The adventure started when I tried to go to Amsterdam Centraal Train station from Schiphol Airport. I didn't know that I was supposed to get off at the second station. An hour later, I asked someone where Amsterdam Centraal station is and was told it was the second station. I was way further than that. I got off the train at s'Hertogenbosch and had about ten minutes to buy a ticket and get on the return train.

I hurried from the train and asked a lady at the information counter where I could buy my ticket. It was around the corner. However, my credit card wallet was gone with a debit card, Visa card, and about $200 in Euros and Paraguayan Guarani!  OUCH!

That's where the Blessings of the LORD stepped in big time!  I had my passport, another debit card, and an Amex card in my passport wallet.  However, the train company would not take those cards. I got into the line with 10-15 minutes to spare, but the teller was being trained and extremely slow. I got to the front of the line and couldn't pay with these cards. A complete stranger, really an angel, bought my ticket back to the airport!  I didn't even ask. I wish that I could thank him again, but I ran out of there to catch my train. My train was leaving the station. 

I went back to the information window and asked when the next train was leaving. "In a half hour," was the reply. I mentioned to the lady that I may have left my wallet on the train. The info Lady, Suzie, got a description of the wallet and info on where I was seated and in which car. She called her boss and they called the conductor. Fifteen minutes later, I got the news that they found my wallet!  Praise Jesus! I had to wait around until 8 pm, but the wallet was returned.

These are photos of s'Hertogenbosch. There were merchants selling their wares in the streets. The square and streets in the area only allowed foot traffic. You could buy almost anything...meat, fish, vegetables, clothing, and more.  I would not have seen the town if I hadn't lost my wallet. Thank you, Suzie for the help.  I definitely thank Jesus for taking care of me and putting angels in my path.

Street Kids, Society, and the Government

Almost all businesses, apartment buildings and many houses have armed guards posted 24/7. There has to be a reason for that, but I have not witnessed it.

I had lunch today with some people that are trying to reach the poor.  One lady is from England.  She came here five years ago and works in a “soup kitchen” in one of the poor areas of town.  They give the kids a midmorning meal and then have a couple of classes with them.  These are street kids. They may or may not have a parent that cares for them.

Another is a computer programmer from Germany that has lived here for about the same amount of time. He works with teenagers and older children.   

The next couple are missionaries that want to reach people for Jesus. They have a regular Saturday gathering of street kids that gives the children a chance to be children and not be scared that someone will hurt them.

They were describing street kids that have been deserted by society. Many of the elite do not even acknowledge that they exist, much less to help them.  The kids live in areas that even the police do not go.  There is usually a gang leader that controls an area.  He’ll sell drugs and use the kids to transport the drugs to meet with a buyer. The kids do not have a chance to be children.  They have to always be on the watch for police, older kids, thieves, and child molesters.

I pass by an intersection that is about three blocks from my apartment often, at least once a day and sometimes four times in a day.  There are kids that wash your windshield and people selling things on every day except for Sunday. 

There are people at most major intersections wanting to wash your windshield for whatever you give them. This is common throughout Latin America. There are vendors that walk through the stopped cars selling, candy, pastries, windshield wipers, cell phone cases and whatever else they can sell. They do not have jobs and have to make a living somehow. 

The current president is one of the richest businessmen in the country. He believes that there should not be graft and corruption. He wants Paraguay to be a first world nation. He appointed technocrats as his ministers and took away the lucrative posts from the elite.

For example, the country has one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world on the border with Brazil. The President appointed a Paraguayan who worked in a hydro dam in the Northwest United States to run this dam. It took the operations from a family that ran it for years.

One of the things the President wants to change is the underground economy such as you find on the streets. If they are not licensed, they cannot sell. However, those people make their livings by selling on the streets. It is a conundrum for the country’s leadership.

The President knows that he must alleviate the poverty. He also wants to bring Paraguay into the 21^st century. It is quite a challenge.

Barrio Santa Ana and the Children's Church

             We went to the barrio on Saturday morning to go to a children’s church.  The building used to be a pharmacy and is about 30’ by 30’ on a corner in the barrio.

There is a pretty Catholic Church at the next intersection and a witch has set up shop a block the other direction. The sewer in the middle of the intersection was overflowing. It doesn’t look like they’ll ever fix it.  Not enough political clout.

