Paraguay Jungle Cruise basics

Temporary Captain of the boat!

Paraguay River Jungle Cruise – The Basics

Thanks for your prayers. I would say including a few miracles we survived! There are many stories to tell and the prospect of telling everything all at once is too overwhelming and the time it would take would prohibit me from sharing in a timely manner. Besides some stories I would like to share personally. So today I will share with you the basics of the trip.

We left on Saturday and drove from Asuncion for a good part of the road. Much of the road was good, but narrow (with no shoulders). The last 100K or so had holes and hills almost the size of smart cars. You needed to wind and twist around these. At this point, any thought of lanes are irrelevant. The danger is failing to see any one of these at speed. The suspension damage would be enormous, and you may end up off the road in a deep ditch.

This a Catholic Church and the statue of Mary, after whom the city Conception is named after.

Nonetheless, at this point we were still in luxury. Walter Neufeldt, the president of Jesus Responde let us use his car, a Santa Fe!

When we got to Conception we meet the Pastor and his wife, then went to his church for a 2 hour good old Pentecostal service. Then we ate dinner and some of our team went to the boat to sleep while Alexis and I stayed at Pastor’s house in real beds!

Das Boot – better pictures and description to follow

The next morning we got up at 4am (ouch) and packed up our stuff and bought it to the boat. By 5:30 we were underway and had breakfast on the boat.

What should I tell you about the boat? Well I think I will leave that for another blog!

Clothes the Pastor had donated to him

After overcoming some issues we did get to our destination early Wednesday morning, which included 2 villages. At the larger of the 2 villages (about 180-200 adults – which means over 25) we dropped off a huge pile of clothes that he had donated to him, food supplies including flour and rice,

Tarps for people

We also visited various homes and gave them some large tarps they had requested.

Tarps for people

Meeting the chief

We met several times with the village chieftain.

We made some food for children

One example of feeding the kids

Supplies for the teacher

I also presented the school teacher with some gifts from Marianne, both for the class and for the kids.

We also showed the Jesus Film for Children, once during the day and once at night, because not everyone was able to get in the room during the day.

At night we showed it outside – bugs and all. During the day there were about 50+ children and adults, in the evening 100+. The Gospel was shared and everyone received a Jesus te Ama booklet. I gave the kids a toy after the first showing.

I also brought along a Frisbee, which they really enjoyed!!

To the second location we brought a baby crib and food supplies.

Thanks to Cindy, Sarah, Karin and Marianne I was to provide this group with the contents of a huge Air Canada suite case.

Suite case full of clothes

Items included some really nice new and used clothes and shoes, small hot wheels style cards and some school supplies. Parents and kids alike were glowing with excitement!

Karin, a picture just for you!

Giving out the clothes, that Marianne collected

We also showed the Children’s Jesus Film to 50-60 kids and adults, and gave out Jesus te Ama booklets as well.

The following day was eventful, but I will leave that for another blog.

We drove back home to Asuncion with a wonderful sunset in our eyes. Aside from being able to see very little out of the windshield, the numerous free ranging cattle on the road are a real driving hazard. The other hazard is the numerous cars and motorcycles without lights. When the road is good we are travelling at 130-140Kph.  Motorcycles here are mostly in the 100 to 150cc range so 80Kph is a stretch, most of the cars or trucks without lights are mechanically challenged in other ways as well. As with all my other trips, we came close to hitting traffic from both behind and coming, in the blackness of the night.

One highlight

After the night showing of the JF a man came forward and asked for specific physical healing and we prayed over him for 10 minutes or so. That was great.

Some of my little friends

Where do we go from here?

We are looking to solidify a formal relationship and working partnership with this Pastor so the people along the river can be reached. There is literally no one else here to evangelize and give aid to these families.

Secondly, I am asking that more of you consider partnering with me (or raise your support), so we can make an impact in this ministry. There are numerous terrific organizations with vast budgets and colorful brochures to lure your donations to extremely worthwhile projects. I can’t compete directly with that, but you know my heart for the lost in Paraguay, and I believe we can put together the resources to make a tangible meaningful impact in an area where no one else is working.

Thirdly, my monthly support is only $600 per month, which is supplemented by one time give from other generous donors as well. I would be very grateful if this monthly support level would be at $1000.  As always, please no pressure, some of you are stretched to the limit, and some even need to reduce your giving. Please make those decisions between you and God, and not how they may potentially affect me. I am confident God will provide the resources needed, as long as I am faithful to him.

I will be sending this out by email and posting the blog so everyone is aware that I am safe.

