The final, rather delayed update...

Hello there, its been a while but I have now been back in England for a week, but have been busy, so this is my first chance to update about my final week in South America. Since I have been back I have realised how many people have been reading this blog, which is amazing thank you so much for the support. I saw the page view numbers go up every week, but thankyou for all your kind comments about it. When I started it I thought it was just going to be maybe a couple of people reading, nothing major, but I see that is has far more popular than I ever imagined, and the care and support really does mean a lot. Anyway, here we go...

The last few days went quite cold again, but the only work we had last to do was to paint this playground, but we had to wait until someone who had gone to Asuncion to pick up the paint.

On the Friday evening we had a bit of a leaving party at the girls house. The girls performed the Little Red Hen in English and performed the dance that AJ had been working on with them. We also had hot dogs and burgers that had been cooked in the new kitchen.

On the Sunday afternoon we celebrated the official opening of the playground, and children from the village were invited along. There was a little service and then all the children had biscuits and hot chocolate. There was so much laughter and fun going on...all the childre love it. They spend every spare second they have playing on it. Also that day, the twins celebrated their 9th birthday, and they had their first ever birthday cake, which was pretty special to share it with them.

The time came to leave on Wednesday evening where were caught a bus to Asuncion and then an overnight bus to Brazil, where we spent 4 days at Iguassu Falls in Brazil and Agrentina, which was a nice end to an amazing 2 months.


These two months have been the most amazing ever. I have been taught so much about real life. I have seen what really is important in life, and that we can really survive without home comforts. I will remember this summer forever and always think about the life changing people I have met.

I want to thank everyone who made this project possible. What ever you give or donate, however big or small, it all goes directly out to Paraguay and improves lives out there! None of this wouldnt be out there otherwise! And again, thank you for your support, and thank you for reading this, and experiencing this journey with me.

I am planning to update the blog with a few photos over the next few days...but for now this is the end of the Paraguay 2011 blog. Thank you again for taking the time to read about it, the numbers show how many people really do care.

Dancers to dance upon injustice...

So this will be my last Wednesday update from Paraguay :( and I can onlt be quick.

This morning we finished re-painting the comedor and it is now really white. We now only have the playground left to paint, but we wont have the pàint for that until Friday when Phil gets back from Asuncion with it, but it means that we will have to work hard on Saturday because they want to officially open it on Sunday while we are still here.

Yesterday it was Childrens Day here in Paraguay, and Monday was a bank holiday for the anniversary of the founding of Asuncion, so on Monday our girls had two performances again. First of all they were asked to perform at the town hall, which is  a real honour, a few girls did traditional Paraguayan dancing, and some of the older girls did some ´Christian´ dancing and then they put on a puppet show using the new puppets that we brought out for them. There were a lot more people there than I expected, and the mayor was very impressed. Ossy said that in the 14 years that he has lived in QQH, this is the first time they have done anything for childrens day. After that, they all piled into the back of the open van again and travelled about an hour up the road to the next village, where they did the same again. It was a really good day. Yesterday all the girls were a bit hyper because they had been given sweets and presents at school.

Anyway I have to go, but next week we travel on an over night bus to Brazil, where we are having a few days holiday at Iguassu Falls, before we come home. Only 10 days left in South America now, what happened to the last 50?? I will try and update again before we leave, if not I will do it once I am home....xxxDa

I love this place, where common sense rules, not health and safety!

Nobody can choose where they are born, and I guess I just got lucky. I´m really starting to realise how greatful I am for having the life I have been given. I have enough. This place has changed my view and outlook on life. I have learnt what is important in life and what isn´t. For that I am thankful.

This week has warmed up a lot, which is great news for my hands and feet =) On Sunday it was 38 Degrees C, where as the Sunday before it was only 8! Chances are it will go cold again in a few days though because Paraguay has crazy winters.

