A Family Getaway

My wife prepped me ahead of time, "This isn't going to be a vacation, ok?"  With six small  children around swimming pools there wouldn't be much time to tune out. And yet we recognize the importance to make time to getaway as a family once or twice a year.  Since returning to Paraguay in October this would be our first time doing that.  We were planning on heading down to the southern border of Paraguay where there is a beautiful beach looking across into Argentina, ancient Jesuit ruins and a hotel that the kids have been looking forward to visiting again: it has four swimming pools including a high dive!

On the morning we were to load the trailer and set out it began to rain.  And so, as often happens in our crazy lives, we sat back and re-thought our plans at the last minute.  It would be better to stay home and have a family day and wait to getaway when the sun was shining again.  The kids and I played wii while rain loudly drummed on our tin roof.  Later that night Sarah made her amazing pizza and we watched a movie.  By the next day it was hot and sunny again.  We loaded up and set out in our 4 wheel drive on our family adventure!  We traversed 30 miles of mud before reaching a paved road.  Soon we were seeing the Parana River and looking over into Argentina.  Though we had only traveled a few hours our cell phones were turned off and it felt like we were really getting away.

We arrived at the beach in time for lunch and enjoyed hamburgers on the boardwalk.  For the rest of the afternoon we swam and played frisbee in the hot sun.  Sarah and I made sure all the kids were slathered with plenty of sun screen.

I wrestled the kids in the river.  It was shallow and sandy: perfect for throwing the little kids like potato sacks and performing awesome body slams on Eli and Toby.  As the sun began to set we returned to the boardwalk where we could rent bikes.  We had our eye on two four-seat bikes with off-road tires.  Two people could pedal while the boys got to steer.  The Littles rode up front- HOOAH!

That evening we checked into our hotel and the next morning the sun was shining again.  Our balcony opened up onto a couple of the swimming pools set in a tropical part of Paraguay.  Another day of swimming in the Paraguayan heat seemed like the perfect thing to do.

Our hotel also had hiking trails.  I unilaterally decided that we would go for a family hike.  After managing to pry the kids away from the water our troop set out with a screaming Judah bringing up the rear.  If there were any monkeys in the forest they had moved into Argentina by the time we passed by.

Our path took us over streams...

past many tropical plants...

through a bamboo forest...

and through many, many golden orb spider webs that spanned the trail.  As we pulled the thread off of ourselves we could see that it really is a golden color.  By the end of our hike six very sticky and sweaty kids were ready to jump back in the pool.

Later that evening we ventured out for a night tour of the Trinidad, Jesuit ruins that were nearby.  The Jesuit's were Catholic missionaries who built elaborate mission compounds where the Guarani Indians were taught, housed and protected from slave traders back in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In addition to teaching the Guarani about religion, the Jesuit missionaries taught them farming, carpentry, weaving, and how to craft and play stringed and woodwind instruments among other things, all the while allowing them to maintain their indigenous identity.  In many ways the Jesuits bettered life for the Guarani until being forced to leave the Americas in 1767.  Click here if you want to read more about the Jesuit settlements.

As stars shone overhead and Baroque music that the Guarani would have learned to play echoed among the stone ruins it was great to walk through this piece of Paraguayan history with our kids!  By the end of our family getaway we all felt refreshed and strengthened.  Sarah and I had even found time to relax by the pool side.  We thank God for the blessing of family and the privilege to be able to serve together here in Paraguay!