Thursday, June 28, 2012

THE WEEKEND

June 23-24th

Saturday we went to a friend’s house and rode a horse.  In the evening we showed a movie, Courageous at the church.  Just as Jeff arrived at the church, he was needed back at the house.  There was a motorcycle accident and a large chunk of our friend’s thigh was torn all the way to the bone.  Jeff was able to stop the bleeders but had to send him to Caazapa (Jeff didn’t have enough stitches).  After spending 2 hours with the accident victim, a very drunk and very noncompliant guy showed up.  A piece of the motorcycle hit a guy in the head and he came all bloody.  He tried to  pull out his stitches and threw it in the dirt!
This was Andy's first time on a horse.

Drew sure looked like he knew what he was doing.


 Austin had a little mishap on the horse.




Of course, this little 4 year old showed us all up!

Everyone stopped to watch the American show!




We stopped at the blanket lady's house to pick up a couple finished products.  Andy helped Floria finish a woll blanket.



Sunday we had church at 8 and Bible study at 5.  Some of the students went with us to Bible study while the others stayed behind with my kids.  



Sunday Tara had an adventure of her own as she travelled to a nearby town with her family.



Tuesday, June 26, 2012

WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY and FRIDAY

June 20-22nd

                        Wednesday half the group saw patients with Jeff.  Everyone met up at our house at 3.  Our team mates (who live an hour away) shared their testimony of God’s calling into missions.  We also spent time worshipping, with a devotional thought and in prayer.
                        Thursday half the group was with Jeff while the other went on a couple visits with me.  For lunch we went to Jataity.  A friend of mine invited us to an empanada and milanesa lunch.  After lunch, one group saw patients in Jataity while the others went visiting in town with me.

Lunch in Jataity




As we were eating lunch at a friend’s house in Jataity, a lady from another town (who had seen Jeff as a patient a few times in our town, San Francisco) was passing through and saw our car.  She stopped and said to us, “I didn’t know that you associated with lowly people.  I have wanted to have you over for a meal, but was afraid.  Now that I know this, I will invite you for chicken.”


Friday half the group was with Jeff and the other went out with me to Liz’s house to pick cotton. The group, plus the Houghs and Camerons and Vonnie’s visiting family came over for empanadas and milanesa.  After lunch Vonnie gave a talk on nutrition.  In the evening, the group played air-soft.






HOST FAMILIES
The students have had some great experiences this week from weddings, to milking cows, bringing the cows to pasture on bicycle to attending a funeral.  Some students cooked dinner for their host family and others helped with the family chores.   Liz and Tara each spent a night with us this week.




MEDICINE THIS WEEK
In clinic the students saw a man in cardiac arrest, twin on ultrasound, a cool thorn removal






POLITICS in PARAGUAY

Today our friends were glued to the TV and politics dominated conversations.  Soccer games were suspended and our local San Juan party was cancelled.   



This is what USA Today said:

 After a quick, five-hour trial, 39 senators voted to dismiss Lugo, while four senators               

voted against and two were absent. Based on the decision, Lugo is to be replaced by

Vice President Federico Franco of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party.

The impoverished, landlocked nation has a long history of political instability. Lugo was elected four years ago on promises of helping the South American country's poor, but his more moderate government allies have increasingly turned against him in recent years.

Lugo's impeachment trial was triggered in part by an attempt by police to evict about 150 farmers from a remote, 4,900-acre (2,000-hectare) forest reserve, which is part of a huge estate owned by a Colorado Party politician. Advocates for the farmers say the landowner used political influence to get the land from the state decades ago, and say it should have been put to use for land reform.



Six police officers, including the brother of Lugo's chief of security, and 11 farmers died in the clash last week. Lugo's political opponents blamed the president.

Lugo has expressed sorrow at the confrontation and accepted the resignations of his interior minister and his chief of police.



The president also was tried on four other accusations. They include that he improperly allowed for leftist parties to hold a political meeting in an army base in 2009; that he allowed about 3,000 squatters to illegally invade a large Brazilian-owned soybean farm; that his government failed to capture members of a guerrilla group, the Paraguayan People's Army, which carries out extortion kidnappings and occasional attacks on police; and that he signed an international protocol without properly submitting it to Congress for approval.





Since Lugo was “the poor man’s president”, many of our friends here in San Francisco are devastated to see him leave office.  When there are changes in government, everyone is affected.  People lose jobs and business customers and friends.  Politics are complicated in our own country and even harder to understand in a foreign country, so we aren’t sure exactly what to pray...but praying we are.

THE RUINS and A YERBA FACTORY

June 18th and 19th

This morning after a nice breakfast at the hotel we went to see the ruins (Jesus and Trinidad).  After a late lunch we headed back to hotel, rested a bit and then began a time of debriefing.  After dinner we played ping-pong and then silly games in our room.








Lunch time!

                        The following day we packed up and got on the road by 9:30.  We ate in Yuty at team mate’s house.  Then we toured a yerba mate factory.  We got back to San Francisco just after dark.

This is the brand of yerba we saw being manufactored.
This is what we drink all the time.
 Men working to package the yerba.
 Yerba leaves
 A man bringing his product to the factory.
 We had trouble crossing the bridge.