Argentina Letters - Reports from Richard and
Ruth Anne Friesen - 2005 
Plow Creek home page | Friesen page | Friesen prayer card | Agentina Pictures | Mission
February 19,2006
February 11, 2006
January 21, 2006
2005 Letters
February 19, 2006
return to Friesen page.
Plow Creek Site Outline | Plow Creek Home Page
Plow Creek home page | Friesen page | Friesen prayer card | Agentina Pictures | Mission
February 19,2006
February 11, 2006
January 21, 2006
2005 Letters
February 19, 2006
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings again! One highlight of this week was trying a recipe that called for broiler and oven on…forget that in Formosa these days! We just did the eggplant veggie stacks/wraps differently. That is, we steamed the eggplant and some onion slices. Then we added slices of zucchini-like squash, tomato slices, pepper slices and cucumber all without cooking. We had great stacks with a little slice of cheese added—some with lettuce wrap, some without. We’d recommend that new find. A little salt over the veggies and you have the easiest supper possible! J J
This was a translation week again. Rubén chose the Gerasene demoniac from Luke 8 for the morning devotional on Wednesday. He commented how evil had captured the man’s mind so that he lost his identity. There are many indigenous he said who lose their identities when they move to the city. They become bound or tied up and their minds are taken captive. But with Jesus they can recuperate their identity and return to themselves and find freedom to be themselves. For Jesus the man in the story had more value than the animals, but no one was caring for him whereas the pigs had a caretaker. It was an interesting perspective from which to read the story.
Ruth Anne had to think of Tanis (Helena’s estranged husband…Helena is the oldest daughter in the Graham family at Plow Creek) as Rubén was sharing about the indigenous. Tanis was in jail and last week committed suicide there in jail. Who knows what all was going on in his head. It seems that he was likely feeling very alone and abandoned and didn’t want to face the consequences of whatever wrongs he had done. Nevertheless, it has been a challenge to think about how God responds to Tanis in all his confusion. My faith wants to believe that God is not limited by death and that his compassion and boundless love continue on. We are so bound by time and space that it is hard for our limited perspective to imagine how God hears our prayers and responds as we come in our confusion. So I hope that the Lord holds Tanis and Helena in the palm of his hand, still caring for and inviting and responding with infinite love and patience that are beyond all of our understandings and hopes. I probably need to believe that in hope because my brother Jim also committed suicide over 30 years ago. So we likely all walk through our valleys, wondering how the Lord’s boundless love can possibly meet us in the challenges we face.
I (Ruth Anne) am reading some good books this week—finishing Peacework: Prayer, Resistance, Community by Henri Nouwen (one of four books gifted to us by the Blooming Glen Church in PA) and El Misterio de Jesús/ The Mystery of Jesus by Jean Vanier (in Spanish because we found it here in Formosa, about each chapter of the Gospel of John). It has been some great material for thought and meditation! Near the end of Nouwen’s book he comments that at the center of Christian community is a life of mutual confession and mutual forgiveness in the name of Jesus. In the faithful fellowship of the weak in repeated confession and forgiveness of sin, the strength of Jesus Christ is revealed and celebrated. Richard and I had some good practice at forgiving each other this week. It should not be surprising, should it? The Lord is gracious in showing us how to rethink and come more humbly and gently to a different perspective of what we’ve been doing and saying. Nouwen says, “A Christian community is a place where strength is revealed in weakness, faith is revealed in the recognition of doubt, hope is revealed by the honest realization of moments of despair, love is revealed amid the reality of jealousy, suspicion, and distrust, joy is revealed in the midst of sadness, and peace is revealed within the humble awareness of violence, conflicts, and divisions. Indeed, Christian community is nothing less than Jesus Christ revealed among us sinful men and women.” Now that’s a hopeful view of Christian community, and makes me say yes, that’s the place I want to live! Later Nouwen goes on, “But defeatism and despair are contrary to everything for which Jesus Christ came, particularly the gift of hope. He did not offer optimism based on statistics, political analysis, the balance of power, deterrence, or first-strike capability, but hope based on the promise of God’s forgiveness to all people. This hope becomes visible in the community of those who believe in God’s power to forgive. This is something quite different from a general expectation that things will eventually work out. It is the concrete living out of faith in the living God, a faith stronger than violence, oppression hunger, war, or the assumption of ‘mutually assured destruction.’ It is people coming together to work for the new kingdom and to announce the light ‘that darkness could not overpower’ (Jn 1:4). This community is able to resist the powers of death and evil because it is the living Christ himself present in the world. The Christian community is the living representation of the risen Lord. It is a sign of hope precisely since it represents the light that cannot be extinguished and the life that cannot be killed. To belong to the Christian community is to be free from the powers that rule the world….The Christian community is not a group of people who have come together to unify their forces and thus make victory more likely. No, it is the expression of a victory already won….The hope of those who belong to the living Christ is a hope rooted in what has already occurred, even if the total fullness of this event has not yet been revealed. Thus the Christian community, wherever it emerges, marks a new world in the midst of the old, of light in the midst of darkness, of life in the midst of death.” There’s a lot more that makes me return again and again to these books whenever I have a chance these days.
