands On Argentina/Paraguay website. We will be updating frequently.
Pray for us as we fly today.
This is the official Hands On Argentina/Paraguay website. We will be updating frequently.
Pray for us as we fly today.
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