This morning we drove to the outskirts of the village where some of the children live who come to the Comedor for meals. There are no roads, its more of a really bumpy dirt track. On the way we drove past a tap, which provide the water for 10-15 houses. The children walk 30 minutes to school everday in flip flops and shoes that dont really fit, and their houses are made of mud and wood. At least in the village they have running water, electricity, showers and comfortable enough houses.

I have discovered that I am the ironing queen...well of Hama beads anyway...not clothes. Its a new thing for the girls that came out with us, and the teachers have been on strike the last few days so we had chance to do it with them.

This week we have been scrubbing the Comedor clean ready to re-paint it, while some local men put the heavy bits of the playground together. On Monday it is Children´s Day, and school is closed (again), and the girls are off to another village to do some evangelism through their dance and puppets again, so they have been busy preparing for that. Im guessing its going to be 20 kids on the back of a van again. Little Phil left us on Monday and has jetted to Rio De Janiero, and will join us again when we get to Iguassu in Brazil in about 15 days time.

We just checked the temperature and found out its 39.5 Degrees C...but its ok because one of the team has made about 10 litres of lemonade from the lemons that fall from the ugly tree...

Thank you for reading and for all your support, see you soon love Helen x

Did you feel the mountians tremble?

Happy August everyone!
I have now been in Paraguay for over a month and its gone way too quick!

At the weekend the final two team member arrived in QQH. They had a couple of really hot days in Asuncion but by the time they got here the temperature had dropped a lot, and only yesterday started getting warmer again. You gotta love the crazy Paraguayan weather! The problem with this weather is that people get a lot of colds. Team leader Big Phil has spent a couple of days in bed witth a bad cold, that with the cold meant that no work was done for two days. But all the team are healthy again! Here in Paraguay if it is cold and/or raining then people tend not to go to work or school.

This morning me and Big Phil finally finished the kitchen at the girls house. Well it just needs cleaning, but apparently the girls are desperate to do that...We have been painting the walls white, but it doesnt matter how much paint we put on, brown keeps coming through from year and years of grease from the cooking in there.
The builder and the gardener have also finished extending the chicken run. So we now have happy chickens!

The other day at the lomiteria we met the most important person in QQH! He has a bodyguard who carries a gun! Apparently, his dad was murdered when he was in the same position, don´t you just love corruption...or not!

I just got distracted by a motorbike going past with 5 people on!

So this week we will hopefully be putting up the playground. Next week little Phil leaves us to go off to Rio! Also, some of you might know that I suffer from Raynauds disease, so if your into it, I´d appreciate some prayer for that, as when its cold here its makes it really hard for me to do a lot of the work easily when my fingers are really painful and I cant feel my toes, and it just makes me really cold too. Thank you!

Thank you for reading! See you again sometime next week!

Im going to miss cow and cart style rush hour...

Hey there!!!

Well the storms have now finished and the last few days have been really hot :)

On Saturday (I think) Carol left, so the night before we had a massive BBQ and some of the girls showed us some traditional Paraguayan dancing. Then they wanted us to show them some dancing! I dont do dancing! So we introduced the conga instead!

On Sunday we finally got to go to the church, as it was the first Sunday that it has not rained! We were the only people there, and I did not understand a word of it...

A few jobs have been going on. This morning we have been painting and tiling the kitchen at the girls house. The chicken/pig enclosure has been improved and we have started to think about the playground. Also AJ has been teaching the girls some dance. Also, as some point this week, two women came to the house and gave all the younger girls their vaccinations.

I spent Monday in bed thanks to a stomach bug thing, but was back at work yesterday. I think its down to one too many burgers at the lomiteria...

I am no longer being bullied by a two year old after I saved her life...well not exactly but I took her back to her mum and we kinda bonded. Yesterday she came running up to me and gave me a hug, before then she used to run up to me and kick or pinch me.

The last few nights have been so clear that we can see so many stars and even the Milky Way really clearly!

This Saturday the final two of the group will join us. It seems so strange that we are halfway through week 3 already, it feels like I have been here forever and not at all at the same time. I think a little bit of me cant wait to get home, but I also feel like I could quite happily stay here, as long as I dont have to keep living out of a suitcase.

