On the road again: Asunción

I'll be flying into Asunción at the end of September. I've never been to that city, but am excited about the opportunity to do some field work there. JEMS is planning to send a team to Asunción in July 2009, and never having been there, Rev Sam and I agreed that it would be important to become acquainted with the city and the ministry.

The city is a blending of the old and new. (The Spanish were there in the early sixteenth century).



In addition to Asunción, I'm very excited to go back to a town that I visited once before: Pirapó, Paraguay. Pirapó is unique in that it started as a Japanese farming colony. Evidence of the Japanese influence on the town is seen in the signage . . .

. . . as well as in the presence of the Japanese Cultural Center there:

Though much later than the US and Brazil, Japanese immigration to Paraguay began over seventy years ago, with 130 families arriving as agricultural laborers in 1936.



Some of Pirapó still looks pretty rural!





In addition to Pirapó, I will be visiting another Japanese farming colony in La Paz Paraguay.



Can you find Pirapó and La Paz on this map? It will mean a lot of travel (by car) in the southeast portion of the country. Please pray for open doors, open hearts and safe travel.

I will arrive in Paraguay on September 30th and leave on October 7th. From October 7th to 11th, I will be making JEMS-related contacts in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Lord willing, I will be back in LA on the 11th.