Yesterday, Saturday, Richard and Willis Horst drove up with Domiciano, our language teacher, to the zonal ministers’ meeting of the Iglesia Evangélica Unida in Nainek, close to the border with Paraguay. Domiciano holds the title of evangelist in his church in Lote 68. There are about 17 or 18 churches in this zone, the churches in the eastern end of Formosa Province. Willi had a chance to sell some Bibles and to interact with a number of old friends whom he had not had much chance to contact since the Kingsleys had taken over the visits to this area and Willi and Bertie had concentrated on the Pilagá dominated area farther west in the province. It was fun to see some of the ministers in a relaxed mood. Milton Caballero repeated over and over first in Toba, then in Spanish, the high points of a tall story of a Toba hunter and a puma stalking each other, knowing that only one of them would win and the other would become dinner. Whenever the puma poked up his head for a better look, the hunter did as well. Then each would drop down and stalk some more. When both of them finally were face to face, they each jumped up, turned tail and ran for their lives. Milton and Domiciano laughed and laughed.
Willi saw as a sign of hope the large participation of the youth in the public service in the evening and the changes they were bringing to the worship services. In the Pilagá area churches liturgical dance remains in the hands of dancers, many middle aged or older, who dress up in individually designed white outer aprons with ribbons of cloth that can fly in the wind as they walk or run in a circle outside the church. Most have a Bible in a pocket on their back, even when they are illiterate. The dancers on Saturday were nearly all groups of teenage girls, who had similar long skirts and similar tops and who had obviously practiced coordinated movements of swaying, walking, bobbing or turning all together to the music being led by young men of about the same age with keyboards and guitars. A number of groups of girls from various churches were out responding by their movements to the songs of praise. But there were also twos and threes of girls in the 6-9 year old range out on the floor with the older girls, who had their own coordinated movements they had been inventing and practicing together at home listening to praise songs on boom boxes. The leaders were obviously delighted at the participation of the younger generation, which has not seemed to slacken since the Christmas and New Years celebrations this year. Many more young folks also are asking for baptism this year.
I learned something at the conference that I should have known before—that mosquitoes have a preferred schedule for their supper. About the time the evening service was to begin at sundown, there was talk of meeting outside because of the size of the crowd there and because the church was sure to get up above 100º inside with all of the people and the movement. But it was mosquito supper time at that hour and everyone seemed to have at least four or five at a time sitting on their head and shoulders, and everyone was swatting and swinging and twirling cloths to keep them away. I gladly followed the crowd inside to face the heat rather than the mosquitoes. Finally, when I could stand the heat no longer, I went out to take a breather with the folks listening from outdoors. To my surprise, the clouds of mosquitoes had turned in for the night and it was quite pleasant outside!
After Domiciano shared the scripture about taking flight like eagles, some of the leaders commented that they were aware that Richard wanted to soar like an eagle with Toba. I’m still hopping along the runway getting up speed, but that is a beautiful dream.
The translators have passed another milestone. They have finished their initial work revising the synoptic gospels and this last week started into the gospel of John. As was quite predictable, they are finding it quite different working with the symbolic language and actions in John. Now they will be off for two weeks instead of the usual one between sessions. They have a lot of material from the last chapters of Matthew and the first chapters of John to read over and check at home during these days.
Write when you have a chance. It’s always great to hear from you!!
Blessings,
RA & R
Greetings again! One highlight of this week was trying a recipe that called for broiler and oven on…forget that in Formosa these days! We just did the eggplant veggie stacks/wraps differently. That is, we steamed the eggplant and some onion slices. Then we added slices of zucchini-like squash, tomato slices, pepper slices and cucumber all without cooking. We had great stacks with a little slice of cheese added—some with lettuce wrap, some without. We’d recommend that new find. A little salt over the veggies and you have the easiest supper possible! J J
This was a translation week again. Rubén chose the Gerasene demoniac from Luke 8 for the morning devotional on Wednesday. He commented how evil had captured the man’s mind so that he lost his identity. There are many indigenous he said who lose their identities when they move to the city. They become bound or tied up and their minds are taken captive. But with Jesus they can recuperate their identity and return to themselves and find freedom to be themselves. For Jesus the man in the story had more value than the animals, but no one was caring for him whereas the pigs had a caretaker. It was an interesting perspective from which to read the story.
