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Paraguay Diary 2004
Paraguay Date: Wednesday 28th July 2004 Time: 18:51:31
UK Date: Wednesday 28th July 2004 Time: 23:51:31 |
Wednesday, 28th July 2004
First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who has supported Project Paraguay in so many ways. THANK YOU to all those whom we know will be praying for us. THANK YOU to the folks who came to wave us off today! A BIG, BIG THANK YOU to Mark & Duncan Aspinall at Holmeswood Coaches - your both brilliant!
After sharing a light lunch together at The Bridge, our team (David Orritt, Derek Huyton, Sheila Martland, Noelle & Brian Greenhalgh and Les Newman & Ken Skelton from St. Paul's, Skelmersdale) set off at 2.45pm on the first leg of their journey to Heathrow airport.
At check-in two very fortunate, charming gentlemen (Les & Ken) were allocated seats in Business Class!! Unfortunately, the flight coming from Copenhagen, is delayed by one and a half hours. Expected take-off time now 11.30pm.
Please pray for Brian Donnelly who will be flying out to join us tomorrow. |
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Paraguay Date: Thursday 29th July 2004 Time: 17:14:20
UK Date: Thursday 29th July 2004 Time: 22:14:20 |
Thursday, 29th July 2004
All arrived safely and met at the airport by Bishop John Ellison, his wife Julie and Phil Grainger. Derek, Ken and Les have lost a case each but are returning to collect later this evening. Heavy rain at present. Staying at the cathedral tonight in a hall and will be travelling out to the Chaco by coach tomorrow.
The Chaco church has been funded entirely from Burscough & Skelmersdale. Everyone is very pleased and thankful for the support from St. John's & St. Paul's. All the walls have been built, we will be involved with floors; screens to windows to keep out bats and wasps; new roofs for indian homes and helping in a clinic once a week, which is the only medical help available for indiginous indians in the area who suffer from all sorts of diseases - TB is endemic, Cheggers disease etc.
Prayer is needed for the Anglican church here which is under attack at present. Unfortunately Phil Grainger hit a horse whilst driving. Another helper ended up in jail after knocking down a little girl (her error). The brother of the secretary at the cathedral has died recently (aged 35) following a gun shot wound.
Please continue to pray for us all. Thank you. |
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Paraguay Date: Friday 30th July 2004 Time: 17:36:41
UK Date: Friday 30th July 2004 Time: 22:36:41 |
Friday, 30th July 2004
Went to a restaurant last night and ate the best pizzas ever!! All slept well the first night but only cold water for showers and shaving! Enjoyed breakfast together this morning in a local breadshop. Thankfully Derek, Ken & Les have all got their cases back. Last night we had a great talk from Bishop John Ellison. They (SAMS) are doing great things out here but the needs are mammoth. We talked with him about Rick Warren and they are certainly into Purpose Driven Church. Derek, Ken & Les visited Remancito today with Phil Grainger to see one of the other projects in a shanty area. People live in small shacks with a bit of land to scratch a living. One of our jobs in the Chaco will be to pipe water from the roof of a newly erected building to an Aljibe in order to provide water for a kitchen garden. This will enable the local indians to hopefully try and grow their own food. David has to design some sort of system for getting water from the roof and supporting pipes to ground level, over about a 20 metre distance. |
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Paraguay Date: Tuesday 3rd August 2004 Time: 04:59:00
UK Date: Tuesday 3rd August 2004 Time: 09:59:00 |
Monday, 2nd August 2004
Hi everyone! We are all okay, no health problems and enjoying ourselves. Went to Church yesterday at Rio Verde. Ed Brice preached who was brought up in Burscough and preached at St. John's in the time of Rev. Phil Miller. It was a very special service. We all went up to the front to introduce ourselves and then sang Majesty in English. We then sung it together in Spanish. We also had a great time of prayer together in both languages. Despite cultural and language differences we are all one.
Brian Donnelly is great with the children, he has been organising football matches.
The birdlife here is phenominal.
Working at the Church in Sombrero Piri today, building a long-drop toilet, filling floors with earth ready for hardcore and cement for tiling. At short notice, have just visited Concepcion to get building materials. Concepcion is a different world: horse carts, bikes, motorcycles, a few battered cars. Most roads are hard-packed red earth, dusty, hot, flies, but otherwise great!