Anyways, I have to go tackle round 2 of painting, ding ding! xxx

"I want to see miracles, to see the world change..."

Hola! Don't really have much to update, so this it really to let you all know that Im still alive!

The last few days there have only been 3 of us here, and there hasn't been much work to do, just finishing off the previous jobs. As well as putting on a few English lessons for the village kids in the Comedor as they are on holiday at the moment.

Over the past few days we have had 2 massive thunderstorms (one is still going on now). The thunder shakes the house and the lightening is the brightest Ive ever seen. We woke up to a leaking roof this morning in our room above the spare bed, which has now been replaced with a bucket - apparently the roof tiles are really old! When a thunderstorm happens here the electricity tends to go off, and you have to unplug everything as things tend to blow up when it comes back on, so I am doing this update as quick as possible just in case...
Because of the weather, we haven't seen much of the girls, as they have stayed in their house down the road.

The Piglets arrived yesterday, and the 'adults' also got back from their adventures in Iguassu/Conception/Asuncion.

This place never fails to amaze me - Marie-Louisa managed to prepare and cook a massive meal for 8 on the side of a kitchen sink and a 4 ring oven!

A big thank you to everyone who donated make up and nail varnish. It has been very popular! Although the girls do tend to put it on, take it off straight away and then immediately put it back on again.

Anyway, I think Im gonna go before I blow up! I think after siesta we are venturing down to the girls house to do some aerobics and (crazy) dancing....xxxx

Chainsaw, Piglets and Florida!

The work this week has been a bit slow going and we are really just continuing what we have already started.

On Sunday church was cancelled because it had rained in the night. In Paraguay if it rains then public transport doesnt run, and if it is a school day then school is closed. This meant that we had a mini service on the porch with Ossy and the girls. It was really nice though and they all love to sing in Spanish, Guarani and English.

Yesterday morning though, Anne, AJ, Carol and I went into the forest with Ossy to chop a tree down for firewood. We all got to use the chainsaw, no safety equipment here, and we all survived! It then meant trecking forwards and backwards through the humid forest with the tree, and my arms ache today!.In the evening, we didnt really go to Florida for food, we went to a place about an hour away along the river called Villa Florida (said villa flo reeda), and on the way we stopped for ice cream, where we got about 5 or 6 scoops for about 80p!

Today I went with Phil and Marie'Louise to pick out two piglets for El Puente! There were 9 to choose from but ours come on Saturday!

On a Wednesday evening, a Canadian guy travels three or four hours from his childrens home to have a bible study with the girls here. And tonight I realised that 19 girls can sing louder than a church of 2 or 300 people, and their actions and dancing is so funny! I also realised how much it means to the gilrs just to know that we care enough to pray for them, and it means even more that we go out and visit them. They were saying goodbye to Anne and were crying, and that is after just a week and a half! They nearly set the rest of us off, so I hate to think what I will be like at the end of 2 months. They love having visitors! we all then trecked down to the lomiteria for a burger!

Tomorrow Anne and Carol leave for Iguassu in Brazil for a few days, and Anne flies home on Sunday, but Carol will come back here for a few days before she heads home!

See you soon love Helen xxx

20 Children...1 Van...No Problemo

HELLLLLOO! Im still alive :)

Its been a really good first week, and today it has been really hot, even though the locals arent really feeling and are laughing at us for wearing shorts in the winter...

We have demolished the kitchen at the girls house, and Alfredo, the local builder has started rebuilding it, while Ann and I have repainted the shelves, with the worst paint ever, which is more like plastic. Phil has been fixing up the area where they chickens live and Carol, Phillip and AJ have been working on the kitchen garden.

The weather is getting warmer and the colds are starting to clear up, except for Ossy who has a bad chest but is still working so hard.