Ruth Anne had to think of Tanis (Helena’s estranged husband…Helena is the oldest daughter in the Graham family at Plow Creek) as Rubén was sharing about the indigenous. Tanis was in jail and last week committed suicide there in jail. Who knows what all was going on in his head. It seems that he was likely feeling very alone and abandoned and didn’t want to face the consequences of whatever wrongs he had done. Nevertheless, it has been a challenge to think about how God responds to Tanis in all his confusion. My faith wants to believe that God is not limited by death and that his compassion and boundless love continue on. We are so bound by time and space that it is hard for our limited perspective to imagine how God hears our prayers and responds as we come in our confusion. So I hope that the Lord holds Tanis and Helena in the palm of his hand, still caring for and inviting and responding with infinite love and patience that are beyond all of our understandings and hopes. I probably need to believe that in hope because my brother Jim also committed suicide over 30 years ago. So we likely all walk through our valleys, wondering how the Lord’s boundless love can possibly meet us in the challenges we face.
I (Ruth Anne) am reading some good books this week—finishing Peacework: Prayer, Resistance, Community by Henri Nouwen (one of four books gifted to us by the Blooming Glen Church in PA) and El Misterio de Jesús/ The Mystery of Jesus by Jean Vanier (in Spanish because we found it here in Formosa, about each chapter of the Gospel of John). It has been some great material for thought and meditation! Near the end of Nouwen’s book he comments that at the center of Christian community is a life of mutual confession and mutual forgiveness in the name of Jesus. In the faithful fellowship of the weak in repeated confession and forgiveness of sin, the strength of Jesus Christ is revealed and celebrated. Richard and I had some good practice at forgiving each other this week. It should not be surprising, should it? The Lord is gracious in showing us how to rethink and come more humbly and gently to a different perspective of what we’ve been doing and saying. Nouwen says, “A Christian community is a place where strength is revealed in weakness, faith is revealed in the recognition of doubt, hope is revealed by the honest realization of moments of despair, love is revealed amid the reality of jealousy, suspicion, and distrust, joy is revealed in the midst of sadness, and peace is revealed within the humble awareness of violence, conflicts, and divisions. Indeed, Christian community is nothing less than Jesus Christ revealed among us sinful men and women.” Now that’s a hopeful view of Christian community, and makes me say yes, that’s the place I want to live! Later Nouwen goes on, “But defeatism and despair are contrary to everything for which Jesus Christ came, particularly the gift of hope. He did not offer optimism based on statistics, political analysis, the balance of power, deterrence, or first-strike capability, but hope based on the promise of God’s forgiveness to all people. This hope becomes visible in the community of those who believe in God’s power to forgive. This is something quite different from a general expectation that things will eventually work out. It is the concrete living out of faith in the living God, a faith stronger than violence, oppression hunger, war, or the assumption of ‘mutually assured destruction.’ It is people coming together to work for the new kingdom and to announce the light ‘that darkness could not overpower’ (Jn 1:4). This community is able to resist the powers of death and evil because it is the living Christ himself present in the world. The Christian community is the living representation of the risen Lord. It is a sign of hope precisely since it represents the light that cannot be extinguished and the life that cannot be killed. To belong to the Christian community is to be free from the powers that rule the world….The Christian community is not a group of people who have come together to unify their forces and thus make victory more likely. No, it is the expression of a victory already won….The hope of those who belong to the living Christ is a hope rooted in what has already occurred, even if the total fullness of this event has not yet been revealed. Thus the Christian community, wherever it emerges, marks a new world in the midst of the old, of light in the midst of darkness, of life in the midst of death.” There’s a lot more that makes me return again and again to these books whenever I have a chance these days.
Yesterday, Saturday, Richard and Willis Horst drove up with Domiciano, our language teacher, to the zonal ministers’ meeting of the Iglesia Evangélica Unida in Nainek, close to the border with Paraguay. Domiciano holds the title of evangelist in his church in Lote 68. There are about 17 or 18 churches in this zone, the churches in the eastern end of Formosa Province. Willi had a chance to sell some Bibles and to interact with a number of old friends whom he had not had much chance to contact since the Kingsleys had taken over the visits to this area and Willi and Bertie had concentrated on the Pilagá dominated area farther west in the province. It was fun to see some of the ministers in a relaxed mood. Milton Caballero repeated over and over first in Toba, then in Spanish, the high points of a tall story of a Toba hunter and a puma stalking each other, knowing that only one of them would win and the other would become dinner. Whenever the puma poked up his head for a better look, the hunter did as well. Then each would drop down and stalk some more. When both of them finally were face to face, they each jumped up, turned tail and ran for their lives. Milton and Domiciano laughed and laughed.
