Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! This Christmas, although Santa apparently doesn´t visit South America, he leaves it to the three wisemen who come on Jan 6th, I was still blessed with so many gifts.
1. Family- in a number of ways. I was reminded of my family at home that loves me, Craig and Krista (my brother in law ans sister) who live in Asunción this year, and my new Paraguayan family that has adopted me as their own. A couple weeks ago, I moved in with Eli, Enka, Marcela (my host sister who is pregant) and Nester (who is Marcela´s husband). They´re really sweet and I feel like I´ve learned more about the Paraguayan culture in the past few weeks, than I have in the past few months.
2. The second gift- celebration! Something I´m also finding is that Paraguayans really know how to celebrate! There´s no such thing as a quaint silent night- Christmas is a celebration! Complete with firecrackers, dancing, you name it!

I´ll be honestly, Christmas didn´t really seem like Christmas in the 100 degree weather and fire works. We had a nice dinner, and stayed up til midnight to wish everyone and their dog a merry christmas on their cell phone. My Christmas was a lot different that what I´m used to, but it was still a good experience and that I think that it will make me realize and appreciate our North American Christmas traditions even more.

Have a good New Year...

To all of you back home or where ever you are in the world- I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!

Well well well... it's been quite a while. The past week, I've been house-hoping. Matt. 25:35? Look it up, I can really relate to that- at least more so than just when I stayed at host families during MSEC choir fesitval. It turned out that I had to wait another week longer than I had thought, in order to move in with my host family (regardless- I'm soo excited!), BUT a week before I could move in with my host family, new volunteers were going to come live at the CD- and FILL the place, leaving me homeless in Paraguay. And they told me this 5 days before I had to move out. Thankfully my co-workers are some of the greatest people ever. Just about everyone offered to open up their house for me. 

So last weekend I stayed at Magali's house, and celebrated their aunt's birthday with their whole family and decorated their christmas tree with them... being with the big, talkative, warm Santo family made me miss my own family so much... but it was good to be with them! 

Then on Monday, I made my way over to Graciela's house for the week. This week we've been making a lot of granola to sell at the co-op in Filadelfia next Saturday. So I've been helping out with that, and cooking, and washing dishes... all things that you don't realize how much you miss until you're away from them for a while. 

...That's a quick recap of what my past week has been like. I know it's not much, but on Monday, I'll be moving in with my Paraguayan host family- the "Torres" Just think- Kelsey Shue "Torres" (Or Towers, it would be in English) ...Although they're a super nice family, somehow it doesn't quite fit. I'll stick with Shue. ;) 

"Are YOU my host mom!?"

"Are YOU my host mom!?" I remember when I was younger, I would always play board games on the floor of my Grandma Nussbaum's living room with my cousins. One of my favorite games was one that was called "Are YOU my mother?" where the game pieces were little chicks that had magnets, and you had to find your "mother" to whom you connected to (North-South poles).

Now that you've heard my life story :) what connection is there to Paraguay!? Well... some of you know already that for some time, I've really wanted to live with a Paraguayan family. Being surrounded in this German-subculture, where I live, I don't feel like I'm really experiencing Paraguay. Or at least what the average person's life is like.So I talked to some people, and prayed about it (whether or not it would be best for me) and I'm supposed to move next Sunday! The catch: I don't know who I'm going to live with. If you know anything about me, you know that I'm organized and I like to KNOW what's going on (although I'm starting to relax about that a bit). But I have options: Opt 1: A young family, around the age of 25, with an 8 month old daughter. Opt2: (who hasn't confirmed for sure if they can host me yet) A family that is a little older and... that's all I know about them. Both of the families are rreally nice, and I don't think I can go wrong. I'm supposed to find out whether the older family can host me, this sunday, so I'll make the decision then. I'll keep you posted!

P.S. Today I had a new experience on my bus ride to work. Have you ever had a man with a two-foot machete sit behind you? Actually there were two of them. One behind me, and one across the isle, in front. Surely they were just going to work, cutting grass or bushes, etc. and no one else on the bus seemed to give it a second thought. But it was another reminder that I'm not in the US (as if the cachaca music and chipa venders hadn't already done so!)