The street is made of cobblestones and we were told that it is not a good area to go alone day or night.

            I was told that the local adults watch out for the place and respect it.  A gang used to set up across the street and taunt everyone that walked by.  They moved to another location after the church got set up.  There are no signs on the outside of the building advertising what it is. Everyone knows that it is a church.

While they call it children’s church, it is really a chance for the children to get a couple of hours of peace without having to work, scrounge through the trash or do whatever it takes to survive. Each of the little ones answers to a parent, gang member, stepparent, or sibling.  They have concern about finding food, bringing in something for the family, not getting abused and who knows what else. They get a couple of hours on Saturday morning to play and not be concerned about life.

Some of the kids had been coming for months and some were recent. Some are regulars and some come when they can.  The local pastor had about eight or ten in the back of his truck. Many have to walk a couple of miles to get there. They range in age from two until thirteen.

There were three children that sat by the window and did not participate.  I was told that they come every Saturday, but do not participate in the games and singing.

They played games and sang songs.  Every one of the children that participated had a big smile on their face.  I couldn’t help but keep a grin that started from my heart.

Close to the end of the activities, we counted the children (35). We put two beef empanadas and a hot dog bun on a plate.  Then we set the children down on a 10’ x 20’ rug remnant and set the children around the edges. We blessed the meal and brought a plate to each of them.

The children are not raised to help each other. They are raised to take what they can. Here they are taught not to hit each other (and it is very common for them to hit or kick each other). I witnessed older children helping the younger and simple love being shown. This children’s ministry is making a difference in their lives.

THE BARRIO

            We went through the rougher part of Barrio Santa Ana on the way out. There were houses on 75’ square lots.  Some were made of adobe and some of wood.  Most were trashy, but some were not. There was one place were the children were rummaging through trash….no shoes, no gloves….they were looking for anything of value. The streets were very littered.

            There was one house with a grandmother, mother with two children, and two other adults in a 12’x12’ shack.  Neighbors will come and steal all that you have of value if you leave your dwelling for any time, therefore, someone has to stay in the dwelling at all times.

            The trash dump is not too far from the barrio.  They are rummaged through for anything of value.

            The barrio is not far from the river and there are many mosquitoes when the weather is warmer.  Dengue Fever is rampant.

            The children’s church is a chance for them to get away from it all for a couple hours of peace and fun.

THE COOPERATIVA
           The barrio has a cooperative that can work well for everyone.  They agree to do business with each other. There are carpenters, masons, plumbers, pharmacists, stores, and many more businesses that joined the cooperative.  If someone contributes time or effort or goods to the coop, everyone will join together to build them a house. They will pay a modest amount for five years and the house is theirs. The coop works together for the good of the whole and everyone benefits.

Japanese, The Orthodontist, Translation, and the trip to Iguazu.

     I went with Anabeth to a recommended orthodontist this week because her retainer broke.  We got there a little early and opened the door to her office....Oops! it was her treating room and there was another patient in there.  We waited our turn and met a nice lady that was of Japanese descent.  Come to find out, she got her undergraduate degree in Paraguay and went back to Japan to get her dental degree.  There was no receptionist because she acts as her own.  She also inserts teeth where needed and the cost is 1/3 of the cost in the US while she uses a US system.  I was impressed with her work, also.
     I spoke with one of the local engineers on the project about the local work force.  They are hard workers and only break when assigned.  He did mention one problem with them.  Most of the workers speak Guarani, the native language that sounds like Japanese.  If you speak more than one language, it is obvious that translation is difficult from one language to another. On this project, it goes from American English to Spanish to Guarani.  It is easy to mistranslate and difficult to relay instructions. we are learning.
     I rented a car on Friday evening to drive to Iguazu Falls, Argentina on Saturday.  It was strange moving toward the east and feeling the sun on my left (northward) arm while driving in the morning. This is winter time down here. Think about it, the sun is in the south in our winter up north.  Here it is in the North.
   We had a little misunderstanding with the GPS and ended up in the middle of the Paraguayan wheat fields near the tri-border region of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil.