Willi saw as a sign of hope the large participation of the youth in the public service in the evening and the changes they were bringing to the worship services. In the Pilagá area churches liturgical dance remains in the hands of dancers, many middle aged or older, who dress up in individually designed white outer aprons with ribbons of cloth that can fly in the wind as they walk or run in a circle outside the church. Most have a Bible in a pocket on their back, even when they are illiterate. The dancers on Saturday were nearly all groups of teenage girls, who had similar long skirts and similar tops and who had obviously practiced coordinated movements of swaying, walking, bobbing or turning all together to the music being led by young men of about the same age with keyboards and guitars. A number of groups of girls from various churches were out responding by their movements to the songs of praise. But there were also twos and threes of girls in the 6-9 year old range out on the floor with the older girls, who had their own coordinated movements they had been inventing and practicing together at home listening to praise songs on boom boxes. The leaders were obviously delighted at the participation of the younger generation, which has not seemed to slacken since the Christmas and New Years celebrations this year. Many more young folks also are asking for baptism this year.
I learned something at the conference that I should have known before—that mosquitoes have a preferred schedule for their supper. About the time the evening service was to begin at sundown, there was talk of meeting outside because of the size of the crowd there and because the church was sure to get up above 100º inside with all of the people and the movement. But it was mosquito supper time at that hour and everyone seemed to have at least four or five at a time sitting on their head and shoulders, and everyone was swatting and swinging and twirling cloths to keep them away. I gladly followed the crowd inside to face the heat rather than the mosquitoes. Finally, when I could stand the heat no longer, I went out to take a breather with the folks listening from outdoors. To my surprise, the clouds of mosquitoes had turned in for the night and it was quite pleasant outside!
After Domiciano shared the scripture about taking flight like eagles, some of the leaders commented that they were aware that Richard wanted to soar like an eagle with Toba. I’m still hopping along the runway getting up speed, but that is a beautiful dream.
The translators have passed another milestone. They have finished their initial work revising the synoptic gospels and this last week started into the gospel of John. As was quite predictable, they are finding it quite different working with the symbolic language and actions in John. Now they will be off for two weeks instead of the usual one between sessions. They have a lot of material from the last chapters of Matthew and the first chapters of John to read over and check at home during these days.
Write when you have a chance. It’s always great to hear from you!!
Blessings,
RA & R
11
Feb. 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Formosa! Wonderfully fresh and invigorating mornings have been the highlight of this week! It has been great to look forward to our daily bicycle rides to the Paraguay River to see the sunrise just after 6:30.
We give thanks that Richard has finally figured out how to put the Paratext program on the laptop computer that has been made available to the New Testament team by Esteban Voth, the director of the United Bible Society! Sarah Kingsley Metzler was willing to bring the laptop from Buenos Aires, having picked it up at the office of the Argentine Bible Society. It was well packed in a Bible box, which seemed to disguise it just fine! But the real trick was getting the Paratext program into it so that the translators could see their various Spanish translations, as well as the original Toba New Testament translation. Richard wrote a note to Tomás Ortiz in Bolivia, the technician who had been here last June, to have some advice about how to do the process. Tomás replied with a row of numbers that he uses for his Paratext program, and the numbers worked like magic!! Now Richard is trying to get it all in shape for Monday when the translators start again on the Gospel of Matthew. They probably will review what they already revised in Matthew the last time from chapters 9 to 17, and then they will work on chapters 18 to 28. Keep them in your prayers. The goal is to work their way through the Gospel of John and Acts by June or July. That means they would have four weeks on each of those books, since they are scheduled to work two weeks in March and April, as well as in June and July. In May two of them are expecting to travel to Lima, Peru for a Bible Society workshop.
Asking for your prayers reminds me that we have not yet had a volunteer to do the e-mailing of prayer requests for us. As I commented at the end of a recent letter, Carol Gale, our present prayer coordinator, is scheduled to travel abroad in April and needs to be replaced. She likely would tell a willing volunteer all about the details of what she has done so well. So if you think of a person just right to help us in this way, please let us know! If you think that person might be you, don’t be shy. Let us know you are thinking about it.