Election Responses-world wide...

Well this week was interesting, following the election results and seeing the different reactions- both in Paraguay and hearing about the overwhelming support for Obama in the US. (Personally, I'm so thankful that Obama was elected, and for the first time in my life, I don't have to be embarrassed for our president. Granted, he's not in office yet, but I think he represents a lot of hope for change and he's intelligent, level headed, and humble... all aspects of a good president.

Hearing from Krista and Craig, it's interesting hearing the different responses people have. They've told me that some were moved to tears when they heard Obama was elected; they were filled with so much hope. While my experience was a bit different. For the Paraguayans that are following my blog (I always have to wonder WHO it is... haha) correct me if I'm wrong, but those who I work with are predominately Mennonites from the colonies, of whom many are supporters of the Colorado party (which would be the equivalent of our Republican party). Because of this, it seemed like there was some skepticism about Obama's election, because he's young, inexperienced, etc (or maybe they're just skeptical about politic in general, there's reason to be). Anyway, it's interesting to see how different the responses were here in Paraguay. And although it maybe my ignorant young self, I was so surprised to see how closely others follow American politics around the world. Wow- I need to step it up. :)

On thursday I went to a school program with a couple girls from the CD (Lorena and Claudia). There were traditional dances (unfortunately not the bottle dances, where they balance bottles on their heads), and a crowning of king and queen of the high school. Here are a few pictures from that...

And this is just a picture on my way to work.
Have a good week! Til next sunday! :)

Well, these pictures aren't quite in the order that I had wanted. But I'm not that much of a perfectionist (although, working with registration this year, I'm sure that that is one of the things that I will be forced to learn) it doesn't bother me. So I'll just explain as I go along.

This picture was actually just taken tonight. From left, is Mony from Germany, Marcos from Argentina, and me. It's pretty neat that we're all from different counties, and we met in PY. We were going to walk to the Paraguayan River after supper, but it got dark too quick, so we ended up just walking around the block, taking pictures with our umbrellas (because it was raining a little bit).

This weekend was so much fun! I went with the youth from a church called Emaus. A friend of my roommate, Renate, invited both of us to come to their youth outing, but in the end, Renate wasn't able to go. So I went anyway, and lo and behold Craig (or Juan Pablo, as he goes by here... haha) and Krista where there too! (I had kind of though they might be there, since they had been doing things with their youth group). Below is a picture of me and a girl named, Cynthia from the youth group. She's about the sweetest girl ever! She really knows how to make people feel welcomed and at home.
And here is a picture to prove that Craig and Krista and I really are together here in Paraguay. This is a picture of us drinking tereré in front of my room at the CD. Speaking of the CD... I'm only going to be here for a month more. In my spare time I've been doing some thinking(you know- when I'm sitting in a circle of people speaking German, in PY) , and I've decided that a living with a family is probably the best way for me, personally, to experience the Paraguayan culture and better my spanish.
Here's a picture of a prayer card I made, so that everyone can remember to pray for Mennonite World Conference. It'll be here before you know it! :) Just so you know who is who, in the office I work at, I'll make a quick run down:

(Back row L-R) Renate, Graciela, Magali, Cynthia, me, Carmen
Fronth row L-R) Friedbert, Arnold, Ryan, and Don Ernesto

The people that I work with are so much fun. I'm not just saying that either, I mean, they are quality people! And I think it's pretty neat that everyone, except the National Coordinator- Don Ernesto, is in their 30s or below (in age). Six of 10 are in their 20s. Who ever said that the youth of today are tomorrow's leaders? I'd beg to differ on that one. ;)
Anyway, it's time for me to get to bed. Good night/Buenas noches/Guten nacht!