Where we are staying is very basic - cold water only. Cold shower invigorating! Food okay, we are all managing to cook together and having a good laugh.
The aljibes are wonderful - money from St. John's well spent and a real blessing to Indian population. They live very, very poorly.
We are going to put a new roof on the home of an elderly couple. At present their roof is made up of branches and is falling down.
Will send you more news when we are able. |
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Paraguay Date: Thursday 5th August 2004 Time: 04:51:51
UK Date: Thursday 5th August 2004 Time: 09:51:51 |
Tuesday, 3rd August 2004
Today we are going back to the Church to carry on the work on the floors, to make frames for over the large vents in the walls, and to fit the grills to keep out wasps and bats. Some of us will be cleaning out aljibes to bring them into use after repair. We are all well. It is a wonderful experience meeting other Christians and working together.
Message from Hannah Sayle:
Judith (from Ireland) and I are now in Concepcion for a few days and will probably be going to San Juan where a Church was built last year. Glad I'm not driving in Paraguay - a bit scary to say the least! We have been hard at work shovelling soil at the Church in the Chaco also drawing, colouring, skipping and playing football with the children.
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Paraguay Date: Saturday 7th August 2004 Time: 18:23:18
UK Date: Saturday 7th August 2004 Time: 23:23:18 |
Saturday, 7th August 2004
Very brief telephone call received from David today.
Communication is proving to be very difficult - no access to email facilities. They are about 200km from Concepcion which is the nearest town.
Everyone is really well and having a great time. They wish to be remembered to you all. "God is doing some amazing things here."
Mosquitoes a bit of a problem; they have seen a snake and also a tarantula! I think today may have been a rest day for them as they were with Bishop John Ellison.
Please continue to remember all the team in your prayers.
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Paraguay Date: Wednesday 11th August 2004 Time: 06:35:35
UK Date: Wednesday 11th August 2004 Time: 11:35:35 |
Tuesday, 10th August 2004
I am sending you a letter written by David in the Chaco, which John (Bishop John Ellison) brought down half an hour ago on his arrival back from the Chaco. Every blessing in the Lord Jesus.
From Judie Ellison
Dear All,
A short email to confirm that we are all well and very much enjoying our experience here. The work is going well and it is a real blessing working with the builders from Paraguay and members of the local community. Pastor Elvio is a man of real vision for his community. Today a number of us have been digging out foundations for another smaller building near the church. The two aljibes which Ken, Hannah and Judith have been cleaning out ready for repair, will be filled from the roof of this building.
On Saturday and Sunday, together with Bishop John, we visited a number of local communities in the Sombrero Piri area, including where St. John's had funded the construction of a new aljibe. Further north, via the Transchaco Highway and earth roads, we visited other communities. The welcome was wonderful. It was a real blessing for us to meet fellow believers and worship with them in two services on Sunday. Despite four languages being used there was a clear feeling of fellowship and we all felt the power of the Lord. In this area clearly God is directing the pastors and local leaders. It is a privilege for us to be involved.
Unsure when we will be in contact again as there are problems obtaining phone cards. Bishop John has kindly agreed to send this email when he returns to Asuncion. Please update Gordon Greenwood at St. Paul's that Ken and Les are well and also David & Heather Sayle, that Hannah has been an inspiration to us all.
Love David |
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Paraguay Date: Thursday 12th August 2004 Time: 20:32:25
UK Date: Friday 13th August 2004 Time: 01:32:25 |
Thursday evening, 12th August - Telephone call received from David
Since our arrival in the Chaco we have been staying in the Anglican Centre located in Sombrero Piri. It’s very hot and dusty here with plenty of flies and mosquitoes! We are all okay and the work is progressing well. We have all been busy painting today. The children are around watching us all the time. Brian Donnelly breaks off every afternoon to organise games and activities for them. Last night the generator packed in and we all ate by candlelight!
Tomorrow we are going to construct a new roof on the home of an elderly couple. At present it is made up of logs and tree branches. This couple live in dire poverty - their bed is a pile of rags on the floor.
