Skip to main content

First CMA Rally


It was a lot noisier than I imagined! That was my first impression of the 2008 Encarnacion Motorcycle Rally. CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association) Paraguay became official in November 2007 when South American coordinator, Hiram Villaseñor came and held the Colors ceremony. Our first activity was participating in the Encarnacion Rally. Hundreds of bikers from all over the country came for the exposition, competitions and fellowship. CMA had the joy of serving the bikers fresh mineral water and keeping the grounds clean.

The folks at the Rally were so impressed with us "newcomers" who were always smiling and picking up trash that we were interviewed by 2 different television stations. Pictured are a few of the members with on of the interviewers and the CMA booth and banner in the background.

We were able to meet some new people, and make inroads with bikers from our neighboring cities. We are also making contacts with Christian bikers in Ciudad del Este and Iturbe that want to begin their own chapters of CMA in other parts of the country. We believe in the vision of CMA: Changing the world, one heart at a time.

CMA has 100,000 members in the United States and chapters in 24 countries. Each year, their "Run for the Son" weekend raises over a million dollars for missions and motorcycles for third world countries. Paraguay has been the recipient of 16 motocycles to date. We are grateful for this incredible partnership. Thanks for praying with us for incredible encounters this year with bikers who need the hope of Jesus.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas in Paraguay!

If you're wondering what Paraguayans do at Christmastime, they have some great traditions , including the " noche buena " meal on Christmas Eve at midnight.  They eat lots chipa guasu (a type of corn casserole, stay tuned for a recipe), asado or grilled meat (some eat it cold), salads, especially fruit salad, watermelon and drink mucho terere . Families travel from all over the country, many even return from working in other countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Spain, to celebrate with loved ones. This is us at last year's Kurrle celebration in Asuncion. Festivities are anything but a silent night with fireworks, loud music and drinking cidra (hard cider).  Most Paraguayans do not decorate Christmas trees (we decorate ours in shorts!) or emphasize Santa Claus.  Instead, they put beautiful nativities " pesebres " in their yards and in store fronts.  Kind of novel to focus on Christ at Christmas, isn't it! To beat the heat, many Paraguayans g...
4 comments
Read more

Paraguayan Weddings

On Valentine’s Day, we had the joy of attending the wedding of Sandra and Anastacio, young leaders in the church. Sandra is my assistant with Children of Promise and Anastacio, apart from his carpentry job, has a popular youth-focused radio program every night at 8:00 on our station. We’ve been to quite a few weddings, and these are some of the uniquenesses of southern Paraguayan wedding celebrations from our North American culture: 1. Nothing is fancy. Emphasis is placed on the act of marriage and not on the decorations or food. 2. It is not an expectation that parents help pay for expenses. Most families just make it each month with regular expenses and cannot afford to pay for eleborate feasts. Most couples have to spend months saving for their own wedding. 3. Borrow as much as possible. Many times wedding dresses are borrowed 5-10 times, because few women can afford their own. Flowers, decorations, shoes and ties (Norb loans out his ties often...since he never wears them!...
2 comments
Read more

How to make Rosella (Roselle) Juice and Tea

This is rosella (not to be confused with grosella, which is gooseberry).  Rosella is from the hibiscus family. It's harvest time here, and we use the rosella to make juice and tea.  It's properties are absolutely tremendous.  It helps sooth colds, coughs, helps digestion, promotes healthy kidney function, is a treatment for cancer, and reduces a fever and that's just a few of its benefits!  To make rosella juice, first de-pit the fruit and wash the skin thoroughly. Put the fruit into boiling water until the water is bright red (about 15 minutes).  The color is so vibrant, Roselle is sold to make dyes.  Strain the fruit (which can be used to make a delicious jam) and refrigerate the juice.  Add a few squirts of Stevia for a healthy drink. The finished product looks exactly like red Kool-aid, but is entirely full of nutrients.  We can't get enough of it. We dehydrated the petals for hot tea.  All you need is two dried flowers to infus...
3 comments
Read more