6/15/2010

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Good morning all!

We touched down here at 11:00 a.m. Brazil time, flight time 11 ½ hours from Los Angeles. God blessed us with an empty seat between us on this flight. It made stretching out a bit easier. I have to give a short plug for Korean Air. They are wonderful! The people and the plane were so nice. B u t we still didn’t sleep too well. We both tossed and twisted and straightened…There are just so many ways you can position yourself in the span of 11 ½ hours before things start falling asleep. But we are here safe and sound. We have a short wait and we’ll be boarding our plane for Asuncion, Paraguay.

I am struck with how big our world is, such diversity of cultures and languages as I watch and listen to the people around me. Each person is so unique, yet similar too, common struggles, fears, needs, joys. In L.A. a lady dressed in Arab apparel in beautiful English spoke to me as I turned on my laptop and connected to the WiFi to watch Paraguay play Italy. She wanted to know who was playing, the score and who had won the earlier game. A common interest. We connected. So often the differences turn us away and rob us of new interesting experiences and friendships. It is too much work, inconvenient. May God help me to look through his eyes, to see his creation, loved and known intimately by Him. When language and cultural differences seem at an impasse, may his love bridge the gap between us through a smile, a touch, a warm effort to communicate using alternate means, nonverbal.

What fun to have time to think, about something different. May this time revive in us areas of our lives which have become a bit calloused with the routine and pace of life back in Yakima.

More later, Jerry

Oh, yes! Paraguay tied with Italy 1-1. Playing in a downpour, Paraguay went ahead 1-0 in the first half. Italy tied in the 63^rd minute. This result while unfortunate is not really too depressing when considering Italy’s success rate in World Cup competition. Hey! And what about that tie the U.S. got against England! Way to go U.S.! A clumsy goal is still a goal! J

6/15/2010

Asuncion, Paraguay

We arrived safe and sound, well, besides a severe case of TB [not tuberculosis either!]. Ray and Marian picked us up at the airport. Thank you so much for your kindness! So good to see both of you again!

God watched over our suitcases and nothing was lost. They traveled unlocked the whole way, all 6,500 or so miles. A “maletero” helped guide them through the “aduana”. I learned what was expected for the help a little later. Later, we agreed on a little less. I explained I was a bit out of touch with what was expected. I told him I wanted to be fair to him and thanked him for his help. There were many items in our “maletas” which someone would have loved to borrow along the way. Things requested by friends here. So we are most thankful for the blessing!

Somewhere in route to Asuncion it was made public that Brazil was beating N. Korea 2-0. A cheer erupted from the Brazil aficionados on board. Don’t know yet what the final score was.

It was funny how conversations started along the way…As we waited in Sao Paulo a rather distinguished man named Jeff and his adopted Paraguayan son Carlos came by and we started to talk. They were on their way back to Paraguay to introduce 18 year old Carlos to his native country…Jeff told us about his life. He was very educated. Taught speech at a junior college back east. He had lived in Paraguay and in Columbia. He spoke of contacts he had made with missionaries, not all good. He mentioned the movie The Mission, again with reference to the activities of missionaries with the native Guarani folk. I told him of our family’s work with the Maka. The fact that Dad and Mom had taught them to read and write in Spanish and Maka [after developing the alphabet, etc] seemed to impress him. What a coincidence that we would meet and talk to him..Hmmm…

Battery is about dead. “Más mañana.”

Figured out how to recharge. Wanted to be careful with plugging my computer into 220.

As folk were disembarking in Ciudad del Este [We had a brief stop there in route to Asuncion.], a young Caucasian man wearing cowboy boots heard us talking to a Paraguayan lady next to us. He spoke to us in English. Come to find out he knew the Fostervolds [Missionaries who for years have worked with the Ache Indians], that someone he knew had accompanied or traveled with Bjarne’s mother back to the U.S. recently. We told him we were going to be spending some time with Bjarne and his family; that they were friends of ours. All the while the young lady listened. We had a nice talk on the final leg to Asuncion. She seemed amused that these very gringo-looking people were headed down to visit friends, not all belonging to the “alta sociedad”.

The Greens took us to the New Tribes Mission’s guest house. We were warmly welcome there by Laurie. Laurie had also been an MK [missionary’s kid] in Paraguay when I was still here living with my family. It was fun to exchange stories of our subsequent lives, our kids and their whereabouts. It may begin to sound redundant in this story, but I feel such a bond with these fellow MK’s. We have lived such unique lives, crossing cultural barriers both abroad and back in the States. Similar struggles have challenged our belief system. Our parents’ faith has become really ours. The gifts God has molded in us have become clearer and blessed. The messiness of our comings and goings, leaving friends behind and making new ones, feeling a bit a foreigner no matter where we are…really has not been accidental. What a wonder to see how God has been above it all, lovingly guiding the uneven, scary steps. Not taken by surprise by any of it. While it has not been easy, I would not trade any of it. Won’t it be fun to see the completed puzzle some day?

We walked a long 7 blocks on slippery cobble stones and tile sidewalks (each house or shop putting in a different kind of “sidewalk”) to a supermarket. We bought mondioca, milanesa, duche de leche, media lunas, mermelada de guayaba, dulce de batata, co-op white cheese, lomito, polio, chipa…We ate at the café at the supermarket, three different kinds of empanadas, mandioca…and, of course, Jerry had quarana. We made it back to our room carrying four heavy bags before it started raining again. We both worked up a sweat. Jerry is now zonked out on the bed, sleeping off his sleepless-on-the-plane night.

We have a nice 2 room place. Simple and clean. We have our own bathroom with hot water both in the shower and our kitchenet (that’s a big thing for you Americans). We have ceiling fans and screens on the windows and doors. You can tell Americans put this together. We have a washer and dryer available to us just across the patio. Leanne

We have not yet purchased a cell phone. We will get that taken care of tomorrow. We have spent today trying to recoup our energy. We are planning to go out to the Roque Alonso Indian village in the morning. It will be fun to see them again!

Thank you for your prayers!

Jerry and Leanne