On Thursday, the children broke up for their two week winter holiday and we got invited to a fundraising thing at QQH High School (in Paraguay the government only pay teachers wages, and schools have to pay for everything including electricity and water), which included a mini sports day, dancing and drama. We took all the girls with us, while a couple of the older ones performed. Also, the girls got their reports today and 'our girls' have come out as the best in the school.

We have weekends off, and this morning a few of us went for a walk down to the lagoon and around QQH, which was nice, and we were joined for most of it by two little local boys who pointed out all the lemon, orange and grapefruit trees.

This afternoon we went to the next village for some kind of school prize giving, and the girls put on a dance and evangelised through puppets, even the adults were getting involved. It was really good to see the work they are doing at such a young age, and it is all because they are now living with Ossy and Marie-Louise and safe and happy. The older girls are going to school and are talking to their friends and sharing the bible, they are not imposing and its not planned, it is simply their peers around them seeing that they are different and wanting to know why. You come here and hear their stories and and all you want to do is bring them back to Englang, but its not the right thing to do, they need to be here where they are changing where they live. If you took them out then the area would never get any better.

If there is one memory that I will take away from this place it will be the happiness and joy, and the laughter and skipping.

I have to go now, it is only 8pm but Im half asleep already xxx

Isn't it annoying when your pet cows go in different directions down the main street...

HOLA!

Its finally warmed up today, the last few days have been a bit chilly thanks to an Argentinian wind, and it is freezing at night!

We got to QQH on Saturday and arrived to hundreds of hugs! In the evening we were able to go to a 15th birthday celebrations (15 is the only birthday they really celebrate here), and it was amazing, it rivals a wedding! Changes of dress, an amazing cake and sweets and food! She saved up 5 months of her wages to pay for half of it! I dont know any 14 year olds in the UK that have done that.

Sunday we got to know the girls a bit more, and in the evening went for a bit of a church service at the girls house lead by Ossy, which was really nice even if I didnt understand most of it, but most of the songs they sang, were in Spanish and then English.

Yesterday we started off the kitchen.

This morning we finished demolishing the kitchen at the girl's house, ready for it to be rebuilt. Before we headed off to do that we went through most of the cases, and handed out some shoes to some of the children that needed new ones. Some of the girls were also sorted out with new and better fiitting school uniform. I dont think I have ever seen a child get so excited over a pair of second hand trainers. One of the worker's little boys was given a toy car, and the look on his face was priceless, he was so pleased, but minutes later his little brother came over and he gave it to him. Its just gone lunch time here and I got to see the children from the village be fed at the commedor.


Anyway, we have to go off and do more work for now so chow for now!

Love Helen xxx

There's No Room to do an Awkward Platypus on a Plane

Ok, so bear with me, as this is all in Spanish!

So I am now at my hotel for the night in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay! I have survived the flights, and been fed a lot of plane food! We got to the hotel about 12.30pm local time (we are 5 hours behind England) and Ossy met us at the airport, where we piled 12 suitcases in a trailer and the 6 of us in the car. The car journey was kinda fun, mad roads, really old busses everywhere and the odd horse and cart!

Everything went smoothly and everyone is well.
We had showers and naps, and went out for 'lunch' at 4, and we have just got back! I think I just had the best burger ever! Its dark now (about 5-6ish?) as its winter, and it is a little nippy! We're off out to an all you can eat meat buffet thing in a couple of hours with Ossy, to get to know him a little before we embark on the 4-5hour car journey to QQH with him tomorrow!

It is finally starting to feel real! and after many years of wanting to come here it is starting to sink in that I am actually in Paraguay! I am so excited for the next 2 months! I think we are all going to sleep well tonight, somewhere where we can lie down that isn't an airport floor or doesn't involve turbulance!



Finally I have discovered that there are many 'awkward moments when...' on a Brazillian plane journey, but there is just no room to do the awkward platypus!

See you all in 2 months! Have a good one
Love Helen xxx

'Where you live should no longer determine whether you live' -Bono

I said that I would update you all once I had been to the meeting in Milton Keynes last weekend.