Here's some questions that have been on my mind recently. If you have any insight, I'd appreciate it. :)

1.What does it mean to live simply? Especially in a context where 1st and 3rd worlds are side by side. And why is this hitting me now, and never so much as in the states?
2. To have people from other cultures getting along, what's that really supposed to look like? Does it mean to live side by side, without fighting? Or to be polite to each other? Or does it mean to really integrate others´ideas and customs? Ideally, I think the last suggestion is best, but it's one step at a time right?
3. Have you ever really stopped to think how much language is a part of a culture? I think that's one thing that I'm really learning this year. Each culture, has it's beauty, and part of that is it's language. But also, it's important to remember how exclusive a language can be, even when you're talking directly to someone who speaks your language, while someone is present who doesn't speak your language.
4. Experiencing a culture(s).... and with that I think I'll stop posting to the world. :)

Totally tranquillo in Bolivia...

Well I arrived safely in Santa Cruz, Bolivia last tuesday, and despite everything the media says about the violence in Bolvia, it's calm in Santa Cruz right now, and I didn't have any trouble entering the country or in the country so far. :)

What am I doing in Bolivia, you might be wondering- I'm supposed to be in Paraguay this year right? Well, since MCC doesn't have an office in Paraguay, I'm apart of the Bolivian MCC team. So this Wednesday-Friday we had a 3 day retreat right outside of Santa Cruz. I'm not going to lie, it was hard to pay attention during the seminars, because if you are, or ever have learned another language, you know that it takes some extra energy to pay attention! :) But here's a story that I thought was worth telling again, and it kind of expresses some of my struggles in Paraguay as well.

Once there was a village in the countryside inhabited by wells. All of these wells filled themselves with different things: one filled itself with technology, another with books and knowledge, and yet another with paintings and sculptures. Whenever the wells would add to their collections, they would grow outwardly, instead of in depth. So they continued filling themselves unti one day one of the wells realized that he was thirsty and wanted a drink. But in order to get to the water, the well had to empty itself first. So the well emptied itself of everything that was inside of it; everything that was keeping itself from the water. And the well kept emptying and emptying, and digging and digging unti he finally found
water.

But I think what hit me the most is when afterwards is that the person who told the story added that yes, it's important that we dig for spiritual water, but also that we shouldn've just be digging for ourselves, but be a spiritual fountain to those around us. If you're reading this blog, and you've had the experience of learning another language abroad, you know that it's incredibly hard at times, and sometimes, you know, it's hard to dig for your own spiritual water, let alone be a fountain! But it's also during times like these, that we rely on God more, and see God in the small things. It's incredible how often you can see God when you make the concious effort. So that's my profound thought of the day, take from it what you will.

I'll be in Bolvia until thursday, visiting the different places where MCC Bolvia sucunds workers. Today I visited the PRONATS program, where low income children, who have jobs on the side, are able to come and get help with their school homework. PRONATS also has bible studies and "charlas" or little talks with the kids, educating them on sex, drugs, etc. All around, it seemed like a good, safe place for the kids of that neighborhood, who really have a need for a place like that.

I also visited a libray in Santa Cruz. The past two years at Hesston, I've worked in the library, so it was particularly interesting (in a librarian sort of way! haha) to see the differences. For example, did you know that (contrary to libraries in North America), most libraries in South America don't allow you to take books home? They have no way of making sure that they will get the books back, so why let them be taken out of the library? Also, some libraries have such few books, that if 20 would be checked out of the library, it would take away a pretty good percentage of the books in the library.

One of the things that I noticed, almost as soon as I walked into MCC Bolvia, was the close community here. That is defintely one of the things I miss the most- besides family and friends- a community and a place to belong. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot to be thankful. And it's been absolutly wonderful in Bolvia, but I think, come thursday, I'll be ready to get back to Paraguay. I'm even missing the lack of tereré. :)

What a week! I have about a million things that I could write about this week, but we'll see how much I get to. :)

One of the things that could really use some prayer right now is the unity within the group of volunteers at the CD/Servicio Voluntario where I live. Within this organization, there's three distinct cultures represented: German, Latino, and Ethnic Mennonite (those who have a German/Russian/Canadian background and live in Paraguay). And of course, we're human and sometimes we don't see eye to eye. And recently, there's been a lot of conflict. I'm not going explain all of it for the world to read, but believe me, it could use some prayer.

