Mennonite World Conference Photos

Iguazu Falls Photos

Coming Home

Had a great day at the Friesland Colony today thanks to Werner and Marlene. We got back to their house at around 8 p.m. in the midst of a thunderstorm. When arriving home we discovered there was no power and enjoyed our meal around candle light. The power came back on about an hour later. We are now trying to get everything in our bags and will be leaving for the airport at 8 tomorrow morning. Looking forward to arriving home sometime Thursday.

More Iguazu Falls

Below are some more photos from our trip last weekend to Iguazu Falls. It{s nice to have a free evening to upload some photos. During the last six days, we woke up between 630 and 7 in the morning and returned between 9 and 930 in the evening.

More Pictures

Judy and I in the bus station at Ciudad del Este, showing off ourmasks.

Catching a snooze on the bus on the way back to Asuncion from Ciudad del Este.

Jessica with the Franzes two dogs.

Tiawan

Unfortunately, Yulin from Tiawan was unable to come. However, we were able to meet Pastor Lee from Tiawan who Yulin knew. Below is a picture of him with Judy and I and also a caricature that he drew of Judy and I at the beginning of one of the worship services at the conference.

In the Neighborhood

Judy standing in front of Renates house which is next to the seminary.

Below is a street directly across from the entrance to the seminary.

Below are two more pictures of houses across the street from the seminary.

Below is an area a few blocks away where families have been given an open area to settle on.

Contrast this with the house below that is also nearby.

These pictures show a very sharp contrast of families and homes, all within about a mile. On this brief tour this afternoon by Werner and Marlene, we learned more about the culture and needs within this area. A few blocks the other direction is downtown which has a very different look and feel with many open shops, busy sidewalks and streets filled with buses, cars, horse and carts, and people.

Seems like it just started, but the Conference ends

The picture below shows arriving at the conference on Sunday morning, the last day. In the distance is a large crowd of people from the city who are gathering and waiting to enter.

















Inside, it was quickly beginning to fill up. When everyone was in, more than 7,000 were gathered with the first and second levels full and the third level about half full. Words cannot explain the experience of worshiping together. The worship this morning had a more typical upbeat Hispanic worship style along with a large mass choir from the Mennonite churches.

















It was time to say goodbye to the conference, the people, the place we have been meeting the last six days, and many new friends. We leave with a bit of sadness and yet many good memories, new experiences and changed people.

More MWC photos

Carmen Hubert with Judy and I.
















MWC causes a lot of reflection and journaling. Spent the afternoon serving at a ministry for mothers and children who have AIDS. People who are hungry for hope and a future. Judy spent time with the mothers and I was with the children. They were so precious. The pictures below are of Judy and I at the center for AIDS.


















There are so many hurting people in the world. Unless we take the time to step out of the box and be with them, we ignore them and miss the opportunity to love and bless.

Mennonite World Conference

Another day of MWC is over. Worshiping and learning together with more than 5,000 Mennonites from around the world is a transforming experience. It is so interesting to learn how God is at work around the world and how churches and communities of Christ live in other parts of the world.

The photo below is the bus driver's seat.





















The picture below is Jess, Louise and Lauren getting on the bus to the conference.
















The large church that about 5,600 of us meet in morning and evening for worship. The picture below is taken while people are gathering.

Mennonite World Conference

MWC is off to a great start, an amazing experience of worshiping together and eating together with more than 6,000 Mennonites from around the world. What a blessing!

Iguazu Falls

Back in Asuncion

Our taxi driver arrived this morning 15 minutes early and drove us through the border crossings and to the shops in Ciudad del Este. He offered to serve as our private tour guide for the morning and then take us to the bus terminal. Since it allowed us to walk through the city without all of our luggage, we accepted his offer. Having grown up in the city all of his life, it was great having him with us. He was very helpful!

We had a safe bus trip back to Asuncion. We were able to find the right bus stop in San Lorenzo and arrived on time at 6:30 p.m.

We are now back enjoying the company of the Franzes. It was great to sit down to a good home cooked meal again tonight. We are all doing great. Tomorrow the Conference begins. Thanks for all your prayers!

Ron

Argentina Church Service

While walking through the town tonight we came across singing down the street. As we neared it, we discovered it was a church service. The size of the church was a small room about the size of our church library. At the front, they had a keyboard, a drummer, two guitars, and three vocalists. On both sides, there were about six short wooden benches with at least 4 persons to a bench. There were at least 50 to 60 persons crowded in the room singing lively worship songs Argentina style. The person standing outside invited us in and ushered us about halfway in to standing room only places. We were very blessed to be able to praise God together with our Argentina brothers and sisters. It was so refreshing and just another gift from God. Thank you God for your many blessings!

After we left the church, we were again blessed by watching Jess, Lauren and Louise put their love for Christ into practice by giving to the poor children.

We also gained a new friend in the hostel today who just arrived from Buenos Aires. He will be volunteering in an orphanage for the next few months in Boloivia where he has volunteered before. He shared with us the joys of working with children at an orphanage.

