John Simons

Learning about Paraguay

I am beginning to turn my attention to the upcoming missions trip in April.

First, I need to turn my attention to the fundraising part of things. The goal is to raise a significant part of the cost from friends and family. This serves a couple of purposes. First, we really don’t have the funds for Josh and I to travel overseas sitting in the bank. Second, if people contribute to the trip, they will be more likely to pray for us while we are preparing and traveling, but also will be more interested in our adventures.

Josh and I have both been learning more about Paraguay, as well. When we signed up, I assumed that Paraguay was like most of Latin America, with Spanish as the official language (maybe not universal) and with a couple other languages, such as native languages, and hybrid between multiple languages. For example, When I went to Honduras during college, I stayed on the island of Roatan. There, a predominant language is Pidgin, a hybrid between English and the African languages that came with the slave trade. On the mainland, Spanish is the official language. There are also at least a couple of native languages, such as the language of the Miskito Indians, who live on the Mosquito Coast, which is shared by Honduras and Nicaragua.

Well, Paraguay is unique in Latin America, as it has two official languages: Spanish and Guarini. Guarini is an indigenous language. There is also a hybrid of the two. Apparently, it is very common for conversations to make their way through all three languages.

There is much learning to do, as well as much preparation.

Tags: Asuncion, mission, Paraguay

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