Living with the Ache People

Last week I went with the Parque SAMM to live with the Ache indigenous people of Puerto Barra. This people group were once a great in number have now dwindled down to just five communities throughout Paraguay due mostly to a genocide that occurred in the 70’s and from being relocated by the government and the sickness that followed those moves. Though there is a dark history with these people they are a very affectionate people and very welcoming to outsiders. People of all ages will greet you with a hug, and it isn’t a weak I am obliged to hug you hug, but a very affectionate deep meaningful hug.

These people truly live in community. They live in one room houses but have communal toilets throughout the community as well as a giant kitchen where the women work to prepare a meal for the entire community. During lunch time the giant metal wheel is clanged with a metal rod and people gather together to eat as a group or the mothers come and collect a portion for their family.

During the days my team would head out to work in the community school helping make colorful signs for the classrooms, doing some minor electrical work, and cleaning the classrooms. Cleaning was quite the task since the roads in Puerto Barra are deep red brown and as the children walk to school through dust, water they track in heaps ofmud into the classroom and as it dries it becomes very difficult to clean up. So with the tools of a broom, a squeegee, a rag, a bucket, and water source we undertook the task and after 4 days all 4 rooms looked much better.

My favorite thing of course was playing with the children during our free time. Thanks to a friend in Germany I had two beach balls for a game I played with my English class and I was able to bring theballs to Puerto Barra where the children loved them! A common sight would be the children all on the ground fighting over the ball and kids just piling on top of each other as sort of a game. 

The Ache people are natural farmers and gatherers and the lands leading up to their community is covered with weight, corn and sugar cane. One day a small group of us went with the children to the sugar cane fields and we (really only the children) picked some of the cane to bring back to the community as a treat. Our lack of sugar cane preparation skills was apparent as we slowing skinned the cane with a knife. Some of the children became impatience and started shredding the cane with their teeth to get to the sweet juices. Eventually we all had some, and as my first experience with sugar cane it was a good one. (Not so much for the taste, to me sugar cane is sickly sweet but the people there love it)

There was a heaviness also while we were in this community. I’ve experienced similar heaviness during my time in Haiti and also in the DRC, the heaviness of spiritual warfare. Insecurities and strongholds that you thought were broken or in the past bubble up and try to cloud your joy and your ability to love the people you are working with.  The heaviness of knowing that you aren’t seeing the whole story and that much stronger things are at play. Our whole team experienced different levels of this fight and even on our way home we faced major car troubles that eventually caused one car to quite working about an hour and a half a way from the Parque. So with what should have been only a four hour journey in total took nine hours. We all knew that this wasn’t just a fluke occurrence and after huddling in a gas station at night we prayed for protection, to stand against these attacks, and praise that we know we are on the winning side.

I’ve been working on memorizing some verses this year and although for me memorization is not easy I am finding out how precious it is to be able to dwell upon his word from memory when facing different obstacles of this life. One small passage I found while in Puerto Barra is Lamentations 3:22-24 and I believe these verses speak a multitude of what God is doing in my life, and in the life of the Ache people

“Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning,

Great is Your faithfulness.

‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,

‘Therefore I hope in Him!"

Please be praying

• -          For the Ache people, that they continue to allow God to transform their lives to be free of bitterness, resentment and defeat
• -          For the students here at the Parque SAMM. It was definitely a draining/amazing week. Be praying that they continue strong the final 5 weeks of this program and that they continue being grounded in Christ
• -          Silvia and Norbert missionaries in Limpio PY. Silvia messaged me a week ago letting me know that she may have to return to Germany because she has a growth on her spine and the doctors here are unsure and want her to get it checked out. Silvia would be leaving behind her two children, husband, and ministry for at least 2 months if surgery is required maybe longer. Be praying for her healing, for the doctors who will work with her, and for her family and sewing ministry. When she told me about having to leave alone her sole comment was “The work Must go on!” This speaks volumes about her heart and love for Christ.
• -          For Walter and Gabi Pelegrina- my PY mentors have plans to be in China for a Latin American Conference in August. Last week they went to Argentina to get their visa’s and were denied. They said they haven’t given up hope yet and have a few other options but please be praying over that time
• -          For me spiritually, mentally and physically. The 2^nd marks two months in Paraguay and I already feel like I ran a race, be praying for continued strength for the upcoming tasks. Also it seems that I have been bitten by another spider and this time my body is reacting, be praying for healing over this and that it doesn’t turn into anything more serious that will hinder my ministry here.

Thank you all for your continued encouragement support and prayers you all are vital to this ministry!

Tasha