Not every day (or week) of mission work is fun. Some days you need a break... you want to check-out and be back at home. You want the liberty of driving your own car or the security of eating at a favorite restaurant. Yesterday we were feeling a bit sick, lazy and lacking in motivation. Days or weeks like this always end in a good way... you always get a spiritual lift.
Yesterday we overcame the temptation to play the "it's raining" card (which is a wholly valid reason to stay home from our visit
debajo del puente as the mud gets really bad)
. Like many days, we went to visit the
bario with no real plan as to who or where we would visit. As soon as we got within view of the neighborhood, the kids ran to us, shouting "Bill," "Chelsey," "look...its our professors." This is an awesome feeling.
Earlier in the day, Chelsey and I had purchased new flip flops for a girl (Pamela) who wears a flip-flop and a half. (The sole of her shoe from the ball of her foot, back is gone from heavy use). We also had some really pretty hair bows from Amy Morrison (one of Nancy's friends) to pass out. Pamela was so excited to get her new flip-flops and hair bow. She followed us around for an hour and explained to every person she passed that she had gotten presents from us.
For the better part of an hour, Chelsey and I played soccer, with a tire and stick and visited with a group of 10 or so kids. These groups always seem to materialize out of thin air. There are always a few kids outside. Then, you see a kid poke their head out from behind their wood house to see what is causing the commotion. Before you know it, half the
bario is there. One of our fave's from Jardin,
Edu (photo left) came prancing down the path solo (he is 4 years old) with a new toy. Take a close look... know what it is? If you guessed 'stroller wheel' then you are right. Kid had never been happier.
In the middle of playing, one of my favorite 4-year olds,
Anahi (above) appeared next to Chelsey. She lives close to where we had been visiting. She agreed to take us to her house and so we got to meet her mom. She also got a hair bow and we let her mom know about the health center. The visit continued and we found another student's house... Rolando.
Rolando deserves a thorough introduction. He is 4 years old and has a major attitude. He only has one functioning arm because the other was broken during childbirth. Nobody realized his arm was broken and, as he grew, his bone fused in such a way that he has very limited mobility. This bad arm, however, does not stop him from landing a good punch. He has learned to adapt and, despite the setback, is one of the more aggressive kids in class. On two occasions he has gotten so worked up that I have had to pick him up and take him out of class (right). I got scratched and punched quite a bit in the process but, after a while, he settled down. I think he is a good kid but, when you grow up in the
bario, you learn how to defend yourself. Eat or be eaten.
Rolando's house is situated off a side alley (think 2 foot wide, dirt path) off the main path (4 foot wide, dirt path). It is similar to all the other homes in that it is made of ill-fitting wood planks. There is a crib on the porch and his little sister, Anna Nicole, was in the crib, unattended. Rolando's mom came out to greet us and, after a couple minutes of talking, Rolando heard us and also came outside. He had a puppy in hand and his brother (Angel, age 3) followed close by. At first, Rolando was skeptical... he probably thought we were coming to talk to his mom about his behavior but after a few minutes of visiting he realized he was safe and started playing. We took pictures and chatted a bit. That was the entirety of the visit. We visited a few more houses and headed home for the day.
I walked into class today, again begrudgingly, because we have both been a little under the weather. I sat down at a table by myself. Rolando immediately walked over, and positioned himself on my lap. This is not a 'touchy, feely' kid. He listened to the teacher and just leaned on my knees, totally content. After the song was over, Roland walked back to his seat, picked his things up and moved to the seat beside me. This, too, is an accomplishment because normally Rolando will not ever pick a seat. He just floats around, starting fights with other kids.
It was time for our breakfast routine. First, we say prayers, then kids get little towels out that serve as territory marking, place mats. The kids put their cups on their towel and, occasionally, kids will share a towel with their buddy. A few minutes afterwards, I got up from the table to serve milk and bread for breakfast, leaving my
Jonah and Elliott coffee mug on the table. I served all the kids and went back to find that Rolando had spread his towel out and moved my coffee mug onto his towel.... the deal was sealed... we are
amigos. The day went on and Rolando was great. No guarantee he will be good tomorrow (chances are he won't be) but he was good today.
Anyhow, I got to thinking and this is why we are down here. We are not missionaries in the way you would (or at least, I did) think of missionaries. To be honest, this country has already been
missionized. The people are way more devout here than they are in the US. Of those that participated in the census, 89% are catholic, 6.2% are protestant and only 1% do not have a religion.
We do not preach and, often, we don't even talk about God with the people we serve. We wear a cross on our neck and, beyond that, we help people... simple as that. We visit, talk with families and enjoy time with our friends. Often it is difficult to know if you are reaching people or if they will even remember you 2 months after you leave. But then a 4-year old comes to school, talking to his friends about how the
prof visited his house. You can tell the kid is happy and they change their behavior a bit. All Rolando needed was to know others care about him and that we care about him enough to visit
his house with
his family.