Last Sunday morning we decided to take a bus to the Villa Rosario neighborhood here in Formosa and visit the Toba Foursquare Church there that Roberto Keloni pastors. However, we found as we arrived that there was not a Sunday morning worship scheduled. They had had worship on Saturday night and were planning a Sunday evening communion. They also had been involved in the visitation of a family who had experienced a death. So we sat and visited with Roberto Keloni for some time, and then walked over to visit with Raquel, who is a member of this church. It was quite an experience being with her and hearing how the Lord has been powerfully at work in her life in recent time. In Oct. she grieved the deaths of her sister and her brother-in-law. She told us that on Dec. 17 her brother Fermin died. She was discouraged! She refused to go to church to worship because she felt so sad. Then she heard the Lord speak to her, telling her to look up hymns 26 and 84. When she did that, she found great encouragement. The first one talks about no tribulation there in heaven, and the second about being a soldier of the cross. As she related the experience, she began singing hymn 26, and we joined in, having the words in front of us in Hymnos de Gloria, the little songbook the indigenous often use in worship. We also sang the second hymn with her there in her front patio. And then we prayed together, as well. It was very touching to hear Raquel relate how the Spirit ministered to her in her need. She is quite a radiant person, filled with the Spirit.
At the hospital this week we visited with two indigenous young fellows. The one is Fernando, a Wichí from the Anglican Church in Las Lomitas, about five hours west. He is accompanied by his dad. He is taking meds now for T.B. and is also being checked for a spinal injury that happened earlier, apparently as he fell from a tree. From talking with a transportation person there at the hospital, they thought they might leave yet Thurs. evening for their return trip home. But they had not yet received a doctor’s order for dismissal, so we’ll see what happens. They thought they were to return about March 7 for further medical attention for Fernando’s back.
The second young teen we saw twice this week is Cristian Shiitaqqui. He likely is Toba from Barrio Obrero here in Formosa. Last Saturday night there was apparently a confrontation between two gangs and some rock throwing. The owner of a house where some windows were hit apparently came out with a gun and began to shoot. Two boys were hit with bullets. One was released from the hospital in a short time. Cristian was hit in the right side of his chest with two bullets, and he had surgery early Sunday morning to remove them. Each time we have visited him he has been surrounded by people--family and neighbors. It is really amazing that he lived through this incident! Somehow the Lord must have a purpose for his life, as he comes to recognize that the Lord is indeed in charge in his life! He is willing to hear scripture and to pray. Apparently his father is an evangelist. It has been good to visit him!
One morning this week I met a Toba pastor from Lote 68 on our block as I was returning from buying some bread. He greeted me and invited us to the Sunday morning worship for a celebration. His granddaughter will be one year old! Likely Richard and I will go to Lote 68 tomorrow morning and participate in a worship of celebration. Just this morning as we read Psalm 90, I noticed in the midst of the comments about the eternity of God and our own human frailty that the psalmist asks to be filled with God’s love at the beginning of each day that we may sing joyfully all of our lives. That is also a good birthday wish—that God might fill that little girl full of his love in each new day so that his love might overflow in thanksgiving to the glory of the Lord!
Well, there’s a proposal from the Kingsleys that we take major responsibility for putting together the Mensajero (the church newsletter) in this New Year. It is an honor that they would think of us for this job. We did put into our action goals for the New Year that we would be open to helping where needed on the Mennonite Team and open to what new things the Lord might give us to do. Now, working on the Mensajero is a big task. Could it be that the Lord is calling us to take on a task that size? What do you say, Lord?
Oh yes, there was a bit of a flood in the kitchen this week, too. About Thursday morning after dishes, I noticed that my shoes were making rather dirty footprints on the floor….actually rather wet and dirty footprints. When I opened the bottom cupboard door, I discovered the reason. The pipe connected to the main sink drain had fallen down, so the water was running out of the trap right into the cupboard. What a surprise! Richard laughed to see the fun it would be. He cleaned the pipes at the patio sink and then ran around on bicycle to about eight different stores to find what he needed to do the repair. In all the cleaning, we even decided to paint the boards that make a shelf under the sink since they were really all moldy, no matter how many times we scrubbed them. The cupboard looks pretty nice now. We’re glad!
Enough for this week! Write when you have an opportunity! And do pray with us for a pray support person who would e-mail prayer requests. Thank you!!
Blessings,
Ruth Anne and Richard
top
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Formosa! Wonderfully fresh and invigorating mornings have been the highlight of this week! It has been great to look forward to our daily bicycle rides to the Paraguay River to see the sunrise just after 6:30.