Blessings to all!

Stunning Iguazu

Our second day at the falls were absolutely stunning. We hiked the lower circuit trail and down to the bottom to the river where we took a boat across to San Marten Island. On the island, we hiked back up lots of steps and then on a trail to several awesome lookout points of the falls. Again we have had a sunny day with clear blue skies. We shed our sweaters and even got some sunburn. Our legs and feet are very sore and tired from all the hiking and climbing the last two days. But every ache and sore muscle was more than worth it. Words and pictures cannot begin to capture the majestic beauty of God´s handiwork in this part of the world. I hope to post some pictures sometime as soon as I have access to a card reader.

This is our last day in Argentina. Tomorrow morning we will head back through Brazil to Paraguay and spend a few hours in Ciudad del Este and then board a bus in the afternoon to San Lorenzo and the Franzes.

The Lord´s Day

God has given us another beautiful sunny day. It is 39 degrees at the moment, but supposed to warm up to a warm 62 degrees. Since we are doing a lot of hiking today, will probably go without coats. Was a bit cold when we woke up with no heat. They gives us lots of warm blankets though. Just had a breakfast of lots of different rolls. Blessings to all on this Lord´s day. Especially praying for John Campbell back home. Thinking of you often John and Millie!

Ron

Iguazu Falls

We hoped to get the bus to the falls at around 8 this morning, but it once again started to rain. At 9, we decided to walk to the bus station hoping the rain would soon stop. It stopped by the time we got to the bus terminal and by the time we arrived at the falls, the sun was beginning to shine. We had beautiful sun all day at the falls. The falls were astounding with the sun creating brightly colored rainbows in front of each water fall. We first took the train and then walk ways to devils throat which was amazing. Then the upper circuit trail to several new falls. After seeing one, we were amazed. But the falls just continued, one after another. Butterflies flew around us as we walked. Sights, sounds, and experiences etched in our minds forever.

My card reader broke, so we may not be able to upload pictures until next week, unless we can buy one or find an internet cafe. We are using the computer at our hostel. I was just lying on a hammock underneath several humming birds feeding on a feeder and brightly colored flowers. There are beuatiful gardens at our hostel and now that it stopped raining and the sun is shining, we are enjoying them. Tomorrow we go back to the falls and hike the lower circuit trail and take the boat over to the island and get entirely different views of the falls. It is supposed to be sunny again tomorrow.

Jess, Louise and Lauren did some quick facebook and are now walking to downtown which is just a couple blocks away. The downtown has lots of shops and eating places. It has a very modern feel. Argentina is very different from Paraguay, at least the parts we have seen so far. It feels very safe here We will meet them later this evening so we can walk back to the hostel together.

Hope all is well back home!

Arrived in Argentina

The second picture is of us at the bus station at 6 a.m. this morning, the beginning of our day. The first picture is at the end of the day with Jess, Louise and Lauren on the computer at our hostel.

We made it to Argentina. Our bus trip took about five hours with lots of rain. When we arrived in Cuidad del Este, the roads were flowing with lots of muddy water and still heavy rain. We had a taxi driver drive us to the ferry in the heavy rain only to discover that no one was there. We could see the ferry on the argentina side but one one was around on the paraguay side. Finally we found someone who told us the ferry was shut down because of the grippo (flue). The taxi driver drove us back to the city. We then tried option two and hired a taxi driver to take us to Argentina through Brazil. Our driver was extremely helpful and kind and we made it through all the checkpoints without any problem. When we arrived here it was still raining, We are now at the hostel after a nice evening in the town and the internet just started working. We are limited to only ten minutes, so hopefully we can write more over the weekend. Our next two days will be full of the beautiful falls.

Ron

Preparing for Argentina

Jess, Louise and Lauren returned from their final day at the day care center. They miss the children already. They spent a few minutes on facebook and are now packing and getting ready for the trip to Argentina. We will be waking them up around 5 a.m. tomorrow morning to leave for the bus about 5:45 a.m. They should be able to get some sleep on the 5-6 hour bus ride tomorrow. We invite your prayers as we strike out on our own and try to find our way to a ferry and then across the river to Argentina and then a hostel in Puerto Iguazu. It will be an adventure! Our experiences so far have been life changing, especially for the girls.

Thursday Ramblings

We just got back from the bank and our card works again. Thank you God! We were also able to exchange money into Argentina pesos for our trip tomorrow morning. We were able to get the front row of seats on the upper deck of the bus both ways so that we will have a great view out the front windows. We leave our house a bit before 6 a.m.

It is cold and cloudy today. It is supposed to be even colder over the weekend when we are at the falls with a high of about 60 and a low of about 40, but lots of sun hopefully. Next week it is supposed to get down into the low 30s at night. Two days ago it was hot, humid and in mid 80s. Today we are wearing sweaters. Next week, it may be coats.