Another couple, who live near Asuncion lost their 12-year-old son. He had been abducted, falling victim to a ritual killing (no policing evident here). £600 of our gifting is being used to rebuild their home.
One of the small communities we visited with Bishop John last weekend welcomed us with a BBQ. They killed a sheep (which of course is a huge sacrifice) and cooked it over a fire. Long sticks were used to keep all the scavenging, emaciated dogs away. Everyone was so friendly towards us - they would not sit down to eat themselves until they had finished waiting on us (extremely humbling experience).
Martino, a pastor, has invited us to another BBQ on Sunday. On Monday our work will come to an end and a celebration is planned before we all travel back to Asuncion on Tuesday. Sheila and I will begin to make our journey home on Wednesday/Thursday and will arrive back in the UK on Friday, 20th August. The remainder of our group (Derek, Brian & Noelle, Brian D., Hannah, Les, Ken) are to spend a few days relaxation at the waterfalls before coming home on Wednesday, 25th August.
More news next Tuesday when we will be able to gain access to email facilities.
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Paraguay Date: Tuesday 17th August 2004 Time: 10:41:54
UK Date: Tuesday 17th August 2004 Time: 15:41:54 |
Received a telephone call this morning (Tuesday, 17th August)from David at 3.25 am!!
We have all been busy these last few days putting finishing touches to the Church at Yattnatta: grouting floor tiles, clearing all the rubbish, erecting the church sign outside, installing pews made from short lengths of logs, etc.
A wonderful celebration took place last night to officially open the Church. Both David and Phil Grainger spoke during the service. 250 Indians attended and 70 children came out to the front to sing. It was all extremely moving and magical really as the only light we had was from kerosene lamps hung from the walls. The night skies here are unbelievable, I have never seen the stars quite like this!
The Indians have also been hard at work clearing all the land around the Church and doing some planting.
We will be leaving the Chaco tomorrow around 2pm to travel back to Asuncion where we will be staying the night at St. Andrew's Cathedral. Wednesday will be a free day for us all, but early evening Derek, Brian & Noelle, Brian, Ken, Les & Hannah will be travelling to Iguauzu to enjoy the waterfalls for a few days before returning home on Wednesday, 25th. Sheila & I need to begin our journey home ready for work on Monday morning! We arrive back in the UK on Friday, 20th.
We will be able to forward an email when we reach Asuncion either later this evening or Wednesday.
Thank you all for your prayers.
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Paraguay Date: Tuesday 24th August 2004 Time: 19:11:40
UK Date: Wednesday 25th August 2004 Time: 00:11:40 |
Tuesday, 17th August 2004
We were up soon after 6am as has been the case throughout our stay in the Chaco. A quick breakfast of tea, toast or cereal and we then began packing our cases to return to Asuncion but before we left we went back to the Church at Yatnatta. It was good to see the Church completed and in use by the local community. Pastor Elvio, the Paraguayan builders and the local Indian community were all present to greet us and, as usual the Indian women had some handmade beaded necklaces and bracelets for sale. We said our final goodbyes and returned to our accommodation at the Anglican centre taking with us tools and the portable long-drop toilet, which we had constructed for use at the church, to be stored for use on projects next year. Our cases were loaded onto Phil's pick-up and in the landrover which we had been using for transport all week, and taken to Asuncion. We walked about 1 mile from our accommodation to the garage along the Trans-Chaco highway and had empananas (a type of pasty of meat or cheese and sweetcorn) and coffee for lunch. We were fortunate that this garage was near by and it had given us a venue for an evening get-together and on occasions an evening meal. It was the only garage for 150km both north and south along the highway. The Trans-Chaco highway is not as could be assumed a large dual carriageway. It is a single carriageway which goes from Asuncion into Bolivia. Parts of this road, as we had experienced, has massive potholes and the surface is generally breaking up. The majority of the traffic, which is sparse, comprises ancient wagons, many of which are overloaded. A large percentage of these wagons carry cattle from the large ranches which occupy parts of the Chaco. Our coach back to Asuncion was booked for 2pm but as is usual in Paraguay, it arrived late at 3.10pm. Oh the luxury! - a small air-conditioned coach with comfortable seats. Our journey took about four and a half hours and as we travelled back through the Chaco, constantly along the route we saw storks, ibis, herons, vultures, eagles, roadside hawks and many other birds.