We give thanks that Richard has finally figured out how to put the Paratext program on the laptop computer that has been made available to the New Testament team by Esteban Voth, the director of the United Bible Society! Sarah Kingsley Metzler was willing to bring the laptop from Buenos Aires, having picked it up at the office of the Argentine Bible Society. It was well packed in a Bible box, which seemed to disguise it just fine! But the real trick was getting the Paratext program into it so that the translators could see their various Spanish translations, as well as the original Toba New Testament translation. Richard wrote a note to Tomás Ortiz in Bolivia, the technician who had been here last June, to have some advice about how to do the process. Tomás replied with a row of numbers that he uses for his Paratext program, and the numbers worked like magic!! Now Richard is trying to get it all in shape for Monday when the translators start again on the Gospel of Matthew. They probably will review what they already revised in Matthew the last time from chapters 9 to 17, and then they will work on chapters 18 to 28. Keep them in your prayers. The goal is to work their way through the Gospel of John and Acts by June or July. That means they would have four weeks on each of those books, since they are scheduled to work two weeks in March and April, as well as in June and July. In May two of them are expecting to travel to Lima, Peru for a Bible Society workshop.
Asking for your prayers reminds me that we have not yet had a volunteer to do the e-mailing of prayer requests for us. As I commented at the end of a recent letter, Carol Gale, our present prayer coordinator, is scheduled to travel abroad in April and needs to be replaced. She likely would tell a willing volunteer all about the details of what she has done so well. So if you think of a person just right to help us in this way, please let us know! If you think that person might be you, don’t be shy. Let us know you are thinking about it.
Last Sunday morning we decided to take a bus to the Villa Rosario neighborhood here in Formosa and visit the Toba Foursquare Church there that Roberto Keloni pastors. However, we found as we arrived that there was not a Sunday morning worship scheduled. They had had worship on Saturday night and were planning a Sunday evening communion. They also had been involved in the visitation of a family who had experienced a death. So we sat and visited with Roberto Keloni for some time, and then walked over to visit with Raquel, who is a member of this church. It was quite an experience being with her and hearing how the Lord has been powerfully at work in her life in recent time. In Oct. she grieved the deaths of her sister and her brother-in-law. She told us that on Dec. 17 her brother Fermin died. She was discouraged! She refused to go to church to worship because she felt so sad. Then she heard the Lord speak to her, telling her to look up hymns 26 and 84. When she did that, she found great encouragement. The first one talks about no tribulation there in heaven, and the second about being a soldier of the cross. As she related the experience, she began singing hymn 26, and we joined in, having the words in front of us in Hymnos de Gloria, the little songbook the indigenous often use in worship. We also sang the second hymn with her there in her front patio. And then we prayed together, as well. It was very touching to hear Raquel relate how the Spirit ministered to her in her need. She is quite a radiant person, filled with the Spirit.
At the hospital this week we visited with two indigenous young fellows. The one is Fernando, a Wichí from the Anglican Church in Las Lomitas, about five hours west. He is accompanied by his dad. He is taking meds now for T.B. and is also being checked for a spinal injury that happened earlier, apparently as he fell from a tree. From talking with a transportation person there at the hospital, they thought they might leave yet Thurs. evening for their return trip home. But they had not yet received a doctor’s order for dismissal, so we’ll see what happens. They thought they were to return about March 7 for further medical attention for Fernando’s back.
The second young teen we saw twice this week is Cristian Shiitaqqui. He likely is Toba from Barrio Obrero here in Formosa. Last Saturday night there was apparently a confrontation between two gangs and some rock throwing. The owner of a house where some windows were hit apparently came out with a gun and began to shoot. Two boys were hit with bullets. One was released from the hospital in a short time. Cristian was hit in the right side of his chest with two bullets, and he had surgery early Sunday morning to remove them. Each time we have visited him he has been surrounded by people--family and neighbors. It is really amazing that he lived through this incident! Somehow the Lord must have a purpose for his life, as he comes to recognize that the Lord is indeed in charge in his life! He is willing to hear scripture and to pray. Apparently his father is an evangelist. It has been good to visit him!
One morning this week I met a Toba pastor from Lote 68 on our block as I was returning from buying some bread. He greeted me and invited us to the Sunday morning worship for a celebration. His granddaughter will be one year old! Likely Richard and I will go to Lote 68 tomorrow morning and participate in a worship of celebration. Just this morning as we read Psalm 90, I noticed in the midst of the comments about the eternity of God and our own human frailty that the psalmist asks to be filled with God’s love at the beginning of each day that we may sing joyfully all of our lives. That is also a good birthday wish—that God might fill that little girl full of his love in each new day so that his love might overflow in thanksgiving to the glory of the Lord!
Well, there’s a proposal from the Kingsleys that we take major responsibility for putting together the Mensajero (the church newsletter) in this New Year. It is an honor that they would think of us for this job. We did put into our action goals for the New Year that we would be open to helping where needed on the Mennonite Team and open to what new things the Lord might give us to do. Now, working on the Mensajero is a big task. Could it be that the Lord is calling us to take on a task that size? What do you say, Lord?
