Another post, finally...
So, we´ve worked the last 4 days in Huacarpay. We spent most of our time on one house, actually deconstructing it so they can rebuild. It has been quite a process and we´ve really gotten to know several of the Peruvians who we are working with. Everyone is doing well, and we´ve been pretty healthy overall. No one was hurt while working, praise God! The people are incredibly grateful for the work we´ve done and it has been a great blessing for us and the Peruvians.
Last night we had a birthday party for Meghan, complete with cake, tradional music, and dancing. We also attended the missionary team meeting. Tonight we´re going to a cultural show and buffet in downtown Cusco along with some shopping. Tomorrow, we´ll see more of Cusco before leaving. We´ll see you on Saturday!
Jon, for the team
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Hanging out in Cusco...
Hey everyone following the Peru flood relief trip,
We're safe and sound in Cusco. We got in this morning after very uneventful travel. Our group went directly to church in San Jeronimo, the biggest Mennonite church in the area, that is a short busride outside of the city. After the service, we had lunch at the church and then went back to our hostel which is near the church. After napping and resting to adjust to the altitude, we walked around a local market and had supper at the church. Now we are hanging out at Ron and Regina Shultz's house where we're playing games with their family.
Tomorrow we'll begin our work in Huacarpay, which will be a short vanride away from San Jeronimo. We'll spend Monday-Thursday working in Huacarpay and Lucre. Our plan is to spend Wednesday evening with the missionary team and Thursday evening seeing the sites of downtown Cusco.
Everyone seems healthy and in good spirits. Please pray that we'll continue to be healthy and be able to form some really neat relationships with the people here as we are working.
Jon (for the group)
We're safe and sound in Cusco. We got in this morning after very uneventful travel. Our group went directly to church in San Jeronimo, the biggest Mennonite church in the area, that is a short busride outside of the city. After the service, we had lunch at the church and then went back to our hostel which is near the church. After napping and resting to adjust to the altitude, we walked around a local market and had supper at the church. Now we are hanging out at Ron and Regina Shultz's house where we're playing games with their family.
Tomorrow we'll begin our work in Huacarpay, which will be a short vanride away from San Jeronimo. We'll spend Monday-Thursday working in Huacarpay and Lucre. Our plan is to spend Wednesday evening with the missionary team and Thursday evening seeing the sites of downtown Cusco.
Everyone seems healthy and in good spirits. Please pray that we'll continue to be healthy and be able to form some really neat relationships with the people here as we are working.
Jon (for the group)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Hey folks,
Following our summer trip to Mennonite World Conference, there was money left in the group's budget. This has opened up the opportunity for several of us (Jon, Ashley, and Carl) to go to Peru along with 8 other Mennonite young adults from the Northeast. We're going back to Huacarpay and Lucre, Peru to help with flood relief. A couple of months ago, the towns there experienced devastating floods that destroyed nearly all the homes. We're going to help with cleanup, rebuilding, and just to encourage our Christian brothers and sisters in Peru. It is hard to say how often we'll actually get to update this blog while we are there, but check back and see if we post any updates or photos. We're heading out tomorrow, so keep us in your prayers!
If you'd like to help with flood relief in Peru by going or by donating money, please contact Eastern Mennonite Missions or visit their website at emm.org.
Jon
Following our summer trip to Mennonite World Conference, there was money left in the group's budget. This has opened up the opportunity for several of us (Jon, Ashley, and Carl) to go to Peru along with 8 other Mennonite young adults from the Northeast. We're going back to Huacarpay and Lucre, Peru to help with flood relief. A couple of months ago, the towns there experienced devastating floods that destroyed nearly all the homes. We're going to help with cleanup, rebuilding, and just to encourage our Christian brothers and sisters in Peru. It is hard to say how often we'll actually get to update this blog while we are there, but check back and see if we post any updates or photos. We're heading out tomorrow, so keep us in your prayers!
If you'd like to help with flood relief in Peru by going or by donating money, please contact Eastern Mennonite Missions or visit their website at emm.org.
Jon
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Last day at habitat
Today was the last day with Habitat for Humanity here in Paraguay. After a heavy rain during the night, we went to work on the site in the mud that we have all come to enjoy in the three days at the house. The bricks arrived this morning, which was an answer to prayer because we weren't sure whether or not we would have them because the past several weeks of rain had stopped brick production. After unloading the bricks, we spent a large portion of the day moving piles of materials around. We worked as a large group, and it was a blessing to spend this time together, getting to know each other. Tonight we are going out to dinner as a group at a Brazilian BBQ. We are all very excited for this and will continue to look forward to our evening as we catch the 3am flight to Peru. cya Paraguay.
-Darian
-Darian
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Risk More...
Risk More than others think is safe.
Care more than others think is practical.
Expect more than others think is safe.
