Mba'eichapa!
I know, I know. the title looks like a fist full of letters randomly drawn for a new game of Scrabble. Here in Paraguay, it's a formal greeting, a way of saying "hello, how is life?" I'll go ahead and answer by saying the T.I.M.E. team is doing great! By this point, many of us have passed the overwhelming bits of culture shock and we're constantly absorbing more of the routines, rituals, and habits of Paraguay as we go. Our bodies and minds are slowly settling into the the Paraguayan culture that we dove headfirst into a little under two weeks ago (but not without some hilarious hiccups along the way)! The language barrier is in full swing, and so communication with the locals and our host families consists of formal greetings, rudimentary sentences of Guarani and Spanish pieced together, and the universally understood language of hand gesture and miming. The part-time miming gig often gets us more laughs than our attempts at speaking Guarani, and Google Translate (when available) has become a near and dear friend to all of us. Our host families have blessed us with wonderful meals, and the community here has welcomed us with open arms. Being in Paraguay feels almost like being home by this point, and many of us simultaneously think "I don't know how I'm going to make it through today, but I also don't know if I want to ever leave."
Time in the clinic with Dr. Jeff has been a blast. We've grown in our skill sets and learned more about practical medicine in the time we've been here than we thought we ever would. Within a week we've become pros at urinalysis, kidney ultrasounds, and back realignment maneuvers. Using the ultrasound machine has given all of us a new perspective into the living human body, something we're all incredibly grateful for. Many of us shook off the dust on our blood pressure reading skills as well. But most importantly, we've witnessed firsthand what medical missions looks like in Paraguay. Doctor Jeff and Amy have over the years built lasting relationships with the community of Jataity, and it shows in their interactions with the locals. Dr. Jeff makes multilingual medical evangelism look easy, and it's not just due to his training, but his heart for God. His honest and integrity in the clinic is unparalleled here, and it has been a light not only to the Paraguayans but to the T.I.M.E. team as well.
Visiting the community with Amy and the kids has also been incredible. We've met many of the locals, and seen sustenance farming firsthand. Again, the Paraguayans we visited showed us incredible hospitality. We didn't leave a single house without eating something, and we (through our curiosity and the Paraguayans' willingness) received a unique view into the culture here. Many houses have shown us their animals, given us demonstrations, and told us a lot about the history of their families in Jataity. All of this is not without its joking and laughter though! seeing Amy's social heart has taught us a lot about evangelism as well. Amy has an incredible understanding of the Paraguayan culture, knowing that they're relational and oral people. Her quest to intimately know many of the Paraguayan families shows a heart uniquely and intelligently bent toward God, because she's not racing to preach, but letting herself humbly meld into the Paraguayan culture much like Christ was humbled into man. The humility and patience of the process is heartwarming.
Christianity is relatively new here in Paraguay, with only first-generation believers. It hasn't been reached for more than 25 years. Being in the town of Jataity, where 6 professing believers congregate in a population of 700 has been an incredibly humbling experience. We've been fortunate to meet the Hough's and Howell's, some other members of the SIM team, while we've been here. The Hough's run a travelling youth leader and youth camp training ministry in Paraguay. Their motto is "developing the next generation of church planters." and the Howell's specialize in rural pastoral ministry. Seeing SIM's expansion in Paraguay unfold before us has been an encouraging testament to god's work in reaching all people.
The bulk of our time consists of medicine, visiting, studying the culture and religion of Paraguay, and eating. But we also know how to throw a good fiesta! A few of our nights here have been spent travelling to eachothers' host homes where we've spent hours playing games, talking, and dancing the night away. The Paraguayans really know how to entertain guests! But, amidst all of the fun and incredible experiences we've had in our few weeks, many of us carry a twinge of heartache. We're here as the T.I.M.E. team (Training In Medical Evangelism), and with that comes the realization that many here have not clearly heard The Gospel. Some of us are burdened by the desire to communicate more effectively the words of Christ to all whom we come in contact with. Catholicism is the predominant religion here, with loads of idol worship and a unique blend of local religion. We know God is with us, and we understand our strength through Him and not ourselves to reach these people. We're oft reminded of God's use of the humble and patient whose heart is found in Him, but that doesn't remove the heartache of knowing that many here are still lost. We definitely covet your prayers as we continue out ministry here in Jataity.
