Radio day

On Palm Sunday, we Centro Menno staff spent the day at the Radio Transmundial Bolivia grounds near Pailón (about an hour east of Santa Cruz). RTM Bolivia does programming for multiple people groups and languages: Quechua, Spanish, and Low German. When we lived in Charagua, we'd often sit outside in the dark evening listening to the week's news in Low German (that radio station also had Guaraní programming). On this day, RTM was hosting a pastor couple from Canada - he preaches in Low German, and she does children's stories on the radio and has a Low German cookbook that is popular around here.

Jake Fehr, director of RTM Bolivia speaks to the crowd.

Aside from a morning worship service and afernoon music program, several organizations that work with Low German Mennonites in Bolivia had set up tables with resources to sell, give away, or describe what they do (all we needed was for Jesus to clear away all the money boxes...). So we brought samples of Menno Bote, Das Blatt, and the Mennonitische Post to give away, as well as some of the books we sell and so on. Willmar also helped with a table that had more information on the Mennonite drug and alcohol-rehabilitation center, Guía de Paz, which is being built.

MCC Bolivia table.

Several hundred Mennonites from around the area came for what turned out to be quite a festive day. There was twangy music in Low German. There were lots of salchichas (hot dogs), guiso, ice cream, and soda pop. There was lots of sun, lots of misquitoes. There was some good visiting. And perhaps most importantly for us, there was a unique opportunity to hang out with folks from organizations that Centro Menno hasn't always hung out with.