It was a really good day, and I feel slightly more relaxed about it all now I have met the people I am going with.

We have three main projects that we are going to do when we are In the village. We are going to build a children's playground, and renovate the kitchen and kitchen garden. As well as other general, upkeeping jobs.

The total money raised from our Open Garden the other weekend has reached £550, which is amazing! People in Milton Keynes have also been raising a lot of money and in total we have about £3000 to take out and do all the work planned!

As it has just gone midnight, it now means that I leave for Paraguay in 5 days! I have to get from Birmingham to Heathrow, then it is an 11 hour flight to Brazil, about 3 or 4 hours wait at Sao Paulo, then another flight to Asuncion in Paraguay, where we stop over night, and then a 3 or 4 hour drive to the village. So it will be a long and tiring journey, but it is going to be SO worth it!

The title of this post is one of my favorite quotes and was said by Bono - thought I would get it in there after watching U2 on the tv at Glastonbury earlier!

Hopefully I will see as many of you as possible over the next few days, but if not - have a great summer!

Why I want to do this, and Cake Can Change the World!

Hello there! This is my first ever attempt at this so...
Two weeks today, I will be at Heathrow airport waiting to get on a plane to Brazil, and then on to Paraguay. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.

Quite a few people have asked me why Paraguay, it seems quite an odd place to want to go. People have heard of people going off to volunteer in Africa or India or even Brazil, but Paraguay isn't really as popular. For me, however, there has never been anywhere else I have wanted to go. I have wanted to go for as long as I can remember, and this is the first time that everything has worked out so that I can go. My God-parents lived in Paraguay for a number of years, and I have grown up watching Operation South America (previously Project Paraguay) become what it is today. I have heard a lot of the stories and have always wanted to go and see it for myself, and do something to help.

While I am there, I will be living with a family who have adopted 19 girls, and who feed about 80 of the local school children on school days. At the moment I am not sure of what projects are in store for us while we are there. I am going to Milton Keynes on Saturday to meet the rest of the team for the first time and find all that out.

Scholarship
I study Early Childhood Studies at the University of Worcester, and in a lecture sometime in October or November I found out about a scholarship scheme that the Uni ran to enable students to take part in different things similar to what I had planned for the summer. I applied, and didn't expect to win one, but I was awarded with an £800 scholarship towards my travel costs. I had worked a lot last summer, and with my savings I had already got the money I needed so it was nice to know that I really didn't need to worry about the cost of getting there.
Because of the Scholarship, I have had an article on the uni website, in the Walsall Chronicle and two in the Express and Star.

Cake Can Change the World - Open Garden!
Last Saturday, my mum and dad put on an open garden. We had a MEGA turnout, even with the rain and not very nice weather. We had a lot of cake and scones, and dad had grown some plants to sell, as well as getting his legendary garden railway out. There was standing room only, at one point we were full inside, and under the gazebo in the garden, we even had people sitting on the stairs!
At the end of the day we had £447.97 in the pot, but over the next few days we were given even more money by people who had not managed to make it on the day. I have lost count now but we have raised over £500!
Nobody can believe it! Me and my mum were expecting at maximum of £200 on a good day (and it really wasn't a very good day weather wise)! I really want to thank anyone who has donated anything to Operation South America (if you are reading this), you really do not understand how much that money is needed and how grateful everyone involved is for it!

Well I hope there is someone out there reading this and you find it a little bit interesting. I'll update again after Saturday when I find out what the plans are for when we are out there! Then after that I will be there! In the mean time, find out more about O.S.A at www.operationsouthamerica.com
and follow me on twitter (my name on it is 'HelenMeriel'), as that is more likely to be updated as I know a bit more what I am doing with it....

Thanks for reading love Helen xx

P.S - While your at it, Check out this video made by Hillsong United and their I Heart Revolution project, I first found it a few years ago, it sums up some of the reasons why I feel like I want to do what I want to do. Its an eye opener and a reality check

Uni Website Article

Operation South America