Another thing to pray about: I'm leaving for Bolivia on Tuesday for a little over a week. I'll be having MCC team meetings and finally my MCC Bolvia orientation. :) I'm excited to go and see how the other MCCers are doing, and meet my coutry representatives, and be in the environment where some of my friends were 2 years ago. (Wow, 2 years ago? Time flies.) Anyway, pray for my safety. If you've been following the news at all, you might know that there's some fighting that's going on in Bolivia. But all of that is along the bus route to Boliva (and I'm flying), so I should be fine! :)

Well... I need to get going. Blessings!

Oh yeah, I leave on Tuesday for Bolivia, and Krista and Craig, are coming with Radical Journey for a year, arriving on WEDNESDAY! I'm so excited, I can't wait! But I'll have to, until I get back from Bolivia on the 16th. :)

Today is "feriado" in Paraguay, which means... HOLIDAY! and a LONG weekend! :) A small group of us from the CD went camping with Concordia's youth group. It was so much fun! The campsite was along the bank of a rive, and the scenery reminded me a little bit of when I went camping along the East coast for miniterm in high school. (Except there were no BOnanzas anywhere, haha.) If you're wondering, the only difference in camping in the US and Paraguay is that they drink tereré, but that's not specific to camping, that's Paraguay for ya! :) The picture below shows us drinking tereré at the campsite and some more picture of camping).

Drinking tereré.

The group of campers from Concordia. There were about 40 of us in all.

Sofí, a volunteer at the CD and I, on this really neat bridge. Once upon a time, there used to be water there I think... :)

If you're not familiar with what tereré is, it's dried yerba leaves that are cut up in small bits and pieces, and put into a guampa (a cup, which in Paraguay, is traditionally shaped like a cow horn), and then there's a specific way to prepare it (which I'm still working on). After that, ice cold water is poured into the guampa, and you drink through the bombilla (which is something like a metal straw with a sieve at the bottom. You can see it in some of the pictures. The thing that I like most about tereré is that it's a communal thing. You sit around in a circle, and drink. Someone serves everyone in the circle; they drink, and pass it back to the server, and so it goes around the circle...

I think I've mentioned before, my frustration with the German language. Concordia is the only German speaking church in Asunción, and this is the youth group that I went with. But of course they all grow up speaking Spanish as well (and lot speak English too), so that was really helpful. There were so many times where people would translate what people said, or even just responding in Spanish, as opposed to German, to steer the conversation in a way that included me. For all of you German-speaking Paraguayans out there that are reading this blog, no tenés ni idea como lo aprecio tanto!

Oh, and to let you all know, I am officially DONE with the "leben nachzufolgen!!" We'll be starting on registration soon; putting the forms in the computer. But we can't do that for a couple days yet, so I'll just be helping out in the office where ever they need me. But that's nothing too new! :)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your monday at work or school, where ever you are! Renate, my roommate and I are planning on going to Aregua for the day, because it's a HOLIDAY and we don't have to work! :)

Take care, you are all in my prayers!

Some thoughts on service...

Why do people do service? That's a question I've been wrestling with for a while. Why am I in Paraguay? Because I love the global church. Other than that, I can only see selfish reasons. (Don't get me wrong, service is soo important, just hear me out.) When someone is doing something exciting, we want to be apart of it, right? I think that's a lot of what's going on here: we recognize that God is moving in our world, and we can't help but want to be a part of it. Whether we're sticking on stickers or shredding paper, or doing something of more value. Someone has to do it (that's my motto, these days), and God needs all types of people to fill all types of jobs. That brings up another point, we do service because we need each other. It's impossible to live life with out relationships with people. Someone needs to put on those stickers to correct the German pamphlets, and why not me? Another example: look at the global church. Obviously money isn't distributed equally. Those in the church who don't have all of that much, need those who have, but it's definitely a 2 way street. Those who have, have so much to learn about the raw faith of those who have to depend on God for those every day needs. Any other thoughts?