The community we are staying in is San Lorenzo, about 30-40 minutes from Asuncion. In many ways it has the feel of a poorer country. The roads in the town are paved with lots of broken areas and mud since all the rain. As soon as you get a couple blocks off the main streets, they are cobble-stoned or dirt. Busy traffic is interspersed with horse and carts making their way up and down streets selling their wares, street vendors, typical south-american markets, beggars, children at every street corner trying to wash your windows or sell you something.

We are staying with the Franzes who live beside the Bible seminary(CEMTA) in an area where we hear roosters in the morning, dogs barking occasionally at night, vendors on their horse and carts shouting their wares through a small loudspeaker. The neighborhood has a lot of poor also.

Yesterday, we visited downtown and saw the old parliament building and the very modern new parliament building. Both are near the river right next to a large area where the very poor live right down by the river. We also drove by a large park where many people had moved in with tents where they are camping in protest until they are heard.

It is very inspiring to be with the Franzes in the middle of all the hub-bub of preparing for the conference. It has become a family affair with everyone helping. Renate is very busy with the youth and service projects and other projects. Renates sister Esther is helping in all kinds of ways. Werner is graciously helping us with many details like getting bus tickets while attending many meetings, preparing for the theological conference, and preparing for the conference. Meanwhile Marlene is serving everyone - her family, Judy and I and the girls, and poor people in the community with whom she continues to reach out to in very meaningful ways. We are very impressed with the service, mission, commitment, and love of each person in the Franz family. We have been richly blessed, encouraged, and inspired by having this opportunity. We are also learning much about their culture, community and the Mennonite church. What an opportunity to learn another culture with people on the inside.

The girls are at the day care all day. Judy and Marlene will be picking them up at 5. They will greatly miss the children they have fallen in love with. Hopefully they will have a few minutes tonight to update the blog berfore we head to Argentina. When we are in Argentina, we may not have internet access. If we can, we wll post more updates.

Blessings to all!
Ron

Wednesday

Another day of education, service, and new experiences. The girls had a full day at the day care leaving early this morning and working until a little after 5 p.m. This evening we went to a large Paraguay Expo which was very informative of Paraguay culture. The girls wanted to stop by a store and buy some balls to give to the children tomorrow. They have fallen in love with the children. They are now getting ready for bed after a long day. They need to get up at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning to leave at 6:45 a.m. We bought the bus tickets to Ciudad del Este and plan to leave on Friday at 6:30 a.m. Our credit card no longer gives cash, so we need to call them tomorrow to try to get more cash. Thanks for your prayers. Pray for continued health and safety.
Ron

Tuesday Pictures

Louise and Jess with the children.

Writing the blog...

With the children at the day care. Normally there are 90 or more children.

Lauren with the children.

At Renates house playing with the dogs.

Niños chulinas (cute kids)

Today we woke up in our amazing room, in Renates house at 7 in the morning. We had oatmeal, bread, fruit and cereal for breakfast. It took about an hour to travel through the traffic of the city to get to the daycare which is located in the poorest part of asuncion. No one at the day care spoke English so we all got to practice Spanish. We were able to teach the kids a few American games and they showed us some of theirs. We played with kindergarten aged children, ate lunch with them, and took a nap during siesta. We fell in love with the kids who were adorable and friendly. The staff was nothing but accomodating and welcoming. Renate picked us up at 3 from the daycare and we drove to a local mall. The mall was a huge contrast to what we had just seen. Everything was fairly cheap in American dollars except the items from America . We got a dulce de leche mcflurry from a McDonalds and a few pairs of earings. We got to see the place where Renate works at the Mennonite World Conference offices. We got back to her house around 6 for some relaxing time and dinner of yuca, papaya, bread, cheese, and chirimoya. Tonight we are going to relax and maybe watch a movie. We are having an amazing time =D

Lauren, Jessica, and Louise

Tuesday Happenings

Its Tuesday evening and we are at Renates house. We are so thankful for all their hospitality. Marlene took Judy and I on a tour to visit the daycare, several Mennonite churches, a Mennonite school, and other Mennonite outreach ministries. Also visited the Mennonite World Conference offices where Renate works. This afternoon Werner took us to get our bus tickets to Ciudad del Este, but there was a long line. He also helped us withdraw money at an ATM, took us on a tour of the Mennonite seminary, and other local places in the community. I am very impressed with how involved the Mennonites are in outreach and making a difference in the community. It was a very hot and humid day in the mid 80s. We were expecting winter, but next week it is supposed to be in the 40s. The culture and community here are very different. Tomorrow Judy and I may adventure on a bus to downtown Asuncion. Will now let the girls share their day. The times these updates are posted are not correct. Blessings to all back home. We love you all!
Ron

Arrived in Paraguay

We arrived safely in Asuncion, Paraguay this evening around 6 p.m. Renate and her family were at the airport waiting for us. What a happy reunion!!! Everyone is doing great, but a bit tired. We flew from JFK to Lima, Peru and then flew to Santiago, Chile and then on to Asuncion, Paraguay. The girls start their service project at the day care center tomorrow morning. Below are a few pictures. The picture of the mountains is of the Andes mountains as we flew into Santiago.