     We had to ask about three or four different people how to get to the ferry.  (I know guys aren't supposed to ask for directions, but, what can you do when you get lost?) This is where we ended up.

     Finally, we backtracked and found where we made the wrong turn. We finally found a bus driver that said to go past the stadium and turn left.....we continued until we made it to the ferry. This photo shows Brazil on the left, Argentina on the right, and Paraguay in the forefront.

     We are headed to the Iguazu Falls tomorrow, more to come.....

     We rented a car today to escape the city.  The new President of Paraguay was inaugurated and it was also a national holiday celebrating the founding of Asuncion.  The major street (Mariscal Lopez) was shut down and the traffic was supposed to be loco today.
    We headed out at 7am to go toward Ca'acupe which is about 45 miles out of town.  There is an ecological preserve call Mbatovi on the way and I found out that they had a zip line there.  Reservations were made for 9am.
     Paraguayan roads are decent.  There are few potholes and the road surface is in good shape.  The drivers are rough.  Stop signs don't work so they use speed bumps at most intersections and along the highways in town.  Many drivers go slow and motorcycles are everywhere.  When a driver wants to go fast, they abandon caution and good sense.  It's usually the SUVs.  They are not as bad as the princes in Kuwait, but, they have about as much caution as middle eastern drivers.
     We made it to Mbatovi with about five minutes to spare and waited for the eco tour to start.  There was another couple that took the tour with us.

     They put harnesses on us and gave us instructions in Spanish.  The main instructions were to stay on the trail, do not remove any vegetation or rocks, and obey the guides.
     We walked down a trail and came to one of the cable bridges.

John on the cable bridge.

     We were not expecting this, but, it was a challenge.  After a short while we came to the zip lines and they were fun.

     

     We trekked through the monte (woods or jungle) for a while......

and then we had to hold on to a rope and go backwards over a cliff.

And the coup de grâce....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8bQS9PIfbE

(click the link to see Anabeth rappelling down)

All in all, it was a fun day. We had adventure, 

saw part of the country, and made it home safely.....More to come.....

Buses, A trip in, and Running Waiters

     There were more people at the bus stop when I was going to work on Tuesday.  I also noticed an army truck with benches (really, they were nice lawn benches) in the back and I thought, "That sure would be dangerous if they got in a wreck."
     I went to work and the normal workers were not at the site.  Strange. I went to the yard gate on the guard mentioned something about the workers' bus being late.  Come to find out, some of the bus lines were on strike.  The standard bus fare is 2000 Guarani, but, it costs the bus companies 2600 Guarani for each passenger.  The government subsidizes the bus fares that 600G and they hadn't paid in a while. The bus companies were owed $2 Million dollars by the government. The government was willing to pay it in installments or, if the bus companies bought new buses, they would pay it all at once.  The bus companies didn't like that and went on strike.  Some bus lines were running, but, there were not near the same amount of buses. The military is using duce and a halfs (2-1/2 ton trucks) to transport people along the bus lines to help.
     There are varying opinions from the locals. Some say it will only last a day and others say it will last two weeks.  We'll see.
     The "strike" only lasted a day. It's hard to call it a strike because it was more like a work stoppage.  The buses went back to normal on Wednesday.

      I pass by some very interesting brickwork on the way to work.  I have not seen so many angles made with brick.
      The weather has been cool with high in the 60's and lows in the low 40's. The sun comes up at 6am and goes down at 6pm.  It's still winter down here.  We are expecting things to warm up to the 80's next week. There are some blossoms in the trees and some are losing leaves.

     Good news is that my son, John, and daughter, Anabeth, are on a plane coming down to live with me.  We plan to send them to the Asuncion Christian Academy which has a US student schedule and are accredited in the USA. They are 17 and 15. They've flown a fair amount and know how to get around airports well.

     It was a long flight for them and the layover in Sao Paulo was tricky. At least they were able to tie in to WiFi and Skype. They arrived at 1400 and made it through customs. As normal with an overnight flight, they didn't get much sleep on the plane. They were in bed by 8pm.
     We bought SIM cards for their phones as soon as we could.  They have plans that cost around $30 per month.  The main reasons for the phones are communications around here, Google Maps and Google Translate. You can speak into Translate in English and it will come out verbally in Spanish.