We arrived back at the Anglican Cathedral and sorted out our beds for the night. As had been the case when we first arrived, these comprised mattresses on the floor. We all went out for an evening meal - eat as much as you like from a wonderful range of food. The Paraguayan diet centres around meat and more meat, although for the vegetarians there was a range of salads, pasta, rice etc. Phil had always wanted to be able to say that he had paid over 1 million Guarani (the Paraguayan currency) for a meal and this bill came to 1,000,500 Guarani. Converted to UK currency this was less than £5 per head.
Wednesday, 18th August 2004
We all slept well - bliss is a mattress on the floor with no flies, dust, heat or mosquito net! During the last night in the Chaco, David had shared his mosquito net with a large brown insect about two inches long. Fortunately he didn't find it until the next morning!! We were now all enjoying our first hot shower for over two weeks. A bit of a change from cold water via a bucket arrangement with a hole in the bottom.
A number of us visited the local school, while others spent the day purchasing gifts in Asuncion. Phil took Shelia and David to visit Remancito where Derek, Ken and Les had visited soon after arriving in Paraguay. This is the site of another of the three projects completed in Paraguay during the 2004 summer period. Remancito is a shanty town area and the project comprised further work on the construction of a large church building with facilities for children. The shanty town has developed over recent years and the local authorities have improved the earth roads and provided electricity. This church is a central feature and has a regular congregation of almost 100 people with a lively Sunday School. One of the pastors is Estoban's father. Estoban was with us in the Chaco, and in addition to assisting with the work, he drove the landrover. During the return to the centre of Asuncion we passed the supermarket which was the scene of the tragic fire shortly after we arrived in Paraguay. In total, 423 people were killed and many injured. There were 3 days of national mourning in Paraguay following the fire.
We all shared a final evening meal together at a local restaurant near the Cathedral.
Thursday, 19th August 2004
At 1am Derek, Noelle & Brian, Brian D. together with Ken and Les from St. Paul's, Hannah from Truro, Sergio and Neil who had been our interpreters in the Chaco, Phil, Estoban and Oswaldo and his family all boarded the coach for the 6 hour journey to the Iguazu falls on the Brazilian/Argentinian border. Those members of St. John's who had visited Chile in 2003, will vividly remember the magnificent spectacle of the natural beauty of these waterfalls. For the first time since leaving Burscough the party would be staying in a hotel. Indeed one with a swimming pool!
Unfortunately, Shelia and David had to return to the UK as they were required in work on Monday, 23rd August. However, they did have the opportunity to do some further shopping in Asuncion and to watch a political demonstration in the central square. This was also watched by large numbers of heavily armed police in riot gear carrying riot shields.
Bishop John and Judie provided transport to the airport. The return to the UK via Sao Paulo was relatively uneventful. David and Shelia arrived back in the UK at 1.17pm Friday, 20th August.
The party travelling to the waterfalls will be returned to Asuncion on Monday, 23rd August. A service of celebration for all those involved in the Paraguayan projects was held at the Anglican Cathedral during the early evening.
At 4pm local time, the party will leave Asuncion airport to travel back to the UK arriving at approximately 1.30pm on Wednesday, 25th August. It is anticipated that Derek, Noelle & Brian, Brian D., Ken and Les will arrive in Burscough between 6 and 8pm depending upon traffic.
Future: Owing to the difficulties in communicating from the Chaco to the UK, this diary does not tell the full story of our visit to Paraguay and the experience of meeting, working with, and worshipping with, our Paraguayan and Chaco Indian friends. A full diary with background information and photograhs will be available in the near future. Funds raised from the sale of the diary will benefit future projects.
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Part of the congregation at the service celebrating the opening of the Church at Yatnatta, Sombrero Piri.
Work on the church nearing completion.
A view of the church from the outside.
Lunchtime for the workers at the church.
One of the homes of the Enxet Indians where we were able to provide a new roof.
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