Passion for Paraguay

8:30 AM. We leave the capital city of Asuncion. Several trucks and a dozen or so motorcycles line up to travel for six hours into the great Chaco, also known and coined by the early settlers as the green hell. Water is scarce and the soil is not good for crop production.  3:00 PM. We arrive in Flor del Chaco is a nice and comfortable campground outside the town of Filadelfia. The place sits on 400 acres of real Chaco forest. Flor del Chaco is a  Mennonite retreat place - really perfect retreat place. No phone connection, no WIFI, no noise. The stars at night are breathtaking. Rodadores Redimidos - the local chapter welcomed us with cheers. Last year the event was cancelled due to covid. This year, they went ahead in spite of experiencing the worst yet during the pandemic. We had a blast and it gave us a reason to travel and join forces as CMA Paraguay. I traveled with my two oldest kids, Marcos and Nicole. So it turned into a family trip as well. It was our first trip int...

A year ago, when Paraguay shut its borders and we all hibernated, the virus did not spread. A year later, and without a good system to administer the vaccine, between 80 -120 people are losing their lives every day While some nations are gradually back to the normal, Paraguay finds itself in the worst period of the pandemic. Vaccines arrive in limited bundles, a little corruption here and there, and millions are waiting their shot.  Please keep Paraguay in your prayers. We thank God for his protection and rapid recovery when several family members tested positive in February. We are back and going full force. But many cannot tell the same story.  Paraguay has administered at least 240,584 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 1.7% of the country’s population. (https://graphics.reuters.com) As I think of the situation, I realize again how fragile we are and become in times like these. May the peace of God tha...

Last year was hard. South of the Ecuador, school run from February to November. Covid restrictions began in March; basically 2020 school calendar year was done from home. This year, back in school, our kids attend have adopted a hybrid mode. They alternate between going to school and staying home on their computer.  Both kids were desperate and ready to start going to school this past month. Dominick is learning to sit still and Anahi is back at her element - socializing - As 2021 picks up speed we are excited about the possibilities of life returning to some degree of normalcy - although vaccines are slow to arrive in Paraguay. Anahi has grown up a lot this year. She is now part of the 9-11 pre-teen group at our church. I enjoy to see her grow and succeed. God has a plan for her to prosper and give her a wonderful life.  Dominick is in pre-school. We don t know yet about Dominick and his music abilities. His voice is incredibly strong, maybe he will become a powerful tenor an...