   

We went to Mercado 4 yesterday and then walked down to the Lido Bar where they have great empanadas, fish soup, and fried fish.  I stay away from the soup because of polluted waterways, but, the locals say it is real good.
     We walked back to the apartment in the early afternoon and rested a little before going out again.  We had to get passport photos for the kids school and went to a coffee shop to wait for the photos.
     One very nice thing about the restaurants and coffee shops here is that they do not care how long you stay at a table.  You will not be forced out of your table even if there is a crowd waiting to come in.
     I called one of the best taxi drivers here, Ruben, and he brought us around in the evening. He speaks some English and has been driving taxis for twenty years with no accidents. The kids have his number and can call him to get where they need to know.
     We ate at La Paulista which is a Brazilian style restaurant.  We arrived at just before 8pm and there were a few people sitting at the tables.  For the most part, Paraguayos like to start eating from 8 to 11 in the evening. There is a buffet with fruits and vegetables and another with deserts. A few minutes after you sit down, the waiters come with skewers of roasted sausage, rib eye, chicken, roasts, pork, and all kind of meats. The style is translated as "Running Waiters" because the waiters come at you constantly until you have to say, "NO MAS!".

     My favorite was the roasted pineapple. They cut the outer skin off of the pineapple and cover the pińa with a light coating of  sugar and cinnamon, then they roast it over the fire. The outer part of this is cut 1/4 inch thick and it produced one of the most succulent things I ever ate.
    

Schools, Variety of People, and Labor

     The project is moving along and I've been busy trying to get ready for my new roommates.  John (aka Mihai) and Anabeth are coming down to live here with me and go to school. Autumn and Summer will stay in White Hall with Natalie.  This will take some load off of Natalie. Its not easy raising four children (and an exchange student from the Czech Republic) without Dad around. John and Anabeth can be exchange students here and learn Spanish without having to live with another family. We all win and I will not be alone.
     The southern hemisphere school year is opposite of ours. They normally start the year in February and end it in December while the year goes from September to May in the northern hemisphere.
     There is a school with a good reputation about 300 yards from the apartment on the next street over. It is a British based school and gives British accreditations. However, half of their classes are in Spanish and their year starts in February. I had to pass on that one.
     There are three schools in Asuncion that are based on the Northern model and teach all classes, except language class, in English. All are private schools and they award recognized US diplomas. One is out near the airport which is too far out. Another costs $15,000 per year per child. The third is a school for missionary children and this is the one that they, Lord willing, will go to. They are scheduled to arrive on Friday and I am looking forward to it. We will have the weekend to tour the town and school starts on Monday for them.
     Buying the tickets on short notice was not easy.  The new President of Paraguay will be inaugurated on August 15. Dignitaries from all over the world are coming. I checked American and their least expensive ticket was over $2000 each.  I called Delta and they wanted $3300 each. I called back to Delta an hour later and, thank God, tickets were $1400 each which is only $200 more than it costs when you buy them in advance.
     The best way that I found to find out airline schedules and how much the tickets cost is to go to http://matrix.itasoftware.com/  That is a free google site that shows the least expensive flights in a matrix arrangement.  You can search by route and have a 30 day range. It will post the cost and details. You cannot buy the tickets on this site and need to contact the airline directly to reserve and buy the tickets.
     I ran into an interesting family this week. Air conditioning repairmen came to repair the A/C on the office trailer. He spoke English with a German accent.  His Dad used to be Amish and came to Paraguay from the States when the Dad was 19. He met and decided to marry a girl who was a German Mennonite. The Dad's family said no and told him that he would not be part of the family if they married.  They married. They grow Aloe which is supposed to be of a real good quality because of the dry climate in the Chaco and the rich soil. They also have a faith in Jesus that is similar to mine.
     Paraguay has open arms for immigrants. There is opportunity. The economy grew 6.4% in 2011. The country is a little smaller than California and a little larger than Montana. There are only 6.5 million people. There are Germans, Italians, Estadounidensé (US citizens), Koreans, Chinese, and the list goes on.
     There is plenty of construction, most of which is renovations of existing houses and structures. There are three major building projects that I know of going on.  Also, the Olympics are going to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.  Skilled construction labor is in demand. More to come....