Next stop: La Paz

Just as an editorial comment:
You are reading these blog entries in reverse order of when they were written. My hope is that you'll get a flavor of the ministry here in the Japanese colonies of Paraguay rather than simply a chronological narrative. Thanks for your understanding.

A major challenge of driving in Paraguay is dodging the combines. Hey! The roads are narrow, two-lanes of asphalt and combines are huge!

Our next stop after Pirapó was the farming colony of La Paz. La Paz has a population of just over 650 Japanese. Together with neighboring colonies of Santa Rosa, Chavez and Fuji, it is a significant concentration of nikkei in one area.

Pr Koki and I spent our day in La Paz, beginning with a Bible study in the home of the Yamagami's. The Yamagami's are a couple devoted to the Lord with a wonderful gift of hospitality. They are pictured photo right (back row, blue shirt; front row, black dress)

Strange, but true. After showering that morning in Pirapó, there was no mirror available in the house. Upon coming to La Paz, I would later (after this picture and others were taken) realize that my hair looked like a rat's nest. Ahh, but the mission field is no place for vanity. Right?

After the study, Mr Yamagami took us on a tour of the La Paz colony. Stops would include all important visits to the Japanese Association where here again, we were able to meet key leaders and share our plans.

Our days are quite long. That evening, we were warmly hosted by the Yamagami's to a dinner of nabemono (vegetables, tofu, chicken, mushroom and udon simmered in a large bowl with dashi stock). Other guests included three volunteers from Japan who were working in Paraguay through the JICA program. The evening became a wonderful opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with these young people.

Please pray that God will continue to work in the lives of these young people (front row, between Pr Koki and me: Makiko; back row, right: Hiromi).

Click to enlarge

And pray for my new buddy, Koske (yup, not Kosuke, but Koske). He really showed an interest in learning about the Christian faith.