"Get ready to feel foolish." That's one of the
things I'd tell people if they wanted to
minister in a rural area of Paraguay. I grew up
in a suburban neighbourhood and my contact with
life on a farm has been limited to "hogs" and a
couple of friends with 4-H projects. Here in
rural Paraguay there is a whole body of knowledge
which it seems everyone knows, except me. Here
are a few examples of my "foolishness."
If your going to hang meat outside over night,
hang it REALLY high. Dogs can jump over six
feet to rip a bag and get the prize. (Recently
lost 24 pounds of beef by hanging it too low.)
Chickens only look fat, but are able to
squeeze through seemingly impossible spaces.
(After loosing all my beets to a marauding
band of neighbourhood chickens, due to improper
spacing of picket fence boards)
You don't try to cook a whole 64 pound pig
over an open fire. (Pigs here are raised for
the fat that can be rendered from them, and so
nearly 32 pounds of pure fat dripped into the
fire, worth about 5 days wages for the men in
our village.)
Don't ask someone what time you are going to
light your self on fire. (A language slip up
when I meant to ask What time we are going to
start the fire.)
My egos can get bruised pretty easy when I
forget that who I am is defined by Who I know,
and not by what I know. When we feel foolish,
inadequate, or out of place, my we all find
comfort in knowing our Lord Jesus.
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