For those of you looking for a more visual window into our trip, here's a link to Amy's blog: http://amyinparaguay.blogspot.com/ She's a great photographer.
Time in the clinic with Dr. Jeff has been a blast. We've grown in our skill sets and learned more about practical medicine in the time we've been here than we thought we ever would. Within a week we've become pros at urinalysis, kidney ultrasounds, and back realignment maneuvers. Using the ultrasound machine has given all of us a new perspective into the living human body, something we're all incredibly grateful for. Many of us shook off the dust on our blood pressure reading skills as well. But most importantly, we've witnessed firsthand what medical missions looks like in Paraguay. Doctor Jeff and Amy have over the years built lasting relationships with the community of Jataity, and it shows in their interactions with the locals. Dr. Jeff makes multilingual medical evangelism look easy, and it's not just due to his training, but his heart for God. His honest and integrity in the clinic is unparalleled here, and it has been a light not only to the Paraguayans but to the T.I.M.E. team as well.
Visiting the community with Amy and the kids has also been incredible. We've met many of the locals, and seen sustenance farming firsthand. Again, the Paraguayans we visited showed us incredible hospitality. We didn't leave a single house without eating something, and we (through our curiosity and the Paraguayans' willingness) received a unique view into the culture here. Many houses have shown us their animals, given us demonstrations, and told us a lot about the history of their families in Jataity. All of this is not without its joking and laughter though! seeing Amy's social heart has taught us a lot about evangelism as well. Amy has an incredible understanding of the Paraguayan culture, knowing that they're relational and oral people. Her quest to intimately know many of the Paraguayan families shows a heart uniquely and intelligently bent toward God, because she's not racing to preach, but letting herself humbly meld into the Paraguayan culture much like Christ was humbled into man. The humility and patience of the process is heartwarming.
Christianity is relatively new here in Paraguay, with only first-generation believers. It hasn't been reached for more than 25 years. Being in the town of Jataity, where 6 professing believers congregate in a population of 700 has been an incredibly humbling experience. We've been fortunate to meet the Hough's and Howell's, some other members of the SIM team, while we've been here. The Hough's run a travelling youth leader and youth camp training ministry in Paraguay. Their motto is "developing the next generation of church planters." and the Howell's specialize in rural pastoral ministry. Seeing SIM's expansion in Paraguay unfold before us has been an encouraging testament to god's work in reaching all people.
The bulk of our time consists of medicine, visiting, studying the culture and religion of Paraguay, and eating. But we also know how to throw a good fiesta! A few of our nights here have been spent travelling to eachothers' host homes where we've spent hours playing games, talking, and dancing the night away. The Paraguayans really know how to entertain guests! But, amidst all of the fun and incredible experiences we've had in our few weeks, many of us carry a twinge of heartache. We're here as the T.I.M.E. team (Training In Medical Evangelism), and with that comes the realization that many here have not clearly heard The Gospel. Some of us are burdened by the desire to communicate more effectively the words of Christ to all whom we come in contact with. Catholicism is the predominant religion here, with loads of idol worship and a unique blend of local religion. We know God is with us, and we understand our strength through Him and not ourselves to reach these people. We're oft reminded of God's use of the humble and patient whose heart is found in Him, but that doesn't remove the heartache of knowing that many here are still lost. We definitely covet your prayers as we continue out ministry here in Jataity.
For those of you looking for a more visual window into our trip, here's a link to Amy's blog: http://amyinparaguay.blogspot.com/ She's a great photographer.
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