Yo Quisiera Ser tu llanto

Hmmmmm.......

I never really know how to start these blogs. I always say hey or hi, nothing interesting! Any suggestions on how i can have a interesting greeting? Well i am doing the entry early because tomorrow im going to Asuncion.. again! I swear we go there every other week! I dont know why we dont just live there. I'm kidding, i dont like Asuncion too much, well compared to Encarnacion. Asuncion is the capital and its like any other big city, CRAZY! I remember last time we were there, we were on the bus and i swear i never feared more for my life! The drivers are crazy! 

It's finally here!! My vacation!! I get the whole week off next week! I get to sleep in, explore, travel, play soccer/volleyball, and have some time to myself. I need time to think about what im going to do with my life when i leave here. I know im going to school but idk where. I wanna go to New york but idk if i wanna leave atlanta. Its hard! Im going to miss my activities but i do need a break! Im really excited though because i get to go to Cuidad del Este next week and visit some Baha'i friends for a few days! I can't wait for that. Cuidad del Este from what i hear is the place to go shopping! They have all the bootlegs and stuff there, so i am really excited for that too.

Service, the way i had imagined it, was this thing that shined in the light and this constant feeling of happiness and just all rainbows and sunshines. Well it has been far from that for me. I find myself struggling with myself a lot. To be a better person and to practice what i preach to others. Im trying to be positive and detach myself from myself (if that makes any sense) and not let my opinions or how i feel get in the way of the reason why i'm here. Me and Martin are deaf. acting more like brothers. Its funny because when i first met him, we were really cool. We got along great and we had no problems. That lasted for a week and then we got to know each other and or habits and everything, and there was period where we never talked. It was pretty bad. Vero and Amin even noticed and talk to us and it got better from there. We share the same frustrations and we both realize were in this together, for a whole year. were both on a spiritual journey just trying to find out who we are. We act jsut like brothers cause we argue, have disagreements, and flat out just want to kill each other at times, but for some odd reason i see it as a sign of progress.

This week went really well. We had a Pre-youth group in the high school on tuesday and friday and once again were making great progress. Im starting to like the 9th graders alot more because they are a little easier to work with. We did a debate in that classs about unity and if the world is truly unified or not. we made it up right on the spot and the youth did really good because in the end i think they all felt a little inspired and realize they have the power to make a change. It was really sad because we had some free time and we asked if they could change one thing in the world what would it be. One girl said that she would make sure all hospital had the right equipment and materials because her brother died because the hospital here only had one of something ( I didnt understand what she said it was) and they couldn't find it. I have a very soft heart so that was rough for me to hear. Tuesday was also the 500 anniversary of the foundation of Encarnacion! I got to see some traditional Paraguayan dances and hear the history of Encarnacion. It was pretty cool! The funny thing is there nothing here thats that old, nothing at all. Idk why but i find that pretty odd.

I told you guys how everyone here thinks im Brazilian. well now its getting worst and no matter where i go, people harass me. Not in a bad way of course (most of the time). Im always getting stopped in the streets and (no lie) whenever i go on the bus or somewhere with alot of people, people stare at me. Its the most awkward feeling in the world! Little kids are worst cause they'll stare at me in the face on the bus for a good 10 minutes before blinking. I feel like a celebrity. :-)

Hasta la Proxima!

Revelation!

Hello from Encarnacion, Paraguay..

Im pretty sure i do this blog to remember this cause im pretty sure not to many people read it but its cool cause its something i will be able to look back on. I've started writing a book about my year of service. I don't know what's going to be in it but i'm really excited about doing it and see what comes of it. 

So at last the fast is over and i must say it was a experience of a lifetime! It was very challenging but i felt it more, i felt more connected to the fast and i feel that now i understand the true meaning of why we fast! I dont know the feeling of when you do something just because thats what you were told you were suppose to do and then you discover the reason why for yourself, its an amazing feeling.

Since i was fasting i wanted to do as little as possible. So i found myself in my room most of the time going crazy! So i've had alot of time to think about things and i am convinced that god wants me to be a EXPERT at Jr. Youth groups. The jyg have been one of the hardest things to do here! And its just a coincidence that i happen to be involved in all the pyg here. See, me and martin have activities together and we have our own. He has no pyg except one which we both do and the rest our mind. And as i have said they have been extremely difficult to start and let alone in spanish.. But i have learned to not let my judgement cloud my mind. Cause i thought everyone of my groups would be impossiable but all it required was a little extra work. Once i gained the trust of the kids the groups were so much easier to do. Now i love going to them and i love hanging out with them and them seeing  me as a brother. They come to me when they have problems and everything. Just another reassures i am here doing the right thing

My goals with god

Pictures!

Life in Paraguay

Home Sweet Home

Hey everyone! Well we only lack about 5 days until this wondrous fast is over! Don't get me wrong i have loved it because i have actually had the opportunity to deepen on the writing and stuff but it is one of the hardest things i have had to endure. Normally for me the fast is that hard, it usually a mind of matter thing, but here it near impossible. Luckily the weather is calming down because it becoming Fall here but still. I hardly ever have energy to do anything and we are constantly going places. It gets so frustrating cause all i want to do is sleep. And since time has change and went back an hour the soon leaves alot earlier at like 5:45 now which makes it easier. Then again i hardly ever wake up to eat breakfast so its kind of my fault too. 

So its almost the three month mark a time has flew by so fast! And i use to tell people when they ask me if i miss home, i would say no not now but in three months or so probly. Now its hitting hard! I miss home so much. At night its pretty bad cause i am alone in my room talking to all my friends and seeing what life is like back home and it makes me wanna go home just for a few days. I get jealous when everyone can go visit there families and frinds and i have to wait a good year. But who knows by the time its time to leave it will be the complete opposite. 