On a different note, on Tuesday, Freidbert, Nahemy and I are going to start putting registration forms into the data base. :) Until then, I only have a few hundred more pamphlets to put stickers on! I should've taken a picture of all of the pamphlets I've corrected, but these will have to do:



There you can see all of the stickers that I cut and paste on the pamphlets. It's a good reminder to proofread everything before you print it! :)

I'm not sure if I've updated about my frustration the first couples weeks with "learning" German. The past couple weeks have been better. I'm learning a few phrases (emphasis on FEW, but I'm trying) in German, and everyone (including me) are improving on our spanish, or castillano as they call it here. (The only difference is the vocab is a little bit different, and they use the "vos" form instead of "tu.") But I'm feeling comfortable speaking Spanish. I can finally say what I want without having to put a lot of thought into forming sentences! :) Not that I'm completely fluent- there's always more to learn. For example, today at work I translated a pamphlet from English to Spanish, and of course I used the dictionary, but it's just a good opportunity to increase my vocab. (Am I starting to sound like Miss Optimistic? I hope not, I am trying to be more positive, but I don't want to sound like Pollyanna. haha)

That's all I have to say. Que tengan un buen dia! :)

Who would ever think it would be cold in Paraguay!? Before I came, I looked at the weather and what is normal during the different times of the year. Some how I don't think it hit me how cold it really gets until I got here. Since I've been here, the winter has been pretty mild, and even last week, it was hot. But this week was a little different: I've been PILING on the layers at night... it's really cold. Not that I'm complaining, I sleep better when it's cold outside of my blankets, I'm just saying that I'm learning what REAL cold is! (Because there's not heat, so when it's 50, it feels even colder.)

Yesterday Paraguay played Argentina in a qualifying game for the world cup. Even though they tied, it was really fun to watch, because one of my friends at the CD is from Argentina, and everyone else was cheering for Paraguay, so it was a lot of fun!

Today I visited a new church, called Raices. It was great! After singing Great is Thy Faithfullness (with drums and guitar, not in 4 parts, but that's ok. If I wanted to go to a church like I'm used to, I would've stayed in Kidron. :) ), but after singing that song, we sang How Great Thou Art- but in FOUR languages (Spanish, Guaraní, German, and English). After being a way from your home and culture, to be in a group singing a hymn in English (not just English, but to make sure that everyone is equally represented), it almost brings tears to my eyes... but then again, if you know me, it doesn't take much to do that. :)

Also, I've been receiving a lot of notes and emails from people, and I just want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They mean so much to me!

MY COMPUTER WORKS! I´ve been having trouble with the mouse and charger, and it´s been a big head ache, but since I bought a wireless mouse, it´s working! :)

Other than that, there´s not much to update on. Things continue to get better with time, because all of the volunteers that I live with (including me) and improving our spanish, and speaking more of it.

This week on my waz back from work, I took a seat on the bus next to an older lady. At the next stop, the lady got off, and I moved to sit near the window. I looked down, and saw the lady, but this time I saw a PARROT on her shoulder! Too bad I didn´t notice it on the bus! :) Oh the things zyou encounter in Paraguay... It´s always an adventure! :)

Wow, it's so much fun to see who all is checking out my blog! :)

August 20th marked a month in Paraguay! (And I haven't written much at all! I'm so sorry about that!) So far I still love it, granted I'm still in the honeymoon stage- everything is an adventure still! (When ISN'T it, in Paraguay!?)