This is just a small portion of a quote that hangs on my wall at home. As many of us have stated that as we packed and prepared to leave home, we were not sure what to expect. We knew few or no one else that we would be traveling with, but we were willing to take the challenge, that God set before us and experience a new culture. Then a group that has very little experience in construction, got signed up to help Habitat for humanity build a house. As we have two days complete working on the house, we have successfully helped the master masons, build the foundation, mix mortar, place the floor, and finished digging and placing bricks in the septic tank. We have moved rocks that seemed to weigh more than some of us, and we supported each other as we did these tasked. We have worked with the people and have learned to appreciate the culture that is here in Paraguay.
As we have been here just over a week, I have looked back and am thankful for the safety this we have experienced thus far as we have traveled and worked each day on the work site. Looking back on this past 8 days and realize that it was not chance that the 24 of us were brought together, but it was good, and through this experience, I am reminded of a question that I've been asked in the past. How has these experiences, affected you, your world, and your God?? I'm not sure that I can fully explain the answers to this question(s) just yet, but this trip has already begun and will continue to change my view of myself, my world view, and my relationship with my savior in a very meaningful and powerful way. As we plan to begin to travel yet again tomorrow, I pray that we will continue to have a safe and awesome experience here, and that you all will continue to remeber us as we find ourselves in yet a new country and a new culture.
Ashley
Care more than others think is practical.
Expect more than others think is safe.
This is just a small portion of a quote that hangs on my wall at home. As many of us have stated that as we packed and prepared to leave home, we were not sure what to expect. We knew few or no one else that we would be traveling with, but we were willing to take the challenge, that God set before us and experience a new culture. Then a group that has very little experience in construction, got signed up to help Habitat for humanity build a house. As we have two days complete working on the house, we have successfully helped the master masons, build the foundation, mix mortar, place the floor, and finished digging and placing bricks in the septic tank. We have moved rocks that seemed to weigh more than some of us, and we supported each other as we did these tasked. We have worked with the people and have learned to appreciate the culture that is here in Paraguay.
As we have been here just over a week, I have looked back and am thankful for the safety this we have experienced thus far as we have traveled and worked each day on the work site. Looking back on this past 8 days and realize that it was not chance that the 24 of us were brought together, but it was good, and through this experience, I am reminded of a question that I've been asked in the past. How has these experiences, affected you, your world, and your God?? I'm not sure that I can fully explain the answers to this question(s) just yet, but this trip has already begun and will continue to change my view of myself, my world view, and my relationship with my savior in a very meaningful and powerful way. As we plan to begin to travel yet again tomorrow, I pray that we will continue to have a safe and awesome experience here, and that you all will continue to remeber us as we find ourselves in yet a new country and a new culture.
Ashley
Monday, July 20, 2009
Habitat for Humanity, Day 1
Good evening, everybody!Today we had the opportunity to experience plenty of fantastic food AND plenty grueling work. We have arrived at our accommodations for our stay at Habitat for Humanity. It is at a agricultural college about an hour outside of Asuncion which runs a small hotel. The college is beautiful, the food is outstanding and we are treated like royalty. It is a lovely place to walk and run, and we are able to meet our food before it appears on our plates (aka, they raise livestock as well as fruits and vegetables).
At about seven thirty in the morning, we loaded up in a mini van owned by our tour guide, Alveroni. The worksite is about a mile away, situated on a swampish-field-thing. Our group of 24 as well as about 6 masons are working on a 500 square foot house (which is considered rather large). The main job for today was to finish the foundation of the house. We all carried rocks, dug trenches, created huge assembly lines to transport sand to create cement, and got stuck in the mud.
Plenty of delicious food was delivered to us throughout the day. Entertainment was offered by Carl attempting to pet a cow and we were amazed by the exclusiveness exhibited by the male gender as they refused to permit females to work on the septic tank that they were digging. We also collected an audience, which was comprised of a bunch of teenage boys watching us work all afternoon.Our group displayed their excellent Swiss German work ethic throughout the day. Overall, we had a great time doing hard manual labor in the name of Christ.
Katrina and Liz.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Global Village
Global Village at MWC is sort of like a outdoor fair. There are tents set up for each continent (excluding Antarctica) for people to set up displays about their homelands. Paraguay obviously had the biggest display (it encompassed 3 tents), mostly with information about the Mennonite Colonies and they had samples of food. There were always Mennonite women serving baked goods to people. Other tents included pictures from different countries, books about the people who live there, crafts for sale, traditional clothing and a few interactive displays. There was even a display about Pennsylvania which mostly had books about the Amish. There was also a small stage set up in the middle where people could share their native songs and dances. Global Village was a great place to spend an afternoon, especially when the weather was nice, and learn things about different cultures.
Today was the last day of the Conference and it ended with a worship service that was full of music. We are now at our accomodations that we will stay at while we work with Habitat for Humanity. We are relaxing tonight and trying to catch up on some rest. Thank you for everyone who is praying for us, everyone is doing well, just a few sniffly noses and tired bones.
- Renee Shenk and Jason Harnish
Today was the last day of the Conference and it ended with a worship service that was full of music. We are now at our accomodations that we will stay at while we work with Habitat for Humanity. We are relaxing tonight and trying to catch up on some rest. Thank you for everyone who is praying for us, everyone is doing well, just a few sniffly noses and tired bones.
- Renee Shenk and Jason Harnish
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