Oh yes, there was a bit of a flood in the kitchen this week, too. About Thursday morning after dishes, I noticed that my shoes were making rather dirty footprints on the floor….actually rather wet and dirty footprints. When I opened the bottom cupboard door, I discovered the reason. The pipe connected to the main sink drain had fallen down, so the water was running out of the trap right into the cupboard. What a surprise! Richard laughed to see the fun it would be. He cleaned the pipes at the patio sink and then ran around on bicycle to about eight different stores to find what he needed to do the repair. In all the cleaning, we even decided to paint the boards that make a shelf under the sink since they were really all moldy, no matter how many times we scrubbed them. The cupboard looks pretty nice now. We’re glad!
Enough for this week! Write when you have an opportunity! And do pray with us for a pray support person who would e-mail prayer requests. Thank you!!
Blessings,
Ruth Anne and Richard
top
21
January 06
Dear Family and Friends,
We’re back in Formosa! We seem to have brought the cooler northern weather right along with us. Ever since we arrived, the temperatures have been moderate—in the 80s and perhaps 70s at night. It has been rainy and cloudy most of the time, but hey we rejoice to have lower temperatures in January!! We hear that we missed some very scorching days right before we arrived with the heat index well over the 100º mark and somebody said up to 120….perhaps no great loss to have missed the heat J!
We have been trying to get reorganized again here on the home front—finding places to put various papers, putting up calendars and pictures of family (genetic and spiritual), figuring finances and bending our heads to see how to make two bank accounts work for us (MMN program and personal accounts). Richard has put on his Mr. fix-it hat, installing a new bathroom faucet and maintaining our two bicycles. He still needs to install our new juicer parts (gifted to us by the company in CA) and check on where to buy a new wheel for the bottom of our big suitcase. (We found that as our big, heavy suitcase came off the plane it unhappily lacked a wheel on one side which made our travel thereafter a bit more difficult.)
It has been great to be back home in Formosa! The Kingsleys had a big welcome sign on our table when we entered. Then when we called them, it just so happened that they had some pasta salad to still offer us and even chauffeured us back and forth! It was a lively time catching up on family times and news of the Chaco and our team. How fun to be part of a team and have a spiritual family here in the Chaco, as well.
We missed visiting with Albertina Gutierrez and her husband Juan Manuel when we went to the hospital Thursday evening! Apparently they went home about a week ago. She really did not want to go to Buenos Aires for the bone marrow transplant possibility. It was too far away from home and too far away from family. Her health is certainly in the Lord’s care—it would be good to hold her in your prayers. This hospital stint of a couple of months was her second round here at the Central Hospital.
We did visit with a diabetic man who had just been moved from intensive care and had a large family surrounding him. Very quickly the family seemed to recognize that we were somehow connected with Willi (Horst), and they knew him! It was good to read scripture and pray with the family. Then we moved on to two young men in the same ward, one of whom was lying in bed staring straight ahead. He pretty quickly said that he can’t see! He is suffering from a head injury about 4 months ago as he was playing soccer. The two are Wichí from the Anglican Church in Juarez. It seemed that they really appreciated some support and encouragement and prayer. Finally we were asked to come pray with a man who has been paralyzed from his waist on down for the last two weeks. But just then a nurse came by to help him, so our visit was cut short.
We’ve been very keenly aware of many ways the Lord was present and providing as we traveled recently! We were loaned a car; we experienced lots of warm and loving hosting; it was great to visit with family (genetic and spiritual family), especially spending quality time with Dad Friesen; various juicer parts were sent as a gift; bank cards and pin number arrived timely for our new account; we had access to various computers for writing our MMN annual report and checking the BBC news; even the weather co-operated and was balmy throughout our whole trip!!! Now there are even plans underway for several family members to make visits to the Argentine Chaco—perhaps in April and in July!! We feel blessed beyond measure! Perhaps we are learning more about giving thanks in all kinds of situations and adding a touch of humor, too. Laverne and Eldon Nafziger (our hosts in Goshen) are good models for these areas. We certainly were encouraged to hear how our weekly letters have been connecting us in good ways with family and friends in the north. It is good to know that the Lord is in charge and directing in all that happens!
We’re also aware that being at home has taken on new significance in these days. Who knows where home is when we have clearly experienced so much of the Lord’s care and love from so many folks. The place seems insignificant, but we did sense in our many visits that indeed God is present and the Spirit is moving to bring warmth and love to many dwellings! What a gift!