The past week, I spent in the Chaco, in Loma Plata, at the Expo (aka. fair). Except for the German spoken, it was like I was right at "home" in TX! (Not home, but it's the states!) There's dust everywhere, a big sky, country music, ranches... Today I even saw a TX license plate in Asunción! Back to the Chaco, Mennonite World Conference had a booth there, and we passed out fliers and explained all about the upcoming conference. This was all in spanish, which wasn't a problem for me (Or maybe, those of you following this blog from Paraguay, can comment otherwise! haha) until I would come across people who only speak German, at this point other MWCers who speak German would step in and save me. :) All in all, the Chaco was a good experience, but I think I'll leave it as that, there's WAY too much dust for me! :)

Here are some photos from the Chaco...
From left to right: Ellie Toews and Alexa, Ryan Toews, Arnold Voth, and myself. (I work with Ryan and Arnold).
Bienvenidos al Chaco! :)

In Asunción, there are two major rival soccer teams: Cerro and Olympia. I went to their game today (they played each other), and they have the craziest fans ever! The entire time, they're jumping and singing (whole SONGS, with VERSES) , and it's nothing to have a couple of fights and arrests between the fans. After Cerro won :) there was someone with an Olympia shirt that ran in the Cerro section right behind me, and started a fight. And this is a normal occurrence at these games!

Well I need to get going, the house parents are going to lock up the computer room soon. But hopefully I'll update more often!

ps. pray for my patience. My spanish is fine, but my german is lacking (to put it lightly).

"Hablas español?"

Week three comes to an end, and I'm beginning to question myself why I learned Spanish instead of German.

Reflections of my first 2 weeks...

It's already been 2 weeks!? Wow, it seems like I just got here! I'm learning so much, but yet there's STILL so much more to learn!

First, I'll give the scoop on my work so far. I'm working for Mennonite World Conference, I'll admit it sounds pretty cool, but really, so far my title could be the local art lady. Not that mind, someone needs to do it! And I said that I would help where ever needed. Really, I'm helping prepare for a fair (It's called the Expo Treble) in the Chaco, the 2nd week of August. So I've been blowing up pictures and posting information on these colorful squares that will be hung up at our booth. Work is pretty fun, it's a challenge with Spanish (I get by, and I'm always learning more!) and knowing where exactly I fit, but you'll have that the first week anywhere you go! There's 10 people in the office in Paraguay, and all but 1 (the National Coordinator), are pretty young! (Probably below 30.) It's a really fun group to work with, and everyone is easy to get along with! Here's a few pics from the office, I'm sorry there's no pictures of the staff, they refused. :( I have to warn them a day ahead of time they said. :)




As far as my housing arrangements go, I live in a dorm setting with a bunch of other youth who work in 1 of 3 different places (with me being an exception, which is why, I was put in the guest house for the whole year, apart from the rest of the girls in the door here. But I'm making friends none the less.) Everyone here is so nice, and there will be a big turn over of volunteers in around 5 months, because their service term will be up, which makes me sad that I won't have a whole year with them. Even the "parents" (which are more like RDs), are leaving in December. So far it's been really good here in Asunción.

Here's a few pics. from the CD (the name of the place that I'm staying)...




These are a few of the people that I'm living with right now! From the left they are: Marcos, Baola, Claudia, Veronika, me, and Mich (I don't know how to spell his name, sorry!) There's many more, but it's my only good picture, but hopefully it will help you put names with faces in my stories! :)

My first post from Paraguay!

Where to start!? Well, I arrived safe on Sunday afternoon, and though one of my bags was still in Buenos Aires, I got it back on Monday afternoon, so I have both of my suitcases right now!

Today was my first official day of work, and I fixed brouchers all day long. There was a line missings, so I stuck stickers on the page. Someone had to do it. :) But yesterday I went with 2 of my co-workers, Cynthia and Ryan, so visit the campamentos (low cost lodging). There was aWe beautiful monastary that is going to host some people, Uncle Tim, you would LOVE it, there's so many mosaics and every door in the place has a different picture carved into the whole door. It's incredible! On our way back we passed a tuck strike, they're just beginning here in Paraguay. The truckers all pull to the side of the road, and refuse to drive for 2 reasons: 1. The gas is too expensive 2. There isn't any gas. We had to stop 3 times before finding gas, but that was in the country, not Asunción. It will be interesting to follow and see how things are affected world wide.

Everyone here is so nice! I wish I could spend enough time to tell you about each one, but I don't, so I'll do it one at a time. Magali, is the office manager at MWC, and she is just so much fun! She's Paraguayan and speaks 3 languages: Spanish, Guaraní (the only one who works in the office, who speaks the indigenous language), and English. But everyone here, helps me with my Spanish, instead of relying on English (because all but 1 can speak English).

