Volleyball(ish)

Time. It is a funny thing. During good times we want the clock to stand still; during moments of hardship we want it to speed up. Learning to enjoy every moment, whether good or bad, is what I have been discovering this trip. Last night we played our best volleyball match yet. I didn’t want the game to end. The chemistry on our side of the court was outstanding. The atmosphere was positive and encouraging. We were playing for God, each other, and ourselves, while also enjoying the game.

Today my group went to the orphanage. Again I wanted the time to stop moving. It was a workday today so we put our painting skills to the test. Paintbrush and roller in hand we made our way up to the little bedroom (12 feet by 7 feet) where about six children shared a room. We began by sanding the walls, then got to the fun stuff. White paint was flying everywhere. We were covered from head to toe, bringing the reality of albino to life. Now we were not only pale, but completely white. You can only guess all the stares and funny facial expressions we received when we entered the super market for lunch.

Best part of the day for me was meeting the woman who ran the orphanage. Marie and her husband were both lawyers and felt called by God to start this orphanage. There original plan included ten children, however, now they care for over 60 kids. I was so moved by Marie and the women who helped out.  Marie went from having everything, to giving it all away for these kids. Such compassion. I would have loved to hear her whole story. These women just touched my heart. We were there to bless them but instead we were being blessed. It was a very encouraging day probably my favorite so far.

Chacorita

Team Blue - Kara, Amber, Amy, Jodi, Casie, Lauren

Today extreme poverty met us face to face. Words can’t even begin to explain what our group (group blue) saw. My emotions were ever changing as I walked down the street; from sadness, to anger, to desperation, to guilt, and finally rested on injustice. How is it fair that people- human beings like you and I- could live in such awful conditions? How is it fair that I have grown up so blessed in an environment so incomparable?

I will do my best to try and summarize what I saw:
Garbage flooded every part of the community. It oozed from the houses, ebbed in the streams, covered the pathways, and decorated the fences. The houses were a mix of broken brick, branches of trees, and even cardboard. The smell is one that I will never forget, smelling of death and feces combined. We walked down the streets trying to be friendly. A few politely said hi, while most either glared at us or ignored us. One woman even started cursing and yelling at us. I felt ashamed that we were like rich tourists only observing their lifestyle from a distance. I wanted to go and help clean up the garbage or play with the kids, however, it was much to dangerous to stop walking.

Chacorita is the poorest of the poor in Paraguay. It is hidden from the road by the beautiful parliament building. The government officials almost didn’t even let our group of white Canadian girls led by a local and renowned Pastor walk through this community.  Our translator did not speak much English so all we knew was that it was a community full of drugs, prostitution, and teenage mothers.

After reaching the end of the Chacorita, we ran into the main road. We walked along the path back to the Nutrition Center where we had begun our tour. Along the way we saw all the Paraguayan government buildings. They were massive and extravagant. We stopped to take a tour inside one of the museums. Our whole group couldn’t bare to look at the museum after what we had just encountered, so we quickly turned around and left.

It felt like I was in Vancouver. One minute I was walking down East Hastings look at the homeless, and the next moment I was on Granville shopping. This was one hundred times worse. I felt sick to my stomach. I was upset with the government of Paraguay for closing their eyes to the poverty that was literally one block away from them. I realized that It was no different in Canada. How could I be mad at these people, when I do the same thing!

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, “Let me help you get rid of the speck in your eye, when you cant see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” – Matthew 7:3-5

It was a very hard sight to see today, but I know God has not forgotten about this community. God’s love knows no limits and I know he is working; even in the poorest slums in Paraguay.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

Day 1, Team Red

Team Red: Amber, Taryn, Chelsea F, Jodi, Ryan A, Amy

Awakening to a 6:50 a.m. alarm clock was less than pleasant after our two-day flight affair. However, the amusing sound of groggy singing brought a bit of spring to our steps, or rather laughter to our hearts.  After we retrieved our voices we enjoyed a delicious Paraguayan breakfast and then our team split up into three groups. Each of the groups was assigned to a different outreach location. My group, team Red, headed to an elementary school once we had layered ourselves with endless amounts of sun block and bug spray.

Arriving with beads of sweat already dripping down our foreheads, we got up our courage and faced the sixty adorable kids who were eagerly awaiting us. All the big brown eyes were on us when we walked through the gate…well almost. We were competing for the attention of the crowd of kids. Our competition was a group of six girls who were dancing in unison, South American style.  They were quite the dancers and later tried to teach us. I am sad and somewhat relieved to say my “hips do lie” and I for sure cannot shake it like these girls. We soon won over the crowd and got to play a multitude of games with the children.

They were adorable. How could one not love them? If I could wish for one thing, it would be able to speak Spanish fluently. The language barrier was hard, however I soon realized sports doesn’t need a language; it only needs God’s love!

We played with the kids for four hours, with a quick lunch break in between. After we said our good byes, gave some hugs, and took a hundred pics, we came back to our residency. We enjoyed an hour of downtime and then made our way to the volleyball court.

We played in a beautiful Sports Complex in Asuncion against three different teams of different caliber. It was my first time wearing my jersey since I got injured before the season, so I felt a string of different emotions. We won every set minus one (26-24). But the best part of the games was when we mixed up the teams and I got to play side by side with my new Paraguayan friends. Playing my first game back since my injury in Paraguay was a surreal experience and I wouldn’t want to change that.

Day one of the Paraguay adventure was priceless. Between God’s beautiful creation, the heart melting children, and the memorable volleyball games, it was outstanding. I can't wait to see what the next ten days has in store for us. Lata.