I think, this is why we are here.
Not every day (or week) of mission work is fun. Some days you need a break... you want to check-out and be back at home. You want the liberty of driving your own car or the security of eating at a favorite restaurant. Yesterday we were feeling a bit sick, lazy and lacking in motivation. Days or weeks like this always end in a good way... you always get a spiritual lift.
For the better part of an hour, Chelsey and I played soccer, with a tire and stick and visited with a group of 10 or so kids. These groups always seem to materialize out of thin air. There are always a few kids outside. Then, you see a kid poke their head out from behind their wood house to see what is causing the commotion. Before you know it, half the bario is there. One of our fave's from Jardin, Edu (photo left) came prancing down the path solo (he is 4 years old) with a new toy. Take a close look... know what it is? If you guessed 'stroller wheel' then you are right. Kid had never been happier.
Rolando's house is situated off a side alley (think 2 foot wide, dirt path) off the main path (4 foot wide, dirt path). It is similar to all the other homes in that it is made of ill-fitting wood planks. There is a crib on the porch and his little sister, Anna Nicole, was in the crib, unattended. Rolando's mom came out to greet us and, after a couple minutes of talking, Rolando heard us and also came outside. He had a puppy in hand and his brother (Angel, age 3) followed close by. At first, Rolando was skeptical... he probably thought we were coming to talk to his mom about his behavior but after a few minutes of visiting he realized he was safe and started playing. We took pictures and chatted a bit. That was the entirety of the visit. We visited a few more houses and headed home for the day. 
It was time for our breakfast routine. First, we say prayers, then kids get little towels out that serve as territory marking, place mats. The kids put their cups on their towel and, occasionally, kids will share a towel with their buddy. A few minutes afterwards, I got up from the table to serve milk and bread for breakfast, leaving my Jonah and Elliott coffee mug on the table. I served all the kids and went back to find that Rolando had spread his towel out and moved my coffee mug onto his towel.... the deal was sealed... we are amigos. The day went on and Rolando was great. No guarantee he will be good tomorrow (chances are he won't be) but he was good today.
We do not preach and, often, we don't even talk about God with the people we serve. We wear a cross on our neck and, beyond that, we help people... simple as that. We visit, talk with families and enjoy time with our friends. Often it is difficult to know if you are reaching people or if they will even remember you 2 months after you leave. But then a 4-year old comes to school, talking to his friends about how the prof visited his house. You can tell the kid is happy and they change their behavior a bit. All Rolando needed was to know others care about him and that we care about him enough to visit his house with his family. 
After the six hour bus ride, we arrived at their home in Encarnacion. The house that was to be my home for the next 10 days, was very nice and large, getting to it was perhaps as eye opening as to what may be coming.
A visit to Iguazu falls and the rainforest was spectacular. Toucans, monkeys, exotic plants, waterfalls, and other wonderful creations of God, took my breath away. 
One more thought before I close. As many of you know, Crane Creek offered to pay for the airline backage fees so I could bring clothes for the kids here. American Airlines waived all the fees after I explained that they were going to serve kids in Paraguay. The money that was saved from baggage fees will go to repair the house of Eduardo, one of Chelsey's students (the cute kid in his mom's hands at right). His home was badly damaged in a recent storm (see pictures below). Right now, his mom and four brothers are staying with family in a place not big enough for the people that live there. Not having an engineering background hinders my judgement, but I do not know if the four brick walls could even hold a roof. The lean-to next to it was missing walls as well as doors windows and a roof. This too, had been a part of his house.
As many of you know, one of the projects that we have been working on is getting clothes from friends and family in the U.S. for the kids down here in Paraguay. Katie and Emily brought a huge load (Round #1) and Nancy just arrived with more (Round #2). This has been awesome for our community here and I wanted to share some of the photos of the kids loving their new clothes. Not a day goes by where at least one kid does not grab my arm and show me his new pants or new shirts. The kids have been so excited about the new stuff.
We visited with some families in the barrio under the bridge and delivered the clothes to their home. On the right is a photo I took of the family during the visit and below that is a picture of the boys wearing their new clothes in my class. Victoria (photo below) was also quite happy to show off her fashionable new threads (polka dot dress and grey jacket). She wears the jacket everyday. We tried to deliver her clothes to her house but she wasn't home. We were lucky enough to run into her and her mom walking around the barrio and got to hand deliver her clothes to her mom, too.
For those kids we could not visit, we packed up bags with notes and put them in backpacks. On the right is a picture of Rolando who was super excited about his clothes. He kept asking me all day (after trying them on), "Where are my clothes?... Can I put my clothes in my backpack?... Do I get to keep them?" At the end of the day he was elated to get the present...look at that face!! He has been wearing new clothes ever since.
