Learning from Some Amazing Humanitarians - Working with ADRA

 Saturday was a work to catch up day but started with a Zoom call about our hygiene kits service project. Getting the kits ready has been a breeze and even inviting some of the other faiths that we work with will be fun if they can come to help. Speaking in front of influential people at an international conference if only for a few minutes. Eek. We like to be behind the scenes organizers trying to blend into the background better than being up front.

Emotional Resilience Graduation done right with balloons!

We went and supported a wonderful sister in our ward who was graduating. We didn't know until she invited us that she had been taking the class but we did notice a change in her confidence before the invite. Trusting in God to get through hard things makes a difference. I took this class with some friends in Marshall, MN but our graduation wasn't as cool.

Our mission assignments includes: (but none of our friends doing Humanitarian do these same things): 

1.organizing the paperwork of the solicitudes and making first visits

2. finding links to equipment that needs to be bought so purchasing has an idea of what to buy

3. writing a definition of the project along with measures to evaluate the project and their sustainablity plan and add them to Chas (the humanitarian project program)

4. writing requisitions, agreements, ACTA (the paper that officially hands over the equipment)

5. making powerpoint slides for the approval committee before it is approved and another one for after the project is completed with a summary of the hand over (entrega) ceremony.

6. remind organizations to send reports of project impact each quarter and submit them to Chas

7. reconcile the credit card monthly

8. attend ceremonies (fun)and meetings (50/50 chance of being fun)

Monday, Chris's computer crashed again, there are 10 computers not being used in the other room but no one will listen and wouldn't let her change it out for a different one until we returned Friday to have no computer and no diagnosis until next week. We can't tell you how inconvenient it is to have your computer crash and be out of commission for more days. 

June 3 is World Club Foot Day or in Spanish Pie Bot. Although it sounds funny to English speakers, it affects a lot of people and our friends at Solidaridad are working with MiracleFeet, the Ministry of Health and some of the Hospitals we have helped or are helping, to receive the necessary surgeries and braces to correct or at least improve their mobility. It was a mission reunion of sorts as besides Oscar, Edgar and Claudia, Dr Matto and his assistant from Hospital Villaricca were there, Dr Carolina Ruiz was also there from the MNC conference.

We ate lunch a little later than usual Monday and got to visit with Nelson from social services. He is the one that will be joining the Tabernacle Choir at the October general conference. We learned that not only is he a talented singer but also a professional oboe player and played with the Paraguay Symphony for 15 years.

We came home from our trip last week and didn't notice the puddle outside our door of dog pee from our neighbors and rolled our suitcases right through it. Yuck! We noticed there had been wet newspaper under the neighbors door before but that was the first time there was a puddle in our way. We decided if it happened again we would say something. Well Monday we came home to a puddle of dog pee in our apartment because there is a space between the floor and the door. We took a picture and invited the manager up to see it before we got to clean it up. We used bleach but it still stinks, literally.

And while on the topic of just a little gross this is a rest stop along the way to Filadelfia. They use this brown water. for the toilet, somewhat understandable in a place hurting for water but the yellow stuff to wash your hands is where we draw the line. Woohoo for church vehicles stocked with antibacterical wipes.

 

Excitement on our first night in Filadelfia:

So was it a Hotel or Motel we stayed at? (IYKYK)

Bathroom window frog -first floor problems

Found cotton print fabric at the Mennonite co-op

Chris was stung by an tarantula hawk wasp. One of the most painful stings but less toxic than a bee.

Filadelfia rush hour traffic.

Wednesday morning we were able to meet our friends from ADRA (the Seventh Day Adventist Relief Association) at breakfast before heading out to see the work they accomplished on the water project. On our way to our first appointment with the government of Mariscal Estigarribia those ahead of us pulled over quickly because they saw a pair of tapirs walking across a field. They told us it is very rare to see tapirs out in the open like that and legend is that they only show themselves to people with good hearts. Quite a thrill and tender mercy, reminding us who's errand we are on.

remember from ice age

On this trip we learned a lot about aljibes (the underground water storage tanks), pumps to get the water out of the aljibes, screens to help keep the aljibes cleaner, wells, good humanitarian practices like involving government and assisting the people with what they ask for not the latest and greatest that may not work for them, and how to instill a sense of community ownership when the project is done. It was just a wonderful uplifting day. We had lunch on a road in the shade standing up but all of us bowed together in prayer before eating. We covered a lot of miles. So grateful for those who taught us to say "how are you?" "very well," "good bye" and "hello" in both Guarani and Nivacle. Most people are happy when you try. Besides the joy it gave us to be with amazing people all day, we have no doubt the timing was of divine design before we try and work on getting an aljibe project for Mistolar approved. We knew these two projects would be similar, but Wednesday we knew once again that God is in the details.

Women's garden to have produce to eat

Macro capture- government sponsored water project that indegious are wary of

Even ADRA guys need to stop for directions but we had some entertainment from the niñas learning a dance by the school.

They added a hand pump here so that young unattended kids won't just leave the pump on playing in the water and dry up the well and burn out the pump. 

One Guarani man who rode in our truck to the tajamar said, "we have the capacity to think but we don't have the capacity to purchase." Which reminds us of something in the Doctrine and Covenants 51:3 learned about needs and wants: 

"appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs." 

These people need water and have come up with a list of items they want to improve their water security. If the plan is sound, we (humanitarian aid) try to help them with their wants to improve and become more self reliant. It was great to see communities with committees of men and women working together for the good of all, much like a ward/branch councils. Truth is truth and our church doesn't have the corner on the market on righteous living or being blessed by following correct principles.

One sad thing we have noticed with this trip is the power heirarchy of cultures here in Paraguay. The Mennonites, especially in the Chaco are the most powerful financially and politically. The Latinos or Paraguayans depending on who is speaking come next and even the indigenous have a hierarchy with the Guarani first and then the other cultures behind them. Although we recognize this does happen in Paraguay, in our humanitarian work we do not form opinions or judgments of who we will help based on race or ethnicity. We even noticed that the Hotel Florida in the city limits of Filadelfia, owned by the Mennonite cooperative has mostly foreigners and Mennonites as guests where as Hotel Olimar is on the outskirts of town and mostly latino paraguayans and the food is definitely more authentic.

After a tough day driving in the Chaco, Ken enjoys some tender steak

Flowers at the Hotel Olimar

Check the thorns out on this tree? Ouch

Borracha tree in full bloom

In Paraguay they don't cut down trees for a road

Do you see the size of that bug?

Once again our hotel with all the trucks looks Midwestern!

Not everything delivers from Amazon to Paraguay but this did!

Couldn't resist buying these treats for the Sisters

Friday was a real downer, a chance to put into practice what we heard on a podcast during our trip. Deliverer is one of Christ's names. The Book of Mormon and really all scripture are story after story of the Savior delivering people from all kinds of bondage. Do we have enough faith and patience to be still and know that He is God and He will deliver us? Actually we both have the faith and really after a little sputtering have the patience but can we feel joy? Ugh, not in the moment yet. Please keep us in your prayers.