Adios Paraguay! We’ve had 2 weeks of getting lots of rest (36° heat doesn’t encourage you to attempt too much) and hanging out with friends. It’s been lovely, but all good things have to come to an end sometime I guess. There were lots of requests for us to stay and offers of help to find me a job so, you never know, we might be back, but until the next time….
Mar 212011
Mar 172011
If I had to pick a favourite bit of our trip so far, then it wouldn’t be the waterfalls. They were amazing, but we had a fantastic time last night. One of the members of the Vineyard and a close friend asked us to chat through some things with her and pray. We were happy to do so and it was a very special time for all three of us. It was really special to minister together as a couple and see how the different gifts that God has given us could both be brought to bear on the situation. I think it was a special night for our friend too, with some releasing and some getting better acquainted with the Holy Spirit going on. Wow!
Mar 132011
Last night we “lead” a young adults group, which was a bit of fun and today we took the service at La Viña, speaking on God’s heart for the poor (my favourite subject!) and the need, as a church, to get off our butts and do something; that church exists to reach others, not so much to feed ourselves and get fat. It seemed to be well received and we can only hope that it galvanises the group into a bit more action over the coming weeks and months.
They’re a lovely bunch and already there are people suggesting that we should stay!! As an example of their friendliness, in the evening the pastor, Pascual, invited Rach and I to see his team, Olimpia, play Rubio Ñu in the Paraguayan football league. I spent most of the evening explaining to Rachel who had just scored!!
Mar 062011
It’s very hot!!
We went to the Vineyard church this morning and it seems to have imploded to some degree since when Rachel was there. Lots of the old faces weren’t there (which is perhaps to be expected after 8 years away), but not many new faces had replaced them. The pastors tell us that last year was difficult, but the corner has been turned and things are looking up again.
Mar 052011
So, leaving behind one natural wonder of the world, it’s not far at all to the Itaipú Dam, one of the wonders of the modern world. Spanning the Paraná river, the seventh biggest in the world, and the border, the dam was built as a joint effort between Brazil and Paraguay. In its own right, it is amazing, but being situated so close to the waterfalls does mean that the shine is taken off it somewhat. Still, we got to see lots of concrete!
And then, we entered Paraguay on a evening bus to Asunción, the capital. It was great to see our old friend Sergio, whom Rachel got to know very well when she lived there and who came to our wedding, when we arrived!
Mar 042011
Well, I said I’d go back if I could and if I had to choose which side to go back to, I’d definitely choose the Argentinian side. They are both amazing in their own ways, but the views from Argentina are perhaps even better; you get extremely close to the gargantuan “Devil’s Throat” fall – the largest in the system – and about two-thirds of the falls are in Argentina. An excellent, excellent day!! Tomorrow, I think I need to give the camera a rest!!
Mar 032011
The AMAZING waterfalls at Iguaçu span the border between Brazil and Argentina and you can get different experiences from both sides. Today, we got our first taste from the Brazilian side and what a taste!
We went out in a boat first, which is a little expensive, but worth every penny as it takes you up close and personal with a small handful of the 275 different falls that make up the whole system. We got so close to the base of some of them that not only did we get drenched, but we were completely unable to open our eyes. For me, this continued for sometime since the water washed the suncream from my face into them and it to a while to come out!
Back of dry land, we continued walking along the banks of the Iguaçu river and marvelled at the amazing new vistas at ever turn. No matter what I write, I’ll never be able to do the place justice. Suffice to say that I would definitely return if I could.
Mar 022011
So, our flight to Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) was uneventful, although we did spend rather longer in Lima Airport than we had hoped – overnight mist had meant that all the flights were delayed and we had 3 hours extra to wait for ours. What was eventful was when we arrived at our hostel. No sooner had we dragged our suitcases up the steps into reception than there was an almighty crash and the half of the tree we had seconds earlier walked under came crashing down behind us – a close shave!
Feb 282011
Saw Arthur and Pete off at the airport. Always sad to say goodbye to our few and far between visitors (though, of course, having them around is a real encouragement and joy), but can’t be too downhearted this time since we ourselves are leaving in a couple of days. Can’t wait!!
Feb 262011
The home gardening workshop went well. Arthur, who came with me, was very encouraging and said it was obvious how good a rapport I had with the families and that they had really responded to what I was sharing with them. We made a raised bed (a new concept for them) and then planted it with 5 different seeds. What was most encouraging for me is that, in a culture where working together is often absent, the families themselves have decided to get together and do a communal garden – a very exciting development as far as I am concerned.
Afterwards, we took the car down to Lima and only nearly died once – overtaking on a blind bend is not quite what I had in mind when I asked our driver to get us there safely!! It was good to get there and relax!