Advance the Gospel

Paraguay Revisited: Ciudad Del Este

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We were in Paraguay two weeks ago. Last week’s post was about Asunción. This week’s post is about the other city we visited, Ciudad Del Este. Ciudad Del Este is on the border of Brazil and Argentina. It is less than 30 minutes from the Iguazú Falls, the second largest waterfalls in the world. What makes this city distinct is the vast amount of people from other countries. I am told there are large populations of people from the middle east, Asia, and of course from other South American countries. Why? I am told that it is because it has become a city of commerce, more so than any other in Paraguay (or anything in Argentina). The city is a large city, but much smaller than Asunción, the capital.
I spoke with two missionaries who have been serving in Ciudad del Este. The need is distinct. From Ciudad Del Este you can be in Brazil by simply crossing the border and in Argentina in just 25 minutes or so. Meaning someone could plant 3 different churches in 3 different countries that could reach into each of those countries and never be very far from home. This is the vision of one of the missionaries we met with. His desire is to plant these churches, train men who can be sent deeper into their specific country. This is much more challenging than one might think and the missionary told us that he has churches in two of the three countries, but he is still trying to reach his goal. Another missionary told me that there are some good churches in the area, but the great need is leadership. There is a large lack of national leadership in these churches.
Ciudad Del Este is a beautiful city. I definitely see the appeal in planting churches there. We had two men with us who are seeking God’s direction as to where to be missionaries. Whether they end up in Paraguay or not, I can say my burden to pray for the country has grown.

 

Quick Update: Engage

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This Sunday we will be learning how to engage those around us with the Gospel. Our goal is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). The first step is engaging, or witnessing to others about Jesus. There are some who come to our church who I don’t think have ever shared their faith in Jesus with others. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn how to do so! God is so good to us to give us these opportunities. I look forward to seeing God work in each person as He has worked in me!

Paraguay Revisited: Asunción

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Last week we were able to go to Paraguay for a short survey trip. Missionary Jason King and I along with two interns, Stephen Carrier (completing his internship in Chile) and Robert Becker (a new intern with us) were in two cities, Asunción and Ciudad Del Este. This post is all about Asunción. Asunción is the capital city of Paraguay. We spent the majority of our time there. The city is unlike any city I have been to, combining a third world feel with a few modern malls and even American restaurants (they have Pizza Hut and Coffee Bean!?!?!). Even though the city boasts a population of over 2 million people (including the metropolitan area) it really has a “small town feel” (which is something I love). It is the largest city in Paraguay and is situated on the northern border of Argentina.

Compared to Buenos Aires: Flying from Buenos Aires the first difference you notice is how much hotter it is. The heat and humidity is very strong! It is also much greener, and that is saying something because we have green areas in Buenos Aires. It also has more of an American influence as well. We drink mate (pronounced “mot-tay”) which is a hot tea but Paraguayans use the same tea to make a cold tea called “tereré”, but with the climate so much more intense I can certainly understand why. Another great difference is the cost of things. Asunción (and Paraguay as a whole) is much, much cheaper than Buenos Aires, it was surprising how little things cost there.
Asunción and the Gospel: Okay, so we met with 2 different missionaries that are in Asunción. These are some takeaways from these meetings. There are a lot of churches in Asunción. On missionary suggested that the need was not for more churches but rather leader training (something as he described was severely lacking). The other missionary also commented about the amount of churches but that the number of conservative Baptist churches was not very big at all.
Language: Spanish is one of the languages of Paraguay but both missionaries spoke of Guaraní, the people’s “heart language”. Apparently if you work with anyone outside of the city, you need to learn Guaraní, which I found very interesting considering one missionary told us that very few missionaries ever learned to speak it. Other missionaries said it was spoken throughout the country, whether in the city or not. I spoke with several taxi drivers within both cities and every single one of them spoke Guaraní as well as Spanish and spoke a mix of both Guaraní and Spanish in their homes. Apparently the wealthy class doesn’t speak Guaraní (or at least they act like they don’t) and some of the young people in the major cities don’t like to, but almost everyone else knows it and speaks it or a mixture of Guaraní with Spanish. As an outsider who admittedly knows very little about Paraguay, I think if one of our intern friends were to go there to plant churches, they should learn Guaraní.
Final Thoughts: I think Asunción has great potential for any one considering missions. Someone considering this city could go to the outskirts of the city (where the city is growing) and I think they could see great things happening. Having to learn two languages is not attractive to almost anyone, but the first time a man sees a Paraguayans eyes light up when the American speaks in their heart language (Guaraní), I think they will find it worth all the extra work. I don’t know if either of the two interns that were with us will consider Asunción, but I think they should.

Quick Update: The Vision

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This Sunday is a big Sunday at Faith Baptist Church (okay, so I guess every Sunday is a big Sunday). We have “the Vision” this Sunday. This is an opportunity to explain the vision for the year, the theme for the year, and discuss how we look to achieve what God has for us! We will also have a special planning time for leaders and faithful attenders to go through the year as a sort of “planning”. Be praying for this special Sunday.