So this week was to eventful just the normal activities. Tuesday we had the py group in the high school and we showed them Couch Carter to try and inspire them and i think it worked more or less. They talked a little more but they still arent really giving us the time nor the day. But i will work my charm on them, i will make it happen. ;)

Friday was another busy day and we had our other group of py in the 7th grade. This group is full of life and character and they each have distinct personality. They are more like the groups you read in book5! But we also showed them the movie and they loved it and asked a bunch of question and i felt like they were inspired. Afterwards was one of the py birthday and they she had brought some club quality stereo  system and cds. Then the kids were dancing and i was pretty shocked. I mean i see dancing like that all the time in clubs in stuff but never with 7th graders in school!! Here its nothing but to me its kind of a culture shock! I think its latino culture in general. I found it very funny and shocking at the same time! 

Well thats it for this week. See you all later!!!

Hey...(pause)..... Oh your from America?......Well Heeellllooo ;-)

Hey, Hey, Hey

How is everyone? Me i am absolutely Great! I have decided that i will update every saturday or sunday so check for it ! Its actually funny when i write my blogs cause i have a playlist and everything to get me into the mood. haha

*When i say 'we' i am referring to Me and Martin (my YOS partner) *

 This week was a mixture of all sort of things! It was one of those weeks where things start off really ruff and then as the week ends things start to fall back into place again! So where to begin lets start with last Friday we started our Junior Youth Group in a school in a really rough neighborhood. I was very excited and nervous because well its a school and i have never actually taught in a school, let alone with kids in a different country. When we first got there the kids were running reckless! They made those kids on the Muary show seem like little angels. I was so scared because i knew they would eat me alive. Before school starts the kids have to line up outside and say a prayer and the national anthem in spanish and Guaranies. So we go into class and i swear it was different group of kids then before because they were all so respectful and clam (for the most part). I felt a little more comfortable because they gave us the respect as teachers. They all speak Jopara which is impossible for me to understand. So its funny cause now before the class i have to tell them to only speak in spanish. By the time i left the class i had a revelation that i these kids were no different then i was when i was younger in school. they were just being kids. I use to run around screaming and yelling and i remember i would always talk back as a child. When the teacher would come to class we would straighten up a little bit.

 

That night we watched The Great Debaters. That was one of the best movies i have seen this year and i highly recommend it to anyone! After the movie we took a bus to Asuncion, which is about 5 hours away, to help set up for a big youth gathering on sunday. We arrived in asuncion at about 5:30 in the morning. When we got there we were expecting a friend to be there waiting so she could take us to the National Bahai center. But with our luck she didnt show up and all we knew was that it was the Corner of peru and something else. So that mroning we ended up taking 2 buses and 3 taxis till we finally got to where we were suppose to go. One taxi guy dropped us off at a Birth Control Clinic. The get together was at the Bahai Roga, which is like a Mini Convention center type thing, and we were put to work as soon as we got there! They had us gardening, burning trees and trash, and last but defiantly not least Peel Yuca . Now if you dont know what Yuca is check it out. It is the worst vegetable to peel! And we didnt peel one or two, we peeled 30 kg worth which is about 5 big bags full of Yuca. i am sure my Grandmother would be proud! That night i slept with about 45 unidentified species of insects and bugs. I ended up sleeping with the blanket over my head hoping i didn't wake up in a Cocoon!

 

We stayed in Asuncion till monday and we visited Martin's family in Ceritto. Monday was the first day of the fast and that morning when we woke up to eat breakfast they dont kid around with theyre food. They has empanadas, Asado(BBQ), all kinds of fried meats, everything! It was very starnge to me and i could not eat that kids of food at 5:30 in the morning. That was a mistake because as the day went on i understood why they ate such heavy food. It is so hot there! It is beyond imagination! The whole day i was just dragging along with no energy at all. All i wanted to do was sleep. Ironically Ceritto means "Little Hell" in spanish. We were both having a hard time because we were walking around everywhere and it was literally like 105 degrees. We both were determined not to drink water unless one of died then we would drink water. (Sorry Mom :-) ) But that night i got to go to Mcdonalds for the first time in like 5 months! HAHA even though i hate Mcdonalds it was a memory of home! How Sad!

We returned to Encarnacion tuesday and that afternoon we had another Jr.Youth group at the school. But today was with the 9th graders. Which was really difficult because they are only like 3 or 4 years younger then us and just won't give us the time of day. That a group that we will have to watch and see what happend! Prayer would be welcomed of course :)

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty routine. But the devotional gathering we have on Thursday at the house of the non-bahai is goin GREAT! She is an amazing person and she is full of some much love and heart and its true that the worst things happen to the best of people. She likes to give me weird fruit to eat or drink and i have so much fun there!

Friday went great with Pre-youth group at the school! We started with the Book Breezes of Conformation and they were all coming up to me asking questions and they were really into it. My other pre-youth group in Arroya Poya still is having its difficulties were trying to get in re-established but it going to take so more time. God has a great sense of Humor!

On to some GREAT news. After all the hard work me and Martin and the whole community have put in, we are very close to becoming a A cluster! We have worked so hard to start new children's classes, and py groups, and Study circles and home visits to help meet the goal! All we need is i think is 20 more people to complete book 1 by April! I think we can do, actually i know we can!! Its great to know that were so close!

Here is where i'll be posting all my pictures so you guys can look at too! I will also update it every saturday or sunday!