In our week ahead we likely will settle down to more serious considerations like an Annual Action Plan for MMN that involves short and long term goal setting, a bi-monthly letter, team and personal financial reports. We certainly could use a few prayers for these various tasks! We also need to pursue immigrations details again by going to the local police for certification of residence and then to the Civil Registry to submit that certification and our original birth certificates with the apostilles and the Argentine consular stamps. Sounds like the week ahead will be brimming with action and lots of brainwork, too!
Blessings,
Ruth Anne and Richard
top
Dear Family and Friends,
We’re back in Formosa! We seem to have brought the cooler northern weather right along with us. Ever since we arrived, the temperatures have been moderate—in the 80s and perhaps 70s at night. It has been rainy and cloudy most of the time, but hey we rejoice to have lower temperatures in January!! We hear that we missed some very scorching days right before we arrived with the heat index well over the 100º mark and somebody said up to 120….perhaps no great loss to have missed the heat J!
We have been trying to get reorganized again here on the home front—finding places to put various papers, putting up calendars and pictures of family (genetic and spiritual), figuring finances and bending our heads to see how to make two bank accounts work for us (MMN program and personal accounts). Richard has put on his Mr. fix-it hat, installing a new bathroom faucet and maintaining our two bicycles. He still needs to install our new juicer parts (gifted to us by the company in CA) and check on where to buy a new wheel for the bottom of our big suitcase. (We found that as our big, heavy suitcase came off the plane it unhappily lacked a wheel on one side which made our travel thereafter a bit more difficult.)
It has been great to be back home in Formosa! The Kingsleys had a big welcome sign on our table when we entered. Then when we called them, it just so happened that they had some pasta salad to still offer us and even chauffeured us back and forth! It was a lively time catching up on family times and news of the Chaco and our team. How fun to be part of a team and have a spiritual family here in the Chaco, as well.
We missed visiting with Albertina Gutierrez and her husband Juan Manuel when we went to the hospital Thursday evening! Apparently they went home about a week ago. She really did not want to go to Buenos Aires for the bone marrow transplant possibility. It was too far away from home and too far away from family. Her health is certainly in the Lord’s care—it would be good to hold her in your prayers. This hospital stint of a couple of months was her second round here at the Central Hospital.
We did visit with a diabetic man who had just been moved from intensive care and had a large family surrounding him. Very quickly the family seemed to recognize that we were somehow connected with Willi (Horst), and they knew him! It was good to read scripture and pray with the family. Then we moved on to two young men in the same ward, one of whom was lying in bed staring straight ahead. He pretty quickly said that he can’t see! He is suffering from a head injury about 4 months ago as he was playing soccer. The two are Wichí from the Anglican Church in Juarez. It seemed that they really appreciated some support and encouragement and prayer. Finally we were asked to come pray with a man who has been paralyzed from his waist on down for the last two weeks. But just then a nurse came by to help him, so our visit was cut short.
We’ve been very keenly aware of many ways the Lord was present and providing as we traveled recently! We were loaned a car; we experienced lots of warm and loving hosting; it was great to visit with family (genetic and spiritual family), especially spending quality time with Dad Friesen; various juicer parts were sent as a gift; bank cards and pin number arrived timely for our new account; we had access to various computers for writing our MMN annual report and checking the BBC news; even the weather co-operated and was balmy throughout our whole trip!!! Now there are even plans underway for several family members to make visits to the Argentine Chaco—perhaps in April and in July!! We feel blessed beyond measure! Perhaps we are learning more about giving thanks in all kinds of situations and adding a touch of humor, too. Laverne and Eldon Nafziger (our hosts in Goshen) are good models for these areas. We certainly were encouraged to hear how our weekly letters have been connecting us in good ways with family and friends in the north. It is good to know that the Lord is in charge and directing in all that happens!
We’re also aware that being at home has taken on new significance in these days. Who knows where home is when we have clearly experienced so much of the Lord’s care and love from so many folks. The place seems insignificant, but we did sense in our many visits that indeed God is present and the Spirit is moving to bring warmth and love to many dwellings! What a gift!
In our week ahead we likely will settle down to more serious considerations like an Annual Action Plan for MMN that involves short and long term goal setting, a bi-monthly letter, team and personal financial reports. We certainly could use a few prayers for these various tasks! We also need to pursue immigrations details again by going to the local police for certification of residence and then to the Civil Registry to submit that certification and our original birth certificates with the apostilles and the Argentine consular stamps. Sounds like the week ahead will be brimming with action and lots of brainwork, too!
Blessings,
Ruth Anne and Richard
top
return to Friesen page.
Plow Creek Site Outline | Plow Creek Home Page