Hey Guys again sorry for the length of time between posts, I've just been doing other things I suppose. Well anyways the other weekend we went to Pailon and we got to see first hand what the Mennonite colonies live like down in Bolivia. First off what we saw was not what every colony is like, there are a huge range of what these colonies live like and this is just what we saw and were told.
That being said it is for the most part a very sad situation. Most of the colonies (not all but most) still live without technology of any kind. Some groups don't even allow tractors, others only tractors with metal wheels. All in all not an easy situation to live. That is not the sad part however, the sad part is how they live with all the strictest rules that regard to their faith but they don't have any true faith.
What I mean is this, all their sermons are in High German but the people only understand and speak Low German being they don't actually know what is being taught for the most part. In a lot of cases even the pastor doesn't understand the sermons, but they are handed down from pastor to pastor so they just rotate through the pre-written sermons. Also for the longest time Low German was not a written language and only 10 years ago was it written down, at which point and Low German Bible was written which would make it possible for the people to read the Bible for themselves. But the heirarchy in the colonies have decided that the High German Bible is the proper Bible and so the Low German one has been forbidden. So the people are again stuck without being able to read about their faith.In some colonies if you are caught with a German Bible you will be kicked out of the colony, this is a very scary fact for them because they are told that those who have the power to kick them out of the colony also have the ability to kick them out of Heaven and the two go hand in hand. So these people live in a constant state of fear and it is very sad.
Also because their faith is not one built on knowledge but on fear, a lot of bad happens in the colonies today. Drinking is a huge issue and so is abuse. Another big issue is rape, apparently it is not uncommon for a father to rape his own children. All in all it is a very sad situation. That being said there is hope!
Through ministries like the one we visited, the people are learning about their faith and it is changing their lives and the lives of their colonies. This specific ministry was a radio ministry. They run Christian radio programming for the Mennonite and Quechua (indigenous group) people. This is a huge blessing for these people because it is often the first time that they are able to hear the Bible preached with true faith and love. In the Mennonite colonies the people often have hidden hand held radio's in their houses so that they can listen. As well many of the colonies are now progressing forward which is awesome to see.
We visited a Mennonite church in one of the colonies that has changed as a result of these ministries. It was cool to see, because although they still had a lot of their traditions in place such as their clothing and modest lifestyles, there was room for growth. They had microphones and things in their service which is huge for progression and their service was in Low German so the people can understand and it was actually planned specifically for that week rather than a set sermon that the people have hear hundreds of times. And not only that but the people also had their own Bibles so that they could learn and grow. It was truly an awesome thing to see! We were only in the community for on morning but we could clearly see the hope in that colony which is so different from a lot of the colonies down here. We also drove through a couple other colonies and were told about them so if you want to know more you can message me.
Anyways all in all it was definitely an eye opening trip and these people really need ministries like the radio ministry we visited so if you could pray for that that would be wonderful! Well I hope you have had a God filled and bless last few weeks and I will try and start posting more regularly again.
Shalom and God Bless
Michael
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