Please sign up for the blog! Please watch out for and read the posts that will follow regarding specific incidents on the trip!!

In His Majesty’s Service

Carita Feliz – Opportunities to help

One of the things I did today was visit another Comedores. We had some car problems so I missed the singing and the Bible lesson. Here are a few pictures of my visit.

The food looks great and the kids look forward to each Saturday. Because the area is so Catholic, many parents of needy children are reluctant to send their children. Building trust and using fun activities are very important.

They have no cooking facilities, so the food is cooked in homes, then transported to the Comedores, which is also the church.

They obviously have many needs but two areas where we could help are:

1)      $150 for some soccer balls

Likely their best meal of the week!

2)      $165 for some excellent booklets on God and the forgives of sin. These are excellent books, but cost $5 for each book.

If anyone would like to make a contribution for one of the needs, please contact me.

One of the Couragous videos procurred by Sarah

One of the major needs that were expressed by the leadership from this Comedores (actually by a number of those I visited last time) was something that would positively address being a good father. In response to this Sarah was instrumental in getting “Courageous” videos, one of which I was able to give to this Comedores. This will be an important resource because with it they can create a larger event and draw in kids and parents from the neighborhood.

Thanks Sarah!

The kids are taught to wash their hands before the meal and help with the clean up!

Progress in Paraguay!

Hello Team,

Well I have made it safely to Paraguay!

I have been in four meetings and I have visited one Nutrition Station (Comedores). The meetings have been to look at new ministry opportunities as well as discussing the upcoming “Jungle Cruise”!

I also had a chance to look at (from a safe distance) one of the worst slum areas in downtown Asuncion. Here are a few pictures

While it looks pretty hopeless, you can see hope in the last few pictures. If you look carefully past the run down buildings you can see some sand and perhaps some construction right next to the river. Asuncion does actually sit on the banks of the Paraguay River (I will be on the river in a few days – but 300KM further north.) During the past 5 years that I have been coming here, there has always been talk of having some kind of public park along side of the river (Stanley Park seawall, Edmonton or Calgary river valley etc). Instead one of the worst and most dangerous slums in the country is right here. I have been in once with a Christian that lives there. Since then I have tried to get close to take some pictures, but the Police will not let you enter, as they themselves will not go in to rescue you!

If you look past the buildings but right next to the river you can see some clear area and sand. This seems to be the beginning of the public park!

BUT – it seems that they are starting to construct the park. I have seen lots of progress in the country over the past 5 years. Unfortunately, I have not seen these gains trickle down to the many poor. What happens to this slum area in the future, remains to be seen.

I managed to pull aside a few kids from the slum for picture

Thanks for your support!

Paraguay Jungle Cruise

Dear Paraguay Teammates
I am going on a cruise!
On Tuesday September 11^th I will be leaving for Paraguay and returning on the 26^th.

For now I am going to affectionately refer to it as my Jungle cruise.

I am hoping that it will be a boat like this   

But actually I am expecting it to be more like an aging

tug boat/fishing boat like the one below!

While I am going to maintain some involvement with a few Nutrition Stations and an orphanage, my focus on this ministry trip will be explore a new option and opportunity for missions. A few of us will be joining a pastor and his wife and go from Conception (city) and follow the Paraguay River north (upstream). We will be stopping at the many small villages along the way to do ministry. My purpose will be to evaluate the potential of this ministry and see what we as a Paraguay team can do to support this Pastor.

 

The Paraguay River is very silty and dirty looking with lots of garbage at least around Asuncion. I actually expect the vegetation to be quite sparse and unimpressive as the area should be quite flat. Mosquitoes will abound and so I will need to take precautions against malaria. The weather right now is hot and humid. Most of these villages may not have electricity and certainly there will be no phones or Internet. We will be on the river 5 or 6 days.

I really do not know what to expect and see this as a bit of an adventure!

 

I ask that you hold me in your prayers and I will do my best to keep in touch as much as possible. I hope to take a few pictures to share with you when I return.

I would like to express my thanks for your prayers and your financial support and donations of items. I will take a couple of suitcases of things with me!

 

Bon Voyage – my first cruise!

Trip route: Drive from Asuncion to Conception. (Two black circled areas) Use the boat to go upstream towards Bolivia and Brazil. I am not sure how far we will get upstream!

Pray for health and safety. Pray for a ripe harvest and the opening of ministry opportunities. Sleep, as I will not have electricity to use my my breathing machine. Pray for a lack of mosquitoes and resistance to Malaria and Yellow Fever.
Thank you