Tomorrow, I'm taking my camera to work to take pictures of the office. :)
That's all for now... take care!

Pictures from around Akron

It's the last day here in Akron, so I figured I should post some pictures from around the MCC center! I wish I could've gotten these posted sooner, but better late then never! :)

Each of MCC's guest houses are named and decorated after the continents. I stayed in Asia house, which you can see above.

My roommate never came! :(

The bathroom- complete with a squigie for the floor!

The living room of the Asia house.

Orientation is finished, and I signed my life away to MCC today! Haha, not really, just a covenant for this next year. :) These past 2 weeks went well, but there was just so much information to soak in, and it leaves me feeling pretty wiped out right now. Some of that may be the cold that is going around here. I did fine until this afternoon, and my throat and head started to ache. Don't worry, Mom, I'm taking my vitamins and took some AirBorne, so I should be fine! :)

Another good thing that happened today: I GOT MY VISA FOR PARAGUAY! ...And not a day too soon! For some reason, though I really wasn't worried about not getting it. I knew that it was going to come, and if not, something would work out. I can smell the beginnings of a campfire, so I'm off to check that out!

Orientation is already half over, which means that on Saturday (notice I don't even have to say next Saturday) I'll leave for Paraguay! How exciting, right!?

Yesterday I went to New York City and walked around for the day, just seeing different parts. Some may think that it's not the smartest thing to do, to go walking around NYC by yourself, but really, I'm going to be doing that in South America, so why not start off in a city that speaks English? Needless to say, I was fine. :)

At church this morning, the pastor talked about peace being a central belief of Mennonites. I think most of us here at MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) in Akron agree on that, myself included, but I learned a lot when we were discussing it later on in a small group of us. From what I understood, I learned that pacifism isn't central to what it means to be Mennonite, to the Mennonites around the world. This was completely new for me, and I'm sure that, by volunteering for Mennonite World Conference, I'll learn a lot more about this topic and really what unites us as a global Mennonite Church. Any thoughts?

A few minutes ago, there was a group of MCCers that got together so we could figure out this whole "blogging thing." It was great! I now know how to set up boxes to show the countries of people who look at your blog and how to add slide shows- the whole bit! :)

Hello from Akron, PA!

Wow, this is finally happening. Ever since I was in Zimbabwe for Mennonite World Conference (MWC, I'll try to explain the acronyms that unfortunately the Mennonite Church is famous for) volunteering for the next conference was just a dream, and finally it's right in front of me! I have 2 weeks of orientation, and then on July 19th, I'll fly out of Philadelphia, for Asunción, Paraguay. Until then, I'm in Akron, PA for orientation with MCC (Mennonite Central Committee).

Orientation starts officially tomorrow, but those of us on the Latin American and African teams had to be here today for meetings (so we all came sunday afternoon/evening) and had 2 meetings today and plenty of free time. The next couple weeks look like they will be more structured, which will be nice.

I'm already making so many connections with people here who know people from different stages of my life, it's great! The learning curve will be steep over the next... (oh dear, probably a long time), but I'm ready for the challenge! :)

Such a busy summer!

Hello everyone! Many of you may or may not know that a month from today (actually down to the time) I'll be landing in Asunción, Paraguay! If you haven't heard, I'm going to be helping Mennonite World Conference prepare for the next assembly in Asunción, in July of 2009. This year will be full of great experiences (and no doubt hard at times), but I want to keep you all updated on what is going on in my life. So hopefully I'll keep this blog up to date! :)

I have to admit that I didn't do very well when planning my summer. The last 2 weeks that I have here in Kidron, I won't be home. Next week, I'm helping out at Camp Luz for girls camp as the camp pastor, and then the following week I'm going as a sponsor to Chicago with the Kidron Mennonite MYF (the freshmen and sophomores). So after that I will have 2 days to get myself together, before I leave for Akron, PA for MCC orientation.