Passion for Paraguay

This will be the title of my book.  Its been 20 years since that crazy journey. I still have my journal with information about the miles, towns, hotels, gas stations, coin exchange value and how much we paid for the trip.  I have been working on a book for a while. I am almost done.  A few weeks to go. It's the story of a trip I took back in 2002 from the USA to Paraguay in an old suburban truck. The book is written to inspire people to venture out into the unknown and chart a new territory.  Every stage in life gives us an opportunity to cross a new border we are crossing. These borders have names (jobs, careers, marriage, kids, faith, letting go, grieving, succeeding, failing, finding our deeper self. We tend to get settled, we lose the edge and the spirit of exploration.  In this book, I share about miracles on the longest highway on the planet, and how this trip would not have been possible without the prayers of our loved ones. It was a journey of faith. We...

If you missed the speech, president Zelenski spoke to the US congress this past week. He has become a héroe for many, and I am sure a foe to others. When I saw his speech, only a day  and hours before our Christmas holidays, I was moved, and I have to admit, teary eye. Thus writing this short article became important. The meaning of Christmas, is very conflicting to me during wartimes. The idea of not having electricity in the winter, let alone in a modern 2022 world, is also very primitive and middle age. And here someone is using the winter to cause harm on purpose to innocent civilians.  Zelenski said: We are constantly being attacked by missiles. When we hear the sirens, we get into our basements to save our life's from the Russian strikes. They  are attempting to shut Ukraine down, by destroying our cities and electric power plants. He paused for a moment and added: But there is one thing they will never shut out. That is the light within us,...

On July 10th we checked into the Warsaw Church of God campgrounds. The experience was outstanding, refilling  We shared during their mission sessions in the afternoon We spoke to people everytime we had a chance We had the opportunity to share during one of the services The evangelist for this retreat was Rev Mitch  Burg, who challenged believers to getting back to the life in teh spirit and to faith. I specifically liked one of the concept he drilled during one of his sermons. We need to discover our sixt sense, that being ' our faith. Without it we are lost in a world that worships sensorial experiences These campgrounds have a sacred feel. They draw people from all ages and backgrounds. For some it is a spiritual pilgrimage, for others a vacation, for others its a serious game changer. No matter the motivation, Camp Warsaw captures you. It envolved you in a sense and separates you from the noise of the world. Its definitely a ground zero, reset type life experience.  C...

Since we last visited our friends in the USA, three years have gone by. First came covid, Covid shut us all down for what seemed forever. Then came a scorching drout which killed crops and even trees in Paraguay and parts of Argentina. With these events our economies faced inflation, and higher gas prices. And for the past few months the war between Russia and Ukraine made the world very uncomfortable. The political situation in the US is also under turmoil. As we have been reconnecting face to face, we all look like survivors from some final armagedon battles. Sitting down without a face mask and enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend is now a big deal. Personally I have come to appreciate these moments. Being alive after covid is a blessing in itself, and a priviledge.  We are currently on our home assigment, also called furlogh. We have been on the road for a few weeks. Driving the US roads is always a treat. I say treat, because as a general rule, people in the US follow s...

Over the weekend of April 29th -30th 2022 in Campo 9, state of Caaguazu Paraguay, we were part of the 5th CMA national rally.  When CMA started back in 2006, we never thought it would become a national force to grab the attention of Paraguayan bikers with a passion for God and big engines. But it did, and today I see how God can use crazy projects, and dreamers like  Herb Shreve (founder)  to accomplish his purposes.  The theme for this weekend was RESET . After covid-19 and all the uncertainties around the world, we are living a change of paradigm on how to do things, what to expect and how to operate in this digital, fast changing world.  I was invited to share  a word, during a sessions at the rally.  Jesus himself a master reset pioneer. He challenged the thinking of contemporary Jews. He would confront the status quo, fulfill scripture  by being faithful to the prophets, yet contextual to the needs of the people. He always dealt with the hear...

Many of you know the story of my accident. Ten years ago this month, I was driving when our family hit a parked truck on the highway. The truck had run out of fuel and never really got off the road. The back end was sticking out about six feet on the two-lane highway. That fatal morning the truck driver, Marcelo (*), was unloading some of his goods when we impacted his vehicle.  One of the things that made this accident so fatal, with little chance of survival, was the oncoming traffic, which blinded our vehicle. On top of that, that morning the fog was so dense that you could not see much of anything.  For months, if not years, after the accident, I did not want to have anything to do with Marcelo. I did not want to hear his name or see him. The last time I saw him was in August 2012, in a court hearing, when I won the case against me and the case against Marcelo was dismissed with certain conditions. Over the past couple of years, however, I started to think about Marce...

A multiweek heat wave is hitting a large portion of South America. Its one of the most prolonged on record. Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil are in the eye of the heat wave.  According to an article on January 12th, 2022, in the Washington post, Paraguay, Argentina and surrounding countries are experiencing record breaking heat. Just this past weeks, most known records have been broken.  The post states: "Heat waves are among the deadliest weather phenomena, surpassing tornadoes, flooding and hurricanes in their human toll in many areas".  I live in Paraguay, and the daily temperatures have been over 105F every days since Christmas - forty days - nonstop. Most homes are not build with these extremes in mind. Thin brick walls become ovens, that never cool down. And the steel roof does not help with cooling. People stay under the shade, those who have air-condition try to minimize the impact, while sitting in one place during most of the day.  Paraguay is...