La gente. (The People)

Like any good, obedient, and oh-so-holy missionary, my focus in Paraguay is on the people. :)Getting to know their culture and customs, learning about their lives, and building relationships. It's a process, to be sure. Right now I'm still learning about culture, customs, and, on a shallow level, of their lives here. One custom I've learned is that no one knocks on doors here... they clap. Yes, clap. I thought it very strange, but I've already gotten used to it. My theory is that all the houses have fences and gates, so you can't really knock on doors- thus, the clapping. I think I might bring it back to states... start a sensation. :)

Last Tuesday Carol, another missionary who I work with at the school, was telling me and Aubrie, an exchange student from George Fox U. helping at the school, about Sentimientos (anyone who knows what this is here, sorry- I probably spelled that wrong, or got the wrong word!). If you look at the picture next to this, its the best I could do from the car! This is a big piece of dirt property, where a bunch of power lines run through. It also happens to be home to apparently hundreds of people. They literally find any material that would work to make a shelter- tin, wood, plastic, aluminum- and build their home their. No locks, not really any doors, definitely no A/C... and someone needs to be there all the time or everything they own risks getting stolen, and at times people come in and simply steal their home as well. This place is probably 10 or 15 minutes from me, in my neighborhood. Alcoholism is also a big problem there. It's looking at places like this that make me question so much. Why do people have to live this way? Can't God snap his fingers and help them? How can I sit here in my apartment with all my clean clothes and computer and iPod and still think I need more? How can other people? How can I even be of help to these people? I don't have answers and I don't really expect them for most things, but it is difficult at times to reconcile the idea of our loving God with the people beaten by poverty and a useless government, as it is in so many places. But at the same time, I hold out hope that something, somehow will touch the lives of these people, even in the smallest of ways.

On a lighter note... I went with Christian and his wife, Angelica to the Interior Thursday. They are missionaries who have been here for 6 years- well, Angelica is Paraguayan, but they have been on the field for 6 years. The Interior is basically any part of Paraguay that is not along the border, where most of the population is concentrated. It's a whole different world out there! We stopped at a "lumber yard' on the way in (it took 3 1/2 hours to get to the village they work in). You can see in the picture why I loosely refer to it as a lumber yard... they do everything by hand, no safety anything. When it hasn't rained they can't cut the wood because they use that water to cool their equipment, and when it rains too much they can't cut because the logs are wet! It was fascinating.

Forgive me for not remembering the name of the village we went to but believe me when I tell you I loved it. The landscape on the way out was gorgeous. Only in the last 5 years or less has this town gotten electricity. The people all know each other and look out for one another. And they speak Guarani. Only some speak Spanish, and even then very poorly. Angelica is the director of a school there and has been for the last 2 years. They have made some incredible improvements to the facilities and to the education. Most people there have not been educated at all, or if they have it was to a low level.
Christian has been working on the Agri-missions building there. It's a great space, they have rooms where people can hold meetings, missions groups can come and stay, and a big kitchen. They have planted fruits and vegetables and sesame seeds and other things. They keep on trying new things to improve the lifestyles of the people. I wish I knew more! They are doing an awesome job out there.

Quick picture here, on the way back we saw an awesome thunderstorm ahead so we stopped to put the bags inside the car, and I snapped this photo. It was gorgeous! You could smell the rain from miles away. A welcome relief to the 100 degree heat. Anyway, I know this post is ridiculously long, as you should probably come to expect from me now. I ask that you keep praying for me, as I keep on learning more Spanish, finding my place in the school here, and building relationships with people around me. And if you want to mail me something, that would be ok too. :) My address is:
Escuela Metodista Nuevo Horizonte
Attn:Emily Milner
Chaco Boreal Num 9978 esq.
Ruiz Diaz de Guzman
Lambare - Paraguay

Bendiciones! (Blessings!)