With the help of my dad’s cousin David Goetz we found Oma’s house yesterday. There used to be two buildings on the property that have now been joined together. A German Russian couple now lives there and is resettling the area along with their kids. We also found a house that David said my parents used to live in. It is now the home of Pedro and his family who work on the neighboring farm.
Walling the footsteps of my parents 51 years after they left for Canada was a surreal experience. Paraguay is experiencing a drought presently which served to drive home the depth of struggle my parents would have endured during their time here. Today we’re having a dust storm which my dad had warned me about. I’ve got grit in places I didn’t know could get grit. My parents and many others persevered in order to carve out a living for their families. Those who remained in
Paraguay have developed a rather comprehensive community in which they have established their own social services support system, industries, schools, hospitals, senior citizens homes, co-op to bring produce to market, ministry outreach to their neighbors all because of their understanding of what it means to be God’s people in community.
Having visited the Mennonite colonies and examined their history I have a new respect for the hardships my parents endured so that I didn’t have to. In reality I have and continue to live a life of leisure because of the price my parents paid. Their ceiling became my floor. Their hardship became my opportunities and their sacrifice became my entitlement. I think I need to send my kids here J.
I can’t help but see God’s hand in all of this. The stories are so sensational, so amazing that without God’s leading it would have been impossible for people to survive. This trip also caused me to reflect on what I’m building for my children. What is my ceiling that will be their floor? Some of the colonies have given their children an economic future while leaving them in a spiritual wasteland while others have done both and more—they have established God’s presence in the surrounding communities with ministry that is holistic meeting faith, economy and human needs. I need to review what I’m giving my kids to prepare them for the future God is calling them to.
Entries (RSS)